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And I'm bring'n my kid's too: an examination of barriers to success for Single Mother Scholars of Color transferring from Los Angeles Community Colleges to 4-year universities

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And I'm bring'n my kid's too: an examination of barriers to success for Single Mother Scholars of Color transferring from Los Angeles Community Colleges to 4-year universities

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Content Copyright 2024 Celina Gomez
And I’m Bring’n My Kids Too:
An examination of barriers to success for Single Mother Scholars of Color Transferring from
Los Angeles Community Colleges to 4-year Universities
by
Celina Gomez
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF EDUCATION
EDUCATIONAL COUNSELING
August 2024

@ Copyright by Celina Gomez
All Rights Reserved

The Committee for Celina Gomez certifies the approval of this thesis
Dr. Kourtney Hernandez
Dr. Sheila M. Bañuelos
Dr. Atheneus Ocampo Committee Chair
Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
2024

Abstract
Often in higher education, there is no one size fits all when it comes to students. Students
walk in from different lived experiences, physical representations, and situational contexts all
while pursuing an education. One group that continues to be overlooked and left out of the
conversation is Mothers of Color. This group has been underrepresented in research and
intentional student support programming and activities. In attempting to address this
underrepresentation, this study will center the intersectional experience of student Mothers of
Color. Utilizing a love as praxis approach, this work showcases what Single Mother Scholars of
Color self-identify as barriers to their academic success, as well as shares their experiences in
higher education and how it has been linked directly to their children. This development explores
Mother Scholar Praxis and defines its roots in love ethic and its contribution to the academic
world

ii.
Acknowledgements
To mi princess, Serenidad, without you this work could never be. Thank you for making
me both mother and scholar. Thank you for sharing me with these institutions and spaces that
didn’t always welcome us. Thank you for coming to class with me, even when people looked at
us crazy. Thank you for staying up late with me to write papers. Thank you for going to get
coffee and cake pops with me. Thank you for showing me how to do this life right. You are the
biggest blessing and coolest, smartest kid I could ever ask for. Don’t ever let anyone tell you no,
not even me, and definitely not one of these institutions in the future.
To my Santiago, thank you for giving me the lived experience of being a pregnant mother
scholar. You taught me to stand up for us even before you hit this earth, to push back on the folks
who didn’t believe we could be together and complete their courses. Thank you for teaching me
patience and reminding me that we stand up for more than just us two.
To my Sasuke Hiro, thank you for being a huge surprise to finish out this chapter of my
master’s degree. You teach me every day to slow down and take in the little things. You were a
beacon of light in a hard time for my mental health, and without you I could not have continued
with this work.
To mi Conejito, though this work has started long before you I could never have done
this without you. These kids are lucky to have you and most importantly we are blessed to do
this life with you. Thank you for helping me believe I didn’t have to be a single parent forever,
thank you for taking me to get snacks and soda when I couldn’t deal with all my responsibilities,
thank you for always making sure I have everything I need to be the badass scholar I am. I
wouldn’t be the person I am without you; I wouldn’t be the mother I am without you and most
importantly, I wouldn't be able to do this without you.

iii.
To Dr. O, Dr. H, and Dr. B, thank you all for your unwavering patience, support and
understanding of this work. At times I felt my work meant nothing to this academic space, you
all reminded me just how important this work and myself are.
To all my family, friends and classmates. Thank you for always making me and the kids
feel like we belonged. Thank you for always supporting this work and seeking out help when
trying to support those mother scholars you know.
And for those professors, colleagues, and classmates that did make us feel unwelcomed,
unacknowledged, isolated and like we didn't belong. Thank you to the ones that went out of their
way to let me, and my kids know they didn’t like us taking up space in their schools, in their
classes, and in their offices. This work is to make sure y’all don't ever feel entitled to make
anyone on your campuses feel isolated and left out. Thank you for reminding me why I hustle
and do this work every damn day.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………... ii
Chapter One: Overview of the Study.………………………………………………………1
Background of the Problem………………………………………………………... 3
Statement of the Problem…………………………………………………………...4
Positionality Statement………………………………………………………….......5
Purpose of the Study………………………………………………………………...6
Significance of the Study……………………………………………………………6
Limitation of Study………………………………………………………………….7
Definition of Terms……………………………………….........................................7
Organization of the Study…………………………………………………………...8
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature……………………………………………………...9
Overview of Student Parents………………………………………………………...9
Single Mothers of Color in Post-Secondary Education…………………….…….....10
Significance of Community Colleges and Transferring to a 4-Year University….....11
The Transfer Process………………………………………………………………...12
Implications – Challenges and possibilities................................................................14
Mental Health………………………………………………………………………..14
Time Poverty………………………………………………………………………...15
Imposter Syndrome and Self-Doubt…………………………………………………15
Lack of access to place making on campus………………………………………….16
Self Motivation and Resilience of Mothers of Color………………………………...17
Intersectional Analysis Conceptual Framework……………………………………..18
Conclusion of Literature Review…………………………………………………….19
Chapter Three: Overview of the Research…………………………………………………...20
Methodology…………………………………………………………………………20
Research Design……………………………………………………………………...21
Recruitment…………………………………………………………………………..21
Participants…………………………………………………………………………...22
Data Analysis………………………………………………………………………...22
Limitations…………………………………………………………………………...23
Chapter Four: Participants and Platicas……………………………………………………...25
Participant Profiles…………………………………………………………………...26
Considerations for Participants………………………………………………………27
Platica………………………………………………………………………………...28
Common Themes Expanded…………………………………………………………33
Resilience…………………………………………………………………………….33
Isolation………………………………………………………………………………34
Academic Overachievement…………………………………………………………35
Online Content Analysis Findings…………………………………………………...37
Policies……………………………………………………………………………….37
Programs……………………………………………………………………………..38

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………...40
Chapter Five: Recommendations……………………………………………………………41
Research Findings…………………………………………………………………...41
Supportive Services and Visibility………………………………………………......41
Having spaces for Student Parents…………………………………………………..46
Facilitating belonging on campuses for Parents and their children………………….47
Actual Physical Spaces for Student Parents………………………………………….48
Future Research………………………………………………………………………50
Embracing Mother Scholar Praxis……………………………………………………51
Connection to Love Ethic and emergence of Mother Scholar Praxis………………...53
Chapter Six: Epilogue………………………………………………………………………...54
References…………………………………………………………………………………….55
Appendix A: Recruitment Material…………………………………………………………...58
Appendix B: Information Sheet……………………………………………………………….62
Appendix C: Platica Protocol…………………………………………………………………64

1
Chapter One: Overview of the Study
Often in higher education, there is no one size fits all when it comes to students. Students
walk in from different lived experiences, physical representations, and situational contexts all
while pursuing an education. As such, postsecondary institutions and specifically counselors and
academic advisors must interact with and learn who they are serving to facilitate student success
and contribute to enhancing the “college experience” (Banks & Dohy, 2019). Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, policy, and research have continued to evolve to address racebased inequities including exploration into issues such as a lack of diverse faculty and staff, low
numbers of students of color in graduation and retention rates, and even addressing issues
surrounding campus police brutality towards students of color. Yet, while race based
interventions are significant in the movement towards an equitable educational landscape, many
of these initiatives continue to miss the mark on locating the intersectional pieces that create
multiple barriers for student success.
Gender identity and socioeconomic status are also typically topics for conversation when
colleges and universities move forward with new projects for supporting student success as a
response to possible causes for low retention and transfer rates in addition to high push out rates.
Of course, these conversations and subsequent actions are done with good intentions but inherent
in any discussion focused on a singular marker of identity, others will be left out. As highlighted
by Kimberly Crenshaw (2017) in her offering to define intersectionality, individuals experience
and perform multiple identities all at once. Thus, logically, to focus on a singular identity in any
work relevant to diversity, equity, and inclusion is an omission of all the other identities that one
holds. As such, there is a necessity to move towards practices and approaches that are intentional
in locating the needs of consistently marginalized student populations who do not fit within the

2
traditional confines of markers of singular identity. Educators must be vigilant in locating
communities of students that continue to be pushed out to the margins and made invisible
through now, seemingly, mainstream educational practice. One group that continues to be
overlooked and left out of the conversation is Mothers of Color. This group has been
underrepresented in research and intentional student support programming and activities. In
attempting to address this underrepresentation, this study will center the intersectional experience
of student Mothers of color. A portion of this work will be devoted to discussing how invisibility
for these students continues to persist. Specifically, literature will be reviewed in relation to
student Mothers of Color within Los Angeles area Community Colleges, the primary location for
this work.
In a study done by CalMatters, a California centered educational blog, they identified
over 200,000 student parents enrolled in California Colleges in 2021(CalMaters, 2022). This
translates to a student parent population of around 2 percent at California public post-secondary
institutions. While the CalMatters study was only limited to students attending California's
public colleges and universities (Community Colleges, Cal States and UC’s), a correlation can be
made that student parents attending private California Universities and Colleges are also
underrepresented in relation to the over 17 million students enrolled at all California postsecondary institutions on a year-to-year basis (National Student Clearinghouse, 2023). The
inability of the CalMatters study to accurately identify the number of enrollments of student
parents at private institutions highlights the barriers inherent in seeking out their experiences.
Moreover, the hardships of gender identity, financial status, sexual orientation among others
continue to overshadow parental status which ultimately causes parental status and associated
issues to continue being overlooked by institutions.

