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I did get a degree in art here at KU also about, oh my gosh, a long time ago, I guess that was eleven years ago. Then I was trying to decide
what to do with my art degree I had all sorts of different plans, then I had twins.
Well, when I got divorced and became a single parent, I realized that the art degree was not really financially viable nor was going to graduate school for art.
So I decided I would go back to school for something else and I’ve always been interested in science so I came back to get a biology degree.
It was pretty scary deciding to start over. I was most afraid of math because I hadn’t taken a math class for twenty years
so that was pretty intimidating. At the time, I was working doing elder care and cleaning houses,
so I was pretty motivated to not clean any more toilets. The big sacrifice I’ve made is time with my kids and that’s really, really been a challenge
and a struggle to keep making that sacrifice because I am taking longer to finish than –
it’s going to take me probably 5 years to finish and that’s with transferred credits from my previous degree because I’m only taking 12 hours a semester
and I’m taking summers off. I’m trying to make a compromise and I’m trying to look at it as being a good role model for my daughters instead of thinking
that I’m abandoning them to pursue a career or something. That’s definitely been the biggest hardship.
It’s mostly been the times when my kids are having a hard time and they’re stressed out and I just feel like I’m not putting enough energy into them
because I’m stressed out and busy with everything that I’m doing and I just feel like, “I should just get a job so I can come home and focus on them and be with them.”
Because it’s okay to be busy and it’s okay to be stressed out but when you start feeling like you’re being a bad parent then it’s really – you know – it’s really a bummer.
The mentoring group that I’m in, the IMSD program, I think is important because especially here at KU it’s a big, big school and it’s really easy to feel lost
and basically nobody cares about your issues – I experienced this getting my last degree too – even if you do have problems that are unique.
If you’re late to class because you’re dropping your kids off and not because you were out partying til 2 in the morning, there’s no difference here.
They’re just like, sorry you have to be here. It’s really good for me and maybe other people in the program who,
for whatever reason I don’t know, feel, like it’s more of a transition. It’s good to have that extra support.