Junction City Mother Receives National Full-Ride Scholarship to Ashworth College

Nov. 10, 2009 - PRLog -- NORCROSS, Georgia  –  Ashworth College today announced that Monique Castro, a mother from Junction City, KS, is the recipient of a national “Project Working Mom…and Dads, Too!” full-ride scholarship.  Castro will pursue a Professional Medical Billing and Claims Program at Ashworth College, an accredited online institution.  Ashworth College is one of the five participating “Project Working Mom…and Dads, Too!” schools to help send parents back to college – tuition free – in these tough economic times.  

This latest Project Working Mom campaign, the third in a series, received more than double the number of applications submitted in the first two rounds held in 2008 combined.  This year generated more than 315,000 applications, including some of the most gut-wrenching, heart-warming and inspiring essays as part of the process.
 
Junction City mother, Castro, is one of about 60 parents to receive the “Project Working Mom…and Dads, Too!” scholarship; Ashworth College is awarding 20 of those scholarships.

Castro is a military spouse with three children, currently experiencing family’s third deployment in six years. “I became a mother at a young age,” Castro explained. “While finishing my senior year of high school I gave birth to my first child and went through my husband’s first deployment to Iraq.”

“I have put off going to school because of the added cost for child care,” said Castro. “Being able to go to school online is perfect for me because I would not have to take my kids to a daycare or have to take time off work. When my husband gets back from this deployment I would love to get a job in the medical field and actually make money that will help out and education will certainly help make this possible.”
 
“Partnering with Project Working Mom…and Dads Too! has been a fantastic opportunity for Ashworth College to help make a difference. Through education, we’ve been able to help deserving, hard-working parents improve their lives,” said F. Milton Miller, Ed.D. and Ashworth Vice President, Education.

“A college degree can set an employee or business owner apart as a professional, demonstrating business knowledge to peers, potential customers and employers,” Miller added. “Education can take skills - and income - to the next level.”

Each of the “Project Working Mom…and Dads, Too!” scholarship recipients will receive a scholarship to complete an online degree program tuition free.  The overwhelming response to this scholarship opportunity and the stories of sacrifice and determination from the applicants have been a stark reminder of the struggles parents face in balancing life, work and school and how online education can help people achieve their goals.

“Going back to school isn’t easy, but without the right degree you may get passed over for a job or promotion,” said Helen MacDermott, the content director for “Project Working Mom…and Dads, Too!”, who is also a mom going to school online.  “This campaign was designed to remove the barriers so people can go to school at their own time and pace and don’t have to worry about the costs.  We’ve helped make dreams come true and it’s been an honor to be a part of these campaigns.”

eLearners.com, an online education resource that connects prospective students with online learning providers, first created “Project Working Mom” in January 2008.  The initial campaign received more than 50,000 applications and awarded about 40 scholarships.  That campaign was quickly followed by “Project Working Mom 2”, which received more than 72,000 applicants and awarded more than 50 scholarships.  All campaigns combined distributed an estimated market value of more than $6 million in full-ride scholarships.

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About Ashworth College

Ashworth College, a leader in distance education, offers students worldwide more than 100 career-focused High School and Career online diploma programs; undergraduate and graduate online certificate programs; and Associate, Bachelor’s and Master’s online degree programs that are affordable and fit the busy schedules of working adults. Ashworth also offers specialized programs to corporate partners, active duty military personnel, military spouses, and homeschoolers.

Headquartered in Norcross, GA, Ashworth is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), a division of the US Department of Education. Ashworth High School is also accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). For more information visit AshworthCollege.edu.