The meeting on Wednesday at Wilkes-Bare Area High School, where area women who have achieved success in various fields gathered, left a strong impression on us. They came to share their stories of hardship and victory with about 1,200 students in five separate sessions, serving as valuable examples of how to overcome challenges and stay focused on your goals.
So we don't mean any disrespect when we highlight the literal and metaphorical journey of one woman, a story first reported by the Times Leader in 2022.
Stacy McCarter joined the group of accomplished women at the Inspiring Careers Of NEPA (ICON) event as an autistic support teacher in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, and that role alone gives her valuable insight into many aspects of overcoming obstacles.
But Stacy’s background story could literally fill a book. This comes from the 2022 story about three women graduating from Misericordia University’s Women With Children program:
When faced with the possibility of losing the childcare that enabled her to keep her job and avoid eviction, Stacy McCarter discovered a program where mothers could earn a college degree while living rent-free in a place she had never heard of, 900 miles from her home in St. Louis.
Her pastor in St. Louis found out about the program through a brochure at a Mercy Center in Missouri and shared the information with her.
“I had never even heard of Dallas, Pa. I initially said no, thinking it was too far and that I wouldn't be able to start a new life without the people I knew. But there were three signs.”
Stacy owed $8,000 and was at risk of losing her daycare, but unexpectedly received a check in the mail that covered her debt. That was the first sign.
While attending a parade, she asked a person at a kiosk about the start time. The person, who was not from the area, told her, “ ‘Well, I don’t know, I’m not from here. I’m from Dallas, Pa.’ She asked me to consider this program. After the parade, I looked for her again, but she wasn’t there, and no one even knew the booth had been there.” That was the second sign.
Stacy returned home to fill out the application and noticed that mothers were allowed to bring no more than two children. She called her pastor to express her frustration about the false hope and considered finding someone else to care for her youngest child. “I thought, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and if I don’t take it I won’t make it.”
She called Misericordia, and the program director, Katherine Pohlidal, told her, “we just started accepting moms with three children. I dropped the phone.” That was the third sign.
“God paved the way for me.”
Stacy made the Dean’s List and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary and special education. Along with an array of volunteer work on her resume here and back home, she always wanted to work in a classroom. “Teaching is my passion.”
The Ruth Matthews Bourger Women With Children program at Misericordia provides free books and academic supplies for mothers and children, support in obtaining government subsidies, and free housing in group homes on campus.
But there’s something beyond the physical, visible aspects. In 2022, the three graduates mentioned the friendships they formed with other single mothers in a learning environment, the positive impact of their children seeing others their age in similar situations, and all the opportunities that parents and kids get to experience in the WWC setting, which they couldn't have while struggling to make ends meet before coming to Misericordia.
Stacy mentioned another advantage: "It's the safety," she stated at that time. "My safety and the safety of my kids. Because I was safe, I could be the student, and not the mom in crisis."
Now she is the mother working as a teacher, helping to improve the futures of not only her own children but all those in her classroom. And her success may be the most important lesson she can offer.
– Times Leader
