A South Carolina college student attending Columbia College was in need of a babysitter in order to attend a class in which she was due to make a presentation. Rather than skipping class, she reached out to her professor, who offered the young mom a solution.
Columbia College took to Facebook to show how Dr. Amanda Stefanski stepped up to help her student. She instructed the mom to bring the baby to class with her, but Stefanski didn’t stop there. She held the baby so the student could take notes — for the entire class. This kept the six-month-old baby entertained, and allowed his mother to focus on the class.
“Dr. Stefanski epitomizes the dedication all Columbia College faculty and staff have towards student success, and exemplifies the Colleges’ commitment to being student ready, ” President Carol Moore told The State.
Columbia College’s Facebook post has over 3,000 reactions and has been shared by over 1,000 people. Fellow class member Heather Woolard also took to Twitter to celebrate Stefanski and share pictures with the hashtag #bestcollegeprofesever. In one of the adorable pictures, Stefanski is seen kissing the baby boy on his head.
@ColumbiaKoala @amandy_17 teachers who work with moms and babies >> #ccofsc #SPED332 #teacherteacher #bestcollegeprofesever pic.twitter.com/rRGURrKEUM
— Heather Woolard (@lilwoolard) October 17, 2018
All too often, the unspoken (or spoken) idea presented to women is that they can’t attend college while pregnant or parenting. A lack of campus resources for pregnant and parenting students frequently contributes to this idea, as does the push to distribute the abortion pill on college campuses.
Moms and college professors like these show that with help and support, women are capable of being successful as students and professionals. Babies don’t have to be seen as stumbling blocks or obstacles standing in anyone’s way of success. Women can be mothers and achieve their goals. They just need a helping hand.
