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A balancing act
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A balancing act
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Content
A Balancing Act
by
Joseph Patrick Balderas Dabu
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL
FOR COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM)
DECEMBER 2021
Copyright 2021 Joseph Patrick Balderas Dabu
ii
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Dan Birman, Megan Chao and Susy Garciasalas Barkley for their
editorial and creative guidance towards my project. I could have not completed this documentary
without their beneficial feedback throughout the entire process. Thank you to Jessica Lopez, my
documentary subject, for being incredibly cooperative and generous with her time and sharing
her single mother student-parent experience, all amid a pandemic. Thank you to Janet Perez-
Molina from the UC Irvine Student Parents & Families program along with Chaunté White and
Susana Contreras Mendez from the Institute of Women’s Policy Research for providing their
insight and perspective on the issues regarding student parents nationwide. I would also like to
thank my third committee member Peggy Bustamante for being an outstanding educator during
my time at USC.
iii
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements………………………………………………...………………………..….....ii
Abstract………………………………………………...………………………..…......................iv
Reflection……………………………………………………………………….…………………1
Bibliography……………………………………………………………………...…………….....6
Documentary Script……………………………………………………………………..………...8
iv
Abstract
“A Balancing Act” is a documentary that follows a student parent struggling to balance
pursuing a college degree and raising a child, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I chose
to shine a light on a population that gets little attention in the American education system. On top
of trying to navigate the already stressful college space, these students are balancing parenthood,
finances, and their mental and emotional health. I arrived at this topic because of my experiences
while attending community college. There I saw a student body that was different from the
traditional college and university population, one that was older and more likely to be raising
families themselves. Among these returning students were single mothers. It would be a common
occurrence for these students to bring their children to class, paying attention to both a
professor’s lecture and their children. While this was my community college experience, I
wondered how many student parents nationwide are in the same situation as the ones in my
classes. I wondered how someone can successfully juggle all these elements and still have the
energy to learn or do anything else. I chose to create a video documentary focusing on one
student parent to provide the audience with some insight toward the larger issues. Although one
student’s experience does not define the entire population, my approach to this story would look
at the struggles of a student parent and how the issues regarding this student population are being
addressed.
1
Reflection
Out of four million student parents nationwide, 1.7 million single mothers are raising
children while pursuing a college degree.
1
Most of these parents are students of color who come
from low-income communities.
2
Before the COVID-19 pandemic added another level of stress,
student parents already faced issues regarding degree completion, childcare, and mental health.
The metrics that struck me the most were that only eight percent of single mothers who attend
college obtain an associate or a bachelor’s degree, and the average time to gain a higher degree is
6 years.
3
In terms of producing this documentary, these were the stakes. To me, this was an
obvious problem for a college success rate to be this surprisingly low. My choice was to focus on
the factors that influence this outcome and the possible solutions to this problem. Therefore, I set
out to look beyond the low percentage of graduates among student parents.
I enlisted the help of experts on higher educational success among student parents from
the Institute of Women’s Policy Research, a women and family-centered nonprofit organization
based in Washington, D.C. Chaunté White is a senior research associate working with IWPR’s
Student Parent Success Initiative, which focuses on supporting students with dependent children
who are pursuing college education. She contributes analyses focused on higher education
access, success, and educational attainment for students with children. Susana Contreras-Mendez
is also a research associate at IWPR working on student parent success and other postsecondary
education issues as part of IWPR’s Center on Equity in Higher Education. After conversations
with both White and Contreras-Mendez, I learned that the tuition and access to affordable, high-
1
2019. “Investing in Single Mothers’ Higher Education.” Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
2
---
3
2021. “Busy with Purpose.” Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
2
quality childcare proved to be the defining factors behind the low degree completion rate for
student parents.
In the United States, both the price to learn and to raise a child is expensive. The average
total cost of a four-year college education in the U.S. is about $103,000.
4
Once non-tuition
expenses are included such as childcare, food, housing and transportation, student parents pay an
average of $23,800 more annually than nonparenting students.
5
The average annual cost of
childcare in the U.S. is more than $9,000 per child.
6
In the state of California, high-quality
childcare can cost about $17,000 per child annually.
7
That makes California one of 33 states
where childcare is more expensive than in-state tuition for college.
8
But according to research, the gains from higher education can be important and
beneficial for single parents.
