- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Clement awarded Jefferson County Single Parent Scholarship

John Hill — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 20:32:10 +0000

Erin Clement, a recent graduate of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock from Pine Bluff, received a 2020 scholarship from the Jefferson County Single Parent Scholarship Fund.�� The $750 scholarship was essential in helping with Clement’s final semester for her undergraduate degree. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies in December 2020 and plans to begin the Master of Social Work program this fall. “The Jefferson County Single Parent Scholarship Fund is incredible,” Clement said. “They are very kind people. From the first time I applied, I always felt like I was in good hands with them. Single parent scholarships in themselves are essential and tremendously helpful. It not only helps the parent and child, but also helps the economy. It helps us attend school and contribute to the economy after we graduate and start working.”�� Scholarships were awarded based on academics, financial need, recommendation letters, essay quality, and community service. These awards were made possible by grants from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund. Awards were also supported in part by donations from Relyance Bank, Simmons Bank, Mayor Shirley Washington, and the First Trinity Church of God in Christ.�� Clement is the first person in her family to earn a college degree. She was raised by a single mother who taught her the value of education. “My mother instilled in me a desire to go to school and get an education,” Clement said. “She told me that no one can take your education away from you. It’s an honor to be the first college graduate in my family, and it’s an honor to set an example for my son. He will see that his mom got a college degree, and he will see that he can too.” As a single parent, Clement’s inspiration to complete her degree is to provide a better future for her 4-year-old son, Ehren. “Since I recently graduated with my bachelor’s degree, I told him that I would get a master’s degree and that there are more degrees after that,” Clement said. “He is very curious. He said, ‘Mommy, I want to get a doctor {doctorate} degree.’ Every chance, I try to include him in my education.”

First-Generation Student Spotlight: Erin Clement

John Hill — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 18:01:58 +0000

Erin Clement, a senior interdisciplinary studies major on the Chancellor’s List from Pine Bluff, is studying sociology, psychology, and criminal justice all in preparation for her future career. She was raised by a strong single mother who taught her the value of hard work and encouraged her to get a college education. “Being raised by a single mother, that’s a pretty big thing,” Clement said. “She worked in the freight industry, and she worked as a cook and an attendant at a convenience store. She had an incident at the freight industry that made her partially disabled, which led to her working at the convenience store. She also had a business named the Candle Lady. Every weekend when I was a kid, we set up tables at craft fairs and flea markets to sell our products. That is where she taught about having a work ethic.” Clement transferred to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock after earning certificates as a nursing assistant and home care aide at Southeast Arkansas College. She earned an associate’s degree there in 2007 and returned to school in 2018, two years after her son was born. She said one of her biggest challenges as a first-generation student is not being able to connect her college life with loved ones. “Sometimes, it’s not easy being a first-generation college student. If I pass a test or do well on a writing assignment and I want to share it with my family, sometimes it feels like we aren’t able to connect. It’s not always easy for others who haven’t attended college in my life to understand that I have to do this and that school is like my job,” Clement said. “Overall, it’s a very rewarding experience. It’s all about finding the balance.” After she graduates in December, Clement plans to enroll in the Master of Social Work program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in the fall 2021 semester and later become a social worker and psychotherapist. “Mental health has a very special place in my heart,” Clement said. “My goal is to be that person who intervenes between life and death for someone. I also want to teach positive coping mechanisms to people to help them survive trauma and to help them unlearn maladaptive behaviors.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock first-generation student and single mom Erin Clement tries on her graduation cap with her son Ehren. Photo by Ben Krain.