3
Background of the Problem
It is readily apparent that educational institutions continue to be sites of marginalization.
When groups of students who are already marginalized can not find placement to create a space
for their unique needs within the structure of the institutions, it can often result in lower retention
and graduation rates. Subsequently, institutions contribute and create pools of students who feel
the need to drop out of college . Campus climate and institutional culture are also factors that
contribute to how students view campuses and define where they fit within the physical and
structural space of the institution. Viewed from the student perspective, the web of policies,
programming, and other elements that impact the student experience can create structures and
barriers that push students out. Campus climate and institutional culture transmit messages to
students of their welcome or unwelcome status at an institution further contributing to students’
drive and ability to persist in their educational journey. As previously mentioned, Student
Parents are often overlooked in research data and at most postsecondary institutions’ student
programming and activities. Moreover, Single Mothers of Color find themselves the least
visible. The overuse of terms such as first generation, low income, and even students of color
may contribute to this diminished visibility. Many institutions not only overlook these students
due to an immoderate focus on these terms, but do not even track for students with
dependents/children in their enrollment numbers, nor do universities provide specialized
information pertaining to student parents when recruiting for transfer or graduate programs
(Lynn Lewis, 2019).
In response to the push outs that typically occur when institutions do not attend to the
needs of student parents, Tichavakunda (2020) suggested a need for intentional placemaking of
student parents. Student parents across the United States find themselves unable to practice and

4
participate in place making (Tichavakunda, 2020) and have minimal opportunities to engage in
places held specifically for them or have not had access to information specifically designed for
them when looking to transfer out of community college. Oftentimes it is not simply just the
exclusion of Student Parents and Single Mothers from the data, but the deliberate exclusion of
them as members of their campus community. More than half the students in a study through the
Aspen institute stated they were meant to feel unwelcome on their campuses and this number
was, sadly, even higher for student parents in the 18-29 age range (Ascend at Aspen Institute,
2021). These students went on to share that in addition to receiving microaggressions in the form
of “dirty looks”, students discussed the lack of available nursing and changing areas accessible to
them on campus, classroom policies including absence policies that were not supportive of
parenting student needs, and lastly lack of accessible opportunities for parenting student friendly
campus events and programing.
Statement of the Problem
While many student parents remain near invisible on college campuses, some are also
carrying the cultural expectations and burdens of the patriarchal lens of higher education and the
misogynistic, inequitable lenses of cultural norms such as misogynoir, machismo and other male
centered lenses that require women to provide mental and emotional labor, lead homes and child
rearing (Anzaldua, 2012), all while keeping up with contemporary demands of western culture
such as pursuing an education and keeping up a career while all alone as Single Mothers of
Color. Further, the ability of single mothers of color to navigate education is severely impacted
by institutions’ inability to nurture placemaking for single mothers of color (Tichavakunda,
2020). Thus, the single mother of color educational experience is steeped in marginalization and
isolation. Single mothers of colors are required to commit daily sacrifices not only to their own

5
personal time and space but also to the time and space afforded to their children as they pursue
post-secondary education (Tehan, 2007).
Moreover, many single mothers of color utilize the community college system as access
points to continue their post-secondary education with many having dreams of transferring to 4-
year universities. Yet, the structure of community colleges and, specifically, transferring creates
barriers that are already challenging for many first-generation individuals and can be
insurmountable for single mothers of color (Echelman & Yee, 2023). Thus, educational
institutions including community colleges must be more attentive to the experiences of single
mothers of color.
Positionality Statement
As a Single Mother of Color who was able to navigate the barriers to transferring and
obtaining my bachelor’s degree, it was imperative for me to contribute to not only having my
voice heard but that of my friends. Some of my mother scholar friends have been lucky enough
to graduate from community college, go on to obtain bachelor’s degrees and even do graduate
course work. This should be celebrated not just by the students and their families but universities
and colleges should also recognize the rigor it takes to head a family and graduate or transfer.
For many of my other friends, some were not as lucky in locating nurturing schooling
environments as others and were either forced or pushed out of college in addition to suffering
long term mental effects from feeling that they did not belong, were not welcome, or even
deserve to go to college.
In my own experience, I have not only dealt with campus policies that were not inclusive
of my status as a single mom but also felt like a deliberate attack on my presence on campus.
From being excluded from events by the director of student activities when I was a president of a

6
Mothers of Color club to even in my current graduate program when a faculty made me feel as a
pregnant student that I was unable to keep up with their class and even told working with my
“situation” was not inclusive to everyone else in the class. These experiences continue to drive
my passion and fuel my research to continue advocating and amplifying the voices of Single
Mothers of Color.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to amplify the lived experience of Single Mother Scholars of
Color and the impact of campus and policy-based barriers on their experiences. This study is
rooted in the voices of current, former, and continuing Mothers of Color. Scholarly work
published and written by Mothers of Color and derived from their own word through placticas
and online content analysis will be utilized to ground contextual understanding of the experience
of Mothers of Color. In addition to supporting Single Mother Scholar centered work and
methodologies, this work serves to embody love in action while engaging a Love as Praxis
framing to support in theorizing Single Mother Scholar Capital.
Significance of the Study
Research on Student Parents is largely growing through sectors such as the Urban
Institute, Aspen at Urban Institute and through independent research conducted by students and
professors yet, research specific to Single Mother Scholars of Color is still sparse. The need to
grow and understand a population that creates a new gap in already marginalized communities
and populations is key in combating the root of drop out/push out rates and barriers for academic
and educational attainment. Further, the plight of single mothers of color as they navigate the
community college to and through university experience is severely unexamined. This study
takes on the call to locate greater understanding in this experience as a step towards positively

7
impacting the experience. To ensure that this study is structured to meet its purpose and
significance, the following research questions are posed to guide this process of inquiry,
understanding, and impact:
• What do single mothers scholars of color identify as educational obstacles?
• What can institutions do to support Single Mother Scholars before the transfer process
and after they have transitioned to 4-year universities?
Limitation of Study
Because there is such limited research on Single Mother Scholars of Color, it has been
hard to identify not only research that is spoken from Single Mother Scholars of Color to truly
quantify their narratives through their own lenses. In addition, many of the recent works
published around student parents have been published by scholars and authors who may have
never been single parents and are men of color. While allyship is important, it is seen in my
attempts to conduct an all Mother of Color based Literature review that there is a limitation as a
direct result of the lack of uplifting Single Mother Scholars of Color in the field.
Definition of Terms
For the purposes of this paper, the following terminology used within this work is as
defined:
Student Parent - is in reference to parents that are enrolled in college/ school and have a
dependent child or children with whom they provide for. (Coronel, 2020).
Single Mother Scholar of Color - A single mother who is the sole caregiver for their
child/children while pursuing higher education, including certificates, technical/trade/ vocational
degrees, undergraduate and graduate degrees (Coronel, 2020).

8
Intersectionality - Intersectionality is defined through metaphors for understanding how
multiple forms of inequity/inequality can stack to create obstacles that are not comprehended
among patriarchal, white supremacy and uninformed ways of thinking. (Crenshaw, 2017)
Placemaking - Placemaking focuses on ethnic/racial and cultural identity, place, structure and
agency in creating and taking up space on college campuses (Tichavakunda, 2020)
Transferring - Refers to the process of completing courses at a community college with the
intent to transfer to a 4-year college or university and obtain a bachelor's degree (Coronell, 2020)
Organization of the Study
Throughout chapter 1 I have set up the contextual background necessary for
understanding the Student Parent population as it leads into the population of Single Mother
Scholars. In chapter 2, there is an in-depth literature review that discusses studies for Single
Mother Scholars of Color, academic and student support services available for this population as
well as describe in depth Single Mother Scholar love praxis and how its foundation is rooted in
love as praxis. Chapter 3 explores the sample population of Single Mothers of Color
participating in the research, data collection and analysis, and a summary of the research study.
In Chapter 4 we discuss the placticas session and the participants, and in chapter 5 we focus on
the findings and recommendations This project will then conclude with an epilogue of the
researcher.

9
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature
Through the navigation of my own lived experiences as a student parent and through
research navigation for this project the literature on Student Parents presents many challenges
and barriers even in finding published material by scholars or universities. Recently the trend of
reporting on Student Parents in Higher Education has been on the rise, yet many of these studies
are not specific to Student Parents of Color, let alone Single Mothers of Color. This prefaces the
way we will discuss institutions, visibility and resources for Single Mothers of color pursuing
Higher Education later in regard to the Placticas discussed in Chapter 3. Additionally, this
literature review sets the stage for a continued need to study Student Parents and Single Mothers
of Color in Higher Ed and the necessity to continue to develop new tools and frameworks for
examining these unique communities of students.
Overview of Student Parents
With an ecosystem of diverse student communities and populations, Student Parents can
be hard to find layered in the multitude of college terminology used to address students at
colleges and universities. Some just become coupled into the bigger umbrella funnels like first
generation, low-income, and returning students amongst many others. While many Student
Parents may connect or identify with these titles, it does not do justice to just how many other
resources they need to sustain going through the educational pipeline. These types of labels can
actually hinder how colleges and universities understand who Student Parents really are, and
how to connect them with the correct resources and academic support available on their
campuses.
As discussed, a universal title for Student Parents should not be used to solely classify
students for the purposes of referral and support in connecting with resources, but for the

10
purposes of this project, the structure of what a student parent is will be defined through Brend
Coronel’s “Lived Experience of Community College Student-Parents” (Coronel, 2020). In the
article, Coronel focuses on Student Parents as Adults currently enrolled in California Community
Colleges while simultaneously balancing the identities of being a Parent raising children
(Coronel, 2020). In this capacity it creates an identifiable and holistic overview of who the
student is, the experience they bring, and also how to identify some of the many barriers that
may keep them from transferring from a 2-year community college to a 4 year university.
Single Mothers of Color in Post-Secondary Education
Single Mothers of Color (SMOC) in Post-Secondary Educational programs are severely
under-represented in literature and research, as comparable to the underrepresentation of Student
parents in Higher Ed research on a general spectrum. SMOC face many of the same barriers that
other Student parents face such as lack of access to basic needs such as financial, food and
housing insecurity, access to proper medical care for themselves and their families and
communal/ familial support (Raise the Barr, 2022) but in addition to the common struggles, these
students are often navigating the path of parenthood and being a student entirely alone.
These students are also facing many of the systemic and racial based barriers Students of
Color face on college and university campuses. One of these big issues is the commitment to
working hard and the commitment to “hard-work” regardless of toxic hustle culture and an even
more toxic competitive culture propagated in academia. However, hard work for Student Parents
looks disproportionately different for SMOC versus other communities of students. Hard work
for SMOC means not only sacrificing basic needs for themselves including healthcare and
mental health resources, but also literal time and space with their children and family (Tehan,
2007). This can mean while some students have to sacrifice family, carne asada, or parties on the