9
White and Contreras-Mendez said that pursuing a degree in higher
education, whether it be an associate or a bachelor’s, can be a gateway out of poverty for low-
income parents, especially single mothers, but that childcare costs are an immense financial
hurdle for them. As these expenses add up, it becomes clearer the paradox why student parents
can be discouraged to continue to pursue higher education.
Support programs and adequate funding had to be created for this population that was
different from a non-parenting group of students. One important support system for student
parents is the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, a federal
program that provides funds to establish campus-based childcare programs serving the needs of
students from low-income backgrounds.
10
The U.S. Department of Education awards grants to
4
2021. “Average Cost of College & Tuition.” Education Data.
5
2020. “Childcare Costs in the United States.” Economic Policy Institute.
6
2020. “Parenting While in College.” The Hope Center for College, Community and Justice.
7
2020.“Childcare Costs in the United States.” Economic Policy Institute.
8
---
9
2019. “Investing in Single Mothers’ Higher Education.” Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
10
2019. “The US and the High Price of Child Care: An Examination of a Broken System.” Child Care Aware of America.
3
colleges and universities to help low-income student parents pay for childcare either on campus
at a daycare, preschool, or off campus facility. Although the federal government allocated money
to these programs, education experts noted that even increased CCAMPIS funding to $150
million would only serve about 11,000 students, which equals about one percent of the entire
student-parent population in the nation.
11
Because these students are struggling with the pressures of work, school, finances and
raising their children, research indicates that their mental and emotional health are also
compromised. About 1 in 3 student parents who are basic needs insecure experience depression
or anxiety.
12
These negative impacts to mental health were also worsened by the pandemic with
losses of jobs, childcare, and basic human interaction.
13
Organizations like the Institute for Women’s Policy Research have outlined solutions and
recommendations for institutions and policy makers to invest in single mothers’ postsecondary
success, which became important to completing the documentary. Greater access to supportive
services like childcare and financial aid could significantly improve single mothers’ completion
rates. Making quality campus-based childcare accessible and affordable has also been shown to
play a significant role in student parents’ ability to graduate successfully.
14
In California, 82
percent of all public institutions, including 31 four-year and 97 two-year schools, had a campus
childcare center in 2017.
15
Finding research to support my early college observations was straightforward. However,
it became a challenge to document my findings with video since production of the documentary
11
2019. “The US and the High Price of Child Care: An Examination of a Broken System.” Child Care Aware of America.
12
2020. “Parenting While in College.” The Hope Center for College, Community and Justice.
13
2020. “COVID-19 Impact on College Student Mental Health.” Active Minds.
14
2020. “Investing in Single Mothers’ Higher Education in California.” Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
15
---
4
began during the pandemic. I modified my approach to gaining video interviews. I relied on
recording interviews via Zoom with my subjects and experts. Essentially, I had to manage
gathering footage from a safe distance in compliance with social distance guidelines. Because of
these limitations, my main student parent subject Jessica Lopez provided videos filmed on her
smartphone. I directed her on what specific shots and angles I wanted to show on screen. When
pandemic restrictions were easing up in Los Angeles County around March and April 2021, I
was able to obtain footage in person in accordance with social distance guidelines to film a
sequence of Lopez and her daughter in a public playground near her home. For most of the
sequences shown in the project, she sent me videos of herself preparing food in the kitchen,
studying in her room, attending online classes, and spending time with her daughter. From this,
my project shaped into a story self-documented by Lopez through her own lens, her iPhone. This
fit the documentary medium well. My hope was to reveal how Lopez feels, how she conducts
herself, how she takes care of everything and her child, even when she feels like she can or
cannot do it.
Coming into this graduate journalism program, documentary filmmaking was new to me.
Throughout this process, I realized the importance of pre-production. Creating a story structure
that worked was the most difficult task for me from the beginning. I struggled with knowing the
stakes, the story beats, the topics, and issues, and how the characters would be introduced and
developed. As I continued to research and conduct more interviews, my ideas for the
documentary came together organically. Most importantly, I learned how to tell a relatable story,
one about the human experience. In terms of production, I relearned patience. Because of the
pandemic restrictions and the rigorous schedules of my subjects, I had to be persistent in
5
gathering footage while respecting their time. I learned just how open people can be to share
personal aspects of their life to someone they have just met.
