It had only been a couple of months into the 2009-2010 academic school year at Sinclair Community College when Paige Schmerber found out she was pregnant – but that didn’t stop her from coming to class.
Schmeber says she kept taking classes all the way through spring quarter, while also holding a manager’s position at a tanning salon. Weeks later on June 25, 2010, she gave birth to Micaela Boscarino and nothing has been the same since.
“It’s definitely not easy. You’re on her schedule. She doesn’t care if I want to type a paper or read a book,” Schmerber says. “School used to be number one and now it’s like number three.”
Being a mom has made her more motivated to finish her degree though, because she says it’s not only for herself now.
“Every class that I take, every decision I make involves her,” she says. “So, me going to school and getting an education is going to help her in the future – not just benefi t me, but it’s going to benefit her too.”
Blocking time to study, getting to class earlyand sometimes staying late, and the help of family is what she says helps her keep everything together.
“I have to say ‘that hour is going to be dedicated to school and nothing else,’” she says. “Otherwise I would never get it done if I say, ‘I’m going to do it tonight or in the morning’ because I don’t know when she’s going to be awake. Anything can change. Kids are unpredictable.”
As hard as it is sometimes, she says she tries to keep her school and personal life separate.
“You have to focus 100 percent on your class. Of course I always have my phone on just in case anything were to go wrong,” she says. “It gives me piece of mind, you know, being a mom.”
Micaela means the world to her she says, and at the end of the day she is all that matters.
“She makes me feel complete. I could be having a horrible day and that little two tooth smile – she is so cute – it totally turns my day around,” she says. “When she sees me when I come home, she has her arms wide open and she wants to give me hugs and kisses. It’s really cute. That’s what I have to look forward to.”
For other students who might be in similar situations, Schmerber says to try not to take a lot of time off from classes because it just makes it harder to come back.
“Don’t quit. Don’t give up. It’s worth it in the end. It might not seem like it now but it is worth it in the end,” she says. “Being a mom is awesome and I hope everyone is blessed with being able to have children. I love her so much.”