I am 26 years old. I am an accounting major and I have two daughters. Having kids at a young age meant that I had to make sacrifices. I didn't go back to school until my oldest started school. I wanted to give them more stability and have a job that could support us well. It's been a couple years since I've started college again. My first semester was my most influential. My English 101 teacher assigned the book The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. It was an amazing read and I live by it now. Basically, Duhigg talked about how introducing little positive habits into your life can create a domino effect leading to big positive habits. As a result, people change their own lives by changing little things. It's made me become a person that constantly wants to change for the better. I believe that there will always be room for growth and improvement. It's helped me find joy in my minor achievements. For most of my working career, I've worked a job based on commission. The service industry has been tough. Your pay depends on how hard you've worked. Sometimes there's no work or if there's too much work, you get no breaks. It has been a good way to support my family but there was no work life balance. It makes me happy that I have recently been accepted for an internship. I've already learned so much and it makes me excited to get my BA so I can secure a job in the finance industry. I work less in the beauty industry now because I have my internship. I'm holding both roles for financial security and professional development. The extra income has allowed me to put my daughters into extracurriculars. It's also helped me learn how to further support our school PTO. I plan on becoming a board member next year and I hope my finance skills will be beneficial to our organization. Life has been hard for me. I became a single mom before I was 20. I often felt like a failure to my kids so it really makes me feel proud of myself that I am where I am today. I want to raise strong independent girls that know I will support them if they need it. I believe that my involvement in their academics and overall lives has been greatly beneficial to their development. I am also proud of them from making much improvement on what they've struggled with. My 8yo was at risk in reading, and she has excelled this year. My 6yo has always been shy but I've seen her step out of her box and make so many friends. Kids really do grow fast and I'm glad to be able to be there with mine every step of the way. It's been challenging trying to balance my life, my kids, my education, and my career. I can say that I feel like all my effort has been worth it. I can't promise perfection but I have worked hard with my kids by my side. They've grown with me and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.

Trying to be the person I want to be while struggling with mental health issues is hard. It's always a debate between being too easy or too hard on myself. I know I have the potential to achieve so many things but my depression tells me that my expectations are too high. Sometimes I tell myself I deserve a break but my mind reminds me that if I take a break, I'm not doing enough to work towards my goals. When I'm exhausted, I keep pushing myself because I can't live sleep knowing I didn't try my hardest. I struggle with chronic depression. My biggest challenge with it is setting goals for myself. It has set me back in life because I finished high school not knowing what I wanted to do. I had my children early, so I made it my job to provide and care for them. I believed that they deserved the best care I could give them. What I didn't realize was that I wasn't giving them that if I wasn't taking care of myself. Soon after becoming a single parent, my depression severely affected my ability to function. I remember how hard it was me to tell my nurse how I felt. It was the first step I had ever taken to care about my mental health. After that, I wanted to do more to work on myself, so I decided to go back to school. During my first semester of college, I read a book called "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. It was a life-changing book. The book held the powerful theory that building good habits will create a domino effect on your life. I frequently think about little things in my life that I can change in order to promote more good habits. It's been important to me to keep working towards being a better person. Soon after, I started therapy. It's been a long journey of self-discovery and healing. Just talking about my life and what I went through made the world feel less lonely. I grew up without the support that I needed, so having a therapist made me feel like I had someone by my side. She also helped me gain more resources and help with school so that I could do the best I can. I've learned a lot about myself the past couple years. It hasn't been easy. I've had to take a step back from what I thought was good for me to actually find things that are actually beneficial. Working on your mental health comes with many adjustments and approaches. I hope to find more ways to enjoy life.

