Twenty-two year-old Jenna Raetz walks at a brisk pace towards the Student Union, book in hand. She is the image of a typical college student except for one accessory, a small child skipping by her side.
For Raetz, a junior business and finance major, bringing her daughter to school with her has become as normal as bringing her books.
Although many UB students can be easily overwhelmed with homework assignments and part-time jobs, there are some students with the added responsibility of raising children.
While Raetz attends class, her daughter is cared for at the Early Childhood Research Center on North campus, a program run predominantly by the graduate education department.
A high school student with plans to enter the military and travel upon graduating, Raetz's life was thrown into chaos when she became pregnant before her senior year.
"I did not plan to start a family," said Raetz. "I was a victim of date rape while I was in high school."
She considered other solutions but decided that she would keep her child.
"Abortion is against my personal beliefs, and I pondered the idea of adoption for only a short period of time," said Raetz. "Adoption would have made things easier, but I would wonder about my child."
Raetz kept positive amidst her circumstances with the support of her friends and family. After attending Niagara County Community College for two years, she graduated with an associate's degree in business administration before beginning classes at UB this semester.
Raetz said that having her daughter around campus does not make her any different from other students who are also trying to excel in their studies.
"I'm not trying just to pass. I want to be competitive with everyone else," Raetz said. "I don't discuss my situation with professors. I don't expect any preferential treatment."
Raetz said the challenge of raising her daughter has made her a better person.
"I had to learn at an early age what it was like to be responsible for someone else. I think maybe this all happened for a reason," Raetz said. "I have learned to be an extremely strong person, and most people who get to know me have a high amount of respect for me."
For other students with children, like Shanise Kent, a junior management major, the experience is not free of struggles. Kent started at UB in 1998 and became pregnant soon after.
"Professors are very understanding of the fact that I have family responsibilities that may interfere with my class responsibilities. Classmates are not as understanding," Kent said. "Specifically, this past semester, my group members were not understanding of the fact that I did not have the freedom to meet at all hours of the day or night."
Kent however, believes that the rewards of raising a family greatly outweigh the obstacles one must face. Her two children, ages five and four, are taken care of at UB's Child Care Center during the day.
Kent and her husband attend classes while attempting to maintain a normal family atmosphere. Average weekdays begin at 6 a.m. and usually end around 12 p.m. In the evening, dinner and cleanup is followed by bath time and bed for her daughters, while Kent stays up to take care of household chores and academic assignments.
In addition to familial and school burdens, students with children also have financial worries.
In the past, the Raetz and Kent families were forced to rely on food support programs such as Food Stamps and Women, Infants and Children, to bring meals to the table. Currently, both manage to create financially stable environments for their children.
"Finances aren't too tough. I get financial aid and loans, and I also work about 30 hours a week as a server at Carrabba's in Amherst," said Raetz. "I now live in subsidized housing where my rent is based on my income, so my rent is ridiculously low. I don't however, receive any other types of support."
In the Kent family, Kent's husband holds a managerial position, which has allowed them to live free of public assistance for a year.
Kent is a full-time student, but her classes are her second priority.
"As an undergraduate student I learned to take my education more seriously. Now, I still take my education seriously, but getting straight A's is not as important as it used to be to me," Kent said. "I have realized that school is only secondary to my family."
