Photo courtesy of Teresa Miller

She looks like all the other students; she goes to class, grabs lunch at the Reng Student Union and studies hard for her upcoming exams. But when she gets home, she’s not just a college student: she is also a mom. 

For students Megan Brown, Heather Scudder and Teresa Miller, this is their reality. 

According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a 2018 study showed nearly 10% of undergraduate students in the United States are single mothers. 

“It’s going to be difficult, but just remember the end goal is to better your family and their lives, but also to make yourself proud,” Brown said. 

Megan Brown:

Brown, a non-traditional student majoring in radiologic sciences from Brookland, decided to apply  for  the radiology program at A-State when she began her pregnancy. 

She said she knew if she wanted a great career, she would have to work hard to get a better life for her family. 

“When I got pregnant, I knew I wanted to have a great career that my baby boy would one day think is cool enough that he would want to do the same,” Brown said. “I don’t want my baby to grow up not getting to go places or get a car when he turns 16. I want to be able to give him everything. That is why I went back to school.”

Brown said she feels “mom guilt” when she has to do homework or spend time away from home to attend class. 

“It has been difficult to get home and want to do homework or study because you don’t want to miss a single moment with your baby, but you also want to succeed in school. It is definitely not easy,” Brown said. 

Heather Scudder:

Heather Scudder, a non-traditional student majoring in instrumental music education from Paragould, said she does not encounter any stereotypes about being a student mom. 

“I think it’s because most people don’t know I am a mom at first. I blend into the music program pretty well,” Scudder said. “It’s not as straight cut and dry as a lot of others.”

Scudder said she benefits from the Wilson Counseling Center. 

“They have these rooms, and I come in and cry for 30 minutes because everything’s been overwhelming after you have a kid and sometimes that doesn’t go away. It kind of builds on to the anxiety you’re already carrying, so having somewhere I can go and just sit in silence and breathe helps,” Scudder said. “That’s been helpful in kind of navigating the mom’s guilt of not being there all the time anymore, but how do I also move my future forward for him?”

Scudder said although it’s sometimes tricky, it’s worth it for other student moms to pursue a higher education.

“It’s not just your future, it’s also your child and your family’s future,”  Scudder said. “Whatever your situation looks like, you will be modeling for them.”

Teresa Miller:

Teresa Miller, a senior majoring in radiologic sciences from West Memphis, Arkansas, transferred to A-State from the University of Memphis after her sudden pregnancy in 2019. 

Miller said the pregnancy put her in a “limbo” state and she didn’t know what to do next. 

Miller chose A-State because it was close to her hometown, she had mutual high school friends attending and she was interested in the radiology program. 

Since her transfer, Miller said her most significant challenge in the first semester was feeling left out, especially since she began at A-State when her son was three months old. 

“I had friends that were going to parties and events and I couldn’t do that,” Miller said. “I wasn’t able to make those kinds of connections, but since then, I feel like I had more free time and really made those college connections.”

Miller wants other student mothers not to feel discouraged because of the many supportive people and resources at A-State. 

“No matter what, no matter how hard it is, at the end of the day, you want to get the degree,” Miller said. “You want to support your child because you have a little person looking up to you, and what you do matters for their future.”

Categories: News