by Erik Keith

Created on: January 09, 2009

Project Working Mom Helps Thousands of Parents

Return to School

Ann Marie always yearned for a college degree, but she had to put her dream on hold. She is a 25-year-old mother who works to support her two-year-old and seven-year-old step-daughter, while their dad has been deployed overseas. And in addition to caring for her own family, she also serves as power of attorney for her best friend's young daughter while both parents serve in Iraq.

"With my former husband being deployed on and off over the past two years, I've had to double up and be Mommy and Daddy all alone. School couldn't be a factor when I was alone to raise my family," said Ann Marie in her Project Working Mom essay.

However, Ann Marie's greatest wish was granted when she recently applied for, and won, a Project Working Mom scholarship to attend an online college for free. Although she currently works at a retail store as a part-time manager, she longs for a steady career, especially with today's economic woes. Without a college degree, Ann Marie fears she is being passed over for positions for which she would otherwise be qualified; she fears she is simply not competitive in the job market.

Thanks to the Project Working Mom scholarship, Ann Marie will now get her degree in accounting from Everest University
at no cost to her. Online classes grant her the flexibility to attend school from home at any time of day, which frees her from childcare worries. She is home for her children when they need her, and she is now serving as a role model for her children.

"My goal is to do my best so that my daughter can see that if Mommy can do well in school, so can she," continued Ann Marie.

Ann Marie's story represents just one of 93 Project Working Mom scholarship recipient stories from across the country. Each recipient is a powerful example of sacrifice and determination as women seek to provide a better life for themselves and their children through education.

Following two successful Project Working Mom outreach campaigns that awarded more than $4 million in scholarships to nearly 100 recipients, Project Working Mom rolled out a third campaign on January 8, 2009, which will wrap up on April 30, 2009. This round of the program introduced a new twist: Fathers are now eligible to win a scholarship, a request logged quite frequently during the previous campaigns. The participating schools for Project Working Momand Dads, Too! are Ashford University,
Capella University,
Everest University, Virginia
College, and

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