Even though these elements were gathered during unusual circumstances, I managed to
tell a story and achieved my objectives. If I were to continue to document this story further in
different circumstances, preferably without the pandemic restrictions, I would expand the
character base to add greater story diversity. This would bring in more variety to the student
parent voices and reveal different experiences that student parents encounter on a day-to-day
basis. I would include more expert voices in the fields of parenting, childcare, and mental health
to fit the story beats I have chosen rather than one professional speaking about every issue.
6
Bibliography
“Childcare Costs in the United States.” Economic Policy Institute, October 20, 2020.
https://www.epi.org/child-care-costs-in-the-united-states/#/CA.
“COVID-19 Impact on College Student Mental Health.” Active Minds, April 2020.
https://www.activeminds.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Student-Survey-
Infographic.pdf
Cruse, Lindsey Reichlin, Susana Contreras Mendez, and Tessa Holtzman. Rep. Student Parents
in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Heightened Need & the Imperative for Strengthened Support.
Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2020. https://iwpr.org/wp-
content/uploads/2020/07/COVID19-Student-Parents-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Cruse, Lindsey Reichlin, Susana Contreras Mendez, Rep. Busy With Purpose: Lessons for
Education and Policy Leaders from Returning Student Parents. Institute for Women’s
Policy Research, 2021. https://iwpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Busy-With-Purpose-
v2b.pdf
Cruse, Lindsey Reichlin, Jessica Milli, Susana Contreras Mendez, Tessa Holtzman, and Barbara
Gault. Rep. Investing in Single Mothers’ Higher Education: National and State Estimates
of the Costs and Benefits of Single Mothers’ Educational Attainment to Individuals,
Families, and Society. Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2019. https://iwpr.org/wp-
content/uploads/2020/07/R600_Investing-in-Single-Moms-National.pdf
Gault, Barbara, Tessa Holtzman, and Lindsey Reichlin Cruse. Rep. Understanding The Student
Parent Experience: The Need for Improved Data Collection on Parent Status in Higher
Education. Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2020. https://iwpr.org/wp-
content/uploads/2020/10/Understanding-the-Student-Parent-Experience_Final.pdf
Goldrick-Rab, Carrie R. Welton, and Vanessa Coca. Rep. Parenting While in College: Basic
Needs Insecurity Among Students with Children. The Hope Center for College,
Community and Justice, 2020. https://hope4college.com/wp
content/uploads/2020/05/2019_ParentingStudentsReport.pdf
Hanson, Melanie. “Average Cost of College & Tuition.” educationdata.org. Accessed May 29,
2021. https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college
Haynie, Kristina. The US and the High Price of Child Care: An Examination of a Broken System.
Child Care Aware of America, 2019. https://www.childcareaware.org/our-
issues/research/the-us-and-the-high-price-of-child-care-2019/
7
Lopez, Jessica, interview by Joseph Patrick Balderas Dabu. 2021. Student Parent (February 15)
---, interview by Joseph Patrick Balderas Dabu. 2021. Student Parent (March 5).
Perez-Molina, Janet, interview by Joseph Patrick Balderas Dabu. 2020. UC Irvine Student Parent
Counselor (September 20).
White, Chaunté, interview by Joseph Patrick Balderas Dabu. 2021. Institute of Women’s Policy
Research, Senior Research Associate (April 28).
8
Documentary Script
Fade in Music
NAT Sound
Est. shot – South Gate Park Playground
NAT Sound
Music
Sequence:
Jessica Lopez and her daughter Jade on swings
VO Janet Perez-Molina
UCI Student Parent Counselor
Janet Perez-Molina Interview (24:15)
Med shot – Lopez pushing Jade on swings
Home was extremely different back then, you
know, home now is, it's blended into work, it's
blended now with school, it's blended with
being a parent.
VO Jessica Lopez
UCI Student Parent
Jessica Lopez_02152021(4:34)
CU – Lopez pushing Jade on swings
It's really hard for me to do school and take
care of my daughter right now. I want a job I
really want to work, but at the same time, it's so
hard handling both things right now.
NAT Sound
Music
Text Card:
4 million students nationwide are raising
children while pursuing a college degree.
Source: Institute for Women’s Policy Research
NAT Sound
Music
Text Card:
1.7 million are single mothers.