When my oldest daughter started school again, I decided to return to college. Having a degree will help me find a more stable job. That means that I'll be able to spend more time with them. I also want to show my kids that it's possible. I've been a single mom for most of their lives. Despite the challenges, I want to be someone they can look up to or turn to for anything. I became a mom at a young age. I was often looked down on and treated differently. I received a lot of criticism no matter what I did. If I worked full-time, it meant I wasn't focusing on my kids. If I didn't work a lot, I wasn't doing enough to support my kids. When I started school again, I wasn't giving enough attention to my family. Everyone had something to say but no one was willing to help me. I still have some critics, but what matters to me is that my kids will always be taken care of. I take pride in how involved I am in my kids' lives. Furthering my education has also helped me feel proud of myself. I have worked hard to be where I am while caring for two kids. It's taking me longer than others to get my degree, but I'm determined to graduate. I will be the first to graduate college in my family, and I'm excited to share the accomplishment with my kids. I don't do much for myself, so I'm looking forward to to reaction seeing me in a cap and gown. Going to college while trying to support my family has been challenging. I'm lucky to have a flexible job, but it's still exhausting keeping up with finances. I've made sacrifices in every area of my life to prioritize what's most important. I didn't get to experience what other people my age did. My adult life has always revolved around my family. My kids have also missed events because of my work and school. I'm truly appreciative to have kids that understand that I have things I have to do to keep a roof over our heads. I know it'll all be worth it one day. What's most important about getting a degree to me is that I want to be able to take care of myself as I grow older. My parents came from Vietnam, so even to this day, they still ask me for help. The stress I experience from having to juggle everything weighs heavily on me. My kids deserve my support, not the other way around. I want to see them grow and focus on themselves. I want to be able to give them any opportunity I can to benefit their lives.

I am a mother of two, full-time student, work part-time, and volunteer in my free time. I am a first-generation Asian American, and will be the first college graduate in my family. I will graduate in Spring 2024 with my Associate's Degree in Accounting and will proceed to work towards my Bachelor's. After my BA, I am considering getting my CPA. I plan on becoming an accountant to bring financial stability and comfort home for my family. With a more stable job, I plan to be more involved in the community and make a bigger difference. My first language is Vietnamese. Even though I was born in America, I didn't know any English when I started school. Since I was young, I learned English without difficulty, but I saw how my parents struggled with the language barrier. I was just a kid when my parents started asking for help translating. I even helped my dad through my parents' divorce because he couldn't understand the papers. I was the oldest, so I was always told I understood the most. I didn't want the responsibility, but I am still the one that everyone relies on. I'm currently going through something challenging. My grandpa has been in the hospital since November 27th, 2023. He's 92. He doesn't speak English, and he's hard of hearing. I've been in the hospital with him 40+ hours a week. I make sure my kids are taken care of, whether it be school or prepare food for the day at home, then I drive straight to the hospital. When he was hungry or needed to go to the bathroom, I usually had to find a nurse. He was too weak to stand. It usually took staff 20-30 minutes to respond. It was such a frustrating experience because what if I wasn't there? My grandpa would starve and have accidents in bed. I was his advocate because I could understand him. One of the hardest conversations I had to translate was talking to him about advanced directives. It was very emotional, but I wanted him to understand his options. Since he is old, I'm glad I was able to help inform him of the choices he had. I helped doctors and therapists work with his recovery. His team of providers came by everyday and expressed how grateful they were that I was there to help with communication. I also think that my grandpa felt more safe and comfortable when I was with him. I also feel like my grandpa and I are closer because of this. I have been his main support for about a month now. He's now doing better. He just transferred to a nursing home to work on physical therapy and other family members have been in there with him the past couple days. I finally had a full night's sleep last night. To be bilingual holds a lot of responsibility but it has proven to be beneficial. It's a gift I can use to help care for my elders. It's important that their voice is heard, even if it's through me.

It's funny because, for most of my life, I thought I was bad at math. I found out during college that I actually really enjoy it. I will always give credit to the professors I've had for being such great teachers. I thank them for sharing their passion because it's made me realize mine. When confronted with a new concept, I enjoy watching the problem-solving process. Everything flows together and you don't see why it's such a process until the end. There are many parts to a problem but my favorite part is finding the answer. Solving the problem is when everything makes sense and you understand the importance of each step. Just because I realize that I'm not bad at math, doesn't mean that it isn't challenging. It's just become something I've come to enjoy because of the challenge. After a lecture, I have everything I need to start practicing a concept. It's up to me to learn where and how to apply the knowledge correctly. The ability to comprehend a problem gives me a feeling of accomplishment. I love math because it's similar to how I approach life. I like to look for answers, think about possibilities, and weigh out my options. I look forward to using my mathematical and critical thinking skills in my future career as an accountant.

