Like most people, Utah Valley University student Kelsey Schuwer has had ups and downs in her life.

Hers may have been a bit more dramatic, however. She doesn’t dwell on those but rather on her reaction and the responsibility she has taken.

Recently divorced, she has full custody of her two children — a 5-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl, who has spina bifida. Facing the financial demands of a family, and with no expectation of child support, she knew she had to further her education.

Schuwer had an undergraduate degree in psychology and applied to several schools for graduate programs. A waitlist for UVU found her an open spot, and she joined a master’s program. She is in her second semester, with two more to go.

Schuwer had previously been employed with agencies providing social services to those in need. She counseled women in poverty and said she was happy to help empower them because she was going through a similar situation.

“I had an amazing therapist who helped me wake up and take responsibility for my life,” she said.

She had always wanted to be the primary caregiver for her children but realized that would not occur, so she accepted the fact and worked to make the best of it.

“I had been left with a significant debt from my marriage,” she said.

She reached out to her support system for help with her children and worked on the debt.

“Over 2 years, I paid over $10,000 in attorney fees and $12,000 of my debt off,” she said. “I was really committed to being responsible.”

Her commitment was such that when she was offered the opening in the master’s program, in one week she quit her full-time job, accepted the schooling, and moved in with her parents.

Her parents were already a large part of her support system, but at UVU she added more.

“The Women’s Success Center was one of the places I reached out to,” she said. “I took the six-week Managing Life’s Transitions workshop, and it was exactly what I needed. It was a sacrifice, twice a week for three hours, but it was personally applicable and really empowering. It was worth the sacrifice.”

The center also connected her with a volunteer advocate from the UVU faculty. The advocates keep in touch with the women, offering both information and encouragement.

In her academic work, she is doing an internship as a therapist for mental health.

“The program has been really exciting,” she said. “I love my internship format. I have some amazing professors. It has been an adjustment how to schedule and balance my time.”

She is working under supervision now, and that will continue to an extent after graduation.

“I will work under someone else’s license for 2 years,” she said. “Then I can take the test to become a licensed clinical social worker.”

In the meantime, she will follow advice she has received and some she would offer to others.

“I have been told that so often people in poverty live in the tyranny of the moment,” she said. “You can get stuck in putting out fires and not be able to do higher thinking. You should carve out the time and the emotional energy. It will be worth it. Things will work out. It will be difficult, but surround yourself with people who are positive.”

She said she appreciated her support system and encouraged others to develop theirs.

Therapy helped her and she suggested divorced students find ways to afford therapy sessions. Some ways she mentioned were Medicaid or ecclesiastical leaders.

Third on her list, but perhaps the most important, she said, was to be patient with yourself.

Schuwer shared a story of her brother and his journey from drug addict to university student.

“My little brother has been in active drug addiction for his whole adult life,” she said. “He finished high school doing packets in a group home. He finally has come around. We finished our first semester together. He is doing undergraduate work at the Ohio State University. We were in different states, but doing the same thing. It is pretty sweet to share in that experience with my brother.”