At first glance, it can be hard to believe thousands of students attend college daily. The sun rises and sets day in and day out while students find time to pursue their higher education. Each student with their own story that fuels them to show off their potential and skills. One type of student sometimes hidden in plain sight is the one managing two or more roles in their life.  

While attending college and studying hard for a future career, can also include being a mom or dad, serving in the military, or being a caregiver to a family member for some students. A study by University of California showed “1.3 percent of undergraduate students showed that they are parents living with children.”

A study by Young Invincibles also showed 72 percent of student parents nationwide are mothers and one in four Texas students are raising children while attending college.  

Among the pool of students attending college while parenting is Beatrice Alexis Holbert. Holbert is currently studying women and gender studies with a minor in sociology, while also being a mother to a young son. 

Holbert says being the product of a military family, she was always on the move all around the country. The daughter of a military father, Holbert found herself living all around the country. Having mostly lived in Fort Worth, Texas, Holbert became familiar with El Paso and decided it was an excellent option for college after high school. 

“I’m originally from Pasadena, California; my dad is (in the) military, so we moved to Fort Worth, but when we traveled back and forth from Fort Worth to California, we would stop in El Paso a lot,” Holbert said. “Seeing the school (UTEP), I knew I wanted to go here, and once I graduated high school, I took a year off and decided to come to UTEP.” 

After trying different fields of study during her early time at UTEP and after hearing about life-altering experiences from some of the women close to her, Holbert knew she wanted to find ways to help women, particularly women who are going through challenging situations in their lives.  

“I started getting into my classes and realized that I want to help women in the military who come out of domestic abuse relationships,” Holbert said. “A lot of people do not report it, so it is overlooked, and they don’t have much funding in the counseling for the military either.” 

Gallery • 4 Photos

Iziah Moreno

Holbert hopes to help women in the military who have come out of abusive relationships.

Holbert says it is her dream to help create a space where women of the military feel safe. She says this can be challenging due to traumatic experiences, but some might agree more support and attention in this area could help further address these issues, and that is her goal. 

Holbert also speaks on the balancing act that goes into being a parent while attending school and what a student needs to maintain, including a healthy work-life balance with multiple responsibilities.  

“I make sure to communicate to my professors, if anything happens, I always let them know first,” Holbert said. “My schedule is based on his (her son), so all my classes are scheduled around his schedule. If he’s in school, I’m in school; if he’s not, I’m not at school, and I’ll work right before I have to go to class.” 

Holbert details her life can often be overwhelming, and in moments, it can be challenging not to get swept up in all of the chaos as she navigates her life with her baby along with her on the journey. That’s where Holbert attributes the help she gets to the community within her life and at UTEP, thanking her friends and family when she needs it most, specifically her mother and professor Hilda Ontiveros. 

Holbert wanted to inspire others going through the same situation as her. She wants them to always know they will always have people on their side, and she wanted to stress the importance of finding that support whether it be inside of the UTEP community or outside.  

“It’s okay to ask for help. I know it hurts; many people don’t want other people in their business, especially if they’re a parent,” Holbert said. “If you communicate, you’ll see the support, and they will let you know where to get help if you need it.”

Catching Marginot is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected]