This article follows Isabella Mapes, a 22-year-old nursing student in San Antonio, Texas, as she juggles motherhood with her demanding coursework. It highlights the challenges and triumphs of student parents in Texas, where a growing demand for skilled workers necessitates higher graduation rates among this population.
Isabella Mapes holds her daughter Lila Smith at their home in San Antonio. “I became a mom when I was trying to figure out what kind of adult I was going to be,” said Mapes, 22. “Being a mom sometimes feels like my only identity.” SAN ANTONIO — Labor had come so early in the morning, the contractions so fast. Three hours in the cream-colored delivery room and Isabella Mapes was a mom.
One in four Texas students is raising kids while working toward their college degree. Texas needs these students to graduate more than ever to meet a growing demand for workers with postsecondary credentials. The assignment was about different densities. The idea was to mix substances so the denser objects sink to the bottom, creating layers of separation.Doubt crept in. Did she have all the items she needed? It was 11:30 p.m., well past closing time at her regular grocery store. There was no instructor to ask for help.
The 1-year-old learned to climb this past year, which meant she needed more of her mom’s attention. Last semester, the spunky toddler had put bleach in the cat food and run a highlighter through 18 of her mom’s color-coded periodic tables. Nearly all the pencils in the apartment had signs of Lila chewing off the erasers.
But as hard as the balancing act has been, it is about to get harder. She will start her nursing clinicals after finishing her core classes. And when that happens, she will need to find someone to watch her daughter. As most of San Antonio winded down on a January night, the steady hum of dryers spinning behind fogged glass filled the laundromat.
Candice Bryant, the laundry service's owner, hires moms because she knows they need the work and flexibility. She sets working hours so the shifts start after most kids’ bedtime. “Normally, there’s so much going on in my mind all the time,” she said. “Here, I’m not thinking about nothing. I want to be lost in another world.”
“Oftentimes, it is the feeling of isolation we’re trying to break through,” said Andi Kephart, who has facilitated the support group since it launched a year ago. “We cheer people through to graduation.”
Parenting Social Issues STUDENT PARENTS TEXAS EDUCATION CHILDCARE NURSING SCHOOL FINANCIAL AID
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