Set Yourself Up for Success:
Student Parents Transferring into 4-Year Colleges
A Webinar Series offering insider information from academically successful transfer student parents, campus professionals, and financial aid experts.
Questions for our students and other experts? Send them to info@raisethebarr.org.
Part 1. Finding Your Passion, Paying the Bills and Loving Your Life.
Choosing the right major can lead you to a fulfilling career that supports your family.
Facilitated by Susan Warfield, MSW, LICSW, Program Director, the Student Parent HELP Center, Office for Student Affairs, University of Minnesota -Twin Cities
Click to download the presentation.
Part 2. How I Navigate Four-Year Schools. Finding identity and success at a 4-year college or university.
Facilitated by Brenda Coronel, Former Transfer Student, Student-Parent, UCLA alumnae, RTB Scholar & Nancy Ocana, Former Transfer Student, Student-Parent, UCLA alumnae
Click to download the presentation.
Part 3. Financial Aid, Financial Empowerment and Planning for your Family’s Future. How to pay for your education without jeopardizing your financial future.
Facilitated by Lori Barr, Co-Founder Raise The Barr & Denise Thomas, Program Director, Family Scholar House, Ky.
Click to download presentation.
Part 4. Balancing time, Parenting, and Being a Student. The Importance of Time Management and Organizational Skills.
Faciliated by Beth Hamer, LSW, Social Worker, St. Catherine University, MN and Seaira Payne, Student Parent and nursing student at St. Catherine University, MN
Click to see the presentation.
Part 5. Social Capital with Parenting Student Panelists. Student parents share a typical day as a transfer student, building community, and comparing campus culture.
Led by Susan Warfield, MSW, LICSW, Program Director, the Student Parent HELP Center Office for Student Affairs, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Student panelists & Raise The Barr scholars: Brenda Coronel, Aaronica Jackson and Maria Canar.
Click to see presentation.
Suggestions for additional topics or other questions for us? Contact RTB or any of the panelists at info@raisethebarr.org.
Learn more about our panelists and facilitators below.
Facilitators and Panelists
Lori Barr is the co-founder of Raise The Barr. Her life experiences have included attainment of both post-secondary and post-graduate degrees, while raising her sons alone and working for hourly wages, and ultimately earning a salary with a family sustaining wage. While a young single mother she experienced the need for public assistance and WIC, and has been involved with the criminal justice system. These experiences have shaped her desire to pursue a more just and equitable system that supports low-income families, and students with dependents who rely on systems to dismantle barriers that lead to thriving individuals, families, and communities. Lori spent over 20 years in public and private education serving in multiple roles that ultimately led to executive positions overseeing operations and strategic planning/development of programs and Human Resources.
Maria Canar is a Raise the Barr Alumni and 2020 graduate of the University of Minnesota. She transfered from Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC). Maria is the mother of two amazing little girls, an immigrant from Ecuador, and a first-generation college student. ,Read her blog here
Brenda Coronel graduated Summa Cum Laude and College Honors in 2020 with a BA in Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). During her time at UCLA, she was granted the Undergraduate Research Fellows Program scholarship to conduct independent research on student-parents in higher education. As a single parent, Brenda is committed to breaking the stigma of single parents raising low-income families. She has dedicated her personal and professional life to serving others and will continue as she pursues a Master of Social Welfare degree at UCLA Luskin, where she contributes diverse skill sets and perspectives as a mother of color who is deeply committed to improving the lives of historically underserved communities.
Beth Hamer, LSW Access and Success, St. Catherine University is lead social worker providing support and assistance to student parents in the College for Women and any student having a basic needs emergency. She has helped to direct the development of services to student parents, program outreach and evaluation. Beth collaborates with students and faculty/staff regarding Title IX pregnancy policy concerns. Ms. Hamer is currently pursuing her Masters of Arts in Organizational Leadership at St. Catherine University.
Aronica Jackson is a Raise the Barr Alumni and Student Parent Advisor. She received a BA in Individualized Study focused on Intervention and Prevention Programs for Youth and Families with Civic Engagement Minor
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Aaronica has spent much of her adult life working with youth around the Twin Cities in Minnesota. She has done a year of Americorp with City Year in San Jose, Ca as well as a Vista year in Sacramento Ca. When Aaronica was 18 she made a vow to herself and her family that she would spend the rest of life being of service to others in some way. Aaronica is currently living in Minneapolis where she works for Hennepin County as a COVID-19 Response Taskforce member where she has focused on continuous testing and vaccine efforts with HealthCare for the Homeless as well as the greater Hennepin county area..
Nancy Ocana is currently in her third year at UCLA, majoring in Chicanx and Central American Studies, with minors in African-American and Education Studies. She transferred to UCLA in 2018 after attending several community colleges over the span of almost 20 years where she worked evenings, weekends, attended two community colleges at once, and all while being a mother, to reach the goal of higher education. As with many commuter students, her car became her space to eat, nap, and study between classes or work. With little support or faith from others, including herself, Nancy kept pushing through. She made a path for herself, sought out help and resources and found community in the Center for Community College Partnerships. Nancy is now an outspoken advocate for nontraditional students and student parents everywhere, using her experiences to inform and empower others.
Seaira Payne, '22 is studying nursing and is a single mom completing her junior year at St. Catherine University. Seaira's beautiful 4-year-old daughter Aliyana has been a part of the college journey every step of the way. Seaira is extremely passionate about her academics and has created amazing support to help her reach her educational goals. Seaira is so excited and proud to be a senior soon! She is ready to complete her degree and bring her knowledge, talents, and skills to her nursing career.
Denise Thomas is a Program Director at Family Scholars House in Kentucky. She is an ifluential leader with a talent for spearheading programs through innovative marketing, collaborative partnerships, and operational success. She has 15+ years of experience in higher education admissions, specifically in the area of adult learners, and non-profit organizational development She has had a remarkable impact on volunteer and corporate engagement, large-scale event coordination, and donor support and engagement. Denise served in United States Air Force for four years, earned Master of Business Management in 2001, and moved to Louisville, Kentucky in 2016. She is a member, of the National Association of Graduate Admission Professionals.
Susan Warfield, MSW, LICSW is the Director of the University Minnesota-Twin Cities, Student Parent HELP Center. In addition to co-founding and chairing the NASPA, Adult Learners and Students with Children Knowledge Community (ALSC KC) she has been active nationally with several student parent policy work groups and other initiatives. A career social worker of 35 years with a professional focus on under-represented children and families, the last 20 of which have been with the SPHC working in the field of college access and success for college students with children. Susan received her MSW degree from the University of California at Berkeley and her undergraduate psychology degree at the University of Denver. She is a proud first gen college attendee.