Lisa Johnson
I've been a mother half my life.
For many to say that, it is not so shocking, or amazing, if you will. At this point in my life — age 33 — however, it is surreal. I've had children since I was a child.
While I would never regret my decisions or wish that I hadn't finished growing up as my first son was just blossoming, I do sometimes wonder, "What if?" only in the sense that if I had the chance to go on to obtain my master's degree, would I be able to provide more for my children — a nicer home, better clothing, a stronger role model?
Once I had my first son at age 16, I knew dropping out of school or foregoing college were not options because higher education means higher salaries and more career opportunities. I raced through college, obtaining my bachelor's degree in three years because I knew I had to get into the workforce as soon as possible to start making a living for my family. Wanting to be a newspaper reporter and editor since I was in seventh grade, I chose the field of communications. While I was accepted at Syracuse University and could have spent five years in school to earn the bachelor and master's degrees together, I had to stay closer to home (Niagara University) for my family and choose a less expensive alternative because my parents were in no position to help with college expenses.
While I've enjoyed relative success in my field, the road has been rocky. Raising two children on one salary is difficult, but knowing that you've hit the pay-scale ceiling in the field (unless you're willing to relocate thousands of miles away from home) is disheartening. At times, I've had to swallow my pride and accept help, such as enrolling my children in Child Health Plus (sure, I pay my taxes for such help, but the stigma is still attached) because I could not afford health insurance. I also went without coverage for eight of my 10 working years because of the extreme cost compared to what I was pulling in. While I was one of those millions in the statistics of workers who do not have health insurance, I was forced to turn to Medicaid for help when I was diagnosed with cancer in 2004. The options were either ignore the stigma or incur a $25,000 hospital bill.
I'm also seeing that in such a harsh economic climate, a bachelor's degree is no longer enough to make it farther in my field. The pay scale is still about ends meet, so I thought going back to school was just a pipe dream because I would not be able to afford to pay off another college loan. (Plus, after the extreme joy felt upon finally making that last payment on my first, $11,000 student loan, I never wanted to have that type of debt again.) This scholarship would give me the opportunity to offer my children more help in their futures as well as to allow me to grow in the communications field, learning new skills and opening myself up to more prestigious job offers.
Obtaining riches isn't the goal of going back to school, but rather, the goal is to reach a comfortable income level at which I can afford the basics for my family, save for retirement and stash something away for my children upon my passing. Without a master's degree, I'll be lucky to be able to accomplish the first goal. I am grateful for every learning opportunity that I can get, and this scholarship would allow me to learn more in my field while helping to secure a stronger financial footing.
As my mother taught me by going to Capella in her 50s to obtain her master's degree, I want to show my children that it's never too late to learn more, even if it's in a structured, educational setting. An online school would be perfect for me because I would want to work obtaining my master's degree around my obligations with the children and my full-time job. Working on this nights and weekends and realizing the dream would do wonders for my career.
By going back to school, I also hope to teach my children a deeper lesson in determination. They've watched me fight for a better life for all of us to this point, and I hope to teach them that we can always have better if we're willing to work hard for it.