Dawn Holcomb
Hi, my name is Dawn Holcomb, I am a 31 year old single mother of two beautiful children. Their names are Brendon and Hannah. I work a full-time second shift job in a factory. My position is titled team technician. I have been at my job for nine years now and enjoy what I do, but when I was growing up a factory was never in my plans for my future. I had bigger dreams than that.
I had always liked school, I didn't really seem to have to work to hard to get the work done. I got average grades without really having to apply myself.
Today, I know what a great opportunity I let slip by. I had always planned on going to college right after high school. I actually took two classes at my community college, but without the help of financial aid, we had to pay cash for my classes. To my family that was a lot of money, my mom was also a single working mom. I have two sisters, I am the middle child. My mom worked very hard to give us the things that were needed in life. She taught us about responsibilities, respect, and family.
The college issue was never really pushed in our house; don't get me wrong my mom wanted us to go to college but knew that money was an issue. She had always told us as long she can get us through high school than the rest was going to be up to us. I completed the two classes at the college but was unable to afford it anymore and I guess, looking back now, I thought that I had plenty of time to go back. What a mistake that was!!!!!!
Well, fourteen years later I have finally enrolled and started taking online courses with DeVry University. Why now you may ask? About four months ago my mom passed away very unexpectedly. It really rocked my world, she was supposed to be around forever. She has always been my support system, my rock I could lean on, and the one person who has been with me my whole life unconditionally. She was only 54-years-old, she still had a whole lifetime ahead of her (or so I thought). She was still working almost everyday and some times double shifts. She spent as much time with her family as she could but it was hard with working so much.
I look at my kids and know that I want to spend as much time with them as I can; life is too short. I do not want to be working in a factory eight to 12 a day just to make ends meet. I want to have a career that will offer a little flexibility so I can be there for them when they need me. It is hard to be away from them for so long, I want to be the one that raises my children and I feel that going back to school to get my degree will enable me to do that.
My sister just started taking online classes and we had talked about it many times; she also is a working mom. We talked about the pros and cons of doing it online versus on campus. The online program is going to be perfect for me and my family. I will still be able to be there for them and do all my school work at night and while they are taking their naps. I was scared about going back to school that it would require me to be away from them more, but I don't have to worry thanks to DeVry.
I was also worried about how was I going to be able to afford school. I was already working twelve hour days to get ahead. Did I want to add another bill to my plate? I thought a long time about it and realized that it was not just another bill, but an investment in my families future.
School will give me control on where my work life will end up. I look forward to working as hard as I can so I can get the most out of my education I am receiving. I will not let it slip by me again. I love thinking about that one day I may be able to work out of my home, I would love that to be able to have a schedule that was flexible enough to enjoy my children while they are growing up.
I want to thank you for reading my essay, I think it is really great what you are doing for working moms. I have thought many times about what it would be like to be awarded a scholarship and not have to worry about the bills after school is done. Its a nice thing to dream about, but even if it doesn't happen for me I am just as excited for the moms that do receive it.