Balancing a full-time teaching position, parenting and full-time college coursework is no simple task, but for SUNY Oswego alumna Maiya White ’26, those demands are part of her everyday life in Syracuse and part of what led her to SUNY Oswego at Syracuse. The challenge has helped clarify both her purpose and her next step.
White, who lives and works in Syracuse, recently earned her degree in human development while leaning toward child-focused work. She began her journey at SUNY Oswego using a hybrid schedule taking two in-person classes per semester at SUNY Oswego at Syracuse before shifting to fully online coursework for flexibility.
From classroom experience to future impact
As a sixth- and seventh-grade social studies teacher, White said the realities of classroom life shaped her long-term goals. She loves teaching, she said, but she is increasingly drawn to work that supports children and families before issues escalate in school.
“There are so many issues I see in the classroom that could be addressed earlier at home,” she said. “A lot of the work needs to happen before the classroom.”
Before enrolling at Oswego, White saw her role primarily within the classroom. Now, she is thinking more broadly about how to support children and families beyond it.
Her interest in that path is reflected in her academic choices. In addition to her major, White is completing two minors: criminal justice and child advocacy. She said one of her most meaningful courses explored family dynamics and what it means to define family beyond traditional structures. Another standout experience, she said, came through a juvenile justice course taught by professor Ian Grugan, who she described as passionate and engaging.
“He made you want to learn more about it,” she said. “That is one class that I remember a lot of information about.”
Support, flexibility and affordability
White said SUNY Oswego has been supportive of adult learners, particularly through advising and flexible problem-solving. She appreciates working with advisors Lisa Brancato and Melissa Simone to navigate requirements like service learning and internships, noting that prior experience helped her meet expectations without taking on an additional unpaid time commitment in her final semester.
“Anything we can do to help you be successful, we’re going to do that,” she said her program staff told her. “You’re the type of people we want in the program.”
Affordability also played a major role in her decision to attend Oswego. She said she considered a private university option, but the cost felt unrealistic as a working parent. “I definitely needed to pick something that’s affordable,” she said, adding that financial aid covered her Oswego coursework, making it possible to earn her degree without taking on additional student debt. That flexibility made the downtown Clinton Square location a practical option as she balanced work, family and school.
“Being able to take classes in Syracuse made everything more manageable for me,” she said. “I could balance work, family and school without falling behind.”
“I definitely needed to pick something that’s affordable.”
Finding connection in her own way
Like many nontraditional students, White said she has built her Oswego connection in ways that fit her life. She said her most meaningful campus experience was participating in the Welcoming Torchlight Ceremony, which helped her feel part of the community from the start. She returned for the Commencement Eve Torchlight Ceremony in May.
“In that moment, I just felt like I was part of the school community,” she said. “I was able to start it here, and now I’m going to go back and finish it.”
Structure, support and resilience
White said she approaches school the same way she approaches teaching: with structure, consistency and a focus on what matters most. When fully online coursework initially overwhelmed her schedule, she created a two-hour daily system, using a timer to protect time for both school and family.
“I developed a system where I would give myself two hours a day,” she said. “Once that timer went off, whatever did not get finished that day was carried over to the next day.”
At home, she said her partner of nearly 11 years has been a steady support, especially during stressful stretches. Her 8-year-old daughter cheers her on, White said, even if she sometimes wishes homework would end sooner.
Driven by something bigger
For White, the drive to finish her degree is deeply personal. She became a mother at 17 years old and said she has always been determined not to let that define the limits of her future.
“I refuse to let that define me,” she said. That mindset continues to shape how she shows up for her daughter, her students and her future. “Now I’m not only responsible for myself, but I’m responsible for a whole other child.”
White is driven, outspoken and passionate, traits she says show up in her own classroom too. Teaching in the district where she grew up, White said, feels like a full-circle moment and reinforces her commitment to helping students see beyond what they assume is possible.
“There’s a whole world of opportunities beyond Syracuse,” she said. “There are so many possibilities out there if you just take the chance.”
“There are so many possibilities out there if you just take the chance.”
Looking ahead
After graduation, White plans to take a year to reflect before committing to a graduate program. She said she is considering SUNY Oswego for a master’s degree if she finds a program that fits her broader interests.
“Sometimes you just go through life and it gets so busy that you don’t really sit back and think,” she said. “This caused me to reflect.”
As she looks ahead, White remains focused on creating impact beyond the classroom, building on the foundation she developed through SUNY Oswego at Syracuse and continuing to support the next generation of students and families.
— Written by Cristina Kaplan, Class of 2026
