Raising a family is a challenge most Cal Poly students couldn’t imagine handling while at school. A Cal Poly club known as the Parent Student Alliance (PSA) works to support students who do both.
For psychology senior April Capanna, balancing a family and midterms is all in a day’s work. April has two sons: 7-year-old Thomas and 6-year-old Corbin. Joining the Parent Student Alliance has helped Capanna to find a community of other students balancing parenting and studying.
“It’s nice for the kids to see that other parents are in school too,” Capanna said.
PSA President Stacey Aragon said that the PSA serves to support an often overlooked group of underrepresented students.
“We are not counted as far as statistics go, so we don’t have a unified voice on campus,” Aragon said. “And without that voice Cal Poly doesn’t know that there is a need out there.”
Aragon founded the PSA last summer and currently has approximately 30 members. The PSA recruits members mostly via word-of-mouth, but the club is on Facebook, Twitter and is currently working on a website.
For parent students, balancing a family and school can often be a struggle, but Capanna said at the end of the day it’s worth it for the kids.
“I don’t know if I would have the motivation to go to school if I didn’t have the kids.”