Featured Diva: Rose, Associate of Applied Science (AAS) – Accounting

Please tell Back to School Divas a little bit about yourself and your back to school story. What made you go back to school? What makes your back to school experience unique? I am a single mom of two (boy and ...

Read more

Please tell Back to School Divas a little bit about yourself and your back to school story. What made you go back to school? What makes your back to school experience unique?

I am a single mom of two (boy and girl), 32 years old. I have always wanted to obtain my degree in Accounting, but I kept putting it off for no valid reason, other than I hate writing essays. I was working with a telecommunications company when I decided to go back to school. I was not happy in my current position or department. I wanted out but as much as I applied with other companies, I never got a callback. One day I came across an ad for the University in my area, and I thought, “what’s the worst that can happen? Let me apply and see how this goes” …I got accepted, I was excited and nervous because I felt I was too old to start university. I sucked it up and completed my first semester. Shortly after, I was granted a full scholarship and got a job offer at another company within their finance department. I am now in my second year with one semester left to complete my associates then I am on to my bachelor’s degree.

Has your back to school experience been a smooth journey? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?

Thankfully, my experience has been smooth. I have family and friends that encourage me when I feel like throwing in the towel and remind me why I started in the first place.

Tell us about some time management, study, or money-saving tips that helped you make it to where you are in your journey.

Time management was always a problem for me, I am a procrastinator. I had to discipline myself to stay off social media and put my phone down so that I could focus on my assignments or to spend that ‘social media’ time studying. It is still somewhat of a struggle now, but I use apps that help with keeping track of study time (Flora) and Notion as a planner and ‘to-do’ list for assignments. Whenever I can, I try to stay ahead by reading the chapter that will be discussed before class and making some notes; that way, I understand what the lecturer is discussing.

Tell us about your career goals. What do you plan to do with your degree once you finish?

I will be working towards becoming a CPA. Though, I have been thinking of going into law as well. But I will wait to see where life leads me.

If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?

I would not do anything differently; I feel that I am more mature now, and I take my studies more seriously.

The heart of our mission is to encourage other women on their back to school journeys. The goal of Featured Diva is to celebrate women who are making their academic dreams come true in hopes that other women will find encouragement to strive toward their goals.

Featured Diva: Nicky, Bachelors in Social Work with a Minor in Substance Use Disorders

Please tell Back to School Divas a little bit about yourself and your back to school story. What made you go back to school? What makes your back to school experience unique? I've been toying with going back to school for the last...

Read more

Please tell Back to School Divas a little bit about yourself and your back to school story. What made you go back to school? What makes your back to school experience unique?

I’ve been toying with going back to school for the last 10 years. I never went to college and gained on-the-job training as a Veterinary Technician over the last 16 years, working my way from kennel assistant to Emergency/Critical Care technician. I found the job to be toxic and unfulfilling but couldn’t even fathom going to college after being out of high school for almost 20 years already! I am now 35 years old, have two children (10 years and 10 months), starting college from SCRATCH, and left the veterinary field to pursue my degree in social work with a special focus on substance abuse.

Has your back to school experience been a smooth journey? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?

It most definitely hasn’t been smooth, as I have deeply ingrained inconsistency issues I am currently working through. Staying focused in school and being present for my family has been difficult but I am determined to complete my degree requirements. I know it will all be worth it once I graduate and have an opportunity to go into the career field I desire!

Tell us about some time management, study, or money-saving tips that helped you make it to where you are in your journey.

Taking full advantage of my son’s nap schedule and utilizing my partners helps as much as possible. Not asking for help has been the hardest habit to break, but now I am realizing how much of the weight is lifted when I do! I use binaural beats to study/read because it helps keep me focused, especially with my family being home and living in an apartment. It drowns out the background noise while also helping me to concentrate. I save any extra financial aid for the next semester so I am not too worried about out-of-pocket costs and I also stopped ordering out so frequently and make every attempt to eat all meals at home.

Tell us about your career goals. What do you plan to do with your degree once you finish?

