1. “Baby Steps”
By: Michelle Wilke
It is my personal held conviction, that one cannot truly understand the power of
resilience until they have observed the journey of a child learning how to walk. A child
learning to walk approaches life completely undefeated. They keep no record of past
failures, they disregard any obstacles in the way, and they persistently keep putting one
foot in front of the other despite the number of times they fall down. Although their
strides may be small at first, their unyielding determination to walk eventually sends
them charging into the world full speed ahead.
Fundamentally the concept of the phrase “Baby Steps” can be understood as
one’s small efforts day in and day out, in attempt, to obtain a desired goal. Observing my
child take his first steps has provided me with profound insight of my own personal life-
changing journey. A journey that began with numerous stumbles and falls but resulted in
my motivation and determination to create the best life possible for my son and myself.
When I first found out I was pregnant, I was 20 years old, and sophomore at
Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. Initially I didn’t believe that continuing my
education was going to be a possibility. I understood the path of single motherhood, at a
young age, was not conducive to the life of a college student. Managing a child, in
addition to work, school and extracurricular activities, seemed like an overwhelming
obstacle.
However, like the size of my belly, my determination to pursue my education and
provide a stable future for my child, grew with each passing day. I moved back home to
St. Louis and began attending Webster University in the fall of 2009. When I began my
2. education at Webster, it was immediately evident that Webster thrives off of fostering a
learning environment for non-traditional students like myself. Equipped with a flexible
class schedule, personal attention from my professors, and small class sizes, I began to
excel in my education above and beyond my expectations.
Now, as an upcoming senior at Webster, with a 3.74 GPA, I am working towards
a Bachelors Degree in Media Communications, with an emphasis in Advertising, and a
minor in Psychology. My goals and aspirations for my future career, is to combine my
creative talents and education in psychology to become a professional copywriter. In
doing so, I want to land a job in the advertising/marketing department for a corporation
that educates and supports women faced with unplanned pregnancies.
I absolutely love attending Webster and I view it as the saving grace of my
education and my future. By attending predominately night classes and maintaining great
relationships with my professors, I am able to be a successful student and mother to my
child. Although the journey of being a parent and student simultaneously isn’t always
easy, I believe that with assistance of Financial Aid and Scholarship awards I would be
further equipped to approach every obstacle one “Baby Step” at a time and eventually
take a running jump start into my future.
