Parenting Student Advisors

Rawl Callender attends Kutztown University. His long term goal is to become a lawyer. Rawl brings to light the non conventional lifestyle as a college student. His responsibilities include balancing a forty plus hour work week, along with attending college classes Monday-Friday, and maintaining his personal life as a father to a newborn. Due to his work schedule and personal life as a father his sleep schedule is not like that of a regular student. This causes him to lose focus in his morning classes and may miss classes to attend work or watch his newborn. Missing classes negatively impacts his financial aid. Rawl believes that there needs to be better communication between professors and parenting students to accommodate their personal lives and educational goals. Rawl also believes that offering scholarships, dining passes, and other forms of financial assistance can lessen the load towards parenting students. This will alleviate many of the hardships parenting students face while in college.

Christina Hasaan is a non-traditional student and recently graduated with her bachelor's degree from Temple University. Christina discusses the difficulties she has faced as a full time mother while attending college. She says that parenting students need full wrap around support to take care of their basic needs. This support will allow a parenting student like herself to focus on her schoolwork and excel in her classes. Christiania believes that colleges should have representatives/ advocates on campus for parenting students to help them navigate their personal lives and college workload on a daily basis. She hopes that her story can help other students like herself continue their college education. Christina also hopes that her story can bring first hand insight to policy makers on what parenting students need.