Moms Going Back to School
By Melanie Bloom
There is fierce competition for jobs when so many people are looking at once. To become more qualified and to better provide for their families, some mothers are going back to school to earn their degree.
Among them, Joni Vonseggern. She says she is fulfilling a dream that’s been with her for years.
“It was hard to find the right time. My kids were young and I just left a divorce and I had to get back on my feet…. And going to school, I just couldn’t afford it. I didn’t know how much was out there for opportunity for scholarship or aid or anything,” said Joni.
Now she has found time and she’s enrolled in classes at Southeast Community College in Lincoln. Her goal is to become a surgical technician.
“I feel that if I can find a good career and be able to go to this path that I’ve so long desired… once I do that, I can provide for my kids in a way that I need to,” said Joni.
Another mother, Melissa Kinney, is taking classes for college credit. She’s enrolled in a program that is funded by a grant aimed at helping people get back on their feet.
“I’m learning a lot about the computers with someone actually sitting down and teaching me without a tutor,” said Melissa.
She also has a dream. She wants to give her children a place to call home.
“Yeah, right now I am currently homeless. I’m staying amongst friends or in and out of motels. And I want a more permanent, stable living environment for my kids. That is most important to me. I want them to have a roof over their head when they come home to me and I will do whatever it takes to get that,” said Melissa.
Adult students have been a growing presence on college campuses during recent decades. There was a definite boom after the recession began in 2007.
According to the Center For Law and Social Policy, of the students enrolled in an undergraduate program, about one-fourth are parents to at least one child. 13-percent of those parents are raising children alone.