Since I was a little kid, I knew I saw the world differently. I saw things for what they were and it heavily affected how I felt about life. I have struggled with depression since I was an elementary student. I wasn't allowed to get the help I needed as a child because it was "all in my head". My trauma and suffering has made me a kind person but I know I didn't deserve it. It took me a long time to realize that I deserved better. In my early 20s, I started looking for help for my depression. The world felt a little brighter after each therapy session. I started to see how I could help make the world a better place instead of feeling burdened with the inability to do something. I knew that I always wanted to help people so, I got up one day and did it. Being involved in volunteer work has given me opportunities to meet others who also do things because they genuinely care about people. I moved around a lot as a child and didn't have the chance to have a lot of friends. I get anxious about meeting people but other volunteers have been so kind. It's like having a second family. Another thing I have been working on is boundaries. Since I struggled with depression most of my life, I held very low self-esteem. I was always easily influenced and manipulated. Learning that you can love/care about someone without putting up with their toxic behaviors has been one of the hardest lessons of my life. Prioritizing myself has made me realize that I am capable of so much more than I thought. I wish I had been able to take care of my mental health earlier in life. My experience has helped me become a better parent. It's made me see the importance of caring and supporting children at a young age. I've worked hard to get where I am because my kids deserve a better version of me.

My name is Tiffany. I am a first-generation Asian American and a first-generation college student. My dad worked three jobs when I was a kid. My mom worked one but handled most things around the house. My parents separated when I was in grade school. I lived with my mother but my siblings stayed with my father. My mom and I ended up homeless at some point and stayed with family for a while. I went to four different high schools so there wasn't much stability. Now that I'm an adult, one of the things I want most is stability in my life. Another thing that is important to me is my experience as a domestic violence survivor. The psychological trauma I experienced is something that still heavily affects my life. I am still working through PTSD and I refuse to ever be in a situation like that again. The main reason I couldn't leave was because I was a stay-at-home mom. I didn't have the resources I needed to leave. There were so many nights I wished that I could turn to my family or friends for support. It's made me see the importance of having community resources for DV victims. My experiences have made me very empathetic to vulnerable populations. I have always known that I want to help people and I do help people where I can. I know what it feels like to be helpless and I refuse to sit idly seeing people experience the same thing. Mental health holds a lot of significance to me. For a while, I trained and volunteered with a crisis program. Being involved in crisis intervention was one of the most challenging things I have done in my life. I helped people during one of their most critical times of need. There were many times when I wished that I could do more but glad I was able to do at least something. Working in crisis intervention is also something that I want to come back to in the future. I am a current volunteer for a program in my community called ICT Food Rescue. We distribute food supplies from donors to different agencies in need. Our organization also recently opened a kitchen where our chefs put together food for the agencies. During my time with ICT Food Rescue, I've been able to find more opportunities to be more involved. ICT Food Rescue works to fight against food insecurity and reduce waste. I am honored to be able to be a part of something that's making such a positive difference in the community. Another way I volunteer is as a parent through my daughter's school. Our parent-teacher organization fundraises to help plan fun things for our children. Being involved in PTO is such a nice way to help the school. It helps take some pressure off the teachers and fundraising events are a great way for my daughter and I to bond. I love being able to contribute to my daughter's educational experience. I plan to be able to make a bigger impact in my community by gaining the experience I need to obtain a higher role in non-profit organizations. I have made it a goal to make a bigger difference since I started college.

