Welcome to the Community! Look for updates and information about the site from this blog, as well as advice and news about online education, online colleges, and financial aid.
December 2007 - Posts
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This Thursday and Friday, December 13-14, 2007, we will be at the Sloan Center on Innovative Training and Workforce Development's conference, Technology Tipping Point: Integrating Technology-Enabled Learning into Workforce Development to learn more about the effective use of online and distance learning and workforce policy programs. Interested in meeting us? Let us know! See you at the Holiday Inn on the Hill! (415 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20001)
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Martha, 54
Madison, IN
… [A]s an innocent eight year old girl, I was molested by a distant family member. … Raped at 13 … Feeling dirty and abandoned, I developed an antagonistic attitude towards love and sex.
I was allowed to marry at age 16 … [a]fter three children, my husband betrayed me. …
During the brief marriage to my second husband, he tried to molest my two sons and became involved in drugs. … I moved back home to my parents for a year.
While there I met a man that seemed to be a breath of fresh air. My daughter was molested and raped by this “religious” husband from age eight to twelve. The betrayal was almost more than I could bear. ...
… In 1997, I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which went into remission a year later. … Diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 2001, [it] is still a condition of which I struggle.
… My husband of the past 6 years had a brain tumor removed three years ago. Strokes followed … he had another major stroke July 6, 2006. He will never be quite the same.
… Throughout all the disappointments and trials in my life, I want to help those who experience betrayal and abandonment by really listening to their hurts. Not with a deaf ear, but listening with the heart and responding with empathy.
… I am determined to rise above all the negative circumstances in my life whether or not they could have been self-controlled. My goal is to turn those ugly situations into things gracious and beautiful. … I strongly believe to reach such goal is to help others to do the same.
This summer attending a women’s leadership conference, I became aware that Department of Corrections Chaplain is the destination for my life. To accomplish this would begin to make sense of the instruments of warfare formed against me.
My goal is to obtain a B.S. in Psychology online then onto a Master’s with special emphasis on Ministry/Chaplaincy. … Upon receiving the bachelor’s degree my denomination will ordain me as a minister. With my husband’s health and the fact that I must make a living, online study is the only choice that makes sense. … I have been fortunate to make a good salary. Unfortunately my income is such to receive little financial aid.
… At age 54 there was concern about beginning college and studying for the next six years. A wise friend told me that I could be 60 with a degree or 60 without a degree. Either way I would be 60. What wisdom!
I am excited that I can now begin to counsel bruised, battered and neglected women in a structured, intelligent
way. Having risen above adverse circumstances, the dream for my life is to have meaning and purpose. How fulfilling to see that dream coming true
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Jeanne, 36
Burbank, CA
I remember clearly that as a child I was quite determined. ... I was exceptionally passionate about certain subjects and I invited debate. My mother would always exclaim in exasperation, “You should be a lawyer!” Soon, becoming a lawyer became a dream of mine. ... I wanted to be an advocate for the poor, assist families who were in need, and argue my position until I was blue in the face. I wanted to save the world. But, as sometimes happens in life, I ultimately made choices that derailed that dream.
… After graduating from high school, I enrolled in community college, but … I dropped out of school to nurse a broken heart and then took a year or so off. I still dreamed of being a lawyer, but I was young and I thought I had all the time in the world to get it done. After several months of living on my own and working full-time, I decided it was time to go back to school.
I enrolled in community college again and this time I was determined to get it done. Being back in school was refreshing and exciting, and I was looking forward [to] finally fulfilling my dreams. … I found out shortly after starting classes that I was pregnant. … I trusted my fiancée would be there to help me with the baby while I got through school. I kept going to class throughout my pregnancy and even after I had my son, but, unfortunately, my son’s father wasn’t up to the task. He quickly disappeared from our lives. … This left me a single mother living on one income.
