Single mother research early childhood schooling to create a brighter future for her household and neighborhood

Arkansas Single Guardian Scholarship Fund September 2022 Pupil of the Month Gabrielle Hunter wholeheartedly believes kids are our future.

“We have now to be supportive and encourage them to work laborious and try for the most effective, to by no means surrender,” she mentioned. “We have now to point out them it’s true you could be no matter you need to be.”

Gabrielle has been working with kids for over 9 years and is at the moment employed at Clarendon ABC preschool as a paraprofessional. Her sons, Brayden and Kyison, are 10 and seven years previous.

“I inform my boys on a regular basis once they say ‘We need to go to high school and do such as you, Mommy. We need to be taught that stuff, too!’ I say, ‘That’s good you need to be like me, however guess what? Mommy desires you to be higher than her.’”

Gabrielle earned her Youngster Growth Affiliate, or CDA, credential in 2014. Two years later, she graduated from Phillips Neighborhood School’s Stuttgart Campus together with her affiliate diploma. She’s now solely two semesters away from her bachelor’s diploma in early childhood schooling from the College of Arkansas at Monticello.

“And I’m not stopping right here!” she mentioned. “My future plans are to enroll within the graduate college and finally personal my very own daycare. I wish to give again to the neighborhood. We’re right here to assist each other.”

Her academic journey hasn’t been a simple one. She’s taken a number of detours however has at all times gotten again on monitor.

“It has been loads of occasions that I’ve woken up and actually wished to simply say, ‘Neglect college and simply work and handle my boys,’” Gabrielle mentioned. “However I do know that if I need to make this a long-term aim and to truly see some monetary enhance, that implies that I would like to higher my schooling.”

Gabrielle says her mom — who raised Gabrielle and her sister as a single guardian — is her inspiration: “Girls are actually stronger than they assume.” And she or he’s grateful that she hasn’t been alone on her academic journey because of associates, household, and Arkansas Single Guardian Scholarship Fund.

“My assist system has been wonderful in serving to me with my kids and even teaching me to proceed to get my schooling,” she mentioned. “I wish to thank everybody that has helped me grow to be the mom I’m in the present day. Whether or not it was a very good morning textual content, ‘Hey, how are you?’, monetary stability, or a pat on the again, it helped me.”