Clement, who is a single mother to 4-year-old Ehren, said it’s hard to describe how much being the first person in her family to earn a college degree means to her. “I don’t know if there are words to describe what it means,” Clement said. “It’s a sense of honor above all else. My mother instilled in me a desire to go to school and get an education. She told me that no one can take your education away from you. I feel like I have listened to her very well. It’s an honor to be the first college graduate in my family, and it’s an honor to set an example for my son. He will see that his mom got a college degree, and he will see that he can too.” While Clement is taking a break from studies in the spring semester, she doesn’t plan to be idle and will devote time to researching the importance of having childcare centers on college campuses, a topic she delivered in a TEDx talk at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. “While I’m on a much-needed break, I want to do a lot of things,” Clement said. “I want to get published. I’d like to take my TEDx talk about the need for on-campus childcare facilities and expand the research. I think there is a lot that needs to be done.” Clement’s greatest motivator to complete her education is her son, and her advice for college students, who are also parents, to be successful is to think about how much their story will inspire their children. “For those first-generation students out there with children, they are setting the bar so high for their children,” Clement said. “The reward will continuously pay off. They will be able to help their children do the same or more when they apply for college, and they will be an example for their children. I hope that when my son gets to the age to apply for college that he wants to aim so much higher because his mommy did that too. I’m trying to instill a constant drive for education in him.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student delivers TEDx talk on importance of on-campus childcare

John Hill — Tue, 05 May 2020 14:44:34 +0000

Erin Clement, a senior interdisciplinary studies major at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock from Pine Bluff, delivered a TEDx talk during the TEDx��Vlog��ýMonticello event at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Clement delivered her talk, “Colleges need on-campus childcare centers,” virtually on March 17. Her talk . Clement, who has a 3-year-old son, said she’s seen how vitally important it is for single parents who are going to college to have reliable childcare. “After Ehren was born, his dad decided he no longer wanted to be a family,” Clement said. “We went through a difficult custody battle. Being a resilient person, I kept fighting. Once everything had settled between his dad and I, I decided to continue my education.” In 2019, Clement enrolled at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in the interdisciplinary studies program, where she is studying sociology, psychology, and criminal justice online. “It was incredible after I learned I could take the program online, because I take care of my mother and I have my son,” Clement said. “I’ve never felt more at home at any institution than I have at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Everyone I talk to who is thinking about going back to college, I tell them to go to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” After being invited to participate in the event, Clement knew immediately what topic she wanted to cover. “When I was asked what topic would be most useful for parents going back to college, I didn’t even have to think – on-campus childcare,” she said. “If you look at dropout rates and think about how many parents that could be going to college, but they can’t because they don’t know what’s going to happen with their kids when they go to school.”

Erin Clement delivers a TEDx-style talk.

In the United States, an average of 900 students per college campus are parents and an average of 500 of those students are single parents, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. “While that may seem like a small number, the truth is that so many more of us would go to college if we had support,” Clement said. “In fact, over the last decade, almost three times as many parent students dropped out when compared to non-parent students. Imagine how many of us never enroll in the first place.” While many studies look at the impact of childcare offered on college campuses, Clement believes a TEDx-style talk makes a greater impact. “We can look at statistics all day long, but it’s more meaningful when there is an actual story and face to back it up,” Clement said. “In about 30 states, the cost of childcare is more expensive than the cost of tuition. For me and my son, the federal poverty guideline is about $17,650 per year for a family of two. I make about $800 a month. How many single student parents are like me and struggle to afford childcare?” In the course of her research, Clement learned that 8 out of 10 single parents in college live off about $1,600 a month. Additionally, they take out more student loans than traditional parents, which are often used to pay for living expenses and childcare, and have higher dropout rates. “Life is stressful enough with having to worry about paying for childcare in general with keeping your grades up and going to work and wondering if you’re spending enough time with your children,” Clement said. “If campuses offered on-campus childcare, it would reduce some of that stress and anxiety. It increases the retention and graduation rates of single parents who are students. Children who attend these child care centers are more likely to attend college in the future.” After she graduates in December, Clement plans to enroll in the Master of Social Work program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and later become a psychotherapist.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Clement awarded Jefferson County Single Parent Scholarship

First-Generation Student Spotlight: Erin Clement

����Vlog��ý Little Rock student delivers TEDx talk on importance of on-campus childcare

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student delivers TEDx talk on importance of on-campus childcare