Sometimes I feel like Bigfoot — you know, Sasquatch — a white elephant, the Loch Ness Monster, maybe. I feel weird and out of place; that’s what I’m trying to say.
I don’t want to sound like a broken record (which, by the way, I am actually old enough to remember), but I’ve told y’all before that I’m 30 and an undergraduate student. And I have a 2-year-old.
We are rare, but there are a few of us. We have challenges that most of our classmates don’t understand. And, unlike the PhD Moms, there are no organizations for us to join.
Nicole Goff is “spread thin.” Goff, 28, studies psychology at the UF, and has a 6-year-old daughter whom she homeschools.
Before transferring to UF, Goff went to Santa Fe College, where she noticed more support and community for non-traditional students. They have a Displaced Homemaker program, for instance, for students who are over the age of 34 and have lost the financial support of a partner. She also had classmates who were much older than she, which made it easier to make personal connections.
While the lack of resources for alternative or non-traditional students at UF is frustrating, and it’s difficult to connect with many of her classmates on a personal level, Goff is glad that she went back to school.
“Not only am I setting a good example for my daughter,” she said, “but I know I’m going to be able to provide for her [financially].”
She said that she encourages her friends to go back to school, too. Her advice is to find ways to manage time creatively. Goff and her daughter each do homework together, that way she’s spending time with her daughter but still getting work done.
Goff has family nearby. She has a community of good friends and other parents who can take her daughter to the park if she has a report due.
Having a good support network is paramount, she said.
“You can’t do it by yourself.”
