Students Balance Work, College and Parenting

Community colleges can be a great stepping stone for students graduating high school. They can also be a pathway for parents to continue their education after high school or return to college. 

Bismarck State College is one of these schools, allowing parents flexibility surrounding their busy schedule. But balancing schoolwork, a job, and raising children can be a huge feat — one that three mothers, each with their own story, have taken on. 

Mengqi’s Story

Mengqi Ni is a BSC Student studying accounting. She is also a parent. 

Mengqi has three children, aged eight, six, and two, and she works at the Chinatown Buffet as a cashier with her husband. Her weekdays consist of parenting, school, and work. She starts her days early to prepare breakfast for her children before dropping them off at school and day care. She goes from one role to the next, taking on the title of “student” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“After that I'm going to work, like from 1 to 9,” Mengqi said. “Sometimes, around two to three, it [isn’t] busy, so if I have time, I will do my homework — like reading, a lot of reading.” 

Mengqi added that she does not have time for too many social activities as her daily schedule is full.

Mengqi was 19 when she had her first daughter, and she did not have a college education at that time. She decided to attend college after her second daughter was born. As her children began to ask her questions that she didn’t know how to explain, she realized she needed to study.

“I want to be a [role] model, a great model for my kids,” Mengqi said.

Mengqi is originally from China, and English is her second language. Her children, meanwhile, do not speak Mandarin. For Mengqi, language is very important. Before attending college, she worked toward her General Educational Development test and spent nights studying while her children were asleep. She passed all three courses but found the reading and essay writing aspects to be the most difficult. After a few months, she passed the final course and earned her GED. Soon after, she had her son, George. When George was six months old, Mengqi decided that she could go to college and learn something new. 

“This is a great improvement [for] my life, because I can speak pretty well right now,” Mengqi said.

While Mengqi studies accounting, she also expands her knowledge of language through Spanish classes. She explained she is taking Spanish classes to adopt diversity.

“In my workplace, some of the people are Spanish speakers,” Mengqi said. “They don't speak English at all. And it's hard to communicate with them. So if I can speak Spanish, we will have a better way of communicating. Then I will know what they [are] talking about, and [I can] explain better.”

Mengqi will graduate in May with a degree in accounting as this is her last year at BSC. She has studied for one and a half years, using her summers to get ahead on schoolwork.

“I kind of lose all my time for myself, but I do really enjoy staying with [my] kids and studying,” Mengqi said. “And some tips before doing my assignment homework — I will make sure everything is done for my kids. The kids are asleep. My house is clean, organized. So when I can focus on my homework, I don't have to worry about other things. And you do need your personal space, like to find somewhere quiet. Don't be interrupted by other stuff.”

Mengqi’s dedication to her schoolwork has been celebrated through her honors in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Megan’s Story

Megan Olson is a BSC Student studying business management, but she plans to switch to the four-year organizational behavior and leadership program. Megan returned to school 25 years after graduating from Century High School and balances her studies with parenting her 10-year-old son.

“I decided to come back to school because, well, knowledge is freedom, right?” Megan said. “And I want to show my son what a little hard work and effort can do for our future.”

Megan is a single mom and has worked numerous jobs. She explained that the biggest problem was that, every time she left a job, she would start over from the ground up. 

“Just with the way the world is now, I don't think just going into the workforce is the best bet anymore,” Megan said. “Something that will provide more stability and again, like I said, to show my son what a little bit of hard work and effort can provide for us.”

Although Megan dedicates her time to school and work, she makes sure to set aside time for her son and her studies. During the weekends, she spends more time with her son, explaining that it is both her free time and his. Of course, she keeps her schedule flexible when it comes to spending quality time with her son.

“[It’s] knowing when to put the homework down and just do the thing — you know, like on a beautiful day—a bike ride,” Megan said with a laugh. 

Megan noted that parenting can be a challenge in itself, and there is no specific right or wrong way to parent. She added that the same goes for school, where she spent a year in a different program but realized it was not working out. 

“Knowing when to cut your losses, right, and say, you know, ‘let's just move on’ and just navigating parenthood in and of itself is such a unique situation,” Megan said.

Through her experience balancing parenting and her studies, Megan said she learned that having a community and support system can be a person’s biggest asset.

“Building your community [and] knowing who you can rely on for those times when you need to cram for a test or you need some extra time — asking for help isn't as big of a deal as it seems like it is,” Megan said. “Because that is probably the hardest thing to do for anyone, no matter whether you're a parent or not, asking for help is so hard. But it's so useful.”

As the year goes on, Megan continues to stay involved at BSC, working a job at the BSC Bookstore, which she plans to continue over the summer.

Shelly’s Story

Shelly Whitley is a BSC Student studying power process technology. Born and raised in Indonesia, Shelly travelled the world before meeting her now-husband through online dating. Shelly has a daughter with autism named Ivy and is completing her BSC degree online. Shelly’s husband encouraged her to continue her education, although she already had a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.

“We talked a lot about my future, because my husband is almost retired,” Shelly said. “So I was like, ‘oh, okay. What about if I work as a business administrator somewhere like admin or something’ and then he’s like, ‘I don't think you make money as much as if you work at a power plant.’ So I was like, like, ‘how? I don't have any degree for that.’”

This led Shelly to pursue her degree online, which allows her to be with her daughter while also avoiding traveling costs, because she is from Beulah.

One of the biggest motivations for Shelly is a desire to leave her comfort zone and take on a challenge. Science classes are a staple of the power process technology degree, which Shelly emphasized is quite different from what she previously learned.

“I want to prove to my daughter,” Shelly said. “Even though she’s special needs, she needs a lot of attention from the parents, but at least I can make her proud that, ‘okay, my mom, like, went through the difficult things and then she could work at [a] power plant.’” 

Shelly was nominated for the Phi Theta Kappa All North Dakota Academic Team. She attended the awards ceremony in Williston on April 16, 2026 and was recognized for her dedication to both parenting and her studies.

“I felt so proud and, being a mom, even though it's really hard … I prove to myself, I prove to everybody, that even though [I’m] a mother with a special needs kid, I mean, [I] made it … people around me underestimate me because I'm an immigrant,” Shelly said. “And then, [I’m] like, ‘okay, I'll prove to you.’ And then I prove to everybody … I can do it. You know, it doesn't matter your status.”

Shelly added that she is the only female student out of 20 male students in her class. As she only takes online classes, she has not met her classmates and spends time studying on her own. Still, she finds support in her husband and her parents, who encourage her from afar.

“I'm very grateful for what I've done,” Shelly said with a smile.

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