Kateija Moore, a mother who is motivated by her two children to succeed, has been awarded an Ashford University full-tuition scholarship as a part of Project Working Mom. 

To earn the scholarship, Moore 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. 

Moore, 29, who left high school at 17 years old after learning she was pregnant, began working a full-time job before having the chance to graduate from high school. She later earned her GED and began attending a local technical college for Medical Assisting. "Life was very hectic at that time," Moore said. "I worked full-time in the day and went to school in the evenings." 

"Daycare and friends raised my son for the first year of his life and eventually, I couldn't take it any longer. I had to eliminate my job or school, and I chose school. It was a tough decision as I only had two months left to obtain my Medical Assisting certificate, but I needed to be there for my son." 

A few years later, she received a job with a health services company. During her six years with the company, she applied for many different positions within the company, but found she needed a degree to qualify. 

In her essay, Moore wrote, "After seven interviews and seven disappointing results, I decided that I needed to go back to school in order to advance within the company and have a better financial future for my family. Online education has made this opportunity possible." 

She is currently attending Ashford University to obtain a bachelor's degree in Sociology.

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.

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.