ASPSF alma earns promotion at NorthArk, to begin graduate school

Valerie Brewer is one proud mama: “My beautiful daughter’s name is Autumn. She is 13 years old and my whole world.”

And Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund is proud of this incredible recipient from Newton County. So much so that we’ve named Valerie the July 2023 Student of the Month. Why?

• In May, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Arkansas State University.
• After more than two years as an Administrative Specialist for North Arkansas College’s TRIO Student Support Services Program, she was promoted to Academic Advisor.
• This summer, she was accepted into a communications graduate studies program and will start classes for a master’s degree this fall.

But reaching these goals was no easy task.

For a long time, Valerie didn’t think she was good enough to go to college. But she had to try for the sake of Autumn — to show her daughter “it’s never too late to pursue your dreams.”

“A challenge I had to overcome was imposter syndrome,” Valerie said. “It wasn’t until I began college and faced my fear of feeling like I did not belong, that I started to excel in school.”

Helping her along the way was ASPSF. The scholarships she received helped her pay for school supplies, but more importantly, she gained a support system that boosted her resiliency and confidence.

“The [ASPSF] community showed me that I was not alone and, most of all, that people cared,” Valerie said. “There are many single parents juggling work and school. The workshops helped me to navigate these daily challenges, which allowed me to succeed.”

Today, after conquering her fears and achieving her long-term goals, Valerie has set a new challenge for herself: Become a communications instructor at North Arkansas College. And her motivation remains the same.

“I would like to show my daughter that with hard work and dedication that anything is possible,” she said.