Student Stories
These are the stories of student parents and caregivers and their experience along this journey. Being a student parent and caregiver is challenging but you do not have to do it alone. Together we can make the experience better.
If you are interested in being a part of this project and sharing your story please email us at UmichMCaSP@umich.edu
Stories from CEW+
Lyss Shumaker
"I've had the privilege of seeing student parents meet each other and just see that moment of 'Oh my gosh, my story is reflected in you and your story', and that's so fulfilling. Every time that I see it, I'm just like, this is why we started this, this is why we do it.”
This episode of Strength in the Midst of Change features Lyss Shumaker, 2020 LSA alumna and co-founder of the Michigan Caregivers and Student Parent Organization, a CEW+ Student Sponsored Organization focused on creating community among student caregivers through programming and events. Lyss talks about what inspired her to advocate for student parents and the unique challenges that they encounter along their journey. Make sure to listen to the end to hear the advice she would share with her peers about how to create change and her vision for the future of student parents at U-M.
Jessica Pelton
"You have to try, you have to speak up, you have to use your voice. And know that you matter, your voice matters, your opinion matters, and you just gotta go for it."
This episode of Strength in the Midst of Change features Jessica Pelton, 2021 CEW+ Scholar and President of the CEW+ Student Parent Advisory Board. In this episode, Jessica talks about her research and personal experiences with how children with disabilities are handling the pandemic and shares how she advocates for her daughter and others. Make sure to listen to the end to hear her talk about her own journey to finding her voice and then using it to help make change at U-M.
Ruby MacDougall
"Adjusting expectations is also self-care. It’s okay to do something not as perfect as you thought it would be or should be because the set of conditions that you’re working with are much different from the ones you thought you were working with when you started.”
This episode of Strength in the Midst of Change features Ruby MacDougall, a 2021 CEW+ Mary Malcomson Raphael Scholar and PhD candidate in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures with a focus on dance studies. Ruby shares her insights about the relationship between “modern” and “ethnic” dance forms in Chinese dance history, as well as being a graduate student parent during the pandemic.
Theresa Anderson
"You are seen. It’s easy to feel invisible, but the goal of this work and the work of CEW+ and many others is we're trying to shine a light on the path forward and provide helpful resources to make it easier to reach your goals."
This episode of Strength in the Midst of Change features CEW+’s 2022 Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist and senior researcher at the Urban Institute, Dr. Theresa Anderson. Dr. Anderson talks about her Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist project which builds on work she’s been doing at a national level to develop a framework of policy systems that affect student-parent families. Her goal is to apply this framework at the state and college levels to identify ways to attract and support excellent students at the university who are parents or caregivers so they can complete their degrees and achieve their academic, economic, and personal potential, as well as help the university attract, retain, and graduate an excellent and diverse student body. She also shares various ways in which universities can design policies and practices to better support and meet the needs of student parents and caregivers.