Following the loss of both parents, Ashley Rich left Georgia and moved more than 800 miles to New Jersey with her two young children.
Amid the uncertainty of the pandemic, she didn’t know how she would rebuild her life in Salem County.
Now, at age 39, Rich is set to become a nurse. She will be the first in her family to graduate from college, with the help of a unique grant program for New Jersey students.
“I’m fulfilled. To know that if I can do it, despite all the losses I’ve been through, anyone can,” Rich said.
“And I have little people I have to take care of, but honestly, they take care of me,” she added.
This month, Rich earned her practical nursing certificate from Salem Community College. And by this time next year, she’ll graduate with an associate degree in applied science, on track to become a registered nurse.
Rich was recently honored at an awards ceremony on Rutgers University’s New Brunswick’s campus recognizing students in the state’s Educational Opportunity Fund program, or EOF.
Across New Jersey, 12,800 students have pursued higher education through EOF, which supports low-income and first-generation students by providing academic assistance, social services and financial aid at 42 colleges and universities.
Undergraduate grants range from $200 annually to $3,050 annually depending on the type of institution and financial need, according to the state Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. Graduate students can get $200 to $4,900 annually.
Ashley Rich, of Penns Grove, and her two young children.Ashley Rich
EOF students can get the grants on top of other federal and state financial aid.
For the upcoming year, the program’s family income limits range from $30,120 for a single person to $105,440 for a family of eight. Students apply through their college.
Rich said her accomplishments did not come without personal hardship and grief.
In October 2021, Rich learned her mother had stage 4 cancer, which she had kept hidden from the family. Her mother died a month later, and seven months after that, her father died, she said.
Shortly after losing both parents, she made a permanent move to Penns Grove with her 6-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son.
Coming from a corporate background, Rich had no prior experience in healthcare. But the poor treatment her mother received during her final days inspired her to pursue nursing.
Returning to school alongside classmates half her age was intimidating, Rich said. At one point, she even asked herself, “Am I having a midlife crisis?”
But what kept her going was her children and wanting to show them that it could be done, she said.
At times, it felt like her children were the ones taking care of her — quietly coming in while she studied, closing the door, and bringing her water and snacks, she said.
One day, hungry on campus, Rich came across the Educational Opportunity Fund’s program while passing by a room offering free food. She later accessed the program’s mental health partnership, which connected her with a therapist who helped her cope with the loss of her parents.
“They just welcomed me with open arms and gave me the support I needed, like an extension of family,” Rich said. “I needed it, because other than my two kids and a few friends, I had no one here.”
Along with support services, EOF helped cover part of Rich’s tuition, as well as the testing and background checks required for nursing, she said.
After graduating from Salem County Community College, Rich plans to continue her education and pursue a bachelor’s degree — and eventually, a master’s, she said.
“I don’t want to stop. I just want to keep going,” Rich said.
Stories by Nyah Marshall
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