I plan to work within a juvenile correction facility to assist youth in seeing that they have self-worth and options available to be successful and stay out of the system and reach their full potential.

If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?

I wouldn’t have done anything differently at all because every single experience (good, bad, and indifferent) has to lead me right here in this beautiful moment.

The heart of our mission is to encourage other women on their back to school journeys. The goal of Featured Diva is to celebrate women who are making their academic dreams come true in hopes that other women will find encouragement to strive toward their goals.

Featured Diva: Hytha, IT

  Please tell Back to School Divas a little bit about yourself and your back to school story. What made you go back to school? What makes your back to school experience unique?  I have enrolled in two separate classes one...

Read more

 

Please tell Back to School Divas a little bit about yourself and your back to school story. What made you go back to school? What makes your back to school experience unique? 

I have enrolled in two separate classes one at Yale through Coursera and the other one is the Goggle IT class. I was given a grant for this one also through Coursera. I have been in the pharmacy for 25 plus years. Looking to go in a different direction appreciating the downtime.

Tell us about some time management, study, or money-saving tips that helped you make it to where you are in your journey.

Currently, self-discipline is the key. I work from home in my office for 8 hours so now I do it for myself.

If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?

Never lose your vision or was given to you for a purpose if not today or tomorrow just stay the course.

 

The heart of our mission is to encourage other women on their back to school journeys. The goal of Featured Diva is to celebrate women who are making their academic dreams come true in hopes that other women will find encouragement to strive toward their goals.

Featured Diva: Kimberly, GED

  Please tell Back to School Divas a little bit about yourself and your back to school story. What made you go back to school? What makes your back to school experience unique?  I'm a 39-year-old single mom of one. I'm in...

Read more

 

Please tell Back to School Divas a little bit about yourself and your back to school story. What made you go back to school? What makes your back to school experience unique? 

I’m a 39-year-old single mom of one. I’m in GED school now but I want to get my GED and take up phycology I want to do this for myself and my son.

Tell us about some time management, study, or money-saving tips that helped you make it to where you are in your journey.

Well, I’m in GED school but my time is in the morning because my son is in school till the afternoon.

If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?

I will not quit till I get my diploma.

 

The heart of our mission is to encourage other women on their back to school journeys. The goal of Featured Diva is to celebrate women who are making their academic dreams come true in hopes that other women will find encouragement to strive toward their goals. 

Pregnant + MBA? This Mom’s Experience in B-School

We love hearing from our Divas! In this blog post, we sat down Elois Joseph to discuss her back to school journey as a soon-to-be mom in an MBA program. This weekend warrior inspires us to step out in faith and pursue our goals no matter what! &nb...

Read more

We love hearing from our Divas! In this blog post, we sat down Elois Joseph to discuss her back to school journey as a soon-to-be mom in an MBA program. This weekend warrior inspires us to step out in faith and pursue our goals no matter what!

 

Keep reading for your own inspiration.

 

Q: What made you go back for your MBA?

A: I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I’d worked for the same company for more than a decade. I thought my patience and loyalty would put me in a position to advance. After patiently waiting for almost a decade with no advancement, I decided it was time to move on. I also realized that my skills and ideas were stale and that my confidence was low. I knew that if I wanted to compete in today’s job market, that I needed to reinvent myself.

 

Q: Did future family plans play a part in your staying in your position for so long?

A: Not at all. I had too much faith in my manager/company.

 

Q: Gotcha. What was your MBA program like?

A: I did the “Executive” format which worked for me. That meant 8 hours of class time on Saturdays.

 

Q: Was it hard being in class so long being pregnant at the same time?

A: I was being so fulfilled and having my confidence renewed with my new skills that it didn’t bother me one bit. Not to mention the school was 40 miles away so it took an hour to get there, and 2.5 hours to get home due to traffic. I also didn’t want to let my cohort down or show a sign of not being able to handle it all. But I had a great pregnancy which helped a lot.

 

 

Q: That is definitely a blessing! What about your educational journey do you think being pregnant made unique.

