Student parents of LCC
The LCC sign on Grand Avenue. Photo by Emmett Roman.
By Emmett Roman
Staff Reporter
The generic college experience most kids are told about is being 18 and moving away from your hometown on a path of discovery. At college, you make friends, party and have the experience of a lifetime. Oh, and don’t forget about the degree.
But that’s just unrealistic.
The reason to attend college is different for everyone. But one college experience that often is not highlighted is that of student parents.
Madison Parker is a student parent at LCC. She is 25 years old and has a three-year-old son. Parker is currently in her second year of studying radiology, which consists of clinical and school days that can take up 12 to 40 hours a week. However, Parker still finds time to be with her son and maintain schoolwork. “My son goes to daycare during the day,” Parker said. “So, I make sure that I dedicate the hours that I’m in school or clinical to school or clinical, and that when I pick him up at the end of the day, my whole evening is dedicated to him. If I have extra homework or studying… I try to find a way to include him in it by letting him “help,” finding him his own “homework” to do, or finishing it later at night after he’s gone to bed.”
Parker currently parents her son by herself, as her partner is deployed to the Middle East. “Navigating parenting while being a full-time student has definitely been difficult, since I really want to give 100% in both,” Parker said. “But that can be super exhausting both mentally and physically, so there’s times I have to accept not being fully involved with school. I don’t let myself fall behind in school in the sense of missing due dates, tests or class, etc., but falling behind as a parent isn’t even an option, so sometimes school has to give a little.”
Another student parent is Alexis Preston. Preston is an accounting major who navigates parenting her kid at the same time. “When I’m not going to school or work, I’m going to doctor appointments for me or my kid, or I’m doing things for him. I never get any down time,” Preston said.
Preston does have help from a co-parent. However, because he works at night, Preston states that it can feel like being a single parent sometimes.
Zachary Dykstra is also a student parent. Dykstra has been attending LCC since 2023. In October of that year, he found out his girlfriend was expecting. Now, he plans to transfer his LCC credits over to Michigan State University College of Engineering to continue his education.
LCC provides student parents with the option to apply for the Child Care Grant. This grant assists with childcare costs for student parents or guardians who attend LCC. These childcare providers must be licensed in order to be eligible for the grant, and you must be in school during the times your child is at daycare. The funds from the grant are not given to the recipients, but instead a check is made out by LCC and sent directly to the approved daycare provider.
Obtaining a degree is hard enough, but adding kids to the mix makes it even harder. Not only are these students ambitious and achieving the degree they want—they are doing it while being a full-time parent.
These students are a reminder that anything is possible.
Advice from Student Parents:
“Tips I would give student parents would be to invest in a calendar or planner. Really make sure to have good time management skills so you can keep a good balance between school and family. I’d also tell them to remember that it’s all just temporary. Give it your all to work as hard as you can for a few years, so it can all pay off afterwards. I know for me personally, the biggest reason I am such a good student is because of me being a parent. The payoff and reward is so much bigger because it means helping give my son a financially stable life while also showing him by example of how and why it is worth it to work so hard!” – Madison Parker
“Being a college student and being a parent is very difficult! However, do not beat yourself up. You can do this. Make sure to make a schedule for yourself and dedicate time to do your school work. Do not feel bad if you need to find a babysitter to watch your baby while you get a few hours of school work done.” – Alexis Preston
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