Education is important to me because when I was little, I sat with my parents to help them study for their US citizenship test. For me, it came easy because I could read and understand the questions/statements. I watched them struggle trying to understand what the words meant. I heard them repeating questions and answers to try and memorize the material. As a kid, I never realized how lucky I was to have the opportunity to go to school and learn things that my parents didn't have the chance to. Education is important to me because no one thought I could do it. A single mom with two kids? They would say, "Don't end up like, Tiffany. You won't be able to do anything. You won't amount to anything." It made me sad but it also made me want to prove them wrong. School isn't easy. It's time-consuming, expensive, and it takes work. I'm still the same person but they look at me differently because of it. I hope they change what they think about single moms when I get my degree. I have always been capable of it. My circumstances were just different. Being a single mom did not diminish my potential. Education is important because I see how my kids are growing and finding their interests in new things. My 8-year-old probably doesn't realize it yet but I know she loves science. She came home the other day and explained to me why the Statue of Liberty is green. I've never been a science person but I was amazed at how my 2nd grader was so excited about it. So thrilled that she wanted to share what she learned. I am so proud of her persistence in school. Education is important to me because I thought I would never be someone I could be proud of. I never did very well in school. I never planned to go back to school. I've always been unhappy working in cosmetology. I knew it wasn't for me. Furthering my education, I can see a brighter future for myself. It gives me a sense of relief to know that one day, I can be working in an industry that I want to be in. My education is a significant factor in my happiness. Being educated gives me more opportunities to help others. I can't provide solutions to world problems but I can help people in my community. To me, value is not money or how people perceive me. My value can only be something I can determine. Helping others is one of the most fulfilling things I do. After school, I want to be more involved in non-profit organizations. Having the proper education to help manage a non-profit is where I believe I will bring the most value to my community.

Even though mental health isn't always visible, it can severely affect anyone's life. Showing kindness to others because you never know what they are going through is something everyone should keep in mind. I am diagnosed with depression, anxiety, ADHD, and PTSD. During my teenage years, depression was what had a hold on my life. Trying to find joy in anything proved to be challenging. What hurt the most was that I suffered alone. My parents were divorced, and I had a strained relationship with them. My dad tried to send me into foster care, so I lived with my mom for the rest of my teenage life. To me, both homes felt broken. At some point, I was moving between extended family because I was homeless. Mental health wasn't real to my family. My first and only attempt was at 16 years old. Everyone said I did it for attention. I wondered if they still would have said that if it wasn't a failed attempt. They said that I looked normal, so I must be normal. After leaving the hospital, I was denied the medication and treatment plan suggested by the psychologist. I tried to make life easier by laughing instead of crying, and finding humor while in pain was a coping mechanism I picked up. Even then, I guess I laughed too much because I was accused of using drugs. Nothing I did was enough. On my own, I tried to find ways to excuse how those around me treated me. I would tell myself I probably did something wrong because why would I deserve this life if I didn't? I ultimately concluded that I was just a difficult child. It wasn't until later in life that I talked to my therapist about it; she told me that I was not a difficult child. The adults in my life failed me, and it wasn't my fault. I have also struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder. I was in an abusive relationship for six years of my life. After I found my way out, I faced post-separation abuse. I had to get a restraining order because I was stalked, threatened, and slandered for another three years. Even though I think the stalking has stopped, I will never be able to escape my abuser because he is my children's biological father. For the sake of my kids, I have kept quiet about my experience and have done the most I legally can to keep them safe. Though everything I have experienced weighs down on me heavily, it has helped shape me into someone I am proud to be. I never planned to live this long, so I am a little behind in life, but I am still making things happen for myself and my children. My daughters gave me the strength to find love within myself and to improve as a person. Something else that I have found a passion for is volunteer work. I volunteer weekly as a crisis counselor and talk to people in distress. I am grateful for the opportunity to help others because I know what it feels like to be alone. My struggles allow me to relate better and support those in need. With more experience and a degree, I plan to become more involved in my community and help the vulnerable population. Being an advocate for mental health is important to me.

