TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — 38-year-old Bobbi Coronado had dreams of becoming a nurse.
"I wanted fulfillment. I wanted to help. I wanted to help my community, better," said Coronado.
Coronado studied at Pima Community College, but demanding coursework wasn't the only thing on her plate.
"It's hard to be a single mom in school. Doing that journey when you're older is not easy," said Coronado.
Coronado knew she needed support and found it at Interfaith Community Services. The Tucson non-profit offers a program for low-income, single moms, working towards getting a college degree.
"The Single Mom Scholars Program is really this deep, wrap around scholarship program. Most scholarship programs only offer financial assistance, but this program is really about building a support network around the women themselves," said Single Mom Scholars Program Director, Lauryn Valladarez.
Every woman in the Single Mom Scholars Program is paired with a success coach and their kids are included every step of the way.
"Kids gets things like enrichment activities, college savings accounts, interaction with other kids in the program and financial literacy. We start from the beginning and look at the longer-term outcomes for those kids," said Valladarez.
Coronado recently graduated from Pima Community College's nursing program, but is moving on with more than just a degree.
"It was nice to meet others that were going through similar programs at different stages. We all understand what we're going through. We're all in the same boat at the same time," said Coronado.
Applications for the Single Mom Scholars Program's fall session are open through Friday, April 30, 2021.