A: We had a capstone project for a final project, as opposed to a thesis. The company, Scot Forge, was quite a distance from home so on site meetings in my last term made me nervous only because I was carrying an 11 pound baby that I delivered about 7 days after graduation.

 

 

Q: What made you continue knowing that being pregnant would present more challenges?

A: I never thought that being pregnant would present challenges. I had a great pregnancy so I moved through the school, work, pregnancy flow rather gracefully. Another great motivator was based on statistics. Black girl from the hood-hood of Chicago, single mom, absent father— you know how the story goes. Then to be told that I could never have kids, and to work in a non-diverse sector like the financial industry for 20 years, I was in beast mode. In theory, My life was sort of set up to fail. I was driven…a real corporate go getter and very much of a “I can do anything a man can do” type personality. So to do all of these things; work, school, pregnant, I was on fire. No weapon formed against me stood a chance.

 

Q: What was your support system like?

A: Excellent support system. It was just my husband and I so he was cool and very supportive of me going to school 8 hours, every Saturday for two years. Once I was finished, he was inspired and enrolled in school.

 

Q: What tips do you have for any of our Divas either going back to school or thinking about going back to school while pregnant?

A: Do it. Even if you have to take part time hours to make it work for your life, do it. Take advantage of employers’ tuition reimbursement. It may seem like a long journey, but it goes by so quickly. If you’re not an entrepreneur, an education will increase your knowledge/skills and open up many doors. I’m very pro-education. Even if you are an entrepreneur education will make sure that your skills are never stale. NEVER allow your skills to become stale and outdated and stop fighting glass ceilings. Always invest in yourself and remain competitive with an education and trending skills.

 

 

 

 

 

Briana Williams, @briwilliams

Diva Spotlight: Briana Williams, Master’s of Science in Community Development

Briana Williams, @briwilliams

While most college students need student loans in order to get their degree, this isn't the only obstacle. The truth is that life is never easy and at Back to School Divas we like to remind you that pursuing your dreams is 100% worth...

Read more

While most college students need student loans in order to get their degree, this isn’t the only obstacle. The truth is that life is never easy and at Back to School Divas we like to remind you that pursuing your dreams is 100% worth the challenge.

 

This is exactly what Briana Williams did.  In May 2019, Briana walked across the stage after earning herMaster’s of Science in Community Development. But why is Briana any different?

 

Briana is a college graduate who fiercely followed her dreams. This believer in God took all her strength and succeeded.

 

“I’m celebrating GOD’s accomplishment – for the glory belongs to him! Praise God for favor! In spite of calamity (divorce, being a single parent of two toddlers, and more to name a fed). I’m on my way to my destiny because the favor and grace of God is on my life! #MASTEREDit #THANKyouMASTER”

-Briana Williams

 

Briana was able to get her Master’s of Science in Community Development even though, most of the time, she was raising young kids a single parent. For all parents out there, you know this isn’t an easy task, especially when you need to focus on so many things at once

 

We’re so proud to feature Briana as our June Back to Divas Featured Diva! After all, this adult college student used her faith in God and transformed it into something positive for both her and her family. With a college degree, she now has a better chance of raising her toddlers the way she believes is best as she continues on her path to continuous success.

 

Graduating from college takes a lot of time and effort. When you’re a single parent who needs to provide for two toddlers, life can get a lot more complicated. However, Briana saw this as a challenge. She had to do it. For her sake and for the sake of her young kids. And with her faith, she managed to do it.

 

No matter the challenge, you CAN make a better life for yourself by going back to school. Leave Briana a comment below and share your journey with us!

 

Join the Back to School Divas Facebook Group for a chance to be featured!

Diva Spotlight: Sheryl, BA Liberal Studies Class of 2019

We recently shared a post on our blog, Am I Too Old to go to Grad School? This post discussed how going to grad school at an older age can be more of an advantage than a disadvantage. The ability to draw from your personal life and work experiences ...

Read more

We recently shared a post on our blog, Am I Too Old to go to Grad School? This post discussed how going to grad school at an older age can be more of an advantage than a disadvantage. The ability to draw from your personal life and work experiences is a gift!

