Read about the true story of one single mother who wants to impact the lives of other single mothers. Her resolve is clear: In taking her free time to create a non-profit, she hopes to be able to provide a bit more free time for a group of women who certainly do not have it.

Celebrated attorney and commentator Gloria Allred said:

On my college graduation day, I had a diploma in my hand, a baby on my hip. I was flat broke, recently divorced, and undecided about how to make my way in life. But feeling sorry for myself was a luxury I couldn't afford.

Something about the hectic pace of life seems to dictate that having too much free time is a likely candidate for an eighth deadly sin. We live in a world where we are continuously double-booked, over-worked, and starved for peace and quiet. Thus, I find it ironic that the section this article appears in is titled "More Time on Your Hands." Isn't it true that most of us would give anything for a little more time on our hands? A free afternoon in the park, an extra hour to be with those we love, or a scant five more minutes a day to read and relax seem like pipe-dreams in today's rushed society.

A few weeks ago when I told a friend over dinner that I was planning on starting a non-profit based upon a program I had just started at Vanderbilt, he shook his head and told me it was too much to take on. His concern over my time was certainly valid: I am a single mother attending graduate school and balancing a myriad of other responsibilities: sitting on committees, teaching aerobics classes, participating in Bible study, and cherishing time with friends. However, my resolve is clear. In taking my free time to create this non-profit, I hope to be able to provide a bit more free time for a group of women who certainly do not have it.

What started off as a way for me to give back to Vanderbilt University has become a program that has so warmly enriched my own life that I cannot help but be anxious to put it into place at other schools and dedicate my time to doing so. The inaugural chapter of Finished Up at Vanderbilt University exists to provide women who decide to become single mothers during their careers at Vanderbilt with the resources and support that they need to stay in school and finish their degrees. To that end, Finished Up provides avenues for financial assistance, psychological counseling, and medical care to these women as well as help with housing, childcare, and job placement.

When I became pregnant as a junior at Vanderbilt, I quickly discovered that I was an anomaly. In a day, I went from a typical sorority girl to an expectant mother, and this sudden change in my situation made for a difficult road ahead. I was unprepared for the sleepless nights, the self-doubt, the struggle to discover who I was and wanted to be, and the reality of full-time, 24/7 parenting.

What made my choice to become a single mother more unique was my desire to finish school at Vanderbilt. After all, I worked just as hard as the other students in my class to get in, and I was certainly willing to work just as hard to finish up.

I went on to graduate from Vanderbilt with my one year-old in tow, and I have since gone on to Vanderbilt Divinity School and I will graduate with a master's this May. It certainly would have been easier for me to quit school and find a job, but it would have been nowhere near as gratifying. Indeed, it will be easier for me to leave the program at Vanderbilt and move on. I know that women find themselves in the same situation that I did at schools across the country, and these women need to know that they are not alone. There is an incredible need for support to be in place for these talented women, and I hope Finished Up can help provide it.

As I reflect on my journey at Vanderbilt, I realize immediately that I want the next girl who finds herself pregnant and tempted to drop out of school or to move home to know that it is possible to finish up. She needs to know that it's been done. She needs to know that people care. She needs to know that she is not alone.

I am thrilled that Vanderbilt has so warmly welcomed the presence of Finished Up on their campus and can only hope that other colleges and universities will do the same.

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