Kyra Finner

Staff Writer

It’s hard enough to be a full-time college student, but also being a parent brings its own challenges.

Tana Christensen is one of those students. Majoring in Corporate Communications in the Leadership Track and graduating in May of 2020, Tana has 2 daughters- Calli who is 15 and Charli who is 13.

“One of the struggles I’ve had as a student and a parent is trying to find a good balance between being a good student, a good employee, a good wife and a good parent. My grades are important to me, so I have to be diligent in my work toward my degree,” Christensen explained.

“I believe that if something is worth doing, do it your very best. My work is very important to me, so placing other stressors on the back burner so I can effectively do my job to the best of my ability presents some challenges as a student.”

Another parent/student at ISU is Jason Vesser, who has six children and is getting a Bachelor’s of Communication- Visual Communications in the Fall of 2020. His biggest struggles have been with time and money management.

“With 6 kids, we have a financial obligation to maintain to keep the family moving forward. School is more of a hardship on our time. My wife and I work, she does graveyard shifts and schedules clients around my classes. I am often late to classes, which I hate… However, money is an important factor in keeping life balanced,” said Vesser.

Although it can be tough to be a parent while in school, both of these students appreciate ISU.

“To me, ISU is part of my family and being a Bengal means so much more than getting a degree. I learn the material surrounding my degree choice, but I also have the opportunity to learn from other students, faculty, staff and administration. Students in my classes often joke about me being the “class mom,” but it’s so true. I love our students and care deeply about their success and well-being,” Christensen said.

“As a parent, you know that you have to succeed regardless of the challenges you face with family. I have seen parents bring their kids to school, leave classes early, post messages on Facebook for childcare help, take longer to graduate due to class hours,” Vesser said.

“With everything that I have seen, these same students are succeeding. Whereas students without child obligations, I have seen quickly drop classes, drop out, complain often about hard classes or assignments. I think being a parent gives people a certain discipline that helps motivate the completion of school.”

Jason also has a Youtube channel about his family which is called “Vesser Bunch.” Currently, the channel has 25,000 subscribers and is growing more every month.

“I am a content producer- My business is in its first year and I have created a total of 34 video advertisements for broadcast and digital usage. The nice thing about what I do is that I have full control of my schedule because work is deadline-driven when things need to be ready for launch.” Vesser said.

“I am able to do most of the editing at home while also having my office. I sleep typically 3-5 hours a night. 20-40% homework and 60% business needs.”

These students have the strength to run their lives with precision and dedication.

“ISU offers so many things that help me to be the best student and parent that I can,” says Christensen.

“Much of my success in my education is because of the resources available and the encouragement of the faculty. And much of it is my absolute Bengal determination!”