In a shelter in New Jersey, Kassandra Figueroa longed for a better life for herself and her young children. She earned her GED, and two weeks later, she became a student at Misericordia University — with her children at her side.
As part of the school’s Ruth Matthews Bourger Women with Children Program, Figueroa lives with other single moms and their children in homes owned by the university in Luzerne County. The program, which has helped almost 50 women earn college degrees, celebrated 25 years of removing obstacles during an event Saturday.
“We don't want to stay stuck in what happened to us before,” said Figueroa, a 30-year-old social work major. “Since I've been here … I feel like we've changed, and we try to grow together, to be better. Because when I graduate, you know, it's only up from here.”
Celebrating 25 years of opportunity
Scooters and Cozy Coupe toy cars sit on the large porch of the house on Lake Street in Dallas. Where kids play, their mothers learn.
Misericordia’s program is the only one of its kind in Pennsylvania and one of eight nationwide. It empowers economically disadvantaged single mothers to earn college degrees by providing access to higher education, housing, childcare and a supportive campus community.
With grants, donations and other funds, the university provides housing and other assistance. The mothers are responsible for the tuition, though scholarships and grants help make the costs manageable. They must work at least 10 hours a week, have a full-time course load and maintain good grades.
“These programs exist for a reason, and they're very important, because it may be the only doorway that opens, that gets that person to that next step, and that could be a life-changing impact,” said Katherine Pohlidal, program director.
The mothers — some who came from shelters, had children as teens or just needed a fresh start — work, collaborate and live in community. The program can accommodate up to 20 women and their children.
“When you give people real opportunity and you believe in them, and you show them that we will encourage you, we will have your back, they thrive,” Pohlidal said. “We try to change the narrative from diminished expectations to high expectations. And every single time I've seen them hit the mark or surpass it. So give people a real opportunity, and they will take it.”
The Sisters of Mercy opened a small college for women on nearly 100 acres of land in 1924. They named it College Misericordia — Latin for “heart of mercy” — and began educating the daughters of coal miners.
Sister Jean Messaros, a Sister of Mercy, started the Women with Children program in 2000, empowering women through education and alleviating the barriers of poverty.
“We are the modern day iteration of that intent,” Pohlidal said. “So our mission is alive and well, and we're proud to be the example of how we're helping families succeed out of poverty through access to education.”
Motivation and role models
Kelly Cama sits with her daughter near the dollhouse in the playroom at Anne’s House, one of four homes in which the mothers and children live together.
The moms share large bedrooms with their children, who go to daycare or school while their moms attend class or work on campus.
Riley, 3, tosses balls in the air, then grabs a toy plastic lawnmower and pushes it from the playroom, to the dining room, to the foyer and back again. In the room the mom and daughter share together, Riley points to the dresses hanging in the closet, including the one she planned to wear to Saturday’s program celebration.
Cama, 28, is a sophomore, studying medical and health humanities and psychology.
“When you go to college, you don't expect to go with your child, but it actually gives a unique perspective,” she said. “She's definitely my motivation.”
A different future
Denise Grefe learned she was pregnant during her junior year of high school. She barely passed her senior year, and she figured her future would include low-paying, part-time jobs as she tried to support her son, Mateo, now 3.
Instead, Mateo runs around the home they live in with three other families. The kids have become “siblings,” and Grefe has plans.
Misericordia gave her a chance for a new future. Grefe, 21, a sophomore,wants to be a physician’s assistant.
“I didn’t know if I was really going to go anywhere,” she said. “They really gave me an opportunity that was really rare, and I am so grateful for it. It's everything I would have hoped for.”
