Charlene had finally finished studying for the night when, to her horror, she couldn’t remember whether her sleeping daughters had eaten dinner.

“I felt so defeated,” said the single mom from Forrest City.

At the time, she needed to raise her 1.6 GPA to qualify for financial aid, but she refused to let the guilt and self-doubt consume her: “I told myself, ‘I can do it. I’m not a bad parent. I’m working on my degree to be a better parent.’”

Charlene realized that to reach her childhood dream of becoming a licensed social worker, she had to forgive herself — and make changes. She quit her full-time job to focus on her family and education.

“I had to make adjustments to my lifestyle,” Charlene said. “There were times when I felt overwhelmed and wanted to give up, but because I have such a strong support system, I was able to surmount this.”

That support system included the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund. For five semesters, your donations provided Charlene with scholarships and workshops that gave her new skills. ASPSF Program Manager Marci Langston also coached her throughout her journey.

Over three years, Charlene earned her associate degree from East Arkansas Community College and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, graduating with a 3.9 GPA. 

The single parent scholarship ended after she completed her bachelor’s, but Marci stayed in touch. She helped Charlene find resources to make it through a yearlong UA Little Rock master’s degree program so competitive that only 20 of 200 applications are accepted — and Charlene was one of them!

Now, Charlene has three degrees and multiple job offers doubling her salary. But she’s not done studying: She must pass a licensing exam. Her long-term goal is to open her own clinical practice.

“To the wonderful donors at ASPSF, thank you for believing in me and in all single parents who have goals we want to see through and finally can with your support.”

Top photo caption: Charlene is the first in her family to earn a bachelor’s and master’s, but she won’t be the last: “My oldest daughter told me, ‘I’m going to go to college just like you!’”