Stay-at-home mom ready to seek her career goal

Jennifer Chesser

For busy, full-time mom Jennifer Chesser, of Cheyenne, Wyo., her recent win of a CSU Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship will allow her to make time and space for her career goals.

“I have always instilled the importance of having some type of post-high school education to my children. And while I have always had the goal of achieving my education and starting my career, my first priority has always been taking care of my family,” said the mother of three.

The Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship, which honors the spouses and children of active-duty public safety personnel (firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMTs and dispatchers) and military men and women, covers tuition for up to 24 months for one specific online degree program with CSU. The scholarship is awarded six times a year to two individuals each time.

“I supported my husband through his twenty years of active-duty service in the USAF and his current career in civil service fire protection,” said the 40-year-old Chesser, whose spouse is F.E. Warren Air Force Base Assistant Fire Chief Greg Chesser. He is also a graduate and current student at CSU.

“Insuring my children were instilled with good personal and family values, I chose to be a stay-at-home mom. Now that the children have grown, with our two sons now in the Air Force and our daughter starting nursing school next fall, I would like to fulfill my dreams of having an education,” said Chesser, who has been a stay-at-home mom for the past 10 years.

She said she wants to pursue a bachelor’s degree in human resource management at the online university.

“We looked at the program and thought it would be great to have something like this to help jumpstart my career goals after this year with our last child graduating high school,” said Chesser. “My experiences in both customer service and employee training led me directly to the HR field. An HRM degree opens up a vast array of career opportunities that I know I can succeed in.”

To learn more about the Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship, please call 888-785-3006 or send an email to hero@columbiasouthern.edu