Winthrop student and mother Monkia Wells granted ANSWER scholarship

Winthrop student Monkia Wells, age 36 and mother of three, was one of two women at Winthrop that was awarded the ANSWER scholarship.

The ANSWER scholarship and the ‘Mentors For Moms’ program were founded in 2006 by Susan Andersen. 

The program is dedicated to helping moms with school-aged children (pre-K through 12th grade) pursue their passion of going back to school full time. The ANSWER scholarship has currently awarded more than $530,000 in college scholarships.

Wells has two sons, one in 10th grade and the other in eighth grade. She also has a daughter in the second grade. Wells started at Winthrop in the fall of 2019 and is expecting to graduate in May 2024. She is a business administration major with minors in psychology and human resource management.

Prior to being awarded the scholarship, Wells had no knowledge of the program.

“The school had emailed me to let me know that I had qualified for the scholarship,” Wells said. “They had let me know that the scholarship was for mothers, so I had applied, and I was so happy to get it.” 

Amanda Cavin, an alumna of Winthrop and the ANSWER scholarship program, was also approached with the scholarship as well. 

“In 2012, I was a sophomore working on my undergrad degree, and one of my professors approached me and said she heard about the scholarship,” Cavin said. “So I didn’t see anything advertised; it was directly through this professor because she heard about it.”

Cavin, who now has a bachelor’s and two master’s from Winthrop, also works at Winthrop now as the director of the EagleSTEM Scholars Program. 

“I started at Winthrop originally straight out of high school, but I’d flunked out,” Cavin said. “I just wasn’t mature enough or ready to commit, but I came back and started on my bachelor’s in 2011. I started classes in August and turned 40 that September.”

Andersen founded the scholarship after being inspired to give back because of those who’d given her an opportunity. 

“I had gotten into the Mary Kay world. I had become a Mary Kay consultant, then a Mary Kay sales director. So for the next 20 years, I had worked with a lot of women,” Andersen said. “So during that time, I saw how they’d struggle being a single mom or a mom going through a divorce.

“So that impacted me, working with these women I saw as a way maybe I could give back. At first, I thought I’d work with traditional–age college students, but after working with these older women and seeing their struggles, I knew that by helping educate a mom, it would also help educate their children. So that’s where I found that I wanted to give back.”

Juggling parenting and while working a full–time job is no easy task, but mothers in these programs are resilient and make it work. 

“It has been hectic,” Wells said about balancing school and raising kids. “I say that because I’m going to school, my children are going to school. I have two boys and a girl who are all in school.

“So, it took me a minute to decide to go back to school because I had kept putting it off. I kept waiting until the kids had gotten a little older, but I decided there’s no point to keep putting it on hold because we’re not promised tomorrow.”

Cavin had to adjust as well when becoming a full–time student. 

“It was quite an adjustment. I had always worked, so I was never a stay–at–home mom,” Cavin said. “So I always had to figure out the balance of working and being a mom.

“I have four children. I found out pretty quickly that trying to go to class and come home to do my homework didn’t work because my kids would ask, ‘What’s for supper, mom?’ or they needed help with their homework. So I started to complete my homework on campus on breaks or stay awhile after class, so that when I came home, I could just be a mom.” 

During quarantine last year, Wells was not able to dedicate her time to school as much as she wanted, but she was still able to make it work.

“I also say it’s been hectic because I couldn’t go to school while my kids were at home going to school virtually,” she said. “However, instead of taking a semester off, I just ended up taking two classes that year so that I wouldn’t fall behind so I could stay afloat.”

“I have goals that I want to pursue, and not only am I getting older but so are my kids. So now they are able to understand what I have to do,” Wells said. “They are able to help each other out more and look after one another. I also go to school while they’re at school, so when they’re home, I’m home too when they need me.” 

The ANSWER scholarship not only helps these mothers financially but supports them emotionally as well. Each mother that is awarded this scholarship is given a mentor. This past year, despite the pandemic, the ANSWER scholarship program had a 100% graduation rate for the class of 2020-2021.

“They have been so nice and so supportive,” Wells said. “We had a meet and greet about a week or two ago and the ladies are lovely. Hearing the stories of these mothers, it’s very powerful.

“I’ve been working on getting around a crowd of people my age because you know most of the students on campus are a lot younger. So with the mothers in this program, I can relate to them and I’m excited to see where it goes.” 

As being a mother and a student is now becoming less of a stigmatized ideal in society, having support like the ANSWER scholarship lets mothers know they are not invisible.  

Cavin today is still close to Andersen.

“There’s a relationship there,” Cavin said. “I know that I can shoot her an email and say, ‘Hey Susan, I’ve got this opportunity’ or ‘I’ve got a question.’ I know that she’ll respond, and it’s been about 10 years since we met.” 

“Don’t overload yourself,” Wells said, advice aimed at mothers who go to school. “Start off with a few classes to see how it goes. See how you balance your school with your children. Never give up no matter how long it takes, whether that’s four years or 10 years. Stay in the race, stay focused, stay determined, and stay prayed up.” 

Andersen has full faith in all mothers considering going back to school.

“Just do it, just apply,” she said. “I feel like the ANSWER scholarship is one of the best opportunities out there for mothers because it is such a challenge to get through school. So we do our best to be there for you. We’ll wrap our arms around you, through the good and the bad. We’ll be there for you to see you cross that finish line and see you receive your degree.” 

If you are a mother with a child in pre-K through 12th grade or know of a mother over the age of 25 with a child of that grade range who would benefit from this scholarship, visit http://answerscholarship.org before Dec. 1 to apply.