In honor of Mother's Day, Doctoral Mom would like to introduce you to some of the amazing women that make up the Doctoral Mom group. Join us as we sit with these moms and listen to their advice and stories.
For day one countdown to Mother's Day we at Doctoral Mom Incorporated would like to introduce you to Jessica Toms. Jessica is a mother of two and a member of the Doctoral Mom group. Jessica's areas of study are learning, design, and technology at the University of Wyoming.
Motherhood
What advice would you give to new mothers?
"As a new mom you're going into the unknown, and it can be scary. However, don't forget to enjoy your time. Your babies are only little for a short period of time, and you can't ever get that back again. Enjoy each milestone as it happens."
What’s your favorite part of being a mother? Can you give us a specific example?
"While I hate time going by as fast as it does, I am enjoying watching my kids grow up. Each time they get to do something new, do something on their own. Each milestone they've hit, just makes me proud of the people they are becoming. My kids are starting to get into their own independent extracurricular activities and it's my favorite thing to see them participate in something that brings them joy while they also learn at the same time."
How did you manage juggling the different aspects of motherhood while working and pursuing your doctorate?
"It is a balancing act and I'm thankful for the family I have around me to help out. I've been a stay-at-home mom for the last seven years. As I started my doctoral program, I was offered a graduate assistantship with the university and was able to start working again through that part-time. It's been a big benefit to me that my program is online and I'm able to work remotely as a graduate assistant."
Walk us through your daily schedule.
"I get my kids up in the morning and I get them ready and off to preschool. In the mornings, I'm either working on schoolwork on work as a graduate assistant. After lunch, I pick up my son from preschool and spend time with him until it's time to pick up my daughter at school. Depending on the day, there's extracurricular activities my kids participate in that I will take them to. I typically will bring my laptop, iPad, or a textbook to read and do homework while they are in their activity. Then it's time for dinner,
and I get the kids ready and in bed. Once the kids are in bed, I might work on more schoolwork or graduate assistant work."
Doctoral Program
What was the most challenging part about starting your doctorate?
"Balancing time between everything going on within my family and getting my schoolwork completed."
How did the program impact your relationships (romantic, family, friendships, etc.)?
"Everyone is proud of me for pursuing my doctorate. Everyone has been very supportive and willing to help me out whenever I need it."
Career
Where are you in your career journey?
"I'm still on the look-out for a full-time job, but the experience I'm getting as a graduate assistant in relation to my career field is invaluable."
What is the most important lesson you learned from your journey?
"I'm still on the look-out for a full-time job, but the experience I'm getting as a graduate assistant in relation to my career field is invaluable."