Maryland woman starts a new chapter in her life
Jennie Wang of Columbia, Maryland, was a teenage rebel. In an interview with the Baltimore Sun, Wang, 22, said she was forced to move out of her home when she became pregnant shortly after receiving her high school diploma. Determined to turn her life around, Wang started her own company as a licensed wholesaler for energy and home services and just graduated with an associate's degree in international business.
"I didn't know how to balance personal life with taking care of a baby and going to school," she told the news source. "My teachers believed in me more than I believed in myself. They pushed me harder than I thought I could push myself. They got me to do better in school."
As a single mother, Wang was faced with numerous challenges during her time in school. One of the many stresses of raising a child while pursuing a degree is finding daycare, and luckily for Wang, her school provided a children's learning center where she took her 3-year-old daughter. Wang has become a mentor for a number of single mothers who struggle with balancing their lives.
If you're a working mother and want to go to school, the first thoughts popping into your head might include, "I can't afford this" and "I don't have enough time." Wang isn't the only example of the multitude of single moms going to college, and a number of entities have provided scholarships specifically for single and working mothers.
Going back to college has inspired Wang to petition for more state-led funding for two-year institutions because of their potential to change the lives of millions of Americans. With the help of her peers, she has become an advocate for higher education.
Whether you go to a four-year school or community college, Wang's story reaches the core of how so many single mothers are emerging out of troubled times and turning their lives around.
Don't think you have the time to study and attend class? Just think about Wang and how she persevered through all-night study sessions, pop quizzes and final examinations for the benefit of her little girl.