I had to make a choice. I was working full-time, going to school at night and trying to care for my newborn son. I wasn’t able to do all three. I couldn’t afford to. I had to stop going to school. It was a devastating blow.
Several years passed and … I started taking classes again. I was only able to take one or two classes at a time, but at least I was back in school.
… Then, in 2002 … I became pregnant and my second son was born. ... I was no longer able to attend classes on campus due to the constraints of working full-time and caring for a new baby. My husband worked long hours and he wasn’t able to watch our son … I was ecstatic to learn that I could still obtain my degree, only now by taking all online classes. … It was hard work, but in June of this year I finally graduated …
… When I walked up on that stage and accepted my diploma, I could hear my two boys out in the stands screaming, “You did it Mom! You did it!” …
… In March of this year my husband and I separated. … Now more than ever I need to keep going … I am currently embarking on the next part of my scholastic journey. I have been accepted into the business program at Bellevue University (Nebraska). It is a program held entirely ... Honestly, I can’t wait to hear my children screaming … out to me, “You did it Mom! You did it! You did it AGAIN!” They are my inspiration. They are holding my hands as I realize my dream. I will do it. I will do it, again …
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Xochitl, 38Decatur, GA Getting my degree is very important to me, because it is an accomplishment I have been trying to obtain for the last twenty years. I have always wanted to attend college and be an example for my children. Being a single parent, however, [it] has been a difficult and challenging goal … I enrolled and was accepted [into] a University, however, I struggled balancing my children, working, and maintaining my grades … After the second year, I became ill … I was diagnosed with a severe case of anemia. While I was recovering at home, I received a letter from student admissions stating that I would not be able to return as a student. I had failed my math class three times and therefore, I had to sit out a year. … I also received notice that I had to vacate my apartment because I was two months behind on my rent. I had to give up my dream of finishing school and instead, find a job and a new place to live … I had to file for bankruptcy. In 2002 … I began to rebuild my life … Just as I was establishing myself, emotionally and financially, I was diagnosed with a tumor on my cervix. In the summer of 2004, at the age of thirty-five, I had a hysterectomy, and my right ovary was removed … While I recovered at home, I volunteered in the leasing office of my apartment. … My apartment manager would call me [to be a translator] when there was a new family that was moving in that needed assistance registering their children for school … In August 2005, one of the principals offered me a full-time position as an interpreter … In a city where the population of Hispanics has grown dramatically, it gave me the courage and determination to go back to school and obtain a degree so I could be a role model for the students. In the fall of 2005, I was able to enroll at Kaplan University … it was a blessing for me. I was accepted, approved for financial aid, and was able to transfer some of my credits from the previous university. I was able to attend class while still being at home with my children. However in the last couple of months my life has drastically turned upside down … I received a phone call. [My daughter] her grandmother dead in the bathroom. She was home alone and scared … I jumped out of bed, while I was getting dressed, I was directing my daughter to call 911. The ordeal was very painful. … After the funeral, I returned to Georgia with my children, I was out of work for a week so I could help ease my daughter’s pain … During this time, I received a phone call from the financial aid office stating that I was maxed out on my federal loans, and that my Pell grant would not cover my tuition. I am eight classes away from graduation. I now have to stop attending school … I am not eligible for private loans … because of my previous bankruptcy. I am already working two jobs because my son will be graduating in May 2008 from high school … I am saving money to assist him. I feel that each time I get closer to obtaining my dream, I have an obstacle to cross …
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Cheryl Combs, 31
Riverview, FL Ever since I was a little girl, I had a caring heart. … I decided, at a young age, to become a nurse when I grew up.
… As I got older, the more I became interested in the nursing field. When I mentioned this to my high school counselor, I was crushed when he said, “You’ll never get into nursing school. You better have a Plan B, because your grades aren’t good enough.” Those words stuck with me for years.