11
weekends, some SMOC may have to miss their children’s birthdays, graduations, and milestones
in order to obtain their college degree. Additionally, sacrificing time with family and children
can cause strain on personal relationships adding added layers to navigating college and being a
parent.
Significance of Community Colleges and Transferring to a 4-Year University
For many students, community college is their only choice to be connected to getting a
college degree. For the academic year 2020-2021 2.8 million students were enrolled at California
Community colleges alone (California Community Colleges, 2021). That is 2.8 million students
working toward graduating with associates degrees, certificates, or working to transfer from their
community college to a 4-year university to get a bachelor's degree. Of the 2.8million students, 1
in 10 were Student Parents and of those Student Parents, 80% identified as female (Reed, et.al;
2021). Additionally, Student Parents obtain higher GPA’s in their first year at a community
college compared to their non-parent student peers despite often not enrolling for an additional
term or year due to financial need, childcare issues and other barriers to basic needs (Reed, et.al,
2021).
Community colleges provide many student parents the opportunity to further or finish
their education after long educational gaps, as told by Melanie Gerner, a graduate of Long Beach
City College (LBCC), transfer to California State University (CSU) Dominguez Hills and a
member of EDsource’s Student Journalism corps where she shares her experiences as a Student
Parent in College. Gerner discusses how hard the transfer process was for her from LBCC to
CSU Dominguez and the barriers it took for her to succeed. In addition to financial need and an
inability to qualify for financial aid, Gerner also had to have what she referred to as a “care
team” to support in babysitting her daughter when she needed to work or go to class outside of

12
her daughter's school hours (Gerner, 2021). She goes on to add that even with this support she
often chooses completing assignments over sleeping after caring for her child in the evenings and
regardless of her challenges with navigating her institutional resources and courses, she is
committed to her daughters happiness and well-being, which for her is ensuring she has a good
career to provide stability for her daughter which is only obtainable through getting a college
degree (Gerner, 2021). Aside from the importance of simply attending college, transferring can
open a world of difference for Student Parents and Single Mothers of Color. Specifically, for
CALWORKs students and their families, this often means that they can stop relying on
county/government support for things like food, rent and childcare in order to be more selfsufficient and provide for their kids (Pizzolato, 2017).
The Transfer Process
As Stated in Chapter 1, transferring is defined for this study as the process of completing
courses at a community college with the intent to transfer to a 4-year college or university and
obtain a bachelor's degree (Coronell, 2020). In order to understand the barriers for transferring
within the community of Single Mothers of Color, it is important to understand the issues and
barriers within the transfer process. For many students in California, there are multiple barriers
from curriculum transfer, unclear guidelines and pathways to transfer to specific universities, in
addition to racial and systemic barriers (Smith, 2023). In terms of curriculum, in California,
associate’s degrees for Transfer for the California State University (CSU) Systems which creates
a direct pathway to specific CSU campuses upon completion of the ADT, currently only offer 40
degree major options across 180 California Community Colleges and 23 CSU campuses (Smith,
2023). This leaves limited access for Students who are going into STEM fields as the ADT’s are
currently housed in Arts and Sciences divisions. Additionally, these ADT’s only apply to the

13
CSU System and not the University of California (UC) Systems here in California so students
looking to apply for both UC’s and CSU’s at California Community Colleges must take multiple
classes in addition to their major preparation to complete requirements for transfer to either
university (Smith, 2023).
Furthermore, the Public Universities in California are severely impacted, sending out
more than 30,000 denial letters to qualified community college applicants in Fall of 2020
(Echelman & Yee, 2023). This leaves students with options to either wait and apply again in the
next admissions cycle, apply to private universities which may be costly and even unaffordable
for some students or to just give up on the prospect of transferring all together. In conjunction
with the severe capacity issues at the UC’s and CSU’s specific populations of students like those
coming from community colleges located in proximities to rural parts of California are often left
under supported, underserved and find many educational gaps experienced in the classrooms
within their college campuses (Echelman & Yee, 2023). This also comes from rural communities
and their proximity to other institutions, for example schools like Los Angeles City College are
located close to schools like UCLA, CSULA, University of Southern California and countless
other private and public universities, whereas rural community colleges campuses like Lassen
College in Susanville California does not have a university with in 50 miles of its campus with
the closest being the University of Nevada in Reno (Echelman & Yee, 2023). This also creates
the issue of leaving daily support systems and also facing the financial, mental and systemic
necessities of relocating for students who may not be able to afford this.

14
Implications - Challenges and possibilities
SMOC also faces many unique challenges that are not experienced at all by other student
populations who do not have children but also experience challenges and opportunities that
students without children experience very differently. Many of these issues are not direct results
of being a Single Mother but rather a collective of barriers and challenges faced by Women of
Color (WOC) and exacerbated by the intersectional identities of being a Mother, Scholar and a
WOC in predominantly White and male spaces (Crenshaw, 2017). These barriers not only cause
hardship in completing a degree and obtaining social and economic upward mobility but create
long lasting issues for the Mothers themselves such as mental health issues, issues with time
poverty, and more throughout their time in post-secondary education.
Mental Health
While many folks of color suffer from mental health disorders, Single Mothers of Color
in particular face many unique hurdles when struggling with mental health and life/caregiver
balance. Many Single Mothers face struggles that all single student parents face such as living
below the poverty line, however, in a recent study of the US Census data in 205 found that two
thirds of Single mothers typically find themselves living close to 200% under the poverty line
(Shenoy, et. al; 2016). Due to this financial hardship and the struggle to acquire basic needs,
many of these SMOC do not have access to proper healthcare and mental resources, leading to
an increase in impostor syndrome, and prolonged mental health care that can result in students
feeling pushed out or dropping out of college. Additionally, SMOC experience higher rates of
poor mental health due to financial hardship, higher rates of trauma and experiences of violence
due to their identities as women and specifically WOC and their perceived lack of support
structures (Shenoy, et. al; 2016). Single Parents in the Shenoy study were also asked how often

15
they experienced negative mood states or suicidal ideations. Of the Single Parents interviewed in
the study, 11.5% reported seriously considering suicide and also reported nearly twice as many
suicide attempts as their non-parent student counterparts (5.3% vs 2.7%, respectively) (Shenoy
et. al, 2016).
Time Poverty
Time poverty is an issue many students face in which there is just not enough time to
complete all the tasks necessary in a single 24hr period. This is not meant to be looked at as a
time management issue but rather the uncontrollable barriers that interfere with how and in what
ways a student can spend their time. For Student Parents in particular, time poverty is a serious
issue, many parents have to plan their school and work schedules around childcare and school
hours as well as keep family time and errands strict to the weekends. These time constraints are
experienced differently even in the subgroups under student parents. While SMOC in general
struggle with balancing their time to accomplish all of their responsibilities, SMOC of pre-school
aged children spend an additional 74 hours of discretionary or “free” time per child on
caregiving responsibilities (Conway, et,al; 2018). This is the equivalent of having nearly 2 full
time jobs per child under 6 years old in addition to school, work and other responsibilities. This
directly affects the quality of course work, availability of courses SMOC can enroll in, and also
how much time and energy they can designate to completing a degree and going through the
transfer process with their community college.
Impostor Syndrome and Self-Doubt
Impostor syndrome has been a hot topic of discussion in recent research about first
generation and students of color who occupy spaces on college campuses. Impostor syndrome
and the misrepresentation of self can create mental and physical barriers for students of color and

16
marginalized students in general. Many SMOC do not see others like themselves on campus or in
the classroom and coupled with faculty and staff on community college and university campuses
this can create internalized impostor syndrome (Delgado Bernal, 2020). For SMOC, this
impostor syndrome can cause the feeling of being pushed out or create a sense of lack of
belonging.
Additionally, some of the ideologies we as practitioners and even allies to student parents
can also perpetuate an increase in impostor syndrome for SMOC that we share space with. One
example is the use of “Publish or perish '',. For the non-parent non-traditional student, this can
already be daunting to overwork or compete amongst their pool of peers on a disadvantaged
playing field (Bothello, Roulet, 2018). For SMOC, this may be an unrealistic task. Many SMOC
may then negatively internalize their inaccessibility to having time to pour into an article or
dissertation, or also the lack of resources and professional connections they may have due to not
being able to attend networking and place making events on their campuses.
Lack of access to place making on campus
Access to space or making space on university and community college campuses has
historically been systemically and disproportionately affected by white supremacy rooted in the
overall function of student affairs and student life. This has severely impacted specifically black,
brown and indigenous students, which also happen to be the top 3 groups who become SMOC
pursuing college degrees (Burke, 2021). Placemaking requires the intersections place, structure,
agency and also the student’s identity (Tichavakunda, 2020), in this case it would be Single
Mothers of Color. For SMOC, there is a huge lack of representation within the classroom
specifically due to the fact that you don’t exactly wear your parenthood out for everyone to see,

17
excluding pregnant or birthing parents however this is not always an identifier of parental
responsibility.
Dr. Antar Tichavakunda discusses blackplace making specifically and the ways in which
Black people are cast into Urban settings and as victims or epidemics of violence and poverty but
never as scholars or professionals (Tichavakunda, 2020). Similarly, SMOC are often cast into
urban spaces, such as low-income apartments, suffering from poverty, working multiple jobs that
are not associated with career, educational or professional obtainability outside of entry level
medical jobs - think American career college medical assisting commercials from the early
2000’s. As educators, it is important to take into consideration the ways in which we not only
shape space but also how we facilitate space and place making for students in our offices,
classrooms and on campus and how these experiences contribute to the success of transferring
and completion of degree for SMOC who may walk into our space.
Self Motivation and Resilience of Mothers of Color
Despite the overall feelings of isolation, impostor syndrome and lack of representation in
research and on campus, SMOC on campuses still remain one of the most motivated and
dedicated groups of students at community college campuses and 4-year universities. SMOC are
focused on creating generational wealth for at least 1 or more generations, while many of their
peers are focused on learning how to get a job or gain experience and “enjoy” their time in
college, a privilege many Student Parents and SMOC may not get to experience (Lindsay
&Gillum, 2018). This focus on creating generational wealth keeps SMOC focused on their
children, families and their academic success (Lindsay & Gillum, 2018). This focused
motivation on their kids allows for them to create a streamlined outlook on their goals and
aspirations and this directly translates to their motivation to finish their degrees. What makes

