Bay Area working mom obtains bachelor's degree with help from online program
DALY CITY -- Some recent college graduates have been able to finish their education with the help of an online scholarship program, allowing them to remain competitive in an uncertain job market and qualify for positions that will better support their families financially.
"It's very expensive and costly to remain in poverty," said Tiaka Hyatt-Geter, a human resources analyst with the Port of San Francisco and a recent Working Scholars graduate. "Had I not gone back to school, it would have been impossible for me to remain the Bay Area."
Working Scholars is a debt-free program run by Study.com to help those who cannot afford the tuition achieve higher education with the help of partnered academic institutions. Students take courses online and then get course credit transferred to the college or university they select to complete their degree. Coaches help students with their enrollment and keep them on track to graduate. Those working with scholars say the need for a degree has never been greater but the cost has also never been higher.
"They really come from all walks of life, they're all different ages, all different backgrounds, all different ethnicities, it's really wonderful melting pot of people," said Stephanie Thomas, a Study.com Student Success Coach who worked with Hyatt-Geter to complete the program. Thomas was also a Working Scholar herself before joining the company.
"That in itself, you know, earning a college degree can really create generational change," said Thomas.
Hyatt-Geter and her sister are the first to graduate from college in their family. Her desire to go back to school after dropping out was not only because of the inspiration she drew from her sister but to set an example for her three young sons. While juggling work and her family responsibilities, she could not finish college the first time she tried.
Hyatt-Geter completed her associate degree in 2015 and then enrolled at the University of San Francisco but stopped because of the cost of tuition. Three years later she tried again at Golden Gate University only to have to drop out again for the same reason.
"I knew that I had three little boys looking at me, watching me, and I didn't want them to be a quitter," she told KPIX. "I didn't want to teach them that when life gets hard you just throw in the cards."
Hyatt-Geter was a cosmetologist by trade who loved the work but knew there was a limit to the income she would make in that field. Her sister told her about Working Scholars so she decided to give college one more try. A ten-year journey was finally complete thanks to the flexibility of the program.
"I would sit right there over there at that table and I would cry," she said pointing to the dining table in her house. "There were moments where I would sit at this couch right here and watch the sun come up completing assignments, submitting assignments."
The program serves communities throughout the Bay Area and in Riverside County, funded by Study.com and grants from local businesses, philanthropic organizations, local governments, and individual donors, according to the company. Launched in 2017, the program will have more than 150 graduates by the end of 2022. More than half of those graduates are the first generation in their family to earn a bachelor's degree and more than two-thirds are women, with 75 percent working full-time jobs at the same time.
"Don't give up, just keep going, it's going to be hard, it's going to be annoying at times," Hyatt-Geter says to others now that she is a graduate. "Just keep pushing, keep fighting, keep going."
In fact, she plans to keep going by pursuing a master's degree while enjoying a sense of freedom now that her job better supports her family. While Hyatt-Geter was already working for the Port of San Francisco, she says her current role would only be possible with her degree in human resources management from Golden Gate University. She hopes her story can not only inspire her sons to pursue a higher education but also support others at any age to do the same.
"Keep going, keep going," she insisted to anyone struggling to finish their education. "In all your wisdom, in all your splendor, and you stand there proud and you know that you can compete because you earned the right there to compete."
