‘I had to be the example to my kids’

Tuesday Howard would never have made it to her graduation ceremony without the help from Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund’s supporters.

Family finances were rocky during her last semester of college. While her single parent scholarship helped pay for some of her bills, Tuesday barely had the resources to pay for her final semester and keep her family afloat.  And when graduation day arrived, Tuesday realized she had no gas in her car and no extra cash to refill the tank.

“I couldn’t go, and there was nothing I could do. I had no way to get there,” said the single mom. “Then, the craziest thing happened: I got $100 check in the mail, and it was from ASPSF.”

Thanks to generous donors, ASPSF sent each Fall 2022 recipient an “inflation fighter” stipend check. And with hers, Tuesday was able to attend her graduation. 

“It was just $100, but it was a life-changing moment,” she said.

Twenty years after starting her college journey, the single mom from Fort Smith walked across the stage to receive her Bachelor of Applied Science with an emphasis in professional studies and organizational leadership from Arkansas Tech University. 

“I finally did it,” she said. “It was a long road and a lot of hard work, but I had to be the example to my kids.”

POST-GRADUATION

Named the ASPSF May 2023 Student of the Month, Tuesday said the kindness from ASPSF staff, donors, and volunteers motivated her to cross the finish line and complete her bachelor’s degree after two decades of intermittently enrolling in school.

“I would especially like to thank all of the donors who make this opportunity possible without even knowing who I am or if I will succeed,” she said.

“There were previous attempts where life and motherhood got in the way of my education and it had to be postponed, but now 20 years later I have finally achieved this goal with their help.”

Tuesday wasn’t the only one in the Howard family to graduate in 2022. Her son Genusis graduated from high school and enrolled in ATU’s engineering program.  And Tuesday’s daughter Myshael graduated from nursing school.

Since completing her bachelor’s, Tuesday has been working in the accounts receivable department for a food industry company.

Her long-term career goal is to open a nonprofit that educates and informs parents on how to advocate for their kids at school. Her youngest son is epileptic and immune suppressed, and she wants to help other parents navigate special education services to get the best education for their children. 

Top photo caption: ASPSF Student of the Month Tuesday Howard (left) and her children attended A Concert with Trey Taylor (center) last fall. Trey will return to Fort Smith for his third annual ASPSF benefit concert on Aug. 12, 2023.