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SMOC specifically different from their non-parent student peers is their direct lived experiences
in the world. While many of these SMOC are sitting in spaces with students who have yet to
have their first jobs, maybe living on their own away from home for the first time, SMOC have
already began to experience the world, regardless of age, socioeconomic status these students
have lived and can translate their experiences in the classroom to the real world.
Intersectional Analysis and Conceptual Framework
To tie this research, analysis and thesis all together, the center of this study will be rooted
in love. Love Ethic is a model and conceptual framework conceptualized by bell hooks and
adapted for working with Single Mothers of Color in higher educational spaces. bell hooks states
that in order to serve others with love we must surrender to not adopting and upholding
hierarchical domination, which in this case would be the Ivory tower or status quo of how
academia has always been run or operated (hooks, 2018). This approach to institutional and
social change confronts the folks who engage at these institutions as practitioners and agents of
change to sustain a focus on love by centering community need and combat the internalized need
to only confront oppression when it is as a direct result of personal experience or when one's
self-interest is directly on the line (hooks, 2018). Additionally, hooks takes a stand to enact the
example and utilize lower case letters on her name to decenter herself within the work that she
does and to reframe that onto the work and people she is supporting (McGrady, 2021).
In translation to being a higher education professional and working with students, this
ethic is imperative to how we can support specific populations of students even without a shared
lived experience or invested personal stake due to their own personal experiences in higher
education. Furthermore, it can allow practitioners to broaden their reach of students and learn
that students of specific populations they may not think they interact with often, like Student

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Parents and Single Mothers of Color, is happening everyday and all around their campuses. It
evokes practitioners to practice their duties from a space of love. Further, an Ethic of Love
encourages organizations to holistically serve student development and mobility in addition to
those traditional DEI markers such as race, income and first-generation experience. Ultimately,
the main take away from utilizing a Love Ethic framework is that the more we expand in our
own desire for change in areas of oppression that have directly affected students and
practitioners, the more blind spots we can continue to spot and repair, in community with our
colleagues, peers, and students (hooks, 2018).
Conclusion of Literature Review
Single Mother Scholars are fierce, motivated and driven students on our campuses,
despite being unsupported in community and on campus. They continue to be top performing
students despite the lack of structuralized support, accessibility, and representation. Though
many institutions and organizations are emerging to support Student Parents pursuing higher
education, there are still systemic needs at institutions that need to be addressed and corrected in
order to support the success of student parents and SMOC to transfer out of community colleges
to 4- year universities and complete undergraduate degrees. While struggling to balance life
negotiating time poverty, basic needs insecurities, and struggles with mental health and selfdoubt, Single Mothers of Color continue to show up while institutions continue to fall short.

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Chapter Three: Overview of the Research
Moving into the finer details of this study, it is imperative that I continue to center Single
Mother Scholars of Color and move forward with the design and implementation of research
with intentionality and love. From intentionally choosing Placticas (Delgado Bernal, 2016) as a
primary methodology and space for these women to share their stories, fears and concerns to
searching for participants and ensuring accessibility through the process. The research design,
methodology and all components of this study have been intentionally chosen to support in
uplifting the voices of Single Mothers of Color at every step.
Methodology
Placticas have been long practiced in Indigenous Mexican and contemporary Chicanx
Culture. Placticas provide an open space to share wisdom and experience directly from the
viewpoint of the individual and their experience. Engaging in placticas for this study allows
Single Mothers of Color who are attending or have attended college to explain from their lived
experience within the realm of higher education amongst a group of folks who share similar
experiences.
Platicas as defined by Flores Carmona, et. al, (2021) and per this paper, is meant to
specifically decolonize colonial academic approaches to researching within Communities of
Color. Platicas as a methodology specifically address 3 types of harmful colonial practices of
research defined as: epistemological racism (Scheurich & Young, 1997), apartheid of knowledge
(Delgado Bernal & Villalpando, 2002), and epistemicide (de Sousa Santos, 2014). This to say
that placticas has been a tool for wisdom and knowledge sharing for centuries, however, is not
recognized as a legitimate method of research (Flores Carmona, et. al, 2021).

21
Engaging in placticas allows the participants in the study to directly contribute to the
research and what is published about their experience in their own words versus the opinions of
articles and higher education professionals who have not navigated the educational pipeline
while raising kids.
In addition to the placticas, online content analysis was used to further understand the
types of resources available to students who have children attending Los Angeles area
community colleges and universities. Online content analysis allows a researcher to use websites,
blogs, social media and other forms of electronic website data to gather information to support a
better understanding of the research topic (Constable, et.al, 2012). This was conducted to look
directly at the websites of some of the colleges and universities in the Los Angeles area to better
understand the resources available for students outside of CALWORKs offices but also how
accessible this information was to students.
Research Design
This research study was carried out through intentional recruiting practices in
collaboration with external organizations who support Student Parents pursuing college and Los
Angeles area community colleges and universities. Upon verifying participants meet the criteria
via a google form, participants were contacted and confirmed their participation via email to
participate in the Plactica session.
Recruitment
Participants were recruited through flyer-based outreach and signed up for Plactica dates
hosted via zoom to accommodate for participants who may have had transportation and childcare
needs that could not be accommodated by the university. The participants were recruited through
social media (LinkedIn, Instagram). In order to protect the privacy of the participants, SMOC

22
were be allowed to participate under Pseudo Names in addition to engaging in the Placitas with
their cameras off. There were also community boundaries set by the researcher such as what is
talked about in the Plactica sessions stays in the sessions, and also no access to recording by
anyone other than the researcher.
Participants
Participants identified as Women and Single Mothers of Color. Students were a mix of
current and former Los Angeles Area Community College Students who were either pregnant or
parenting during their time at their community college and navigated the transfer pipeline to
attempt or continue on to a 4-year college or university. Participants were screened for eligibility
through the use of a google form to submit their commitment to participating and acknowledge
any disclosures. Then participants were then contacted via email to participate in the placticas
that were held via zoom. Plactica dates were hosted virtually to accommodate participants who
had childcare needs that could not be accommodated by the university.
Summary of Participant Criteria
1. Identify as a single mother of color.
2. Identify as a woman.
3. Attended community college towards transfer within the past 5 years.
4. Had children or were pregnant during their time in community college.
Data Analysis
Upon completion of the Plactica Sessions, the Audio Only recordings taken from zoom
were transcribed and analyzed for recurring themes and student experiences. The themes and
experiences were then used to answer the research questions and expand on issues discussed in
the literature review for SMOC throughout their experiences engaging with the transfer process.

23
In consideration of my personal proximity to the study and its content, moving through the
research process through the love ethic framework has allowed me to remove myself as a student
parent analyzing this work but rather an agent of support and learning to respond to student
needs while uplifting the voice of other SMOC in order to address inequity in their experiences
at their campuses.
Limitations
Limitations for the placticas included students who expressed interest and then ghosted
the study after being reached out to and finding times that worked for all the participants. Despite
these hurdles, the placticas were able to carry on with minimal issue. Some issues specific to the
plactica were also low-quality internet connections, microphone and muting issues and some
minor audio issues which I was able to troubleshoot during the session. Additionally, a limitation
on specifics of ethnic identity came about as a result of not adding an option for selfidentification on the google form used for screening (Appendix A)
In terms of limitations in the media analysis, though much change has happened for
policies and procedures for student parents on campuses and to support and reflect the Single
Mother experience and funding for campus changes to implement policies that support Student
Parent access the resources and student derived data are still lacking. Furthermore, support and
research specific to Student Parents, Single Parents, and Single Mothers of Color after transfer,
but more specifically those who receive CALWORKs, is virtually non-existent. Furthermore,
much of the literature available is written from the White Mother or White Female perspective
and may interfere with the authenticity of having narratives shared directly from Women of
Color on Women of Color issues, and in this case, specifically those issues surrounding Single
Mothers of Color.

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Lastly, Policies specific to Student Parents at Universities and Colleges were gate kept
and difficult to navigate or even find. In part due to the fact that they were hidden behind
multiple webpages to get to the information, guides and policy handbooks, and secondly due to
the fact that they were outdated (over 10 years old) or not existent at all. This creates the idea
that Student Parents either don’t belong at Colleges or Universities or simply just do not attend,
so they would not need to create a policy about working directly with this student population.

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Chapter 4: Participants and Platicas
As stated in Chapter 3, data collection was held via a virtual Plactica group held via
zoom. The plactica session lasted around 45 minutes with 10 participants who indicated interest
and a total of 5 participants who participated in the platicas. The participants varied in their
experience academically, 2 of the students were current Mother Scholars in graduate school, 2
were current undergraduate Mother Scholars and one was a former community college Mother
School who did not complete their degree. All of the participants identified as Women of Color
and two of them identified that they were Mothers to children under 3 years old while they were
going through their time at a community college. Lastly, all of the participants parented through
their entire academic journey and had their children prior to their first enrollment in a community
college.
Additionally, all of the participants had intersecting identities which directly affected and
impacted their academic experience regardless of institution type and location. Four of the
participants were or are current CALWORKs students, meaning they receive or received countybased cash assistance as a primary means of income or financial support for their family. One
participant identified as undocumented, stating they had to go through the immigration and
naturalization process while they were attending community college. Another participant
identified as having intellectual disabilities and learning disabilities. All of these intersecting
identities have contributed to the unique experience these participants shared and will be further
explained in the participant profiles.

