How was your life as a child? I feel that I had an average childhood my Mother and Father divorced when I was 5. I lived with my Mother and Brother and my mom remarried when I was 6. Both my parents worked. My mom was very into her career and was very successful and moved her way up into management. I was very active at school in sports and extra activities.
Do you feel that you being a woman in today's society ,do you have limits or holds you back in anyway.?
I feel that the jobs that I have chosen I have been able to succeed and move my way up. In my Advertising Sales job at the Kalamazoo Gazette I was able to succeed and be very successful at my sales. I never felt like being a woman was holding me back from succeeding. My sales numbers were very high and was recognized for the sales numbers and so were many of my other women coworkers.
If you had to think of the 2 greatest accomp;ishments in your life what would that be?
Being able to raise my children on my own as a working single mother. Being able to provide for them on my own and give them the financial support and loving support that they have needed. Having them grow into young adults and seeing them go out and get jobs and start college. And see them reach for their goals.
Any Regrets.
One regret was not finishing college and getting my 4 year degree. Finished with an associates and would still one day like to go back and get the Bachelors.
Do you have any future plans that you would like to do?
I would like to be able to take all 3 of my kids on a cruise when they are all done with College and celebrate.
Before your children what were your plans?
I had gone to school for Travel and Tourism and I had a Associates in Travel and Tourism. I graduated and was hired at a Travel Agency. My goal was to work my way up and one day own my own Travel Agency. I then got married and had my kids and then was divorced. So I was not able to accomplish that.
How important is education to me.
Very. Very Important. I wish that I would of taken it more serious at a young age. I went to KVCC for a year could not decide what I wanted to do and then decided to go out of state to a Travel and Tourism program .Earned my associates in Travel and Tourism and graduated and found a Travel agency job that I loved and worked at for 15 years. Then I had some changes in my life moved and found my Advertising job. I feel that if I would of pursued my education that I could get farther in my career and have more opportunity. I stress to my kids all the time please take classes and get your degree in something it is so important. It is never to late to go back. It is just harder you find yourself with more responsibility as you get older and harder to go back and accomplish what you want.
William Hampton
William.l.hampton@wmich.edu
William,
ReplyDeleteThe part of your interview that hit me the hardest was the part where Karen said her mom was a single parent and was able to do it on her own. I too grew up in a single parent household. But with one difference. It was not my mom who raised my brother and me, it was my Dad. I know at some points in our life it was difficult being a single working parent. But my Dad had a great support system in our family and Karen must have also. And I hope that Karen does go back for her bachelors. She is right it is never too late to go back. You can always make excuses as to why but what about why not?
Karen seems to be a very strong woman. She definitely had a vision and set out to do what was best for her while ignoring limitations. She never let being a single mother slow her down, and I feel like the path that she saw her mother take may have something to do with it. Her love and care for her family is very apparent. She wants what is best for kids and wants them to learn from her regret of not finishing college. I hope Karen gets the opportunity to get her Bachelor degree in the future.
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