College of Saint Mary program empowers single mothers

This article first appeared in the True Voice magazine, a printed publication of the Archdiocese of Omaha. Copies of the magazine are available through parishes. To see an online version of the October edition of the True Voice, see the link below the article.

Leaving a broken relationship behind, Karly Thurmond sought to make a new start and improve her prospects.

Her challenge: to do so as a single mother of infant twins, underemployed and needing to complete her college education to achieve her goals.

For several years she and her children lived with family until a friend told her about the Mothers Living and Learning program at Omaha’s College of Saint Mary (CSM), an all-women college, that offered a life-changing opportunity.

“It’s the best thing I could have done for me and my family,” Thurmond said.

Thurmond COURTESY PHOTO

Mothers Living and Learning empowers single mothers to earn a college degree while living on campus with their children in a supportive community of other mothers, said Jackie Wilson, College of Saint Mary dean of students and Title IX coordinator.

“We try to address barriers to finishing their degrees by providing wraparound support for single mothers.”

The program, which began in 2000, offers participants with up to three children a four-bedroom suite, meal plan, academic support, special parenting courses, lounge and play areas, plus evening babysitting. Day care is available separately on campus.

Student Dominique Nunez and daughter Elena Tapia-Nunez enjoy time together in their residence hall lounge/playroom. MIKE MAY

As an institution of the Sisters of Mercy, College of Saint Mary, through this program, embodies the sisters’ charism of empowering women, Wilson said, and mirrors the work of the order’s founder, Mother Catherine McAuley, to care for and support mothers and their children.

Mothers Living and Learning has supported 350 single mothers since its inception with nearly half earning degrees, Wilson said. Costs vary depending upon the academic program chosen, she said, but financial aid is available to make the program as accessible as possible.

“Many participants are non-traditional students who may have had to drop out and have no other options to improve their earning power and pursue career goals,” Wilson said.

When Thurmond enrolled in 2018 as a transfer student at age 30 with an associate degree in general studies, she was initially apprehensive about being an older student. But her concerns were soon put to rest, she said.

“I was instantly charmed by how different the College of Saint Mary campus is, how welcoming folks are,” Thurmond said. “As soon as I got on campus and started to meet people, it wasn’t an issue at all. … That sense of community made all the difference.”

But the biggest impact has been the example her children witnessed, she said.

“Not a day goes by that my kids (now in middle school) don’t talk about their plans for school and college. The exposure that I’ve been able to
give them of people pursuing a goal … it was a huge thing for my kids to witness.”

After graduating in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in general studies, Thurmond went to work for Community Alliance, a mental health organization in Omaha, and is now pursuing a master’s degree in clinical counseling at Bellevue University, with a goal of becoming a licensed therapist.

What’s more, Thurmond enjoyed a homecoming of sorts a year ago when she was hired by CSM as director of the Stevens Hall residence, which houses program participants along with other students.

“I love the mothers program and was excited to come back,” she said, where, as a single mother herself, she could relate to and make a positive impact on current program participants.

For more information on the Mothers Living & Learning program, click here.

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