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Participant Profiles
Samantha, pronouns she/her, age 28, a current Social Work Student at the South Central
Los Angeles University and attended the City college of Los Angeles before transferring to
Califas State University, Los Angeles. Samantha began her time at City College of Los Angeles
when her son was just 1 year old. She describes that in addition to being a student parent she was
also system impacted and a former foster youth which created additional barriers to the start of
her academic journey.
Sophia, pronouns she/they, age 30, a newly graduated Masters of Social Work Student
from the University of West Los Angeles. She first started her journey at the Deep River
Community College studying Sociology when her daughter was just 1 year old. She then
transferred to the University of West Los Angeles where she graduated with her BA in
Sociology, continued on at her University and recently graduated with her Masters of Social
Work.
Sora, pronouns she/her/ella, age 43, and mother to a 24 year old, 16 year old and 10 year
old, began her community college journey when she was just 19 years old and her oldest
daughter was 1 year old. She attended multiple colleges from Community College of Grande
Play, to Community College of East Angeles and more recently to College of Roses. She has
consistently majored in pre-nursing and has always dreamed of becoming a nurse practitioner.
She has not completed any degrees at any of the institutions she has attended. She also identified
as being system impacted.
Mari, pronouns she/her, age 36, began community college when her oldest son was 5.
She attended City College of Los Angeles and transferred to Califas State University to pursue
her degree in Sociology. She is hoping to continue on to her Masters degree in Counseling and

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hopes to become a counselor in a Students with Disabilities office at a Community College. She
has 3 kids and identifies as having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress disorder (CPTSD).
Rosalinda, pronouns she/her, age 27, and identifies as undocumented being born and
raised in Mexico just graduated from the University of San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in
chemistry. She began her journey at Deep River College when her oldest daughter was just 4
years old and is currently taking a year off from school to figure out what she wants to do
professionally and also support her oldest daughter in her transition to middle school. Rosalinda
has dreamed of becoming a chemist and working to develop products to support people who are
affected by skin disorders and scarring from trauma like burns or assaults due to her children
having severe eczema and limited options for skin care.
Participant Age Number and Age
of Children
Academic Experience Major
Samantha 28 1 Current Graduate Student Sociology
Sophia 30 1 MSW Sociology
Sora 43 3 No Degree Nursing
Mari 36 3 Current Undergraduate Student Sociology
Rosalinda 27 3 Bachelor's Degree Chemistry
Considerations for Participants
While the questions did not explicitly ask, 2 common experiences were shared
throughout all of the participants lived experiences. Being a CALWORKs recipient was the first.
All of the Mothers shared that they currently received or had received county based-cash
assistance and food stamps in addition to financial support through their County’s GAIN
program which facilitated their ability to pursue higher education. The costs covered associated

28
with their program where 100% of their childcare costs, 100% of their books, supplies, student
fees and parking, in addition to receiving transportation money to get to and from school.
Additionally, the participants shared they were system impacted. The mothers either had
been incarcerated, had co-parents who were incarcerated, or came from a long line of family and
friends who have been involved with the criminal justice system. This directly had an impact on
their coping skills and ability to navigate the world around them, specifically academic spaces
and their relationships with school/schooling.
Platica
We met on a Saturday afternoon. I had emailed the participants the Zoom link. I was
excited and anxious waiting to see which participants would be coming and to learn more about
their stories. As I approached the hour, I set up my platica protocol to share with the group and
double checked that all of the settings in zoom would keep the participants' cameras off to
protect their privacy. Soon my participants began arriving and I greeted Sora, Sophia, Samantha,
Rosalinda and Mari.
To begin, I introduced myself and thanked them for participating in this research plactica
and shared that I am both humbled and grateful for their time and trusting me with their stories. I
then shared my plactica protocols with the group to get all of the logistics out of the way. Once
that was done, I just checked in with everybody and asked everybody to introduce themselves
and a fun fact to help folks feel comfortable sharing in the space. For the fun fact I asked what
everyone’s Starbucks/coffee order was. All of the moms laughed at this because it's such a silly
question and I could gauge by their reaction it helped them feel better in the space.
Once introductions got underway, I moved on to my plactica questions. The first question
was “What made you decide to go to college after having children?” Immediately and without

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hesitation, Sora replied, “I was tired of being broke!” to which myself and the group, including
Sora erupted with laughter. Sora continued,
I grew up poor with my mom who was also a single mother. I just was tired of
feeling helpless. We couldn’t afford food, sometimes I couldn’t take day’s off
from work because I didn't have PTO or like paid vacation. I was burnt out from
just trying to survive.
The group all agreed and shared similar sentiments that they also struggled with issues like food
and housing insecurity and having to sacrifice time off for basic needs and wishing they could
have a job that would support them in making a better life for themselves and their families.
Next I moved into the question, “When did you start college?” This question was not as
lively a question and came with very straight forward responses. Mari started in 2017, Sophia in
2016, Sora in 2001, Rosalinda in 2014 and Samantha in 2017. I then followed up by asking how
old their kids were when they started college and the group was mixed but 3 of the mothers
started when their children were already or just under 1 year old, 1 mom whose youngest son
was 5 years old and 1 mother whose oldest daughter was 4. This then overrode my question
asking about how many of the mothers had children under 5 years old while they attended and
segued me into the next question, “ What colleges and Universities were you looking to transfer
to after community college?” Many of the mothers responded with California State Universities,
only Sophia and Rosalinda shared they had looked at Cal-States and UC’s (University of
California Campuses) and this then prompted Sora to state, “The UC’s are bougie schools, no?”
This then opened the space for the mothers to share why they chose the institutions they
did. Samanta shared why she was looking at Cal States in the Los Angeles area stating,

30
I wasn’t interested in looking at schools very far out. My son has autism and it is
just us two so I knew I couldn't change our like, environment, too much. Like he
knows where his school is now, where my mom’s pad is, and his schedule so I
had to consider that. I also wasn’t going to be able to afford to pay more in rent.
The UC Schools are in expensive areas that like, I just wouldn't be able to do that
and school you know? And all of the appointments with my son, it just wasn’t a
vibe.
That then became the topic, many of these mothers were not told that the UC system in
California offers student housing specific to student parents. 2 of the 3 participants who stated
that they were only looking at Cal-States said they would have at least applied to a UC if they
would have known that. We then discussed the extra mental and emotional load it is to have to
find a new campus to transfer to while considering the needs of the children involved in this
process. 3 of the mothers have at least 1 child with special needs and this was heavily considered
in their plans of where they would transfer too.
This then created space for me to ask the mothers about their community college
experience and how their community colleges supported them in that process. Sophia and
Rosalinda, who both attended Deep River College and both were students covered in the
CALWORKs office shared that they felt supported in the CALWORKs office but found
themselves feeling awkward or treated awkwardly when working with other offices like the
Transfer and Career Center. Rosalinda shared with us,
…it just never felt right. Like, if I had a question about transferring they could
answer the basic things like GPA and the dates they open and close the
applications but when I asked about family housing or even like daycare’s they

31
looked at me like I was dumb for asking. …it made me feel like I shouldn't be
there or shouldn’t consider transferring.
Samantha and Mari shared that their colleges felt like they had a sufficient amount of support for
obtaining information on transferring and their classes that they would need but it was the bare
minimum. They also agreed that they could have benefitted from having a more specialized
approach to their advising, especially transferring.
I next moved in to asking about the mothers experiences on their campuses as student
parents and if they felt them and their children were supported on campus. Sora stated that
As someone who has gone to a lot of colleges, it has gotten better but I think that's
because my kids are so much older. When I started with my oldest.. people looked
at us like we were crazy. Like, why is this lady here with her baby in a stroller
sitting in the back of class or in the library. There was one time where I stopped in
the library to xerox (photocopy) some pages from a book on reserve and my
daughter started giggling. The librarian lady told me I had to leave because my
daughter was disrupting the other students. When I told her I was also a student
and getting stuff for class she looked at me and rolled heresy. She then said as
soon as you're done you and the baby have to leave. It was so bad. I felt
humiliated. Other students were looking at us and my daughter was just having
fun with her mom at school.
The other moms agreed that there were only so many pockets that allowed them and their
children. It was usually a space like CALWORKs or the former foster youth offices where other
students had children too. When it came to general counseling offices and some support services
they felt uncomfortable or not wanted. There also was a collective agreement that in the other

32
offices outside of CALWORKs and Foster Youth offices that no one had information or seemed
to know about how to support the mothers when they came in to seek guidance on anything from
classes to financial aid.
This concluded the majority of my direct questions and allowed me to move into the
recommendation focused questions. I then pivoted the conversation to ask “how do you think
that these institutions or colleges could have done better? Are there things they could do
differently that you think would help student parents?” The majority of mothers agreed that the
biggest piece missing from their support on campus was a feeling of belonging and community.
They discussed the need to feel like they were “allowed” to go to school or be in class. They also
did acknowledge that there were some professors and staff who were amazing and directly
affected them continuing in school because of the positive light they shared.
The conversation about belonging also sparked a conversation about mental health and
how going through this journey affected the mothers. They all expressed the feeling of anxiety
and even depression coming up as a result of deciding to go to college. One of the participants
even disclosed that they began heavily drinking on the weekends to cope with the feelings they
had and not feeling good enough. Additionally, another mother shared she felt that suicide was
an option as deciding to go to school made her feel like her daughter would be off with someone
who was already educated and could give her more time. This created a raw experience for all of
us, the mothers and myself included to reflect on the mental and emotional toll it takes to be a
student and mother and how hard this journey is especially when they have to go it alone.
We then wrapped up by talking about other recommendations like support with deadlines
and other tangible items as well as dreaming big and talking about how all campuses should have
parenting student centers where students can study, be advised, study and even get support with

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library help and build community. I reminded the mothers that they are amazing and so special. I
reassured them that each one of them is doing the impossible everyday and how I am so lucky to
have been able to share this experience with them and closed out the session once all of the
participants left the zoom room. I was so happy and overwhelmed with the amazing mothers I
have been lucky enough to share the plactica space with and feel incredibly humbled to have
been chosen by them to raise their voices, experiences and concerns through this research.
Common Themes Expanded
Upon reviewing the recordings and transcripts from the plactica session, three common
themes that resonate through all of the participants' shared experiences. The first theme of
resilience was common and expressed by many participants as something they just had to do to
ensure they took care of their kids. Secondly, the theme of isolation was discussed not only
within their classes and on campus but also having an isolated experience within their own
families and homes. Lastly, the participants all shared experiences of academic overachievement.
A majority of the participants expressed getting into highly competitive graduate schools, highly
decorated undergraduate institutions and even receiving near full ride scholarships to their
universities, beating the odds despite their lack of support systems.
Resilience
All the participants shared that they had to figure out how to go to college, often with
minimal guidance. While this was not a new experience for the group Samantha stated,
...even though I had a lot of support at my community college as a Single mom,
when I transferred, I had to figure it out on my own. No one told me how to sign
up for babysitting, or where to go to get help with my classes, like tutoring and all
that. That was all me.

