Tosha Jones, a mother of two, says overcoming obstacles in her life has opened doors to an exciting and bright tomorrow. She has been awarded an Ashford University full-tuition scholarship as a part of Project Working Mom. 

To earn the scholarship, Jones submitted an essay about her higher education aspirations. Her entry was selected out of more than 12,000 Ashford University applicants to the Project Working Mom scholarship program, developed by eLearners.com, a Web resource of EducationDynamics. Ashford University awarded 10 full-tuition scholarships.

Jones, whose mother and father were heavily involved in drugs and physically and emotionally abusive, left home at the age of 16 to be with people whom she thought deeply cared for her. "I managed to survive by drifting in and out of people's homes, often sleeping in crack houses with drug users. I wanted to feel love so badly that I tried to be what they wanted me to be, losing myself in the process," Jones said.

"Then, at 18, I met a man unlike any other I had ever known. He had a positive outlook on life, and believed that I was a good person who was capable of anything. He never tried to change me or put me down like the other men I had been involved with." After three years of being together, the couple found out they were expecting. "I had never felt such an overwhelming sense of love, as well as responsibility," Jones emphasized. 

In her essay, she wrote, "Earning an online degree will make me a better mother by putting me in a position to have more power over my own life. Through this power, my children will be able to see that they can do anything they put their minds to, no matter the circumstances." 

She is currently attending Ashford University to obtain a bachelor's degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. 

Ashford University is one of eight accredited online institutions donating more than 280 full-tuition scholarships worth nearly $5 million to the Project Working Mom campaign in 2010. 

Applications are now being accepted for the final round of Project Working Mom 2010; the deadline is Sept. 15. Applicants must complete a short application at www.projectworkingmom.com and write an essay describing how they will benefit from a college education. Winning applicants will be notified in October.   

About Ashford University

Founded in 1918, Ashford University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahlc.org).  The University offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs online and at its Clinton, Iowa, campus. The University is known for its high quality yet highly affordable online and on-campus programs. For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, associate vice president of Public Relations, at 858.513.9240 x2513.