Source: Institute for Women’s Policy Research
9
VO Chaunté White
Institute of Women’s Policy Research, Senior
Research Associate
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (8:11)
The root of the problem, and these factors is
not, it's not really about the student. It really is
about the systems and the structures, and what
is being offered to students that may or may not
help facilitate their ability to succeed in
college.
VO Lopez
Wide shot - playground
Lopez and Jade on playground ropes
There's really that question, how can we get
help as student parents, and how is anybody
else really getting help, because even, you
know, students without children are struggling.
VO Lopez
CU – Lopez and Jade on playground ropes
All of us are overwhelmed. It’s hard to find
some time to do anything besides your
responsibilities as a student parent.
Nat Sound
Music
Text Card:
Only 8% of single mothers in college will
obtain their degree within 6 years.
Source: Institute for Women’s Policy Research
VO Chaunté White
Med shot –
Lopez and Jade on playground ropes
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (32:17)
When it comes to the facts and figures and stats
that we see about student parents, about single
mothers and that we see in terms of inequities,
SOT Chaunté White
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (32:25)
That's the reality of today's higher education
system.
SOT Perez-Molina
On camera
Janet Perez-Molina Interview (24:33)
How to balance all those needs, you know,
they’re working on it.
10
NAT Sounds
Music
CU - Lopez pushing daughter on swings
Title Card: A Balancing Act
Introduce Jessica Lopez, student parent
Sequence:
Est. shot – City of South Gate Sign
VO Jessica Lopez
South Gate neighborhood Bowman Street
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (1:09)
I am a single parent and an independent
student, so it’s hard to find a balance.
NAT Sound - Neighborhood
Text Card:
Jessica Lopez, 36, is a student at UC Irvine and
a parent to her daughter Jade, 5.
SOT Lopez
On camera
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (4:03)
L3rd – Jessica Lopez, Student Parent
We wake up at seven and feed our pets. I feed
my daughter.
VO Lopez
CU - Jade online learning
I help her out with her school from 9 to 11 after
that, because she has a huge workload, we
usually sit together to do her work from 11 to
12.
SOT Lopez & Jade
CU – Jade’s learning tablet
Lopez:
Now you are going to add, press add.
Jade: Add?
VO Lopez
Jade online learning
We have our lunch. After lunch we sit down
again, and we work on her homework again. It
sounds like a day full of homework. It is
remote learning she's having a hard time
focusing.
11
SOT Lopez & Jade
CU – Jade’s learning tablet
Lopez:
And I’ll give you a clue. You’re gonna find it
on the top right corner. Did you find it? Yes.
VO Lopez
Med shot - Jade online learning
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (6:39)
Usually, 9:30 on is when I work on my
material. I don't go to bed till maybe like two,
three in the morning sometimes.
SOT Lopez
On camera
So that's my typical day.
VO Perez Molina
Med shot - Jade on tablet
Janet Perez-Molina Interview (22:54)
What I recall is that students were always able
to look forward to being able to be a student
and be at school. I think they already have a
rigid schedule.
SOT Perez-Molina (3:57)
L3rd – Janet Perez-Molina, UCI Student Parent
Counselor
On Camera
And I think one thing that they were missing
was finding a community of support that they
can relate to.
SOT Lopez & Jade
CU – Lopez helping Jade with homework
Lopez:
How many are you supposed to draw now?
Jade: Uh…53.
Lopez: OK, so how many are missing?
Jade: One more.
Lopez: Yeah, one more.
VO Perez Molina
CU – Lopez helping Jade with homework
Janet Perez-Molina Interview (5:43)
It’s not just about academia, I want to make
sure that their basic needs are met. So that
means housing, food, security, those main
things.
VO Perez Molina
CU – Lopez helping Jade with homework
Janet Perez-Molina Interview (5:57)
But the other one is making sure that their kids
are safe and sound and that they have the
support that they need.
12
SOT Perez Molina
On camera
Janet Perez-Molina Interview (30:38)
And there's only so much that we could do too.
I think sometimes I want to fix everything, and
I want to make sure that they're taken care of
all areas, but in reality, sometimes we can't.
Nat Sound –
Mac audio reading article in kitchen
Sequence:
Lopez in kitchen cutting vegetables
VO Lopez
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (10:19)
While I’m on Zoom session, I usually don't
turn my camera on. Because I'm either, you
know, helping my daughter out with her
homework I’m either in the kitchen.
