Abstract: Jacquelyn Iler was born and raised in Richmond California as one of four children. Her parents never attended college and so she was never encouraged to attend either. Her parents worked hard to support their family, but being blue collar could never afford very much. She had no encouragement to go to college from high school counselors or teachers, and so had to make the journey on her own.
Jacquelyn became pregnant and married in her teenage years. By the time she separated from her husband and went to live with her parents again she was the mother of four children. During this stay with her parents she realized college was needed to become more successful and decided she needed to attend in order to make a better life for herself and for her family. Before this she hadn’t even known college was a viable option for her.
Sometimes her mother or sister felt that by going to college she was trying to do something that she shouldn’t and didn’t belong where she was trying to go. In some ways they were even a little intimidated by her decision to go to college. Yet she felt that they respected her more and were very proud of her when she finished. Her father seemed to appreciate what she was doing and it gave her some of the emotional support that she needed to complete her goal.
Jacquelyn found it especially difficult to fit into the college culture because she was older and had four children when she decided to attend college. She felt separated from a lot of other freshman because of these differences. She was unable to work because of her children, and so had very little income and had to rely on financial support from the college and other grants in order to attend.
Her mother helped to support her by watching her youngest children while she went to school. Jacquelyn also enrolled in the day care center at her college and was able to have her children taken care of for free by participating in the program there.
Though she faced many obstacles which proved to be a challenge for her, she had support from her family and friends to help her accomplish her goals. By attending college she was able to provide a better life for herself and her children and she earned the respect of her family.
Keywords: Separated, blue collar, day care, mother, children, respect, family
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