I decided to become a cosmetologist instead. Shortly after completing hair dressing school, my dream of becoming a nurse kept coming up in my mind. So, instead of continuing to be haunted by the words of my high school counselor, I developed an “I’ll show you” attitude. Now after years of working my way through nursing school as a hair stylist, I finally graduated last year from an ADN program. I am now a registered nurse working in a level 3 Neonatal ICU.
Actually it was not easy to get through nursing school … The first semester of nursing school went great. Then I started the second semester and I started noticing a nagging pain in my lower abdomen, along with intense bloating (it looked like I was 4 months pregnant). Well, I just ignored the pain and kept going. Then one night toward the end of that semester, I was buckled over in intense pain that made me cry.
I was rushed to the hospital … While I was in the hospital, it was found that I had an abdominal mass, so I was scheduled to have an exploratory surgery the following week.
When I was in surgery, the doctor found that I was filled with ovarian cancer. I had a hysterectomy at the age of 28 and I would be starting chemotherapy in 3 weeks. The doctor also advised me not to continue with school until after the chemo was done, which was going to be given over the next 4 months. Well, I was devastated that I had to put school on hold while my classmates where getting closer to graduation. Before my last treatment was done, I reenrolled in school wearing my wig and still feeling pretty tired from the chemo, but DETERMINED to graduate!
I ended up only being 1 semester behind my original class and I graduated in July 2006! … I want to go back to school to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. My first step is to get a bachelor’s degree in nursing, but with working full-time at the hospital and living paycheck-to-paycheck, the dream seems far away.
That’s where the online RN-BSN program will help me achieve this goal. I can still work and go to school … I am a very determined person and there is no obstacle too big for me to overcome.
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Helen, 50Andover, VT It is a Woman’s World! Women give birth to the world. Women cradle the world. Women feed the world. Women clean the world. Why is it so difficult to enter the world? I’ve always known that my Greek name means “light, torch”. I was strengthened by that as a child. I imagined myself carrying a torch, leading people to truth and discovery. I suppose that may be why I decided to home school our seven children. During the 18 years that I have been teaching our children, we have adopted a total of seven of our foster children. Each one presented with special needs. Learning challenges? Or was I teaching impaired? Our adult children are now doing remarkably well! I’ve waited long enough. I’m ready now to go out and make my place in the world. Time changes things, though, and I’ve been out of the work force for 20 years now. Why should it be so difficult to enter the world as an adult woman when I have spent a lifetime nurturing and teaching children? I have decided that to enter today’s world I will need at least an associate’s degree. That degree will represent two years of college education. For, you see, I am a woman making my place in the world. I will need credentials. I will need some proof that I have been successful. The week that I enrolled the children in school, I finalized my enrollment in Kaplan University. I’ve decided to get my two years of college as a paralegal. Not only would that get me the credentials I would need to work at the school as an aide, but it would put me in position to do what I have always wanted to do… study law. I’ve been looking at the torch that represents enlightenment. I think of myself and my own life. I have always felt that it is an important part of who I am to shed light on the path for others. Teaching, building hope, encouraging while brightening the way, those were the attributes I strived for. I’m Helen. As I lift that torch higher to light my own path, I can see the world ahead. I’m looking forward to my new adventure.
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eLearners.com, the leader in connecting prospective students with
online education, today announced the five winners who will receive a
scholarship to help in their pursuit of post-secondary online education.
Although the applicants came from diverse backgrounds, some alarming
trends became apparent. Many women, especially working moms, face the
common barriers of time, money and confidence, with financial aid as
the largest and most tangible barrier.
The winners, women from all across the United States, each wrote
compelling essays describing why they should receive a cash prize to
assist in their educational goals. In the September issue of Woman's
World magazine, eLearners.com offered a $1,500 scholarship opportunity
for women to pursue their education online. The response was
tremendous, with more than 1,200 women submitting essays.
