Lorraine Mellendorf-Oxley, who teaches foreign students to speak English, has been awarded an Ashford University full-tuition scholarship as a part of Project Working Mom. 

To earn the scholarship, Mellendorf-Oxley 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. 

Mellendorf-Oxley, 47, is a full-time, year-round educator who plans to earn a master's degree in English as a second language. She wants to learn more strategies to help her students succeed in school so that they can succeed in life. "They face the almost impossible challenge of learning subject areas like Science and Social Studies in a language that is foreign to them -- English," she said. 

"Most of my students come from Haiti, Nicaragua, Cuba, Honduras and various countries of what was once the Soviet Union. They face so much adversity, but I want them to know that adversity is just life's way of challenging them to work hard for their dreams. I want them to see that higher education is the average person's only avenue to prosperity in this country. 

"In addition to earning my master's degree, I will be learning French and Spanish," the linguist said. "It is important to lead by example, so I am doing this to demonstrate to my students that I understand the challenges of learning a foreign language and the vulnerability of communicating with native speakers." 

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.