Southern s STUDENT-PARENTS More than 20 percent of college students in the U.S. are raising children while earning their degrees. Here are some of the ways Southern is helping its student-parents succeed.
By Villia Struyk
AS
A FORMER U.S. NAVY
CORPSMAN ASSIGNED TO A
HOSPITAL ER, CAILONNI HAYWOOD
is adept at juggling challenging, diverse assignments. “I basically did everything that a nurse did except administer narcotics through an IV,” she says of her military posting. Still, having completed her service, Haywood found the thought of earning a college degree while simultaneously caring for her 1-year-old son Khaza daunting. “Finding childcare for him was my biggest concern,” she says. 38 | Southern ALUMNI MAGAZINE
Haywood receives funding for her education through the GI Bill. But childcare is expensive — and balancing the demands of motherhood with college (class time, reading, homework, group projects) and a demanding job seemed impossible. “I knew I didn’t want to work and go to school,” says Haywood. “I didn’t even know how I was going to handle college with a baby.” Fast-forward to the fall 2023 semester, and Haywood is handling all quite nicely. Now in her first year at
Southern, she’s a sophomore (with transfer credits from military coursework and community college) and is planning to major in social work. She credits an aptly named university program — COMPASS (Childcare Opportunities Mean Parents Achieve Success at Southern) — with easing her journey to a college degree. The COMPASS program provides a range of critically needed services with a focus on those with financial need, including single parents. Initiatives include an on-campus drop-in childcare