"The trends in the essays spoke loudly to us at eLearners.com and
illustrates the lack of part-time financial aid as a crisis in America
that is keeping people from improving their lives," said Andrew
Gansler, President of eLearners.com. "This has been an eye-opening
experience and we are committed to making a difference. These
scholarships are the first step and we will continue to build resources
to shed light on and actively address this issue."
The winners include:
Xochitl, 38, Decatur, GA - Only eight classes from graduation, this
single mom has faced illness, family tragedy and much more - but she is
determined to use her bilingual skills in English and Spanish to get
her master's degree and make a difference in communities where her
services are desperately needed.
"When I heard the news that I had won, I cried. Words cannot describe how I felt," said Xochitl Araica "Once I complete my undergraduate degree,
I want to serve my community, focusing on the minority youth. I want to
work with a non-profit organization in building leadership, prevention
programs working against gangs and pregnancy prevention."
Jeanne, 36, Burbank, CA - After making poor choices as a young
adult, this mother changed her life and became inspired by her
children. Determined to get her degree, even alone with an infant, she
added credits slowly but surely over the years. She is now going back
to school for an additional degree, determined to hear her kids yell,
"You did it Mom! You did it! You did it again!"
"I can't wait to hear my children screaming my name again from the
stands," said Jeanne Sarmiento. "They are my inspiration. They are
holding my hands as I realize my dream. I will do it. I will do it,
again."
Martha, 54, Madison, IN - Abuse, betrayal, illness and death made this
woman a stronger person. She is now committed to using her life's
extremely difficult lessons to help others by obtaining a degree in
psychology. She also wants to earn a master's degree online with a special emphasis in ministry/chaplaincy.
"At age 54 there was concern about beginning college and studying for
the next six years," said Martha Best. "A wise friend told me that I
could be 60 with a degree or 60 without a degree. Either way I would be
60. What wisdom."
Cheryl, 31, Riverview, FL - Her kind heart and dedication to helping
animals as a young girl turned into a love for healthcare to help
people. In high school, her counselor discouraged her from pursuing her
dream to be a nurse and she became a cosmetologist instead. She did,
eventually, start to go to school part time and faced another barrier-
ovarian cancer. She still became a nurse and is now determined to use
the flexibility of online learning to take it one more step - to obtain
her RN-BSN to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.
"My first step is to get a bachelor's degree in nursing, but with
working full-time at the hospital and living paycheck-to-paycheck, the
dream seems far away," said Cheryl Combs. "That's where the online RN-BSN program will help me achieve this goal. I can still work and go to school in my pajamas if I want."
Helen, 50, Andover, VT - Helen has given her heart and soul most of her
life to her foster children, each with special needs. But, at age 50,
she wants to make a different mark on this world - as a paralegal. The
credentials would allow her to work as an aide in the classroom or go
on to study law. At 50, looking for a new adventure, she is ready to
conquer the world.
"I have always felt that it is an important part of who I am to shed
light on the path for others. Teaching, building hope, encouraging
while brightening the way, those were the attributes I strived for,"
said Helen Gordon. "As I lift that torch higher to light my own path, I
can see the world ahead. I'm looking forward to my new adventure."
Why Study Online?
Each of these winners will use the eLearners.com scholarship to
advance their degree online. Online education is a growing industry and
Eduventures, the leading research and consulting firm for the education
industry, predicts one out of 10 post secondary students will enroll in
an online distance education program by early 2008. Getting a degree
online is the perfect way for adults to fit school into their busy
schedule. By taking classes online they can study when their kids go to bed or before work. An online degree also allows students to study from the convenience of home.
Overcoming the Cost Barrier
The large number of essays eLearners.com received proves one of the
biggest obstacles for going back to school is cost. In addition to
providing scholarship assistance, eLearners.com just launched a fast,
easy and free scholarship database with more than $14 billion in
financial aid from various resources. The database includes awards from
the freshman to graduate level, which are categorized based on local,
state, national and international scholarships. The database can be
found at http://www.elearners.com/scholarships/.
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