ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605130086
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: HAMPTON
SOURCE: BATTINTO BATTS JR. NEWPORT NEWS DAILY PRESS
There were times when Tina Glover thought about giving up on her college education. She's a single mother, struggling to survive on a part-time income.
Glover couldn't afford a car, so she had to catch the city bus or depend on others for rides from her Hampton home to class at Hampton University.
And it wasn't easy to study for exams when she had to take care of her infant daughter. But Glover, 27, said the desire to provide a better life for her daughter, Tia, and support from her mother and friends provided enough motivation.
Today, Glover will conclude a 10-year educational odyssey when she graduates with a bachelor of science in systems organization and management from HU. ``There is no way you can take care of a child with just any sort of a job,'' Glover said. ``It takes so much more.''
If life had gone according to Glover's plans, she would have finished college six years ago. She graduated from Phoebus High School in 1986 and entered Norfolk State University. Glover changed her major several times at NSU, before finally being told in 1992 that she couldn't return because there was no financial aid available for her.
Glover began working as a cashier at a local convenience store. Tia was born in January 1993. But Glover said she learned how unstable life can be without a college degree when she was laid off in May 1993. She was unemployed for more than a year.
``I tried to get a job, but I couldn't find one. Not even at another convenience store,'' she said. ``I said, `Forget this. I'm going back to school.'''
A friend suggested that Glover enroll at HU. In August 1994, Glover enrolled in HU's College of Continuing Education, transferring her credits from Norfolk State. With the help of university officials, she found financial aid.
The college of continuing education is traditionally for students who want to complete work toward a degree after some time off or have put off college altogether for family or other reasons.
``What's so nice about our job is we get to see people fulfill their lifetime goals,'' said Blanche Taliaferro, a lecturer and education specialist in the college of continuing studies. ``Call us dream makers.''
``It was kind of easy to help her,'' Taliaferro said. ``She had a great desire to finish school. She had been out of school for a while, but I saw her gain confidence and interact well. When she got to the point that she could see the light at the end of the tunnel, she was so happy and relieved.''
Glover, who now works part time at the Teacher and Parent Store in Hampton, said it was difficult working, going to school full time, and caring for her daughter. ``It was stressful,'' she said. ``It was very hard trying to make enough time in the day to do what needed to be done.''
Glover said she wouldn't have been able to finish HU without the support of her mother, Eliza Glover, who often baby-sits Tia.
``I have to admit that I was a big help to her,'' Eliza Glover said. ``But I always knew she could do it. She was always smart. It was just a matter of applying herself.''
Glover wants to put her degree to work in the human resources department of a large business. But she also wants to continue her education. She plans to enroll in a master's program this fall but has to decide on a school or her major.
``Those people with kids who don't think they can do this, can,'' Glover said. ``It wasn't unusual. I had to do what I had to do to take care of home.''
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