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In the literature it was also discussed that even with support programs and placements for student
parents and even other students of color, this still leaves many gaps in which students need to
rely on themselves to be successful. Not only is this not fair to the students who show up
everyday for their courses, meet with advisors and scour through their requirements, it is unfair
to their children who are just as much a part of the academic journey and success as their moms.
Additionally, resistance felt like a condescending word for one of the participants and
upon further discussion, other participants shared similar experiences.
Sophia shared about the feelings she has when being told how strong she is, stating;
“Hearing I am resilient or strong was like a slap in the face or backhanded
compliment. Yes I do work hard, but why do I have to? If we have advisors and
counselors who study and meet with students everyday, why am I still receiving
the wrong information? Why am I being told that information does not exist when
I look through our college's website or go to other departments and find it?”
Subsequently, the other participants also shared that there were many times being told they were
strong, resilient or even an inspiration, felt more like a jab than a complement or even shamed
for talking about how hard it can be to go to school as a parent.
Isolation
As the placticas progressed, all of the participants shared a similar experience with
feeling isolated both in and out of the classroom. The experience ranged from uncomfortable
comments by professors, staff and peers to even negative comments and unrealistic expectations
of motherhood and being a student from their families. Even with good support, the participants
found themselves being misunderstood by family, friends and peers.
Mari shared;

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...even during my divorce, the kids' dad and our families always helped with
watching the kids and especially after school when I was in class. It’s just,
sometimes I would come home and get told that I am “missing time with my
kids”, or do my classes “need to be taken in the evening”. My ex-husband even
went as far as to tell me “this is why moms belong at home” and “doing college is
too hard for single moms, you should just stop.” It broke me everytime and while
I wanted to quit I knew what I was going for. I knew that this is what my kids
needed, and me too. They just don’t see how hard it is to try and do it all alone.
Similarly, Sophia explained,
They just don't get it. My professors say things like it’s not they fault that I have
kids, or it aint gonna be fair to give me an extension when everyone else in the
class can get assignments in on time. I am the only one in most of my classes that
has kids. I just feel alone or like, no one gets it. No one understands I am just
trying to do the best for my daughter.
Sophia shares her experience in how even when being open with her professors about
having children and her need for support. The lack of empathy that practitioners at colleges and
universities share are stark and can be pivotal in the students' success.
Academic Overachievement
All of the mothers shared their ability to not only prioritize school while raising their
children and working but also their ability to have high academic achievements like high GPA’s,
graduating Summa Cum Laude, full ride scholarships and deans lists. These achievements have
even been hard to achieve for students who have all the financial and time privilege to focus

36
solely on school and yet these Mothers are continuing to break barriers not only by leading their
families through academia first hand but also by being top of their class.
Sora, despite not finishing up her degree for transfer yet shared,
..like, I have a 3.9 GPA. I have worked hard to get an A in all my classes except Math. I got a B
because I just don’t like math you know? But I have worked hard, taken extra days off at work to
study, missed family parties and class room celebrations for my kids to go to tutoring and group
study sessions so I can be my best for school cuz I know the kids are watching me and now my
daughter is going into her second year of college. It’s hard but it's all worth it for them.
Sora knows that she will eventually get to finish her degree and shares how it's not
simply just a matter of going to college to better your family. She indicated that she is aware that
her children watches her put in the work. Even if the days are long, committing to being
academically successful is not simply to just get a degree but to show her kids they can be so
much more.
The other Mothers shared similar experiences. Mari shared that even with a bad 1st
semester when she started in community college where she even received an F, her current GPA
is 3.5. She also shared that being a mom and having learning disabilities didn’t stop her from
wanting to be an amazing student. When she transferred to Califas State University, she received
almost enough scholarships and grants to cover her entire cost of attendance. The rest of it she
was able to make through work study and external scholarships focused on mothers and folks
with disabilities.
Additionally, Rosalinda graduated in the top 10% of her class, held a 4.0 GPA and got 2
full ride offers after applying for transfer to Berkeley State University and University of San

37
Diego. These full ride offers also included the necessary cost and guarantee to be placed in
apartments within the Student Family housing offered at these schools.
Online Content Analysis Findings
In addition to the plactica session, I also engaged in an online content analysis to search
the internet for the types of programs available at Los Angeles area community colleges and
what policies in California were made to support student parents on college and university
campuses. Researching and analyzing the webpages of the University of California websites,
websites of local community colleges like Los Angeles Valley College and Los Angeles City
College to not only see if there were resources available to single mothers specifically but also
Student parents in general. Moreover, looking at these websites also helps in understanding
access to information and how students who are prospective to the community college and
transferring to a university would interface when trying to find this information for themselves.
Policies
While the discussion of Student Parents has grown in recent years, there have been ongoing
policies discussing how and in what ways children are allowed on campuses and classrooms. For
example, for over a decade, the Universities of California (UCs), one of the top destinations for
community college transfers in California, has had a policy on students bringing children on
campus and in the classroom. The “Best Practices for Managing Minors on Campus” guide
published by the University of California and created by Marsh Risk Consulting states that a
student should only be allowed to bring a child on campus or in the classroom occasionally, in
the event of a family emergency (University of California, 2009). This is problematic on two
fronts for Single Parents, 1.) This discounts the experience and roles children play in the
academic journey of their parents, they are as much a part of the classroom experience and their

38
parents views they bring and share with the class as the parents themselves. 2.) This completely
creates an erasure of student access to childcare. While many students may be able to find
childcare for classes that coincide with their older children’s school schedules but for children
under 6, this can create issues, especially with long waitlists and employee prioritization for
campus based childcare centers and lack of familial or community support.
On the other hand, many of the Los Angeles Community Colleges have been revising
policies and adopting best practices for supporting Student Parents with bringing their children
on campus and even in creating resources centered around the holistic support of Student Parents
as a community. Los Angeles City College prioritizes their student Parents by granting Student
Parents priority registration, allowing them to select the courses that work for their families
needs and schedules (LACC, 2023). Additionally, Student Parents who identify as low-income
and are enrolled as full time (12 credit hours or more) are prioritized for on campus childcare at
the child development center (LACC, 2023).
Programs
In addition to these types of policies both in support of Student Parents and those that
may cause barriers, there are campuses throughout California that are pioneering the ways in
which colleges support Student Parents on their campuses. In addition to the Student Parent
Priority Registration and Priority enrollment for full time Students at their Child Development
Center on campus, Los Angeles Valley College has opened a Family Resource Center (LAVC,
2023). The LAVC Family resource center has created the mission to support Student Parents in
their pursuits of social and economic development upward mobility by creating a space for their
students to thrive academically. Additionally, they offer workshops on self-care, boundary
setting and more to support their students academic and personal growth (LAVC, 2023).

39
Another campus providing specialized programming aimed at Student Parents is the
University of Los Angeles California (UCLA). Within the Bruin Resource Center housed on
UCLA’s Westwood campus lives the Students with Dependants (SWD) office that not only
provides resources like food vouchers to use in theri Student Union for Student Parents and their
children. The SWD office has also spearhead initiatives that have supported Student parents in
getting priority registration, prioritized and guaranteed parking passes for Student Parents, and
partnering with the University to offer evening childcare through the Little Bruins Club so
parents can either opt into evening classes or participate on campus in activities, clubs and
student organizations and is funded through a Child Care Access Means Parents In Schools
(CCAMPIS) grant in California (UCLA, 2023). This offers student parents the much needed
support to take care of themselves, their families and also navigate higher education with
resources and support directly on their campus in one place.

40
Conclusion
Despite all of the adversities the Mother Scholars in this research faced, they all aspired
to not only do amazing things but also to achieve their goals for themselves and their families.
By participating in the plactica sessions, these mothers allowed themselves the space and
opportunity to share their stories to contribute to the future of how colleges and universities
interact with their student parents and how to nurture the academic journey they share with their
children. The placticas provided a bridge to share their experiences, and give accessibility to
participants who may otherwise not have access and support to share their stories (DelgadoBernal, 2016). Furthermore, these placticas proved that even with the barriers SIngle Mothers of
Color face at higher education institutions they are talented, resourceful and committed students
who will always find a way to get what they need to done. Of the many things I witnessed in
facilitating the plactica sessions, what stands out the most to me is the common understanding of
having to work hard to provide better for the next generation. Going to college was more to these
mother scholars than earning a degree. It was the next step in elevating the quality of life for
their children and their families. It was something that not only made the mother scholars proud
of themselves but also despite the bouts of resentment at times, made their children just as proud
to see their mothers work hard.

