How 3 UOPX alumni brought their mom skills to college

How do a television commercial and a best friend ignite a fire that has long been smoldering?

How does a working mother catapult from an entry-level job and no college degree to completing two degrees, pursuing a doctorate and working in management, all within a few years?

How do you juggle working 12-hour shifts in healthcare during a pandemic while staying on top of schoolwork and raising young children?

To answer these questions, look no further than three University of Phoenix alumnae and mothers who changed the trajectory of their lives by leveraging adaptability, persistence and sky-is-the-limit goals.

They, like countless other UOPX alumni, ignored the norm to achieve their dreams. But where does that determination come from?

As outlined in the recent Mothers Overcome More™ (M.O.M.™) report, working moms have plenty of stressors, including money and personal finance (57% to 74%) and their children (50%). And while a full 3 out of 5 respondents believe having children has held them back in their careers, 82% remain hopeful about their careers overall.

We can only guess at why they are hopeful, although the data suggests part of it may be the “mom skills” working mothers bring to their jobs. According to the same report, 9 in 10 working moms recognize transferrable skills between parenting and work. A few of these are outlined below:

Another part? It’s that grit that comes from loving someone more than yourself. More than anyone or anything in the world, in fact. And from needing and wanting to provide for them while also being a role model for them. Here, three such moms and UOPX alumnae share how they made it — school, career, motherhood, success — work for them. 

Going to college wasn’t the expectation for Angie Orozco, a working mom of three in Southern California. It wasn’t even on the radar. 

Not even after 20-plus years. Orozco had enrolled in college in her early 20s, but marriage and children derailed her educational goals. Two decades later, when her children were older, a University of Phoenix commercial caught her eye, and she began to wonder what might be possible now that she was older, wiser and in some ways more ready to do what no one else in her family had done: Go to college and complete a degree.

As it turned out, quite a lot was possible. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business in July 2021 and followed it up with her Master of Health Administration in November 2023. Today, she is the business development manager for Hanger Clinic.

“You can do so much by not watching television!” Orozco exclaims, pointing out that she also declined most social invitations to focus on her priorities.

She implemented a grueling schedule as well. “I would get up at 2 a.m. and do homework. My daughter would get up in the night to use the restroom and see me studying. ‘Are you still doing your homework, Mom?’”

Orozco’s response? “This is the time to grind.” 

Orozco’s self-described calling is to help others, and her master’s degree has especially empowered her to achieve that goal, she says. Gaining both confidence and skills in that program, she now partners with schools in her rural community to offer clinics and teach classes to students interested in healthcare careers.

“[My former co-workers] see that I have done the work that got me a different role, that I wanted to strive for better, and they make me feel …”

Orozco trails off.

“Impostor syndrome?” I offer.

“Yes! I think as human beings we are hard on ourselves, and we doubt if we are enough.”

Orozco, motivated by her children’s ever-watching eyes, doesn’t let impostor syndrome get to her for long. Instead, she taps into the positive mentality she says has always carried her through hard times. Good thing, too: She starts her Doctor of Health Administration program soon. 

“Time management, patience, communication and problem-solving. Parenting involves constant problem-solving, from handling everyday issues to addressing more significant challenges. This ability to think on your feet and find solutions is invaluable at work. “Also, multitasking. Juggling multiple responsibilities at home, such as cooking, helping with homework and managing household chores, can translate into improved multitasking abilities in the workplace.”

Ronda Foster was just 14 years old when she felt called to be an oncology doctor because her dad was diagnosed with cancer. She watched gratefully as the hospital staff took care of him, saying, “I felt blessed by how they treated him.” She wanted to grow up and do the same for someone else someday.

Unfortunately, another man entered her life who interrupted the plan. “I had a boyfriend who didn’t want me to go to school,” she says. Foster did attend community college and was able to work her way up from being a certified nursing assistant to a licensed vocational nurse to a registered nurse.