They say that you are your own worst critic. I agree. My children deserve the world, and I had to leave an abusive relationship to give them that. I had to get a restraining order for protection. I was scared and alone with two little kids. The transition to becoming a single mother was especially challenging because I had to start doing more to support my daughters financially. That meant that I had to leave them. I worked 50+ hour weeks, and some days I would not be able to spend time with them because they would be asleep by the time I finished my shift. Finally, I got to the point where I could give them everything they wanted. I was financially comfortable and realized I wanted to do more for myself. Even though time had passed and I was getting my life together, the trauma I experienced was still there. I decided to start seeing a therapist, and it changed my life. I could not say this a couple of years ago, but I am genuinely proud of myself for how far I have come. Therapy has been the most empowering thing I have been able to give myself. I have found that to care for my children; I needed to take care of myself first. I found love in things again. I remembered how much I love books and poetry. I started exercising, something I had not done in years. I decided that I wanted to go back to school. I did not want to work 50+ hour weeks anymore. I wanted something more stable, and I wanted more time with them. I switched to being a part-time worker, a full-time student, and a mother. I have also found my passion for volunteer work and helping the community. It has been a lot, but I am a hard worker. I know that it will be worth it in the end. It has not been easy to be their only parent, but I know I am the best role model I can be for them. My daughters are still young, but I know they understand how hard I have worked to provide for them. With everything on my plate, I am still actively involved in their academics and extracurricular activities. It brings me joy to see them accomplishing things in life. My kids are my motivation to be a better version of myself. I want to be able to show them that anything is possible.

My empathy towards others defines me the most. Some people see it as a weakness, and it was my weakness until I made it my strength. I endured many hardships growing up, so I have always wanted to show kindness to others. I was young when I learned that life was not meant to be fair. Being an empathetic person has made me vulnerable. It made it easy for people to manipulate me. It led me to the lowest point in my life. It was not until I was sleeping on the living room floor that I knew something had to change. I had given the world more kindness than it had shown me. I told myself every night that I deserved more than the cold floor. I patiently waited for my chance to leave the abusive relationship I was in and work on myself. I eventually got the opportunity. Despite my struggles, I made it to where I am today. My experience with empathy taught me valuable life lessons, things that I will never forget. It has made me realize that it is okay to be kind to others, but I am also important. Five years ago, I could not imagine myself being a single mom of two kids or having the opportunity to go back to college. It motivates me more knowing that after I finish college, I'll be able to give my children stability. Something that I never had. I do not want them to live the life I did. Empathy has also helped me find my passion for volunteer work. I am currently volunteering to work with people in crisis, and I want to do this for a long time. I realize I cannot help everyone, but I know anything makes a difference. I know what it is like to struggle alone; if I can help someone when needed, I will make a difference in their life. I do not want anything in return; I just want people to be happy. This attribute can help me in the future because it is what drives me. I want the make the world a better place. Empathy has made me a strong person and taught me that it is possible to persevere through any challenge that I face. I want to show my kids that they can do it, too. Therefore, I plan to make a change in the world, even if it is little difference.

I was raised in a household where mental illness was perceived as a myth. I realized I had struggled with depression since I was a child, but I knew no one would believe me if I told them. I tried to hide it as much as possible, but it got worse over time. It destroyed my relationship with my parents. I do not blame them; I just think they did not know how to help me. My parents punished me instead of supporting me. My cries for help were seen as cries for attention. What I experienced makes me a huge advocate for mental health. Even though psychology is not my major, it still interests me very much. I like to learn about mental health because I want to understand people on a psychological level. Mental health is significant to me. I found an opportunity to volunteer with Crisis Text Line, and I am grateful for the ability to help others. I remember feeling alone and having nobody to turn to when I needed help. That is why I am so proud of myself for being able to be there for people when they need it. I also admire the people I work with at Crisis Text Line because all the crisis counselors are volunteers. Every crisis counselor dedicates their own free time to supporting others. It reminds me that there are people in the world who care. Everyone deserves love and support through their hardships. In my teenage years, I developed post-traumatic stress disorder. I was in a bad relationship for a long time, and I am grateful I found a way out. I had to leave to give my kids a better life. They were little, and I did not want them growing up things that the way I was treated was okay. After a few years, I realized I needed to talk to someone about what I was going through. My trauma was starting to affect my daily life. I found a therapist that diagnosed me, and it has ultimately made me a better person. It also made me a better mom because I was taking care of myself. Therapy made me think of how to improve my quality of life, so I decided to return to school. My kids are even proud of me for going back to school. A degree can bring stability and financial flexibility into my family's lives. I want to be there for my kids in every way I can. My experiences have taught me to be a better person/parent.

