A student parent on campus with her child. Lily Merritt | Washtenaw Community College
By Claire Convis
Deputy Editor
With responsibilities that range from writing essays and meeting with study groups to changing diapers and reading bedtime stories, student parents at WCC face unique challenges when it comes to balancing life, work, school and family.
Megan Martin, who is studying elementary education at WCC, has a one-year-old son, Alex, and another baby on the way. Martin said that being a student parent has provided an extra motivation for her to do well in school.
“When I was picking out my classes for my first semester back after having my son, I wanted to make sure I took classes that I knew would be flexible,” Martin said. Martin carefully chose the WCC courses she applied to, making sure that she did her research about the instructors and the coursework load.
Instructors have been understanding when it came to Martin missing class due to morning sickness or other parental responsibilities, Martin said.
“They’ve been awesome with helping me maintain a good grade,” Martin said.
Martin said that she benefited greatly from developing a relationship with her instructors and classmates.
“Definitely reach out to people,” said Martin, who prioritized being in study groups and getting phone numbers from classmates so that they could exchange notes.
After concluding the fall 2019 semester, Martin is happy with her class results and optimistic about returning to school during her second pregnancy.
“I love that [WCC] has a lactation room because I plan on going back to school shortly after I have this baby,” Martin said. “It’s so beneficial to have a room where you just have that privacy.”
Another student parent at WCC, Lauren Spagnoli, is a 35-year-old who graduated from Eastern with an education degree ten years ago. Spagnoli is now studying nursing at WCC after taking a decade-long break from school, during which she got married and had kids.
For Spagnoli, the key to balancing her responsibilities as a student and a parent is preparation, organization and time management: “If you don’t have all three things going, it all falls apart.”
Spagnoli said that most of her instructors have parental duties of their own, and another student parent, Brittany Hadden, a 29-year-old majoring in IT, agreed.
“I think most of my professors have children as well, so they understand,” Hadden said.
Hadden said that sometimes taking care of her daughter means that her college assignments are pushed back, but none of them have been submitted late.
“It just means less sleep,” said Hadden. “Stay up late, wake up early; I pretty much survive on Redbull.”
Hadden said that taking online classes has been helpful with her busy schedule, and when she needs to take a class on campus she tries to schedule it during the day when her daughter is in school.
Sabrina Lanker, a 19-year-old Student Life Officer at WCC, cited the Emergency Food Pantry as a helpful resource. The food bank can be useful for student parents because “parents have more people to feed than just themselves,” said Lanker.
To encourage other student parents, Martin said, “It may seem impossible and hard, but you just have to be determined and find that motivation…it’s so worth it.”
| Student parent resources |
Lactation rooms
Children’s Center
Emergency Food Pantry and hygiene products
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