41
Chapter Five: Recommendations
This project set out to research and share the experiences of Single Mothers of Color in
regards to the community college transfer process at Los Angeles Community Colleges to 4 year
universities. I worked intentionally and holistically to answer the research questions (RQ);
1. What do single mothers scholars of color identify as educational obstacles?
2. What can institutions do to support Single Mother Scholars before the transfer process
and after they have transitioned to 4-year universities?
The overall findings of this project concluded that Single Mothers of Color, despite utilizing
the student support avenues available at their respective campuses, felt isolated and struggled to
go through the community college to 4-year university process. While chapter 4 identifies the
obstacles and recommendations from the point of view for the mothers, this chapter will further
discuss these recommendations in detail to facilitate the future shift and trajectory of what
institutions can do to support Single Mothers on their campuses.
Research Findings
The format for addressing the research questions below will be through the direct
addressing of the obstacles per the mothers and their recommendations to combat the inequities
within these obstacles and resources available to mothers on campuses.
Supportive Services and Visibility
The mother scholars defined different obstacles that led to their difficulty not only
successfully transferring but also having access to information per them being parents on how
and where to find a 4-year university to meet their needs. Sophia stated that without her
CALWORKs and CARE program she would not have been able to have access to the resources

42
she needed to make an informed decision on where to continue her education while she raised
her daughter.
...my CALWORKs counselors did everything with me. They sat down and looked
at UC and CSU websites with me, they showed me what family housing was. I
didn’t even know I could live on or near campus with my kid until they showed
me. When I went to our transfer center and asked about family housing options
they looked at me like I was crazy. It made it feel like I wasn’t the kind of person
who transfers…
Having supportive counseling services that catered to the needs of single mothers was a common
identified area for the group. While some had their CALWORKs offices, when they sought out
help in other student support services offices it left them feeling unwelcome, unwanted and
ultimately setting the tone for what they felt going into their 4-year university campuses.
The lack of obstacles and access to information was seen at both community college and
4 year campuses. Samantha described that while she had amazing counselors at her community
college she was seen for her other identities and that ultimately made her feel unseen as a single
mother.
Like, when I filled out my CSU applications I marked that I was system impacted
and a former foster youth, but there was nothing about being a mom. And then
when I got to campus it felt the same way. I was visible as being system impacted
and foster youth but not a mother. When I went to talk to people like financial aid
or even advisors they only saw me for those boxes but never that I was a mom.
They also never even asked, and when I said I had my son some advisors just
looked shocked and even disappointed that I was even there. It sucked.

43
This was an experience all the mothers also shared. They would be sent to places like first year
experience, or offices for first-generation and low-income students which could help with some
of the issues they faced but it couldn’t help them as mothers. Moreover, sometimes people in
these offices didn’t know how to support their students who had children and they treated them
just like any other student which may sound equitable but for many of the mothers, this felt like
their child and their identities as mothers was erased from their academic journey as though they
were two separate people, mom and student but not a Mother Scholar.
The mothers described the feeling that there weren’t services that supported them as
parents but rather only as part of whichever “bigger group” they identified. The feeling that they
could only be helped in their CALWORKs office was spoken throughout the plactica session.
For the mothers that transferred to 4-year universities the stark contrast of losing their access to a
designated CALWORKs office directly affected their time and ability to feel supported on
campus. The mothers stated that they wished there was space at their 4-year universities to get
their CALWORKs paperwork signed, have support and community as parents and a place where
information and the level of interaction they had were consistent.
Time Poverty
Another factor that the mothers identified as a barrier was time. There simply just isn't
enough time to be a student and a single mom. Their day’s were described as being packed down
to the minute. Rosalinda shared how balancing school with her kids and also the special needs of
her kids was difficult.
...they are long (the days). Sometimes our day starts at 5am because my daughter
wants me to curl her hair and it’s like, they have to be dropped off at school by
7:30 so I can get to my 8am class. Then I am in class from 8am to 2:40 and I have

44
to run to pick them up from school to take them home. I have to make sure they
eat, they do their homework and shower. By the time they get to bed it's like
10pm you know? And then I still have to read for class, write my papers. It’s too
much sometimes…
All of the mothers in the plactica shared this same sentiment. It always felt like they were
running from one thing to the next thing. They were staying up past midnight to finish their work
and getting up before the sun to ensure they did everything they needed to. This also sparked a
discussion on self care and mental health, one thing the women unanimously stated just wasn’t a
thing they could afford or even have time to do.
As this conversation continued on the mothers discussed that the professors and staff
could be more understanding of deadlines and absences when it comes to student parents. For
example, kids get sick and it is just one of the things that happens when kids are going to school
and interacting with other germs. When a test or assignment is missed because of a parents
obligation to care for their child the parent should not be penalized by losing points or
percentages because of needing to do the assignment at a later time. Despite the guidelines
outlined in the Federal Title IX website, these mothers all felt targeted and cheated out of better
grades because of having to lose points for missing class, turning in assignments late and having
to have percentages or points taken as a result. The mother did not want accommodations but
rather empathy and understanding from their departments and professors to see that they were
not trying to slide by in their classes but trying their best and needing support to be successful.

45
Mental Health
The mother scholars discussed how they self care, and how they take care of their mental
health when we all discussed time and having time to do what they need versus what they
wanted to do. All of the mothers agreed they couldn’t afford to do self care as often as they liked
or sometimes at all. They also expressed that taking care of their mental health was hard due to
issues with insurance not covering providers, long waitlists including on campus resources or not
being able to afford the out of pocket cost of therapy or counseling. Sora shared with the group
that she has hit bottom at times with keeping everything a float and even contemplated suicidal
ideation in the lowest points.
“It just felt like no matter how hard I tried something always went wrong and I
didn’t know what to do. It felt like my daughter would be better without me here
because it was my choices that got us here. Like, I remember sitting in my
bathroom one night just crying wishing that I wouldn’t wake up and she could
have a mother who already finished college and had the time and the money she
deserved to be happy. And what's worse is no one gets it.”
The other mothers resonated with not feeling good enough to go to college and be a good
mother. The moms with older kids shared the resentment their kids felt for them being in college.
Sora reminded the group that when people don’t have their basic needs it is difficult to complete
their goals but for single mothers it's their child's needs before theirs. This creates a complex
layer of basic needs as we talk about in practice as staff and practitioners in these colleges and
universities. It is not enough to just meet the basic needs of the student if the student’s child is
not having those basic needs met. When asked how the mothers could see mental help for single
mothers supported by their campuses they discussed ideas like hosting support groups for moms

46
and parents on campuses, town halls to hear from student parents about the type of support they
need and even the possibility of prioritizing mental health counseling with their student fee for
students who receive MediCal.
Having spaces for Student Parents
The mothers all shared how they wished they had more spaces on campus to hang out
with their kids. This was not only because of the ease of studying and being at places that were
convenient to classes and appointments but the sentiment that they wanted their children to feel
like they belonged in college. Sora was lucky enough to have this experience at City College of
Pasadena.
“I remember hearing about the student parent center when I enrolled and then
going to check it out. They had study areas for people to sit with their little and
big kids, toys for the babies and even diapers and wipes and baby food for the
kids to have snacks and be clean. The teenagers could use the wifi to work on
their homework and sit with their parents. It was something I wish I had when my
babies were still little but even me and my oldest post up and study together now
and it feels cool to know there is a space for us on campus. Like finally we have a
space after all of the campuses I have been at. It was dope.”
The mothers all agreed that they didn’t have a space on campus they felt welcome aside
from their CALWORKs offices. The issue they expressed is that those offices were for student
appointments and not equipped to host students and children who were studying. When asked
what types of spaces the mothers wanted to see on campuses many stated that it was not a
physical space necessarily that would help them feel like they belonged. The mothers expressed
that offices that greeted their child, were friendly, willing to understand children had to come to

47
advising appointments or information sessions helped. The physical space with food and study
spaces is a plus but the mothers advocated that they just wanted to feel like they belonged.
Facilitating belonging on campuses for Parents and their children
The mothers in the study unanimously shared their discontent with how out of place they
felt on their campuses. Even if they had a supportive time at their community college, posttransfer made them feel invisible in the crowd. The mothers attested that while places like the
Students with dependents center at UCLA and the Family center at Los Angeles Valley college
would be the ultimate show of belonging from universities, it was really as simple as being
empathetic to the struggle of being a parent and all that their role as a parent entailed.
This can be combated through the use of toolkits and progressing institutional culture to
include student parent support in their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion discussions. For example,
California State University, Pomona utilizes a PolyTransfer (Cpp, 2024) framework to foster an
embracing culture of the transfer students to their campus that entails support services specific to
being a transfer student and also comes with interdepartmental support through their student
parent program. This allows advisors and departments who may not interact with student parents,
or do not know how often they interact with student parents to reach out to experts and find the
answers or at least point their student in the right direction. CSU Pomona also has a specific team
identified as the Parenting Student Support Team who head multiple areas of the university to
ensure they can liaise support for student parents through any of the available student support
services offices on their campus (Cpp, 2024).

48
Actual Physical Spaces for Student Parents
While the mothers collectively stated they bare minimum of having etiquette and
empathy in place for supporting student parents, actual, physical space is another barrier for
being a successful Mother Scholar. As many campuses offer rentable study rooms and outdoor
spaces for studying, this may not be feasible when finals are happening and the rooms are
booked and with small children who will be enjoying the beautiful nature around causing moms
to need to chase their kids around. The desire to create a space for the child to engage safely and
supportive with their moms college campus was one of the biggest issues that the mothers of
older children also expressed. They shared that many of their older kids resented the time away
and the time in the home spent studying because they didn't have a space on campus to be with
their younger siblings. In addition to the spaces discussed at UCLA and Los Angeles Valley
College, the University of California Berkeley has an extensive support for student parents
including Student family housing and their student parent center (Berkely, 2024). The space is
described as a one stop shop for resources, support services and a space for students to engage in
independent and group study while parenting through their academic journey. As discussed in
chapter 4, when institutions are beginning the conversations and construction of basic needs
programs, there is still a lack of creating basic needs for student parents on campus and their
children. Moving in a direction of holistic support for the student and their children would
contribute to the overall success of the student as is seen through the Berkely Student Parent
model (Berkeley, 2024).

