By Admin. Updated 6:05 p.m., Thursday, November 23, 2023, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
At the age of 30, Melissa Telena Shepherd, a single mom and sole breadwinner for her family stepped out in faith to pursue an associate’s degree.
Two years later, Melissa, 32, has overcome several challenges and has successfully completed her studies in Tourism and Travel.
In a recent interview with One News SVG, the single mother from Kingstown Hill said the journey of working, parenting, and being a full-time student was not an easy one.
“I started my degree in September of 2021.
I had originally signed up to do Business Studies, but I also chose Tourism because of my work environment where I had interacted with persons who were either arriving via cruise ship, or those who chose to travel to experience the beauty of our islands,” she told One News SVG.
Melissa who attended St Mary’s Roman Catholic and then attended the St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown decided that she had to improve herself much further. That’s when she took the brave move to pursue her degree at the Technical Division of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College.
“I was employed for almost 10 years and upon deciding to elevate myself and looking for jobs every one needed a degree, so I decided to work in the night and go to school in the day, so I only worked and studied for the two year period in which I was enrolled in college,” she added.
“I basically had no choice when it came to working and attending college for I am the breadwinner within my household and my daughter was now enrolled in secondary school, so I still needed to pay my bills, put food and the table, and be able to be there for my daughter’s needs,” the single mom told One News SVG.
Melissa said that she experienced some tough moments.
She said one of the toughest moments was “missing out on time with my daughter”.
“I would leave home at 8 or 9 and as soon as school was over I went straight to work till 11 or 12 in the night, to wake up by 4 and prepare lunch and this cycle went on from Monday to Friday,” she said.
She also said that another tough task was meeting deadlines for assignments.
“Sometimes, you get home from work and hardly had time. I was doing assignments sometimes at 3 in the morning. When there were group presentations to be made, and I was the group leader, I had to proofread to make sure it was right and also have a face that didn’t look like I was lacking sleep,” she said.
“I must admit that even when I was tired and drained and falling asleep with the laptop in my hand or around the table I still had to push myself to get this degree,” she added.
She said at one point she felt like giving up.
“I felt like giving up on the studies because it was a physical, mental, and financial drain, and to see my salary basically was to pay bills and put food on the table, but I also got assistance from the National Lotteries Authority – NLA which help ease the financial burden, but I still endured lack of sleep leaving home early in the morning and never returning till late in the night,” she said.
Despite her challenges, the single mother, now degree holder said she is thankful to all those who pushed her.
“There were a lot of people who pushed and motivated me to keep going, plus my goal was set to attain my degree and find a job which may be able to meet my needs.
I am beyond excited. I also find this to be one of my greatest achievements,” she said.
“I started college at the age of 30 and was able to push myself on a level that I had never done before and achieve my goal of attaining a college degree,” she said, adding that it sets a good example for her daughter.
Melissa who is currently unemployed said her desired career is either in human resource management or education.
“My career is in human resources and I am also considering becoming a teacher. I am looking to apply to Teachers College, but I need to be financially secure, and I am thinking about the secondary level or even the tertiary level, she said, adding that “upon being a group leader and doing presentations I gained more confidence in pursuing one of my goals of becoming a teacher”.
She also said that other young mothers who wish to pursue tertiary-level studies and might be fearful to take a stand and take a step.
“You can do anything you put your mind to. This is a popular phrase that can be used to motivate, but I consider myself to be my only motivation. When you start feeling down just remember you must finish what you start,” she said.
“For us single mothers, it is a game-changer to make a better life for our kids and even elevate to a higher position in whatever institution we are employed in. Working and going to school is a tough and rough journey, but the reward will be great whether it is a degree – bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D.,” she said.
This is a quote from one of my lectures which always makes me proud “ I done get my degree”, she said.
She said some of the competencies gained while pursuing her degree include hospitality accounting economics, food and beverage service, food, preparation, basic Spanish and French, quality customer service, marketing, hospitality marketing, sanitation and safety, and accounting.
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