Single Mother in College: Willpower and a Lot of Help
© opolja – Fotolia.com
Going back to college at age 25 last year wasn’t an easy decision for me. I went to college at age 18, but took a break to work and earn a living. When I was 20, I became pregnant with my boyfriend’s child. As hard as we tried, the relationship didn’t work out, and we parted ways. That breakup was difficult. Except for some phone calls and emails, he had stopped being involved with us by the time my beautiful baby girl was born.
I moved back home to raise my daughter with supportive family and friends nearby. I enrolled in beauty school, worked as a waitress, and a year later, I had my cosmetology license and went to work doing hair. But I always had a second job—first at a restaurant and later at a home for Alzheimer’s patients. During the first three years after my child was born, I battled for my self-confidence. I can’t stress how lucky I was to be covered by my mother’s insurance so I could continue paying other bills. I was also extraordinarily lucky to know a day care provider who I trusted with my daughter, and even luckier that I could split the
What Women Need and How You Can Help Them Get It
© lunamarina – Fotolia.com Not long ago I was on my way into a subway station in Washington DC, right at the bottom of Capitol Hill. As I rode down the escalator, I noticed a small group huddled around a trash can in the corner of the entry. Between them was one of those Styrofoam to-go boxes, balanced precariously on the rim of the can. A young boy was eating from the tray, his eyes barely le
Woman Doing It All: Chrystal Thompson
The Shriver Report commissioned a team of award-winning photographers to crisscross the country, capturing a day in the life of women living on the brink. The team was led by photojournalist Barbara Kinney and included Melissa Farlow, Melissa Lyttle, Barbara Ries, Callie Shell, Jan Sonnenmair, and Ami Vitale.