Tamiko Booth
Hi, my name is Tamiko Booth. Here's a little something about my life. I'm a 32-year-old single parent of one adorable inspiring, gentle-hearted six-year-old little boy. We reside in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I was born and raised in the small town of Moss Point, Mississippi. My childhood was nothing out of the ordinary. I didn't get everything I wanted, but I got everything I needed. Upon graduating from Moss Point High School with Honors, deciding where I would attend college wasn't really painful. There weren't many options, because I knew I wasn't going to get too far away from the nest. Family is important and staying close to them was a priority.
I chose to attend the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, which is about one hour and 30 minutes from my home town. I obtained my B.S. in Sports Medicine with an emphasis in Exercise Science. I took a break and enlisted in the United States Air Force Reserve.
I left for an entire semester of college, went through basic training in San Antonio, TX, completed training for my ASFC, and returned home to enroll in classes for the next semester. My military experience ended in an honorable discharge after 5 years due to medical issues.
I got married at the age of 25 and within months, promptly became a proud wife and mother. The honeymoon period ended before I could say, honey I'm home. I was married four years and it ended in divorce. My ex-husband was incarcerated. Now that I've been labeled as a negative, common statistic, one would think that digesting such a disappointment would send me into a mental haze. It didn't. The real horror has to deal with the guilt of modifying the two-parent household that my son and I had become accustomed.
I was raised with both of my parents in one residence. They are still married. I have to be both a mom and a dad to my son. I have to be a driver to all sporting events, a playtime buddy when he wants to play catch, a cook when he's hungry, and a provider to fulfill wants and needs, a disciplinarian when he needs guidance and a nurturer when life lets him down. I have to be every woman all in one breath. I wouldn't trade it for anything, but its been a struggle to maintain a healthy, well-rounded environment while being a single parent and coordinate my professional career collectively.
I've had to transition from managing with two incomes to surviving with only one. This transition has definitely posed a stronger financial strain and effort on my part. While my divorce was in the works, I had to come up with a plan that would accommodate both my son and I. I knew that it wouldn't be easy. I needed more money if we were going to survive. I was only making $23,000 a year. I was obligated to taking care of a child, paying the mortgage, child care, clothes, food, care payments, you name it. I was on my own.
Like anyone else, I don't like to expose my failures, but I needed help. I ended up filing bankruptcy; negative statistics number two. My grandmother offered to keep my son for a year so I could get back on my feet. She took care of him during the week and I got him on the weekends. That was hard for me, but I had to sacrifice that time with him to secure a better future for us. I soon applied to an alternate route program that allows individuals with a degree to pursue certification to teach in a specific subject area. I was accepted. Within one year of my divorce, I received my licensure for Special Education.
I started teaching in a low-income area that was forty-five minutes one way from where I resided. I loved it, but the drive was draining me. I had to find something closer. Still underpaid, I became employed for a mental retardation facility that's closer to my home, as an Academic Teacher. Though I loved what I was doing, I wanted more out of life. I wanted to go back to school. As you already know, money was an issue, but I could receive financial aid. I didn't need to accumulate anymore bills for myself, but I had no other choices. My son was back in the home with me, so now I needed another plan for child care because I could only do night classes at a local university, so I thought.
I started researching online and guess what I found? Accredited universities were offering degrees through distant learning. I thought, "It's no way I could get a degree from across the world!" I was wrong. I enrolled with ease, financial aid was set, and I started posting messages on the message board. I was in class, earning my masters degree! I was able to work, be a mom and be a student around a schedule I created. The mastermind behind this idea had the working class people in mind, thank goodness.
The program I entered was only supposed to take 15 months to complete. I ended up withdrawing from the school because of Hurricane Katrina. I didn't know when I would be able to attend class again. Honestly, I really wasn't thinking about it. I just wanted my life to get back to normal. I was a blessed individual through this entire ordeal. I didn't lose any family members, my house, or my employment. I suffered major damages, but I'm still here, that's what's important. Once everything began to normalize, I resumed my studies at Kaplan University online. I received my MATL in Education with an emphasis in Special Needs in 2007. I'm very proud of that. I received a promotion. I am now an Academic Teacher II.
I started out as a Recreation Therapist, making $23,000 a year with a bachelor's degree. My salary has doubled since completing my master's. Within five to 10 years I see myself as the Director of the Special Education Department of the Department of Education. I would love to pursue my doctorate degree. It would be something beyond my highest thoughts for myself. I am the only person in my immediate family that has a degree. The only thing that was expected of me was to complete high school. My parents never did. I've over exceeded those expectations and determined to go higher. Where I'm employed the individuals I serve are anywhere from mild to profound mentally retarded. Notice I said career and not job because I believe a job is what a person does. A career is what a person loves. I cant see myself in any other profession. This is where my heart is. I feel that teaching is a part of giving back the blessings I've been given. I feel that it is my duty and responsibility to care for those who are in need of someone to reach out and make a difference in their lives. I want to look back on my life and be able to say that I've made a difference in someone's life. I'm committed to helping change the world, one person at a time.
I could give you a bunch of statistics and data that you could reference about how the percentages of individuals, especially minorities, completing education is slumping. I'm not interested in that. To be honest, if education was offered to everyone for free, there would continue to be people who would not engage that opportunity. I'm trying to redesign my life. I want to turn those negative images about me into a positive. Actually, I've already done that because a negative times a negative equals a positive.
I'm very passionate about reaching a higher level, not just in education, but in life. When I reach out to grasp something and its beyond my reach, the sensible thing to do is to stretch out farther, or find something to climb on that will get me closer to the desired object. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of climbing is a ladder. I was taught to ask for something I wanted. I want this scholarship. So, I ask you, would you be my ladder, because I'm on my way to the top and I truly appreciate your consideration. Thanks for caring about working moms.