The Moms Aren’t Struggling. We’re Building Something.
I had always known that I wanted to earn an MBA from a top program. Then life happened. A pandemic, a baby, and suddenly that dream was put on pause.
When my son turned two, I decided it was time to press play again. I started studying for the GRE during nap time, researching healthcare-focused programs after bedtime, and asking a new question alongside rankings and concentrations: “How am I going to balance this?”
This parenting piece was the kicker. As I spoke with students at other schools, I noticed something: there were almost no moms to be found. On two separate occasions, I was told, “The moms are really struggling.”
I remember hearing that over Zoom and forcing my face to stay neutral. I nodded. I thanked them for their honesty. Then I closed my laptop and just sat there for a minute.
That night, my husband and I had one of those unfiltered conversations where we asked each other what we would need from each other to make this work.
Then I talked to a student ambassador at the Ross School of Business.
Instead of warnings, I heard, “That’s so great that you’re a mom. I know a few moms in the Full-Time Program. They actually started a club.”
Soon after, I connected with Latrece Williams, MBA ’24, and Jillian Brown, MBA/MS ’24, the founding members of MoMBAs. They did not sugarcoat the challenges, but they also did not frame motherhood as a liability. They talked about childcare resources, financial aid, community dinners, and group chats during finals week. For the first time in my search process, I did not feel like an exception.
Finding that network was not just a bonus. It was the reason I chose Michigan Ross, and more importantly, why I chose Ross for my family.
Through MoMBAs, I found infrastructure: a shared spreadsheet of daycares with pricing and notes; guidance on applying for financial aid that has helped cover more than $17,000 in childcare costs over the past two years. I connected with CEW+ and received scholarship support for my education and my son’s care as well.
I leaned on that community when my husband transitioned to a new job in Ann Arbor, and when I boarded a plane to Kenya for nine days for my Multidisciplinary Action Project. And then again, when I left for 10 weeks to go to Denver for my summer internship. Getting on that plane for the summer was heavy. I was crying through security, turning back again and again to wave goodbye. My son, somehow, was the brave one.
Yes, this experience has been demanding. There have been tears in airport security lines and late nights with case prep after bedtime. But what I have seen at Ross is not quiet suffering. I have seen mothers building infrastructure. Building community. Building policy conversations. Building careers.
The moms are not disappearing. We are not barely surviving. We are building something.
Laura is the co-president of MoMBAs and is graduating in May from the Full-Time MBA Program.
