Student Spotlight–Cynthia Roper and Lindsey Mulholland
Cynthia Roper
This month the spotlight is on Cynthia Roper and Lindsey Mulholland. Both students are pursuing a Bachelor of Science with a major in Maternal & Child Health: Human Lactation degree. With August being National Breastfeeding Month it seemed only fitting to spotlight these two students and find out why they chose UI&U in the Q&A below.
Q. What do you plan to do with your degree?
A. Cynthia – Once I earn my Bachelors of Science degree in Maternal Child Health and Human Lactation, I plan to sit for the exam to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Next I plan on starting my own lactation consultant practice so that I can help mothers have the best breastfeeding journey possible. Lastly, I believe this will also be a great start to my ultimate goal of becoming a midwife.
Lindsey – I am currently working in a pediatrician’s office as a Licensed Practical Nurse and we currently do not have an IBCLC working in our office. I think it is so important to have one in every pediatrician’s office for those first few weight checks when women need the most help and encouragement. I hope to become the IBCLC for our office and make a difference in these new families lives.
Q. What led you to this program?
A. Cynthia – My passion for breastfeeding started when I had my son. We had a very rough start and received a lot of misinformation that was misguiding and not supported by the latest research. I also did not have the support that is so important when starting out. I wanted to make sure that no other mom went through what I went through. That is when I knew that being a lactation consultant was what I needed to do. I started researching the best program to prepare me. Being a stay at home mother of two with a part-time job I also needed it to be online. I found this program and it was a perfect fit.
Lindsey – When I became pregnant with my daughter, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed but did not know much about it. Nobody in my family or close to me had every breastfed before, so I really had to do my own research. Our breastfeeding journey was amazing and it just gave me such an inspiration to be able to help others have the same experience that I did.
Q. Why did you choose Union for your studies?
A. Cynthia – There was not an abundance of options for what I wanted to study at the time I was researching which school would best fit me. After looking into the course layout, reading several reviews, and reading about the long successful history of Union Institute and University, I knew that Union was the school for me. I have been attending full-time for two years now and I am confident I made the right choice.
Lindsey – I chose Union for my studies because I heard of the school through a breastfeeding Facebook group. I read some reviews and made my decision to join this awesome program. I was excited that I could do most of it online, but also really enjoyed the hands on workshops that I did through the Healthy Children’s project.
Q. If you could give a piece of advice to your 20 something, what would it be?
A. Cynthia – My advice is to go for it. There are always going to be hurdles but you can still achieve all your dreams with a little perseverance and determination.
Lindsey – If I am understanding this correctly, what would I tell myself at 20? I would tell myself to keep following your heart and things do happen in due time. I always thought I wanted to be a nurse and I do love the field and I love working in pediatrics, but working with a mom and baby and helping a mom feel so empowered on what she is doing for her child is so amazing.
Q. Who has influenced you the most in your life, and how have they influenced you?
A. Cynthia – My mother has been my biggest influence. She faced a lot of hard times but has never let anything stop her. She taught me that hard work is important and that dreams are worth chasing. She also instilled in me the value of family and what it means to have morals.
Lindsey – I would have to say a lot of my motivation stems from my husband. I got married at the young age of 18 and moved away with my husband who is in the military. I had never lived away from home let alone in another state. We had to lean on each other in order to make it. He was able to push me to go to school and get my nursing degree. He has also always supported my dreams and has done everything to help me get there. Growing up I didn’t see it much but now I do, my parents worked really hard to support our family and give us everything that they could. They also have helped me get to where I am today.[vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″]
Lindsey Mulholland
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