Michelle S.
Counseling Masters Program, Clinical Mental Health
"Hi! My name is Michelle Soto and my husband, Manny Soto, and I are both working on completing our degrees at UMSL. He is completing his bachelors degree in cyber security and I am have returned to UMSL to complete my Masters in Counseling degree. We have definitely faced the challenges managing homework and classes along with being parents to a 2 and 1 year old. My husband works full time and goes to school full time. I am a full time stay at home mom and going to school full time. Most of the sacrifices we make is our sleep, as we try to keep our time with our kiddos while they are awake. If we do need to get some work done with the kiddos awake we try to be creative like my husband will set a coloring station next to him while he works on homework or I will read my chapter readings to them so they feel involved. Luckily we have a great support system between family and friends who are great a pitching in for when we have to be on campus. My tip for parents is don’t get stuck on the mindset that having kids means you can’t go to school. Whether it be a full time schedule or 1 class a semester there is always a way to continue your education journey."
