HUNTINGTON BEACH : 5 Single Mothers Get College Scholarships

Five single mothers attending Golden West College--who have been juggling nursing internships, college studies and parenting--have been awarded scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 for excellence in nursing.

The Carl W. Bull Award scholarships, named after the late co-founder of Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, are given each year to help Orange County students in nursing and other paramedical programs to advance their education.

Jaimie Matlock of Costa Mesa, Lisa Newhart of Westminster and Linda Satler of Huntington Beach each earned $2,000 scholarships to help finish their nursing studies at Golden West. Laura Carter of Laguna Beach received $1,500, and Leslie Bartimore of Huntington Beach was awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

The award announcements underscore a trend in the field in which an increasing number of single parents are studying nursing to escape low-paying jobs or welfare dependency. Many community colleges, such as Golden West, have begun tailoring financial aid programs specifically to channel single parents into two-year nursing programs.

Carter, 35, who must complete three more semesters of studies before she may become a registered nurse, said she has been raising her daughter alone for the past 11 years. “For most of that time, I’ve been working as a secretary or a cashier or jobs like that,” she said. “And things are a little different when you have a child. So I want (to become a nurse) for both of us.”

Studying, working part time at Hoag Hospital and raising her 14-year-old “is not impossible, I’ve found out, but it is interesting,” she said. “It takes a lot of time and energy.” She said her scholarship money will go toward “everyday living expenses.”

Matlock and Newhart, who are both raising young children, said their scholarship money will be used entirely to help defray day-care costs.

“This scholarship is like a godsend,” said Matlock, adding that she hopes to become an obstetrics nurse after she graduates next May. And now that she has recently reunited with her husband, she said that caring for her 4-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter will be less burdensome, as she heads into the most demanding year of the program.

Newhart, who works at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and has a 4-year-old daughter, said the scholarship money will help her realize a longtime ambition. “I’ve been working in hospitals since I was 16, and I love working with people,” she said. “And my mother is a nurse, so she’s always been my role model.”

Satler, upon graduating from Golden West, plans to expand upon her nursing education before entering a career in either public health or women’s health.

Bartimore is working to enter the health profession after spending the past 17 years as a graphics computer designer for an aerospace firm.