Lopez_Interview (11:06)
CU – cutting onions
I'm doing mostly everything in the evening.
And it's usually the time where I'm making
dinner. I'm trying to work my schedule where
I'm not going to be distracted.
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (11:19)
But it's hard. I just dislike that I don't have that
time to sit down and just focus and listen and
ask questions. A lot of the times, I have to re-
watch my lectures in the evening when I'm not
distracted at all.
SOT Chaunté White
L3rd - IWPR Senior Research Associate
On camera
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (8:11)
Particularly when you’re talking about specific
vulnerable groups that the onus of the problem, or
the root of the problem and these factors is not
really about the student. It really is about the
systems and the structures, and what is being
offered to students that may or may not help
facilitate their ability to succeed in college.
Music
Text Card:
Chaunté White is a senior research associate at
the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a
nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.
13
Music
Text Card:
She contributes analysis focused on higher
education access, success, and educational
attainment for students with children.
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (3:41)
Getty Images – parents teaching children
Research shows that student parent attainment
is low. But research also shows that student
parents are highly motivated individuals, they
have good time management skills.
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (4:36)
Getty Images – parents teaching children
Today’s students are more likely to be lower
income students more likely to be students of
color, and more likely to be parents or
caregivers.
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (5:03)
Getty Images – kids online learning
But when it comes to student parents,
particularly, they usually have higher amounts
of unmet need. So, there's inadequate funding.
Tuition, but also non tuition: cost of living,
food, transportation, housing, and of course,
childcare.
Music
Text Card:
The average total cost of a 4-year college
education in the U.S. is about $103,000.
Student parents pay an average of $23,800
more annually than nonparenting students once
childcare and additional costs are included.
Source: educationdata.org / Child Care Aware of America
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (6:04)
Getty Images – kids online learning
Childcare has not been plentiful on college
campuses, or in proximity.
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (6:15)
On camera
I think it's a big factor, and what may, you
know, preempt departure, the decision to leave
school.
14
Sequence:
Bryson Avenue Elementary School ext. shots
VO Lopez
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (5:04)
Med shot - Empty lunch tables
CU - School mural
Before the pandemic, you know, I was away I
was at school, I was able to do so many things.
My daughter's daycare that was there, I
dropped her for a few hours, I was able to
work, go to school, and study.
Nat Sound
Text card:
The average annual cost of childcare in the
U.S. is more than $9,000 per child.
Source: The Hope Center for College, Community and Justice
In California, it costs about $17,000.
Source: Economic Policy Institute
VO Lopez
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (5:45)
Hopscotch on pavement
And now it's, I mean, all that support is gone.
Sometimes you just don't think about
everything that comes with being a mom, It’s
more than just a routine. You wake up
breakfast, lunch, dinner, you know, there's so
many things in between.
SOT Lopez
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (6:03)
Playground and School mural
The biggest component is making sure that
you're there for your child emotionally. I don't
have the luxury of time to dedicate to her.
NAT Sound - Zoom class
Text Card:
Lopez’s daughter Jade started kindergarten
online during the pandemic.
Zoom class audio:
Here we go dictation time, get your white
board out.
Jade: Ah…I don’t like dictation.
NAT Sound – Zoom class
Sequence:
Jade playing and attending Zoom class
15
VO Lopez
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (7:03)
She’s really enjoying staying home with me
and she doesn't like school, because it's so hard
for her to focus and not have her friends to play
with.
VO Lopez
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (8:55)
And although she's making some new friends
here, it's not the same because she's never
physically seen her friends.
SOT Chaunté White
White on camera
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (13:28)
There is some evidence, of course, that points
to issues like depression and anxiety impacting
college students, but particularly student
parents, kind of disproportionately.
Nat Sound
Text Card:
About 1 in 3 student parents who are basic
needs insecure experience depression or
anxiety.
Source: The Hope Center for College, Community and Justice
Lopez: Why are you excited?
Sequence:
Med shot - Lopez & Jade eating lunch
Jade: I’m super like a superstar.
Lopez: What?
VO White
Lopez & Jade eating lunch
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (14:46)
When we're talking about a lot of times student
parents, we are talking about some of the
lowest income folks. And that's not to say that
all student parents are low-income students.
