Scholarship Recipient – Rebecca Farnsworth

I consider my first semester back to school as an academic achievement. It was less than a year after my husband’s death that left me as a young widowed mother with five children under the age of 10.

A higher education is very important to me for many reasons. It will help me reach my personal, academic and career goals. Receiving my degree will open doors to better support my family, get off welfare, and start giving back to the community. My late-husband never went to college. This kept us in poverty because of the difficulty finding a decent paying job without a degree. A great concern after my husband’s death was “How will I support my family? I don’t have a degree.” I decided a college education was a must for finding a job, and I have found benefits to it along the way. For example, studies have shown that people with a degree are less likely to get into an abusive relationship. Receiving my degree will show my children that importance of college education in multiple ways. They will see the difference of what life is like without a degree versus with a degree. Watching my struggles as a student and a widowed mother with five children shows my children it is easier to receive their education while young rather than wait until a crisis hits later in life.

In January of 2010, I broke my leg. I spent eight-and-a-half weeks on crutches and then walked on a broken leg with a dislocated ankle for two months. In May I had my first surgery and spent another eight-and-a-half weeks on crutches. In August, one week before school started, I had my second surgery on my ankle. This year, I have spent more than 18 weeks on crutches while going to school, chasing children, cooking meals, cleaning house and fulfilling my leadership and service activities. This situation has been a physical and financial burden; not an easy task. I have come to appreciate my challenges. They give more self confidence, compassion, education, hands-on-experience. I become a better person with every difficult situation I overcome. There is good that comes from any situation/hardship if a person will just look for it.

Continuing my education is the best time I could have done. It has helped me heal from my husband’s death, and has given me more self-confidence. I plan to graduate in 2016 (sooner if possible) with a 3.68 GPA or higher.

Student Support Services has provided me with a tutor and helped with registration and making sure everything went smoothly. They have been an emotional support for me with getting used to a big campus. I can walk in at any time and they are willing to help I would be lost on the main campus if it were not for Student Support Services.