Growing up, I often wondered how I would change the world if I could. How could a single person make a difference in the world? Is it possible? I lost myself for a bit after high school, but recently, I realized that if I can make at least one person's life a little better, then I will do it. My small acts of kindness can positively impact the world. Spreading kindness can be a domino effect. I previously wanted to obtain a degree in social work, but I changed my mind and decided to major in business. I changed my major because I could still contribute to social work with a business degree. I am currently doing that. I volunteer with Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in my free time, making me want to do more to help people. After college, I want to find more time to help my community by dedicating resources to local non-profit organizations. I plan to be part of a team one day and help lead these organizations. Even though I am proud of where I am today, I still want to achieve so much. I had my daughter right when I finished high school. It changed the course of my life, but I found my way back to my journey. Being a single mom has been challenging, yet watching my kids grow has been motivational. I chose to grow with them and accomplish things while they reach for their accomplishments. I worked hard the first few years of their life, and it allowed me to return to school. I was overworked and overstimulated, but with a degree, I can find something more stable. I want to be able to spend more time with them. My parents came to America and had to work all the time to support our family. To this day, they still have to work hard even though they are getting old. The time they spent working took away the time they could have spent with my siblings and me. I know how that felt, and I want to be there for my kids and celebrate their successes. I went back to school to give them things I did not have growing up. I also want to show them that if I can finish college through my struggles, they can too. I will always support them and encourage them to be the best versions of themselves. Being someone my children can look up to and helping others keeps my determination strong.

While looking for places to volunteer, I stumbled upon Crisis Text Line. I have always advocated for mental health and shared with others how important it is. Mental health struggles are not always visible and can severely affect people's lives. I am grateful to have found an opportunity where I can help people when they feel like they have no one else to turn to. Everyone deserves to feel heard and supported. Volunteering has taught me to appreciate the memories I make with the people I love more. I have helped people through things I have never experienced but I can understand how much it hurts them. Everyone has different experiences and deals with different things, but it does not mean they are hurting less than anyone else. I have always been empathetic, but becoming a volunteer crisis counselor has widened my knowledge of how to help others. It has also helped me learn how to be more socially aware and conscious. I have explored other mental health platforms, and I see how often people want help but need help to obtain it. Part of what I do is provide people with resources to help them look for answers. It has given me more insight into how I want to help people in the future. I want to help vulnerable populations such as women, children, and the elderly. I will always help people because no one helped me when I needed it most. Doing something little for someone can be something significant to them. This scholarship would help me financially because I am a single mom and a full-time student. I have two kids, and they are always my priority; it does not leave me with much. I often think about taking a break to start working full-time again. I have struggled to balance my time and finances since returning to college. Despite my struggles, I have been positive throughout this experience because I want to give my kids opportunities that were not available to me. After obtaining my degree, it will be all worth it, so I'm willing to put in all the hard work now. Inflation has been affecting everything, including tuition, supplies, and even transportation to school. I know I am not the only one that rising costs have hurt. However, I do want to keep trying my best to finish. I plan to find more opportunities to help others with the knowledge I gain from furthering my education. I do not know Lauren Czebatul, but I will remember her name, with or without this scholarship. Her existence is still helping others, and it is truly beautiful.

