College Success for MOMS

A Lifeline for Moms in College

College can be challenging for mothers who return to school. That’s why Dianna Blake wrote College

Success for Moms after graduating from college while raising four young children. Dianna’s book is a

warm, strategic guide for success filled with insider knowledge to help students manage motherhood,

master college, and rise to the top of the class. Moms will learn how to:

▪ Confront fear and believe in yourself ▪ Find support on campus ▪ Decide what groups you should join ▪ Fund your education with scholarships, grants, and loans ▪ Build relationships and form networks ▪ Choose the right major ▪ Push through roadblocks ▪ Deal with pregnancy and health issues, including depression

College Success for Moms shows women everywhere that—although being a mom is an important role

—our personal dreams are still worth pursuing and we can be shining examples for our children.

How to Finish with Confidenceand a Bright FutureWhile Raising Your Family

Finally, a college success book written FOR moms, by a mom! This book is a revelation.

Over 50% of Moms in College Will Drop Out

In 2014, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research reported that 26% of

undergraduate college students are parents. Of that number, 71% are

mothers. And while the numbers are high (roughly 2 million students),

graduation rates are low, with over half of moms in college dropping

out and never returning to finish their degree. The question is, WHY?

College can be an intimidating place for mothers who return to school.

When you stay up all night with a sick child, the car won’t start, and

your job requires overtime, showing up for class is a huge achievement.

The other students seem carefree and a little clueless, yet incredibly

savvy. The frazzled moms are just trying to survive.

Dianna Blake lived through this. As a nervous, overwhelmed student

with four young children at home she searched for the perfect college

success book. While she found many such books are on the shelves,

none of them address female parents who return to school.

After graduating with honors, Dianna continued to graduate school and

wrote the book she couldn’t find. College Success for Moms addresses

the personal issues mothers face, including feelings of inadequacy, guilt,

and impostor syndrome. The book also covers practical topics such as

funding, choosing a major, finding support on campus, and how to

study.

Dianna shares her personal struggles and includes the stories of ten

women from diverse backgrounds who met every challenge. Dianna

wants her book to touch the lives of ALL moms of every age, ethnicity,

marital, and socioeconomic status who want to succeed in college.

Featuring personal stories from 10 women who met

every challenge and succeeded.

Dianna Blake and Family

About the Author Dianna Blake is a mother, wife, student, and mentor. She is also

a freelance editor and has worked closely with Pearson

Students for the last three years while also attending California

State University, Fullerton (CSUF). She graduated with her

Bachelor of Arts in English in 2015 and continued at CSUF for

graduate school. She is currently in her second year of the MA

in English program, teaching English 101 and preparing to write

her thesis. She will graduate in 2018.

As a first generation college student in her mid-twenties, Dianna began her educational journey

at Mt. San Antonio College in 2007. She went on to win the Phi Theta Kappa “All California

Academic Team” award and is a proud Alumni of the honor society. Now, Dianna works with

various groups of students on and off her college campus, mentoring those who seek help.

Outside of school and career, Dianna enjoys spending time with her family, reading, watching

sappy romantic comedies, and going to church.

While this is Dianna’s first book, she has published over 100 blogs at College Success for Moms

and for Pearson Education. Dianna’s blog has been running since 2013 and has over 60,000

views and 100 posts. Colleges, educators, Pearson Education, Phi Theta Kappa, as well as

college students have widely shared her posts.

www.collegesuccessformoms.com

What People are Saying

“This book is a much needed resource for women who choose to better their lives through

education, while continuing to be good mothers and role models to their children.”

—Patricia Peters Martin, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist and author of The Other Couch: Discovering

Women's Wisdom in Therapy and Liars, Cheats, and Creeps: Leaving the Sociopath Behind.

“Finally, a college success book written for moms, by a mom! This book is a revelation. The

information is expert but shared in a way that makes you feel like you're in a living room with

close friends. Dianna's personal story is gut-wrenching and deeply inspiring. No mom should do

college alone and Dianna is the perfect mentor.”

—Isa Adney M.Ed., Student Life Professional and author of the Amazon bestseller Community

College Success

Author: Dianna BlakeTitle: College Success for Moms: How to Finish with Confidence and a Bright Future While Raising Your Family

Categories: Nonfiction/ Self Help/College Success

Publisher: NorlightsPress ● 762 State Road 458 ● Bedford, IN 47421 (812) 675 8054

Number of pages: 150 Size: 5.5 x 8.5 ISBN: 978-0-9976834- -2-4To Order Books: Ingram, Create Space, or via publisher

COLLEGE SUCCESS for MOMS is a warm, strategic guide to help women manage motherhood,

master college, achieve an education, and follow their dreams.

On the Internet: www.collegesuccessformoms.com IG: CollegeSuccessForMoms

Author: askdianna@collegesuccessformoms.com psdiannablake@gmail.com

Publisher: sammie@norlightspress.com 812-675-8054

For Colleges: Why this book? Why now?

Colleges, universities, and their surrounding communities are

beginning to take steps toward helping students succeed in their

work as both students and parents.

In spite of their high enrollment in college, student parents are still

an invisible population on most campuses. These students are

hungry for support and information about how to survive, manage

their lives, and earn a degree.

Because nearly half of student parents are first generation college students, they need

assistance on many levels. College Success for MOMS is an invaluable tool for schools who

want to directly address the needs of student parents.

Demographics: 4.8 Million College Students are Raising Children

Over a quarter (26 percent) of all undergraduate students, or 4.8 million students, are raising

dependent children.1 Women are disproportionately likely to be balancing college and

parenthood, many without the support of a spouse or partner. Women make up 71 percent of

all student parents, and roughly 2 million students, or 43 percent of the total student parent

population, are single mothers.

Approximately 2.1 million student parents attend 2-year institutions, representing 30 percent

of the entire community college student body. An additional 1.1 million student parents attend

four-year institutions (public and private not-for-profit), representing 15 percent of the total

four-year undergraduate student body, and 1.2 million student parents attend for-profit

1 Barbara Gault, Lindsey Reichlin, and Stephanie Román. 2014. College Affordability for Low-Income Adults: Improving Returns on Investment for Families and Society. Report, IWPR #C412. Washington, DC: Institute for Women’s Policy Research

institutions, making up 51 percent of the student body at for profits. The

remaining 371,207 student parents attend other institutions or more than

one institution.2

Graduation rates: Students with children are especially unlikely to

complete a certificate or degree within six years of enrollment, with only

33 percent attaining a degree or certificate in that time. They face

significant time demands, with 56 percent of single parents devoting

more than 30 hours per week to dependent care, and often have significant financial

challenges.3

Offer this book on campus, because . . .

Offering College Success for Moms to student parents will help them feel more

confident, find the support they need, and successfully graduate.

Providing College Success for Moms to counselors, professors, and campus leaders

will raise awareness of student parents’ needs.

Many college moms are first generation college students. College Success for Moms

gives these students the strategic and motivational tools to be their own advocates and

fight for their education and their dreams

College Success for Moms is an excellent orientation tool.

2 Institute for Women’s Policy Research. 2014. IWPR analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. 2011–12 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study and the Integrated Postsecondary Aid Survey (IPEDS). 3 Gault, Reichlin, and Román. College Affordability for Low-Income Adults.