For these Chicago moms, college scholarships for their kids meant a scholarship for them too: ‘It’s never too late’

Lara Romero vividly remembers the first time she attended college nearly two decades ago, having just given birth to her first child, Salvatore, soon after graduating high school. It took Romero nearly a decade to finish the two-year associate’s program at City Colleges of Chicago.

Those 10 years were plagued with stress about the cost, pressure to prioritize motherhood and long days without a babysitter. Some days, she brought Salvatore to class and asked a professor to watch him while she took notes.