Moms trying to make the cut -- getting their degrees

By Brooke Barker

November 13, 2006 | Another long night of dishes, nightmares and homework -- something Lisa Broadbent and Kiersten Hewitt are all too familiar with -- while trying to finish up their degrees and raise their children.

"I think the hardest thing about going back to school is just getting the confidence to just join in with someone 20 years younger than you," said Broadbent.

Broadbent has been attending USU for three years now, and plans to graduate next year with bachelor's degrees in psychology and technical writing. It wasn't an easy step for her to come back to school, but she says it has been one of the best things she's ever done.

"The hardest part was convincing myself I could do it, and I put it off for 18 years. I thought, I'll go back next year, some day I'll go back," she said. "The company I was working for sold out three years ago. I cried for a week thinking how am I going to support these kids on my own, and then I thought, I've been waiting for 18 years to go back to school, I have my time, I have no excuses."

This is her second chance and new start on life, and Broadbent believes it is a lot easier to focus on school and getting the grades. She even moved her fifth-grader's desk next to hers to make homework time something fun.

"People ask my kids what their mom does, and they say, 'She goes to school,'" said Broadbent, with a smile on her face. "They are so excited for me and can't wait until I graduate."

For the most part, Broadbent says the professors and students have been understanding of her situation and supportive of her decision to gain an education.

"If there's anyone who's even thinking of going back to school and they keep putting it off, just get it done," she said. "It is the best thing I have ever done. Not only is it easier because of the focus and concentration and direction in my life now, but I have complete confidence. I have enthusiasm and a new outlook on life, and it's good."

Having a new outlook on life is something Hewitt also found when she decided to hit the books and return to school after a 12-year break, a marriage and four kids later. After coming back to school in 2002, she faced troubles trying to spend quality time with her children, a divorce and trying to find balance in her life.

"It's been something where I've had to have plenty days where the house wasn't as clean as I'd like it to be, and have had to be patient," said Hewitt. "There's a lot of guilt that comes along with going back to school, because you're adding one more thing that is taking away time from your family."

In 2004 and 2006, she earned the "Woman of the Year" Robin's award for her involvement at the Brigham City campus developing the "Students with Children" program. This year, Hewitt was also named the top non-traditional student in the United States by the University Continuing Education Association. She finished her bachelor's degree in psychology at the Brigham City campus last spring -- graduating summa cum laude. "My biggest advice is don't give up on your dreams because there is no obstacle that you can't overcome," she said.

"My second is, find a support network. Find people that can help you."

Hewitt now works as the Program Coordinator for the Students with Children Program in Brigham City. She serves as a mentor for more than 30 non-traditional students working on degrees in psychology, business, and family consumer and human development. Several students involved in the program are working on their generals before making the transition to the main campus to pursue degrees not offered at the Brigham City campus.

The program offers stress management, study skills and time management workshops, subsidized childcare, and guided study groups for students. Parents enrolled in the program are required to make exercise a regular part of their daily routine, with time allotted through the school.

Technology has also hit the campus, with video monitors in classrooms for parents to keep an eye on their children in the daycare program. When parents check in their children each day, they also get a pager similar to those at restaurants, to be alerted when their kids need diaper changes.

"A lot of the students in our program were stay-at-home moms. The thought of leaving your children with someone else is something most moms do not feel comfortable with -- I was one of those moms," Hewitt said. "I wanted to address those concerns in the design of our childcare."

The first group, or cohort, of students enrolled in the program started classes last spring. They are required to spend a semester before getting adjusted to school and studying again, through workshops and activities. "The parents bond together as a group, so that when they start classes they are starting with a group of friends," said Hewitt.

USU's main campus also offers a support group for parents -- the Re-entry Student Association. Sponsored through the Women's Center, the Association has scholarships, resources such as the parent locator, and activities throughout the year.

Broadbent serves as a peer-facilitator through the program, and said she would like to see the campus sponsor more activities for non-traditional students. "It's like two separate worlds on campus. We have our re-entry student association, but most people don't know about it," said Broadbent. "We're not included in a lot of things, and most of us want that too. Most of us go to classes and then rush home to take care of our kids."

The campus bookstore holds activities every semester for the "Lil' Aggies," and different departments try to hold activities to reach out to the many families on campus -- but many still say it pales in comparison to the size of activities sponsored by ASUSU and STAB -- such as the Howl and Mardi Gras.

"Most of us feel alone here, and don't know where we fit in. We are not the traditional students in any way," Broadbent said. "If we had more of a support group on campus, besides the re-entry students, I think more people would get involved and actually come back to school."

Students can learn more about the Re-entry Students by calling the Women's Center at 797-1728.

"There are going to be times when you're going to wonder why in the world am I doing this, and if you have the ability," said Hewitt. "You're going to hit those times and if you can plow through, there will be an end to the struggle."

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