Monique Bostic
I have the faith of a mustard seed and this contest is only proof! Project working mom is the answer to my prayers. And let me just tell you I am sitting here at 11:41 PM at night just shaking my head, because as I peruse this web site and all the video clips announcing your contest, I've never seen any of them. I do like to watch the Tyra Banks Show, but only get to do so on a day I might be sick from work. I just happened to check my email on my yahoo account and saw the link for this contest on the main yahoo page. The caption alone made me quickly open up and check it out. God is so good, because as soon as I saw what this was about I knew this was the answer to my prayers.
My name is Monique Bostic and just yesterday—yes, yesterday I was trying to figure out ways to be able to go to graduate school. Ways which included how I would find the time to go to graduate school and how to pay for the tuition. There were only two problems with all the figuring I was doing—money and time.
They say what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. As an economical (cheap) form of therapy, I started writing. I say cheap because I literally used two 5-Star Notebooks and a pen, to write a full length novel about women with infertility issues in their marriages—how cheap is that? It was all I could afford at the time. Infertility is highly stressful event too, so the therapy I received writing about fictional characters was phenomenal. So now I also write Christian Fiction novels part-time. And even though it has been a blessing to have my novels published, I only get paid twice a year. And since I am not at James Patterson or Steve Harvey status, I can't live off that small income alone. Time for me is a major factor, especially when thinking about trying to go to school the traditional way. I work five sometimes six days a week from eight to five. With my commute I don't get home most nights until six, and that's if I don't make any stops on the way home.
The time my little girl and I have at home week nights is limited. And the quality time is almost nil. By the time we do get home — there are four things that are a constant for my child (1) dinner (2) bath (3) a little down time for my child (4) her bedtime story. Occasionally we have to add homework to the list, when preschool teacher assigns it. I kid you not, I checked as recently as yesterday, on the Internet, the times and days for traditional classes for a Master's Degree in School Counseling. Most of the classes are only offered after 4:00 in the evening and as late as 9:00 at night, during the week.
I did mention that I am a single mom, right? These options are not good for me and in a nutshell, the traditional route for going to graduate school would be pretty difficult and out of the question right now.
I must say that, that information did not discourage me from my quest for ane even higher education. At work between my clients, I started searching online for schools which offered online Master's Degrees in Counseling. I also started typing search words for scholarships, because I knew that even if I did find a college, I'd still have to fund my education.
My search was halted when I got busy with clients. I mean hey, even though I am living paycheck to paycheck, my job is paying my bills—and the clients come first. I'll tell you what did not get halted yesterday, was my faith. I prayed to God and told him I wanted to go to graduate school and that I wanted Him to make a way. As far as I was concerned, that was it—God would make a way. And as I type this essay I know He has to be making a way for me.
Okay I am pretty excited and I've already used over 750 words in this essay to give you my testimony. I would like to make sure I cover all the questions you've asked to complete this essay.
- (a) My life, education and career goals — Currently I am a single mom who works full time as a Nutritionist, counseling women, infants and children in the federally funded WIC food and nutrition program. I have been doing so for over 12½ years. I have a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition from North Carolina Central University. As a nutrition counselor, I love talking to clients about not only nutrition but I've also found myself informing them about various community services, referral sources as well as different avenues to try to find employment. I have to say that I didn't really know what I was going to major in while in undergraduate school. I changed my major three times before settling on becoming a nutritionist. I wish I'd had a school counselor to really sit down with me to help me find out what my best fit would be. I took me almost 20 years to figure it out, but over the years I now know that I want to be a counselor, specifically a school counselor. I want to be able to help people, especially at a young age figure out what they want to be and do in life. I want a Masters in School Counseling.
- (b) How education will ultimately enable you to achieve those goals — I have two goals which can be achieved upon obtaining a Master's Degree in School Counseling. Number one I'll be able to obtain a position in a school system which will enable me to spend more quality time with my daughter. And number two, I'll have a job that I will not only love doing, but also feel fulfilled at the end of the working day, knowing I've helped someone else realize their own potential.
- (c) Why online education is the right choice for you — An online education will give me so much more flexibility than a traditional classroom with out the stringent location, day and times. Online is the right choice for me because I can still get the things I need to get done at home at night done with my child and still be able to obtain the information for my online degree. I don't have to think in the back of my mind that I am taking the little bit of time that I do have with my daughter away from her, while feeling guilty.
I want to obtain my Master's Degree with the online opportunity. And I am not writing to this essay with rose colored glasses on. I have been told that online classes are often harder than the traditional classes, but I am ready for the challenge. I have faith in God and I know every thing happens for a reason, like my logging on to the Internet late on a Friday night, when I would normally be enjoying my quiet Mommy (Me) time, sitting on the couch watching one of the latest DVD movie releases in peace. It is sort of like the Visa commercial, this time of the night is priceless.
Thank you and many blessings to you all!
Monique Bostic