A New Club at Santa Monica College Supports Parenting Students
Elizabeth Preovolos, founder of the Parenting Student Network (PSA) at Santa Monica College (SMC), with her daughter Cayetana Preovolos. Santa Monica, Calif. (Chrissa Loukas / The Corsair)
Elizabeth Preovolos, founder of the Parenting Student Network (PSA), is a mother of two children, and a full-time student looking to major in Sociology and Gender Studies. Her goal is to transfer to UCLA, while building up a network that will support parenting students at Santa Monica College (SMC) in the meantime.
PSA was founded as a place to support students who are caretakers, and to offer them aid for their success during school. “Most people miss school when their child gets sick,” said Preovolos, while her youngest daughter was playing by her side.
Although this new club focuses on parents, Preovolos reassured that it is a place for any person who cares for someone else. “This club is for everyone. Full-time or part-time. Even for people who may have lost a child," said Preovolos.
The founder described how taking evening classes is important to her, as she studies at odd times; sometimes early in the morning, or very late at night when everyone is asleep and no one is asking for her services.
Grants, scholarships and financial aid are available. However, understanding the procedures can be time-consuming and sometimes complex.
During application season, it is challenging to decide which universities to apply to, because information about parenting support is vaguely dispersed. According to Preovolos, if you are a parent you are called to do your own research and check before you apply and pay for the applications, or any kinds of fees.
Moreover, scheduling is a significant factor for success during college, and Preovolos shared that being a parent only makes this process more difficult. Because parents often work around their children’s schedules, they look for evening classes; however, these classes often fill up quickly and therefore the chance to have an equal opportunity gets flushed down before the semester starts.
Some colleges provide aid and separate programs that support non-traditional students and provide primary care for minor dependents. For example, UC San Diego offers a priority enrollment program.
According to UC San Diego’s website, “the program is intended to alleviate complications related to scheduling conflicts between parental responsibilities and UC San Diego classes and course work.”
Thus, Preovolos is currently comprising a spreadsheet of information regarding parenting support at public, state, and UC schools to accelerate the process when choosing a school.
“It is important what example I give to my children and how much more resourceful I can be for them,” said Preovolos.
Elizabeth Preovolos can be contacted for any questions about PSA via Instagram, at @smc_psn.
Missael Soto, Tyesa Harvey, and Bennet Barone contributed to this report.
