Debra Simpson FP '07

Haddam Neck, Connecticut

When I returned to school, I was a single mother seeking a career that would allow me to support three children. I'd always worked in the education and social services fields and so I thought it made sense to become a high school English teacher. I earned an associate’s degree with that goal in mind. When I transferred into the Frances Perkins Program, I found myself in an environment that asked, “What do you want to do?” 

By that time, I was remarried and two more children had entered my life—my husband and I have five children ranging in age from 16 to 35. At the end of my third semester, our oldest child was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Those faculty and staff who know my situation have been extremely supportive. I’ve cut back my course load but have continued studying.  Juggling my family and school has not been easy, but I have found in the Frances Perkins Program a group of encouraging women who are all juggling multiple responsibilities. 

In these circumstances, my experience here has been bittersweet. I’m indebted to the Frances Perkins Program for the opportunities I’ve been given.  It’s an unbelievable program, one that has allowed me to dream big dreams and to pursue those dreams.  It has brought me together with women from around the world. I’ve made the kind of friendships here that will last a lifetime. Mount Holyoke’s faculty is phenomenal, as are the resources that the College offers us.  I never, ever thought that a school like Mount Holyoke was a possibility for me. When I graduate, I will be the first woman in my family to earn a bachelor’s degree. So, to finish what has been started has come to mean even more.