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College Life and Motherhood

By Jessica Thomas, Section Manager

Tabitha Silva is a senior at Texas Tech University at Waco majoring in communications and minoring in sociology. In addition to a full course load, Tabitha is also a wife and mother of four. Her children range in age from 2 to 12, which keeps Tabitha pretty busy when she isn't in class.

A few years ago, Tabitha decided to begin homeschooling her kids. To do this, she had to relearn some basic education concepts.

"Through this experience, as silly as it sounds, I discovered that I was not too old to learn and experience other parts of life other than my vocation to motherhood," she explained.

It was at this point that Tabitha decided she would pursue a bachelor's degree, and she knew that Texas Tech was the school she wanted to earn it from. She said she chose Communication Studies because it has a unique placing in social science.

"It is a discipline intertwined with both psychology and sociology and helps to further the conversation of human interaction theories," she said. "I find people fascinating because although we are all alike, we all differ in contextual and cultural aspects."

While she has enjoyed all her classes, her favorite is Nonverbal Communication because of the large role it plays in overall communication. Being able to take some of her classes online has been beneficial since she has young children. However, she has also enjoyed being able to take some classes face to face, as these classes have provided her with a wealth of classroom discussion.

Tabitha says she values many aspects of being a student at Texas Tech, but the professors have been the biggest perk. She explained that their passion for the subjects they teach allows for a more enriched learning experience. She also appreciates the small class size and feels that it allows for a better learning experience.

She also mentioned that being a mom has influenced her as a student.

"There is a hard spot that I find myself in when I have to sacrifice time with my children to study or to work on a paper," she said. "At the same time, my children are watching me and taking in a unique sense of life. By going to school and sacrificing that time with them, they are also understanding that learning does not end when they get out of grade school. They are seeing that there is more to life than the traditional fairy tales that society has put in place for us. I hope they are gaining a desire to be curious about the world and then go out and find it. That hope is one aspect that pushes me to work hard at school and to finish."

After completing her undergraduate degree Tabitha plans to attend graduate school and eventually earn a Ph.D. in theology. Her career goal is to obtain a position as a religious director or to become a professor.