WACO, Texas — There are a lot of hurdles for single parents when it comes to furthering their education.
Studies show 45 percent of single parents in the US have a high school diploma or less, 35 percent have a college degree and only 20 percent have a Bachelors.
Enisha Landrum is a single mom in Waco with a ten-year-old daughter. She's also recently become a student at Generations College and is a future business owner.
When Landrum graduated high school in 2011, she got a medical administrative assistance certificate, but recently decided she wanted to open a business to help children in the area.
"Our world and the youth are in trouble right now and we need to provide them a way to get ahead," she said.
"Whether that's a community center or just providing them a place to come where they can start their own business, where there's entrepreneurship or whatever it is they want to, I want to be able to provide them the resources to be able to do that."
While considering going back to school for her business degree, a big hurdle was the cost of tuition. She found a single parent scholarshipthrough Generations College and within a week of applying found out she was one of the winners.
"Finance wise, it's been hard," Landrum said. "Without this scholarship, I would not have been able to pay for college."
Landrum said she was unemployed at the time and this scholarship completely changed her life. Now she hopes to motivate her daughter to never give up on her dreams.
"I want to her to know that it doesn't matter what position you're in," she said.
"We feel like we're at our lowest, but momma is still able to go to school, go to work, and make it feel like we're not struggling at all. If I can do it, so can you and you have no excuse to ever not go after what you want."
Landrum is on track to graduate in the spring and is currently working on her business plan. She encourages other single parents to consider going back to school as well and check out this scholarship through Generations College.
The scholarship was founded by the Chancellor of the school Dr. Grace Stephens during the pandemic.
Dr. Stephens told 25 News she wanted to help close the economic gap between single parents and their peers since college graduates tend to make more money than those with only high school diplomas.
They have already helped more than 200 parents start their degree and hope to grow the program even more in the future.
"If you've ever considered getting your college degree, now is your time," Dr. Stephens said. "Go for it. You deserve it and your children deserve it too."
To qualify for the scholarship, you must be a parent with a child 23 years or younger, write an essay on your need and goals after graduation, enroll full time and maintain a 2.0 GPA.
