Moms receive full scholarships for online degrees

Three women receive full-tuition scholarships through Project Working Mom

Three women have received full-tuition, online college scholarships through Project Working Mom 2010, a full-tuition scholarship program that offers parents a second chance at higher education.

Vanessa Baker of Grampian, Pennsylvania, Celeste Chappell-Bates of Lewis Center, Ohio and Jamie Harrington of Richlands, North Carolina each completed essays describing their goals, why education is important to them and past instances of triumph over adversity in order to apply for the scholarships.

They were surprised to learn that they were granted the scholarships during a taping of the Tyra Show.

"When I found out I won it was such an amazing feeling and such a relief," said scholarship recipient Jamie Harrington. "My oldest son is getting ready to go to college in the fall, so I really didn't know how or when I was going to be able to start myself. This is something I've always wanted to do and now I can."

Project Working Mom was created by eLearners.com, a web resource of EducationDynamics, which connects prospective students with online classes.

The Project Working Mom programs have generated more than 500,000 applications from moms and dads hoping to go back to school online. The programs have already awarded approximately $6 million in full-tuition scholarships.