Change Starts Here

Meagan Hayes made the decision to go back to school after a string of bad days at her waitressing job. It was the off-season, business was slow, tips were bad and she was picking up evening and overnight shifts just to make ends meet. This meant she could not be home with her 4-year old son to make him dinner, bathe him, read to him and tuck him in. “I just decided I had had enough. I didn’t want to raise my son the way I was raised: with a mom who was working two jobs to keep a roof over our heads and barely home,” she says. Going back to college was always a dream for Meagan, but the thought of it was overwhelming. As an addict four years into recovery and a single, working mom, her days were challenging enough. Trying to find a way to pay for school, jumping through hoops to get enrolled, changing her work schedule to attend classes was daunting and scary. But she was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was and a few days later, after buying her books, wearing her diner uni...