It takes courage to follow your dreams and go back to school, no matter your age. While it’s always great to get the stats and figures that explain how grad school students come in all ages, sometimes it is more powerful to put a face to it all.

Meet Sheryl. Sheryl is 62 years old and will be graduating with her BA in Liberal Studies with a minor in Human Human Development in May 2019.

Sheryl, May's featured Diva in her cap and gown holding a "Finished" sign

A Degree Years in the Making

“I am finally completing my degree after 40 years of stops and starts.”

Sheryl has wanted to complete her studies for many years, but it always seemed as though it was not the right time.

“Marriage, health crisis, children, and just life, all caused many obstacles to completing my studies.”

So, when did she finally decide to go back to school?

After putting the last three of her children through college, she realized that this was the moment to finally follow the dream she’s always had of getting her BA in Liberal Studies. What we find most inspirational about Sheryl’s story is how she didn’t allow herself to give up.

 

Valuable Lessons for Every Diva

“My most valuable lesson is – It is never too late.”

The truth is, the average age of graduate students is 33 years, and one in five are over the age of 40.

If this is the case, if most grad students are over 30 years old, then why do we keep telling ourselves that we’ve “missed that boat”? Why do we keep pushing our dreams aside? Why do we keep making an agreement with society that a woman’s dreams and goals have an expiration date?

Our Back to School Diva, Sheryl, is living proof that as long as you’re alive, your dreams are still valid!

 

“This is one thing that I truly did for myself. I am proud and honored to be part of the class of 2019!”

After trying for four decades to get her degree, there had to be something that kept her going and believing that she will ultimately reach her goals.

“Philippians 4:13, ‘I can do all things through Christ’ and Jeremiah 29:11, ‘For I have plans for you to prosper.’”

She’s determined, strong, and believes that her career and educational dreams are valid at any age. Sheryl is the true definition of a Back to School Diva!

Her selflessness in taking care of her family and her resilience in going back to school and completing her degree at the age of 62 when many would have given up, makes us so proud. We hope this real-life story will help to inspire anyone else who may have doubts about whether it’s still possible.

We’re excited to feature Sheryl as our Featured Diva!

Iris Martin

Divas Spotlight: Iris Martin, Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology

Iris Martin

Divas Spotlight: Iris Martin, Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology

Iris Martin recently graduated with her Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology. She started her road to graduation in 1999, when she was ...

Read more

Divas Spotlight: Iris Martin, Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology

Iris Martin recently graduated with her Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology. She started her road to graduation in 1999, when she was a single mom of 3.

“I couldn’t stay focused on school, work and take care of my children properly so I dropped out and was left with lots of debt that I could not keep up with.”

Iris, like many mothers pursuing their college degrees, felt she had to make a choice. In order to be the best Mom she could, she put her goals on pause. “My student loans eventually went into default,” she says, “and I felt like I would never be able to complete my degrees.”

But that was just the beginning of Iris’ story.

“Eventually I was able to get my loans out of default and return to school to complete my Bachelors, then Masters while taking care of 5 kids and juggling several jobs including my own business.”

Today Iris is a proud grad and Travelista! Her Virginia Beach-based business, Surreal Journeys Travelers, allows her to serve as Travel Consultant for clients around the country. She helps navigate the travel process even last-minute to make vacation dreams a reality for her clients.

Her Facebook group Surreal Journeys Elite Travelers includes more than 1,200 members who share stories and vacation inspiration, as well as participate in group trips and take advantage of exclusive travel deals.

Iris is the definition of a Back to School Diva! Her hard work and tireless effort in raising her family, completing her degrees, and running her business make us so proud.

We’re excited to feature Iris Martin as our Featured Diva!

Get to know Iris:

Website: www.surrealjourneystravels.com

Instagram: @surrealjourneystravel

Facebook: Surreal Journeys Elite Travelers

 

To apply to be our NEXT featured DIVA, submit your application at https://bit.ly/2MzfLPu