But a lot of them are. And a lot of them have
incomes, for example, that would put them like
at or below the federal poverty line.
VO White
Lopez & Jade eating lunch
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (15:00)
And so, if you're trying to navigate poverty,
and also trying to navigate college and work
and childcare. All of that can be stressful.
16
SOT White
On camera
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (16:24)
As we start to advance research and put out
recommendations for student parents and
college students and what we need to do to
move forward at post COVID, I do think that
mental health should be really a top priority.
VO Lopez
Sequence:
Lopez attending Zoom class & teaching Jade
simultaneously
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (16:05)
I had a medical condition. It was because I've
been really stressed. And so the doctor told me,
you need to make sure that you take some time
to relax, and not worry, but I told him I can't.
Because there's so much going on.
VO Lopez
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (16:15)
It's hard not to worry about things right now.
Moving Forward
Sequence:
Est. shots – South Gate mural to park
VO Chaunté White
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (21:23)
Now more than ever, people are starting to talk
about student parents and reshape kind of the
paradigm of what it means to be a student and
add that student-parent status to it.
VO Chaunté White
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (25:48)
Addressing student-parents’ unmet needs
financially, I think is a really important
consideration not just for institutions, again,
across policy levels, or sectors.
VO Lopez
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (20:58)
There's really that question, how can we get
help as student parents, and how is anybody
else really getting help, because even, you
know, students without children are struggling.
VO Lopez
Jessica Lopez_02152021 (17:41)
Academically I've been doing well. There’s a
lot of goals that I had. I wanted to do research,
study abroad. That’s the reason why I feel like I
want to stay a little bit longer, because I want
to make sure that I build relationships with
17
professors, because I would go on to pursue a
master's degree.
VO Chaunté White
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (30:19)
There are lots of advocates, for example, in the
student parent space, that are working to help
institutional leaders to shape these policies,
conducting research that aim to generate kind
of more awareness, provide more information,
more data, more facts.
VO Chaunté White
ChaunteWhite_04282021 (31:20)
I have to continue to hope that we will see
change across institutions, and we will
ultimately see a higher education post-
secondary system that is more actually
supportive, to meet the needs of today's
students.
NAT Sounds playground
Lopez pushing Jade on the swings
Music fades out
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
“A Balancing Act” is a documentary that follows a student parent struggling to balance pursuing a college degree and raising a child, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I chose to shine a light on a population that gets little attention in the American education system. On top of trying to navigate the already stressful college space, these students are balancing parenthood, finances, and their mental and emotional health. I arrived at this topic because of my experiences while attending community college. There I saw a student body that was different from the traditional college and university population, one that was older and more likely to be raising families themselves. Among these returning students were single mothers. It would be a common occurrence for these students to bring their children to class, paying attention to both a professor’s lecture and their children. While this was my community college experience, I wondered how many student parents nationwide are in the same situation as the ones in my classes. I wondered how someone can successfully juggle all these elements and still have the energy to learn or do anything else. I chose to create a video documentary focusing on one student parent to provide the audience with some insight toward the larger issues. Although one student’s experience does not define the entire population, my approach to this story would look at the struggles of a student parent and how the issues regarding this student population are being addressed.
Linked assets
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Dabu, Joseph Patrick Balderas
(author)
Core Title
A balancing act
School
Annenberg School for Communication
Degree
Master of Arts
Degree Program
Specialized Journalism
Degree Conferral Date
2021-12
Publication Date
11/16/2021
Defense Date
11/15/2021
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
childcare,Children,College,COVID-19,degree success,Education,finance,Mental Health,OAI-PMH Harvest,pandemic,parenthood,single mother,student parent,University
Format
application/pdf
(imt)
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Birman, Dan (
committee chair
), Bustamante, Peggy (
committee member
), Chao, Megan (
committee member
)
Creator Email
jdabu@usc.edu,jpdabu6@gmail.com
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC17138478
Unique identifier
UC17138478
Legacy Identifier
etd-DabuJoseph-10227
Document Type
Thesis
Format
application/pdf (imt)
Rights
Dabu, Joseph Patrick Balderas
Type
texts
Source
20211117-wayne-usctheses-batch-897-nissen
(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. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given.
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
Tags
childcare
COVID-19
degree success
pandemic
parenthood
single mother
student parent