49
Time Poverty
Time poverty is an issue that accounts for the inequity of time in a day student parents
have. While everyone does have 24 hours to their day, the way in which time is divided for
student parents is not equal to that of a student with no dependents. The common thread between
the mothers in the plactica was specifically having issues with professors understanding their
responsibilities as a parent and practicing equity. They were constantly told it wouldn’t be fair to
the students who didn’t have children or the rest of the class. This is the exact opposite of equity.
Institutions can practice equity by understanding and following their federal Title IX policies.
Additionally, do a review with their professors each semester to ensure they are aware of the
opportunities for student parents to turn in late assignments and exams without penalty and the
opportunities to make up participation points as outlined in the section for pregnant and
parenting students (US Department of Education, 2021).
Moreover, providing student parents with acceptable timelines and access to information
to meet necessary deadlines is crucial to supporting student parents in college. One example is
deadlines for support services meetings. For instance, if a student has to complete contact for
specialized advising programs by a certain date letting them know as far in advance as possible
allows them proper time to ask for time off if needed, and additionally seek childcare. If the
parent must bring the child then understanding they can plan ahead to ensure babies and little
ones are fed and have the necessary items to keep them happy and content through the
appointment.
Another area Student parents can receive support through time poverty is by providing
priority registration for all student parents. This allows parents to choose the classes they need

50
and work with their schedule to ensure they can be successful while also supporting their child's
needs at home.
Mental Health
During the plactica sessions the mothers shared about the feelings and effect on their
mental health that came from being a mother and a student. The experiences varied from being
upset, sad, angry and also to the point of suicidal ideation, and while the experience of mental
health triggers is not unique to students attending college, the access to time and equity of
services for student parents is a unique circumstance. The mothers talked about not having time,
or specific access to mental health resources on their campus for parents and that if they didn’t
have the resources on campus it was hard to get appointments due to insurance and long wait
lists.
One of the recommendations that the mothers stated would be beneficial was offering
group counseling to student parents on campus or via zoom. This is something that they
recommended would have been beneficial especially during the pandemic. The desire expressed
was for a space in which they can talk about their anxieties and worries but also how to navigate
big issues while attending classes and raising their children through those times. Additionally
having groups that support students with children who have disabilities, are teenagers or just for
check-ins on the parenting students and what they need to create a relationship between student
and campus in order to facilitate the best support possible.
Future Research
Institutions and scholars should continue to support and uplift research that is inclusive of
the narratives of Student Parents, and specifically Single Mothers of Color. Additionally,
research on resilience should be explored in a counter narrative form. Resilience has been a term

51
stemming from the endurance of an individual or group through hardship, trauma and other
negative experiences that result in the “resiliency” or “strength” of the person or victim of this
said negative experience. While it may be used as a term of support and to encourage, the fact is
that single mothers of color, or any other individual should not have to jump through hoops to
survive or to get a college degree.
Embracing Mother Scholar Praxis
Mother scholar praxis is the practice of mother scholars that is driven by their love and
commitment to bettering the lives of their families by pursuing higher education. Historically, as
seen in the literature review in chapter 2, student parents have been neglected in conversations of
inclusion at college campuses and as seen in the online content analysis, even distinctly told to
not have children on campuses. This mindset of student parents and mothers having a deficit in
terms of being great students has only created cracks in these pipelines of student support that are
now in dire need of repair to ensure student parents can count on their institutions to help them
transfer and graduate college.
As institutions are following suit and creating support for student parents there should
also be a discussion of supporting, sustaining and embracing mother scholar praxis. As colleges
and universities continue to build the political and programmatic infrastructure to support student
parents, they need to also embrace not only the narrative of the students before enrolling but also
the narratives they are building with their children as they move through their time at these
institutions. This is the premise of “student life” on campuses and for student parents it extends
beyond the physical grounds of their colleges and universities and into the lives of their children
and families at home.

52
Principles of Mother Scholar Praxis
1. Love as an ethic is foundation in Mother Scholar Praxis and its formation of Mother
Scholar Capital.
2. Mother scholar capital is essential to furthering the scholarship and practice of support of
mother scholars. Mother scholar capital is a strengths based approach to recognizing the
brilliance of all mother scholars.
3. Mother Scholar Praxis builds to the culture and community of colleges and universities in
diversifying not only through the lived experience of the mother as student but joy,
engagement, and interaction of the next generation of scholars - their children.
4. Mother Scholar Praxis focuses on sustaining upward mobility in creating high quality
living through a multi-generational approach to attending college
Summary of Recommendations
1. Facilitate placemaking and sense of belonging to campus through institutional culture for
Single Mothers of Color on campus
2. Develop and implement specific student support services or designate support services
professionals to support Single Mothers of Color in their unique mental health and
academic journey on campus . Through this specific designation focusing on consistency
of student support and relayed information provided to Student Parents.
3. Embrace and uplift the stories and narratives of Single Mothers of Color and their Mother
Scholar Praxis

53
Connection to Love Ethic and emergence of Mother Scholar Praxis
Using bell hook’s love ethic model (hooks, 2018) set the tone of this study to be guided
with love and the intent to uplift and support the voices of Single Mothers of Color while
decentering myself and setting the focus to the work at hand. Aligning with hooks’s love ethic
model the new framework of Mother Scholar praxis emerged as a result of the centered
experience of the Mothers in this research in discussing the obstacles that made them feel like
they had dreamed to do the impossible by deciding to go to college and their recommendations
of how to support other Mothers and parents in being successful college students. Mother
Scholar Praxis is the direct derivative of love ethic as the Mothers in the study centered their love
and desire to achieve a better future for themselves and their kids through the commitment of
going to college and obtaining a bachelor's degree. It is defined through their determination, and
unwavering love to the future of their children. Through this love they have used their resources
to build capital and navigate through margins designed to push them. Even when the institutions
do successfully facilitate a push out of a student as seen in Sora’s experience, their commitment
is not lost. They will hustle until they find a way, they will ask until they find an answer and they
will make the impossible possible all because they have the love to keep on going.

54
Chapter 6: Epilogue
When I started my academic journey with Serenity in 2016 I could have never fathomed
how far we would go, and how scary it would be to get back home. I began my academic journey
alone, and scared after leaving an 8 year long abusive relationship and having no idea where my
choices would take us. As I found my way to community college I already had a strained
relationship with schooling after many belittling and discouraging experiences in the K-12
districts around Los Angeles. Yet my identity as a single mother and eventually a mother scholar
bound me to a long academic journey that I never thought was possible. Much like the mothers
who participated in this research, I exemplified Mother Scholar praxis before I could identify
what I was doing. I just knew that I loved Serenity so much that I would do whatever it took to
give her the best I could, and all that she deserved.
This was a deeply rooted connector for myself in this research not only in creating an
intentional literature review but also in interacting with the mothers. This space gave me the
opportunity to deeply reflect on how far I have come with my daughter as a single mother and
also acknowledge the fact that I was no longer living in those spaces anymore. In 2022 I got
married and have been lucky to have an amazing partner who is deeply intentional about
supporting my academic journey and while I have still had my share of institutional and systemic
barriers, I haven’t had to go it alone.
Through understanding that I have since grown into a new phase of mother-scholarhood,
I was given an opportunity to continue doing the advocacy work I have done for nearly a decade
and create space for the next generation of single mother scholars. As scary and uncertain as my
academic journey began, hearing the stories of the mothers, and facilitating a space for them to
share their journey and embrace others was a full circle moment.

55
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Appendix A
Recruitment Material

59

60

61

62
Appendix B
Information Sheet
Instructions for Investigators
University of Southern California
University of Southern California Information Sheet
My name is Celina Gomez, and I am a student at the University of Southern California.
I am conducting a research study looking at the lived experience of Single Mothers of Color in
Community colleges and their experience with barriers transferring to 4 year universities The
name of this research study is “And I'm bring'n my kid's too: An examination of barriers to
success for Single Mother Scholars of Color Transferring from Los Angeles Community
Colleges to 4-year Universities''. I am seeking your participation in this study via participation in
a Platica Session, a form of communal story sharing.
Your participation is completely voluntary, and I will address your questions or concerns at any
point before or during the study.
You may be eligible to participate in this study if you meet the following criteria:
1. Identify as a Single Mother of Color
2. You are over 18 years old.
3. Attended a Los Angeles County Community College while raising a child
4. During your attendance at a Community College, intended to Transfer to a 4-year college
or university
5. Be willing to talk about you experience as a Single Parent in College
6. Be willing to discuss what prevented or supported your transfer to a 4-year university as a
Student Parent
If you decide to participate in this study, you will be asked to do the following activities:
1. Complete the google form confirming your participation
2. Participate in a Platica session via zoom for up to 1 hour
I will publish the results in my Masters thesis. Participants will not be identified in the results. I
will take reasonable measures to protect the security of all your personal information. All data
will be de-identified prior to any publication or presentations. I may share your data, deidentified with other researchers in the future. Due to the nature of the Plactica’s, complete
confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. Please be advised to only share information you are
comfortable with others knowing and sharing during the session.
If you have any questions about this study, please contact me: celinap@usc.edu.

63
If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact the
University of Southern California Institutional Review Board at (323) 442-0114 or email
hrpp@usc.edu.

64
Appendix C
Platica Protocol
What made you decide to go to college after having children?
When did you start college?
How many of you had children under 5 years old when you started college?
What colleges/universities were you looking to transfer to after community college?
What was being a single mother and student parent like for you on your campus?
How did your Community College support you and your child(ren) in the transfer process?
Did you know of any resources for Single Mothers or Student parents at your campus during
your time as a student?
Where do you think support for transferring to a 4 year university was lacking in your
experience?
What advice would you offer counselors or professionals working with Single mothers at
community colleges and 4 year universities?

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This study looks at barriers and inequities for Single Mothers of Color pursuing transfer from a Los Angeles Community College to a 4-year university. Using a love as praxis approach and love ethic conceptual framework, the study will speak from the views of participants via the use of platicas to discuss identified barriers from Single Mother Scholars and identify areas of support still needed to support student success for this population of students,

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Asset Metadata

Creator Gomez, Celina (author)

Core Title And I'm bring'n my kid's too: an examination of barriers to success for Single Mother Scholars of Color transferring from Los Angeles Community Colleges to 4-year universities

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Master of Education

Degree Program Educational Counseling

Degree Conferral Date 2024-08

Publication Date 07/26/2024

Defense Date 06/27/2024

Publisher Los Angeles, California (original), University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag community college,Higher education,Mothers of Color,OAI-PMH Harvest,single mother,student parents,transfer students

Format theses (aat)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Ocampo, Atheneus (committee chair), Banuelos, Sheila (committee member), Hernandez, Kourtney (committee member)

Creator Email celinap@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC113998FYE

Unique identifier UC113998FYE

Identifier etd-GomezCelin-13274.pdf (filename)

Legacy Identifier etd-GomezCelin-13274

Document Type Thesis

Format theses (aat)

Rights Gomez, Celina

Internet Media Type application/pdf

Type texts

Source 20240730-usctheses-batch-1186 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright.

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu