The COVID-19 pandemic has made it very difficult for college students around the United States to keep their education going, especially those who are parents. Students are relying on internship and scholarship programs from their institutions to help them get through the pandemic.

In March, New York City was the epicenter for the coronavirus, accounting for one-third of all cases in the U.S. This affected the schools, programs and businesses. 

Students are still being faced with many hardships during the pandemic. There are students who are running out of money and students who are not able to provide for their children.

After losing their jobs during the pandemic, students are applying for unemployment. They are relying on their institutions to help them financially with the amount of resources that are available. 

There have been job offers, internships, and scholarships made available for John Jay students virtually. 

Every institution should provide resources for their students in order to stop the stereotype of single parent students being less likely to graduate than other students. Single parent students are more likely to be female and have a low-income. 

Also students who are single parents graduate with more student debt because they carry a lot of responsibilities. 

In John Jay College, there are students who are worried about how they will pay tuition during the COVID-19 pandemic. Without the resources given to them, students would not be able to search for what they need in order to help them pay for their college.

The CEEDS program stands for Cadet Education, Empowerment & Development for Success. It is a partnership between John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the NYC Department of Correction. 

The internship program gives students a number of resources in order to help them succeed, such as annual financial assistance. 

“The last Cohort 4 is going to be virtual and these students won’t be able to wear the uniform and speak to students face to face about the program. The students were very devastated to hear that news,” said Tamar Montuma, a CEEDS Student Specialist at John Jay.

Students who are currently enrolled in the program are guaranteed career opportunities after they graduate. Any eligible candidate is considered, even if they are parents.

At John Jay, students are depending on scholarships that they already applied for before the pandemic such as the Jill Frometa Scholarship for Parents, which is a $1,000 annual award to be used for educational expenses. 

Frometa has spent her time working on this scholarship.

“I was young at that time so I want to be the one to fulfill that gap. The scholarship gives students that are parents the opportunity to stay on track to graduate,’’ said Frometa, an Alumna and Adjunct Professor at John Jay.

This scholarship supports parents who demonstrate financial need. Frometa knows how difficult it can be to return to college and pay for educational expenses. Since the pandemic, schools have adapted to virtual learning. This made it much harder for students to go back to college.

Students who already applied for the scholarship Frometa created, have some support because it was created in 2019. Even though students at John Jay are not able to go back to campus this semester, they should take advantage of these scholarships to help them succeed in their academic journey. They will never know when it will help them in the future.

For more information on available resources at John Jay, visit jjay.cuny.edu/student-resources or jjay.cuny.edu/academic-resources-services.