But Foster had potential to do even more — and her best friend knew it. She encouraged Foster to attend an orientation at University of Phoenix. Well, encouraged may be too soft.

“She basically dragged me there!” Foster says with a laugh. She ultimately enrolled in a hybrid RN to BSN program that blended online instruction with classroom-based clinicals.

Thus began a series of changes for Foster. She divorced and earned two master’s degrees, including her Master of Science in Nursing and her MBA/HC* at UOPX. She moved from California to Colorado for love, remarried, grew her family from two children to four, and moved again to her current home in Arizona.

She specializes in oncology/hematology and quality management, thereby honoring her childhood goal to help others facing difficult health issues. She’s not done. As she pursues her Doctor of Health Administration, she has temporarily stepped out of the workforce to complete her degree online. She knows, however, that she’ll bring more knowledge and greater impact to the field once she completes her terminal degree. 

“To become a chief nursing officer!”

“It took time and energy,” Foster says, reflecting on that time after her divorce when she juggled single parenthood with school. “I would go to bed shortly after midnight and wake up before 5 a.m.”

Foster’s parents stepped in to help, coming over at 6:15 each morning to help get the children to school. They pitched in during the afternoons as well.

Foster’s husband today fully supports her and her goals. A nanny helps with child care, and Foster has learned the value of flexibility. Sometimes, she’ll head to the library to study, for example, so the kids don’t have to navigate the confusion of mommy being home but not available.

“Education is my passion,” she says. “Education is what helped me see all the paths that I could take.”

She laughs, elaborating that even during her free time, she is “watching shows that align with healthcare and education and reading case studies.”

Sometimes, however, our greatest strength can also be our greatest challenge. For Foster, that means gratifying her interests while also balancing her priorities as wife and mother. 

“Consistency, collaboration and strategic planning — all very important for me to be successful in my professional, educational and personal environment.”

*This degree program has since been retired.

Jamesha Whitlock doesn’t let anything slow her down. Not a busy day working as a certified medical assistant in endocrinology, when she cares for more than 50 patients in one shift. (She still smiles from ear to ear.) Not even a pregnancy that derailed her plans to become a doctor. 

That’s when she saw a University of Phoenix commercial. She could go to college, she discovered, and earn her degree 100% online. “I thought that was just perfect because I could do this at home with my baby,” she explains.

Whitlock did some research, applied and was excited to get into the Bachelor of Science in Health Administration program.

Her experience had some starts and stops. She enrolled in March 2018 and took several breaks over the years to move, switch jobs and nail down co-parenting. Eventually, however, her grandmother stepped in to help with Whitlock’s now two children so Whitlock could focus on school and work.

“That’s the thing with University of Phoenix,” Whitlock says of the school support she received while taking breaks. “It is really smooth. You talk to your advisor, [and] they help you take the break and get back in.”

In March 2024, Whitlock traveled from her home in Illinois to attend commencement in Arizona. It was a proud moment and one she shared with her mother, grandmother, children, brother and friend, who all attended with her. “It was a great experience to walk,” she exudes. “My little support bubble was with me.”

Today, as she juggles working and parenting, she has more goals. She has her eyes set on a master’s degree, but maybe after a little downtime first. 

“Without the degree, it would be more of a challenge to present myself to employers that I am someone they are looking for,” Whitlock explains. “I wanted to have something to make me stand out as a candidate for future positions.”  

“Not having the free time, yes in terms of self-care. God knows I would like some of that!” she says.

“To land a better-paying job and return to school.”

“Being a mother has absolutely made me a stronger employee and student because now I have two additional reasons to achieve all of my goals and be great role model for my children.”

“Punctuality, time management, active listening, empathy and consistency are just a few! As a busy mom, I am always keeping up with deadlines/appointments, so learning how to effectively manage my time day by day was paramount. That skill has also helped me keep up with work deadlines as well. Being an effective listener is a life skill, in my opinion, although I know it doesn’t come naturally for most people. But being a mom with young kids, it is important to me that they always feel they are being heard and understood.”