Getting a college degree isn’t always simple—especially when balancing school with life’s responsibilities like work and caregiving.
Recognizing these challenges, Adelphi University is taking aim at solutions that can help students earn their degrees while caring for children or elder family members. Whether that means starting school for the first time or returning to complete their education, the Caring for Caregivers scholarship aims to offer nontraditional students support while they earn their degree.
The scholarship, awarded by the Adelphi College of Professional and Continuing Studies (CPCS), strives to provide support for adult students of any kind. Sandra Castro, PhD, senior associate dean of CPCS, highlights the variety of students the scholarship helps. “We have a whole generation of students that are caring for siblings, parents, relatives. Adelphi says ‘We see you’ and we want to support you in making your academic career,” she said.
The Caring for Caregivers scholarship has recently expanded from students in CPCS to any student at Adelphi. “I was floored by how many applications we received,” said Dr. Castro. The growing number of applicants highlights the importance of providing assistance to students who are parents or caregivers at Adelphi, and how impactful more family-friendly policies could be on campus.
Meet the Awardees
Haley Friday, one of this year’s recipients of the scholarship, returned to school to study business after taking a semester off to care for her grandmother. Speaking about CPCS and the asynchronous learning it offers, she said, “It gave me the flexibility to continue school while still managing my everyday life and caregiving responsibilities, which meant a lot to me.” For students like Friday, the scholarship not only recognizes her, but provides some much-needed relief from juggling school and caregiving. “It has also helped me cover out-of-pocket school expenses, which gave me some financial breathing room and even allowed me to do something nice for myself for the first time in a long time. That means more than people probably realize.”
Fellow scholarship winner Jquan Collins said of his role as a caregiver, “I take pride in being dependable. To me, being a caregiver is not just about big moments, but also about the everyday effort, patience and responsibility that comes with putting others first.” Collins, who is studying business administration, said the motivation to attend Adelphi came from a desire to open doors both professionally and personally. Becoming a father strengthened that motivation. “I want to set an example of hard work, discipline and perseverance for my children,” he said.
For Rachel Freeman, who works full time while caring for her three-year-old, going back to school was important to her in order to challenge her and help her in her career path. She said, “Going back to school felt like the right way to push myself and get out of my comfort zone.” For Freeman, who is studying emergency management, being chosen was incredible news. Even simply hearing about the scholarship made an impact on her. “I was relieved that at the university level there was some formal recognition that working, going to school and being a parent was hard!” she said. “It sounds obvious—of course it’s difficult—but I was encouraged by this simple statement of support, and decided to apply for the scholarship.”
The Impact of the Scholarship
Across the board, the scholarship winners shared a similar sentiment: The recognition of being chosen, and the acknowledgement of how difficult balancing school and taking care of loved ones can be, made a serious impact. “This scholarship means a lot to me because it recognizes not only my academic efforts, but also the responsibilities I carry outside of school,” said Collins. “It serves as motivation to keep pushing forward, even when balancing work, school and family life feels overwhelming.”
This scholarship is made possible by the Women’s Giving Circle, a group whose collective philanthropy celebrates, promotes and supports Adelphi and its students, faculty and programs. “They’ve supported us the last four years in the different iterations of the scholarship,” said Dr. Castro. The Women’s Giving Circle, funded by member donations, is run by a team of volunteers who work to make it possible to provide financial aid to students. It’s through their continued support that students like Friday can keep taking care of the ones they love.
“This scholarship not only supports my education, but it also supports the work and care I give to the people who depend on me every day!”