Nellie Scurti
When I saw the segment about Project Working Mom on ABC7 news, I was elated. I felt like it was a calling for me to finally get the education that I have wanted for a long time. An education that I bypassed in my younger life and now see necessary in order to continue supporting my family as well as gaining self-esteem in knowing that I could finally have a career. Working as an Administrative Assistant in the Home Loan industry has made me realize that I must increase my income as well as job security. With the housing market decreasing, my job security is decreasing as well. Not having a college education puts me at a disadvantage in the job field today more than ever.
As the daughter of a single mom on welfare who finished only third grade in Puerto Rico, I graduated from high school in Washington Heights, New York and went straight to work to help my mother. Having a decent job, I did not feel the need to go back to school. I married and became a stay-at-home mom for ten years. Three years later, I became a single mom myself, with two daughters to support. Not having the workforce experience or the education behind me, I struggled living from paycheck to paycheck and depending on child support. Two years ago I remarried and thought that I would have some financial relief and be able to take classes to further my education. To my disappointment, I now find myself separated and going through another divorce with no degree and in financial distress. I am supporting my two daughters, one of whom I am putting through college, the other just entered high school, with no child support.
I now realize what a grave mistake I made by not making my education more of a priority. I have always dreamed of being a psychologist or counselor and have pictured myself in my own office counseling women and children. If I am given this opportunity, I feel that my dream will finally come true. Being fifty-four years old, I know it's a late start to jump into a new career path but I feel that helping others is my true calling. I also know how much self confidence and pride I would gain in being a real role model for my daughters and showing them by example that they do not need to depend on a man to be successful or to take care of them financially. I know that I cannot live with regrets and I now need to make the change in my life so that I can obtain a degree. In doing this, I can enter a field I am truly interested in instead of working any job that will barely pay the bills. I also will have a sense of job security and confidence that I have not had before.
Taking online classes would be the ideal situation for me since I work full-time. Since I am not home until six o'clock on weekdays, and being the only parent, I feel it necessary to be home in the evenings to spend time with my daughters and make sure that my fourteen-year-old is taken care of. By taking classes online, I can fulfill both my parenting responsibilities as well as my career goals. At this point in my younger daughters life, I see no other way to receive my education and degree. Online classes are my last hope to fulfill my dream. I saw my mother struggle her whole life and I do not want that for my daughters. I want my daughters to see their mother as an independent woman who can take care of herself. This opportunity would give me the chance to create a legacy of successful women in my family, for my daughters and their future children to carry on.