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Zariya Whitaker is one of three women graduating from The Gatehouse’s educational program, which helps support single mothers with the costs of living and child care while obtaining a college degree. (Courtesy photo | The Gatehouse)
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Zariya Whitaker remembers juggling the roles of being a high school student by day and caregiver by night. 

When she was a teen, Whitaker’s grandmother was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and moved in with her family. Since Whitaker’s parents both worked outside of the home, she remembers bathing, feeding and helping her grandmother move around the house. 

As a high school senior, Whitaker’s caregiving duties transferred to her mother, who was recovering from surgery. She remembers staying by her mother’s bedside, spending school nights at each hospital where her mom stayed. During these long nights, Whitaker said she became interested in nursing skills and eventually learned how to bandage her mom herself. 

“I started paying close attention to what the nurses were doing, and it was just so fascinating,” Whitaker said. “They saw my interest and eventually ended up teaching me how to do the wound care. So, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m probably gonna end up doing this.’”  

Through these experiences, Whitaker realized she wanted to become a nurse. She got into her top-choice college to study nursing. Soon after, however, her mental health started to decline. After she became pregnant with twins, she decided to move back in with her family and transfer to Texas Woman’s University, where she had to start over with her prerequisite courses. 

By this time, Whitaker was balancing a multitude of roles: student, full-time worker and mother of two. She remembers the stress of trying to make enough money to afford child care while also maintaining good grades.   

“All of the stress really made my depression much, much worse. So, at the start of nursing school, my mental health was the worst it had ever been,” Whitaker said. 

Whitaker remembers venting to a friend, who introduced her to The Gatehouse, a Christian nonprofit in Tarrant County that provides temporary assistance to women experiencing hardships such as unemployment, underemployment or abuse. 

Whitaker applied to the nonprofit’s education program, which launched in fall 2023 and offered housing, day care and a monthly stipend to single mothers seeking a college education. Whitaker was accepted and graduated from Texas Woman’s University in May with a nursing degree, making her one of the first three graduates from the nonprofit’s newest program. 

“It was just so surreal, actually finishing and walking across the stage,” she said. “I don’t know if I would have made it to graduation had I not been at The Gatehouse.”

Whitaker is one of many single mothers in the U.S. facing financial challenges with child care, housing and other costs of living while trying to further their education. The median cost of child care in Tarrant County last year was $11,369, or about $947 a month, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. 

Cost of living and time constraints can leave single mothers facing hard choices about their pursuit of higher education, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. About 28% of single mothers graduate with a degree or certificate within six years of enrollment, while 55% leave school before obtaining a degree. 

The Gatehouse was started as a way to fill in the gaps between living at a shelter and becoming self-sustaining, said Lisa Rose, founder of the nonprofit. 

“It was really a response to God’s call to love women in a practical way, especially those overcoming hardships that could be underemployment, domestic violence or divorce, and to serve them in a way that knocks down the barriers that keep them from the dignity of taking care of themselves,” Rose said. 

More than 700 single mothers and kids have lived at The Gatehouse since the nonprofit’s founding in 2015, according to the organization. 

Those accepted into the education program do not have to be Christian or a member of a particular faith, Rose said. Applicants must be students at the organization’s partner schools, such as the University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Woman’s University in Denton or Parker University in Dallas. 

Whitaker spent the summer completing her nursing certification before starting as a burn nurse at a local hospital in August. She can stay at The Gatehouse for six months after graduation to save money as she prepares to move. 

In the meantime, Whitaker said she is receiving guidance from her therapist and success coach through The Gatehouse. The nonprofit’s Sunflower Suppers community event has taught her the importance of building a support system. 

“We talk about the importance of community, building community inside of The Gatehouse, but also once we graduate and we have to find our own living space,” Whitaker said. “Even though we have different stories, just realizing that we all came here for a purpose, and we all have our own goals that we want to achieve. That was really special.” 

Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org or @marissaygreene. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.