My name is Van Tiffany Tran. I am a first-generation college student. I am a mother of a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old, both girls. They are a huge part of who I am and motivate me to be the best I can be. I started going back to school when my oldest child did. I started college wanting to major in social work, but I realized that majoring in business could benefit us more. I have also always been passionate about helping people, so I started volunteering as a crisis counselor in my free time. I am grateful for the opportunity to help those in need. My goal is to show my kids that their dreams are attainable, even if it takes a little more time. One of the biggest challenges I have experienced is becoming a single parent struggling with mental health. I did not plan to be a single parent, but I quickly realized I needed to give my kids a better life. At first, it was hard because I was dealing with PTSD from my past relationship. I had to suppress my emotions because I was their only parent. I felt like I could not be weak. After a few years, I broke down and knew I needed help. It has been life-changing since I found a therapist. I felt like I had the world on my shoulders, but it did not need to be. I was so busy trying to give my kids everything that I forgot that I also needed to provide myself with care. I started doing little things for myself, including reading "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. I learned how significant a small change could be. It changed my perspective on my life. My small accomplishments will lead to something big one day. It is not easy, but it has made me a better version of myself. I deserve that, and most importantly, my kids deserve it. As I've mentioned, I have always wanted to help others. My empathy can be interpreted as a weakness, but it is honestly my biggest strength. With any knowledge I gain from furthering my education, I plan to help vulnerable populations. Vulnerable populations tend to be women, children, and older people. I would love to be a sponsor at a non-profit organization one day, but if not, I would be more than happy to be a part of something that can change lives. Achieving my degree would give me financial flexibility and more opportunities to do so. It only takes one person to make the world a little bit better, so if I can do that, I will.

My children have been my biggest motivators for furthering my education. I became a single mom at a young age. Faced with my situation, I had to prioritize providing for them before I could return to college. Acquiring a degree would allow me to bring more stability into their lives. I also want them to see that goals are achievable. Going through hardships may take someone longer to accomplish their goals, but it is possible. It is important not to give up. Being the only involved parent, I want to be a good role model for them. Watching them grow makes me want to work harder so that I can give them all the support they need now and may need in the future. As a single mom, I receive a lot of judgment, but it has made me a stronger person. Despite what anyone says, I am taking on the role of two parents, and my children are thriving. I have been present for every milestone they've reached. Not only am I proud of their accomplishments, but it has made me proud of my own. To become the parent they needed, I had to change my mindset; I needed to care for myself more to give them a better version of me. I had always put them first for a long time, but my kids don't deserve a burnt-out mom. I am only human, and I need breaks, too. They deserve the best version of me, and that's what I intend to be. Being a single mom has given me a more positive perspective on life and myself. My family has been very supportive since I started school again. My grandpa has always told me that he knows I can do more than I think I can. My parents are separated, but they have also been very supportive. I have had a couple of classes in person, and they will usually help watch my kids if I need someone to take care of them. It helps a lot because even though online classes are more flexible, some classes have proved to be difficult without an instructor. Also, I grew up living with just my mom, so having both parents supportive of my choice to go back to school was different. It would take me longer to finish my degree if I didn't have someone I could ask to help watch my kids. I am thankful to my family for their support.

I found out I was pregnant towards the end of my senior year of high school. After graduation, I immediately went to school to acquire a license in cosmetology, as it was my plan B. I knew people would belittle me and ask me if I was still going to college after having a child. I felt very pressured, and I failed my first semester. After that, I decided to quit school and focus on being a mother. I didn't feel like I could do anything for myself for a long time because I wanted my kids to be cared for and safe. I needed a job that allowed me to be close to my kids. Transitioning from being a stay-at-home mom to working full-time was hard because I had less time with my children. I started in cosmetology because I could pick the days I wanted to work, even though the hours were long. I could bring my kids to work if I didn't have someone to look after them. When my first child started school, I also decided it was time for me to start, too. I was already working less since I had to take her and pick her up from school. While she was in school, I was studying and watching my secondborn. I picked up hours when I could. I often felt bad because my kids had to be in the salon with me all day, but I had some of the most wonderful clients. Many would even bring in their kids to play with mine while they were getting their services done. Working in cosmetology as a single mother proved to be convenient for me. It is still suitable for me as a full-time student and mother. Being in the cosmetology industry has been a great experience, but I want to pursue a career with more stability. I had given my kids all my attention for the first years of their lives, but I failed to see how I had neglected my future. So, finding a career that would be good for us became a concern. I've changed my major a couple of times now, but going into business administration will be the best path for me. I am still deciding whether to go into accounting or human resources. Participating in an internship will provide me with experience before making a choice. I will graduate with an associate's degree right after my kids start school full-time. It'll allow me to find a job with a stable income and hours, plus I will still have time to spend with my kids after work. It is still a year away, but it has been a long time, and I am glad I will finally be able to show them that they can be whatever they want to be, too.