NEW JERSEY — Before Grace D’Amato became a college senior with a 3.9 GPA, there was a time when simply staying enrolled felt almost impossible.
At 25, D’Amato was trying to manage nearly everything at once: college classes, work, bills, a difficult commute and caring for her young son, Matteo. The pressure eventually became too much, forcing her to step away from school.
D’Amato describes her first experience as a college student and young single mother as “miserable.”
“I quickly fell behind, started failing my classes and eventually stopped attending to focus on my job and bills,” she says.
Her college journey began at a community college in New Jersey. Because of her responsibilities as a parent, she says her progress was slower than she had hoped. She eventually earned her associate’s degree and transferred to a four-year college.
But without housing assistance, balancing school and motherhood became increasingly difficult.
One TikTok Video Changes Her Path
Although D’Amato left classes, she never stopped wanting to earn a college degree. She began searching for a school that would better understand what it meant to be both a student and a parent.
Then came an unexpected breakthrough.
A TikTok video from another mother introduced D’Amato to Wilson College and its Single Parent Scholar Program, something she says she had never known existed.
She immediately applied. After being accepted, she interviewed with the program’s director and eventually moved into campus housing with Matteo, who is now 6.
The decision gave D’Amato something she had struggled to find before: a college environment designed to support student parents.
There was also an unexpected personal connection. The woman whose TikTok video introduced D’Amato to the program eventually became her best friend, and her son became Matteo’s best friend.
A 3.9 GPA After Years of Setbacks
D’Amato’s life now looks very different from the period when she was failing classes and struggling to remain enrolled.
As she enters her senior year, she says she has achieved a 3.9 GPA and received nearly $10,000 in scholarships last semester. Her educational expenses are covered through a combination of scholarships, grants and student loans.
She has also learned how to structure her academic life around her son’s needs.
When Matteo is sick, professors have allowed her to attend class through Zoom rather than forcing her to choose between caring for her child and keeping up with school.
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That flexibility has become a major part of her success.
Her Son Is Part of the Graduation Journey
D’Amato’s experience has also shaped what she wants to do next.
Her honors thesis focuses on accessibility for student parents and what colleges can do to provide better support. She also uses TikTok to encourage other mothers to consider returning to school while raising children.
“I hope sharing my experience can motivate other student parents and encourage more colleges to create programs like SPS,” she says.
For D’Amato, finding that support required moving approximately three and a half hours from home, but the sacrifice brought her closer to a goal she once thought might be out of reach.
Soon, she and Matteo will have another milestone to share.
Children participating in the program walk with their parents during graduation and receive caps and gowns of their own. The tradition recognizes that student parents are not the only ones making sacrifices throughout the college journey.
“They have been such a huge part of this journey, so it means a lot that they get to be recognized too,” D’Amato says. “I honestly don’t know how I’m going to make it through graduation without crying the entire time.”
What do you think of Grace D’Amato’s journey from struggling student to college senior? Share your thoughts in the comments.