I am seeking financial assistance to go back to school… not just college, which I recently applied to, but also for a short intensive training program that will allow me to move up in my job and earn a higher salary while I am finishing my degree.
I am a 45 year old single mom of one wonderful boy. While I am very aware of my many blessings, there were aspects of my life that were always frustrating to me. From a very young age, I was considered “highly intelligent”, testing at high levels, reading well above age range, etc.… but it really didn’t help me much, because I wasn’t very productive. I didn’t finish assignments, couldn’t pay attention in class, and had a hard time seeing long term things through. This pattern followed me into my young adulthood, where I started and quit community college, then acting school. I’ve always worked, but frustrated both myself and the people who believed in me by never living up to the potential we could all sense. I eventually finished an occupational therapy program and became licensed as a a massage therapist in the state of New York, and while I was always able to work steadily, I never managed to really focus and follow through with the day-to-day details necessary to launch a successful independent practice, the scheduling, the follow up, the paperwork, etc. This made me feel terrible about myself… yet another skill that I was good at, that wouldn’t lead me to success and stability because I wouldn’t do the things that other adults managed so easily. My son was born, and I left the field of bodywork to take a desk job that offered insurance and a steady schedule. I often thought about returning to school to seek my BA, which would allow me to move up in the organization where I work, but I was too afraid that just like so many other times in my life, I wouldn’t be able to see it through, and all the money and time away from my son would be for nothing.
Everything changed when a trusted teacher recommended that I have my son assessed for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. I began to research ADHD, and what I learned changed my life. The symptoms and behaviors described could have been a story about me. All the things that I struggled with, both as a child and to this day were a result not of my being a lazy, careless loser, but a condition that was treatable! I began behavioral therapy to learn how to navigate self–defeating behaviors and began taking medication. Over time, I saw profound changes in my life. The struggles that were such a source of shame to me-time management, money management, household chores, not to mention managing my workload… things that it seemed to me that other women navigated so easily… became more and more manageable. Work managed in a timely fashion, dinner made on time, laundry done and put away BEFORE we ran out of underwear! I suddenly have time at the end of my day… time on the weekends… and going back to school is now doable.
I can’t help but wonder how different my life would be if I had been classified with ADHD as a child… who knows what I could have accomplished? The fact is, in the 80’s, it was rare for girls to be classified with ADHD, especially since most don’t present with hyperactivity-(I didn’t) rather just “day dreamy”, “lazy”“distracted”and “stubborn”. I’ve made my peace with it, though. I’m grateful that I can address it now, and most of all, I’m grateful that my son will grow up with the tools and support necessary to navigate his ADHD and be successful at anything he wants.
I really want to go back to school, and I am confident that I am ready, but I cannot pay for it on my own. I am the sole provider for my household, and I haven’t been in the position to accumulate savings. I used to have a second job, but I lost it during the pandemic, and I know that realistically, I can’t navigate a full-time job, a home, a child, and a second job. I have filled out a FAFSA, but I am still paying off student loans from the first time I went to school. I am planning to go back to school to get my BA in Liberal Arts in an accelerated program that also awards credits for real life work experience and work–related trainings. In addition to enrolling in college, I want to take an intensive 6-week course for court interpreters that will allow me to apply for better paying position within my organization. I’m not sure how long it will take me to finish my BA, but I know I’m looking at at least two years, and I can’t wait that long to start making moves and increase my income.
I need $2845.00 for the interpreter course.
My university is $512.00 per credit, from 1-11 credits, or $6713.00 for full time students, from 12-19 credits.
If you can help me, know that you’ll be making a little family’s life infinitely better, and putting us in a position where hopefully one day, we’ll have the chance to pay it forward. Thank you so much for reading.
Paypal.me/maespsas