New Documentary Chronicles How Single Mothers Overcome Structural Barriers to Find Fulfilling Careers

Costa Mesa, Calif., Nov. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Career exploration nonprofit Roadtrip Nation will premiere the new documentary film, “Roadtrip Nation: A Single Mom’s Story,” November 6, 2020, airing nationally on public television stations. The film follows three single mothers on their journeys to finding fulfilling and family-sustaining careers by pursuing postsecondary education and training. Supported by ECMC Foundation and presented by KQED, “A Single Mom’s Story” is also available to watch online at rtn.is/single-mothers.

The series follows Gabby, Kiera, and Maliaq, who are eager to explore how to find meaningful careers and navigate postsecondary success and travel across the country to talk with other single mothers who have found fulfilling work as microbiologists, professors, authors, artists, and more. Each roadtripper joined the trip with different interests: 

• Gabby is a Tarrant County College student from Hurst, Texas studying nursing and  wants to be a role model to her girls by showing them the importance of education. Three months after her first daughter was born, Gabby started as a drugstore cashier during the night shift and worked her way up to pharmacy technician. She is doing her best to figure out how to balance her family life, career, and schooling.
• Kiera is from High Point, North Carolina and on hiatus from school because of the pandemic. She’s become obsessed with geology and rocks of all kinds since starting community college. She has been told she cannot make a living from that interest, but she is undeterred. Her hope is to find a fulfilling career that provides a stable income and is secure enough to afford her plenty of time with her children.
• Maliaq is from Wasilla, Alaska and is currently a University of New Mexico student pursuing a computer science degree. She often feels like a misfit in her family since she is the only member without an advanced degree. She is eager to provide the best life possible for her son and wants them both to start thriving and not just surviving.

“For nearly two decades, Roadtrip Nation has been building a collection of career stories that others can see themselves in,” said Mike Marriner, president of Roadtrip Nation. “With this documentary, we’re highlighting different pathways to fulfilling careers that single moms have found. We hope single moms will see themselves in these three stories and feel inspired to explore different careers and find the path they feel fits them best.”

Throughout their journey, Gabby, Kiera, and Maliaq learn how to channel the strength and determination they have developed as they plot out their next moves in identifying the career path they want to embark on long term. The roadtrippers meet Amy Yeung, the founder of the clothing and apparel company Orenda Tribe; Felicia Rice, a microbiologist at the Mayo Clinic Hospital; and Sarah Centrella, an author, speaker, and life coach.

“We were excited to partner with Roadtrip Nation to amplify the stories and voices of single mothers who are pursuing higher education,” said Jennifer Zeisler, career readiness senior director, ECMC Foundation. “We know that one in 10 U.S. college students is a single mother, but just eight percent graduate on time. We hope stories like these will help shine a light on what could help single mothers succeed in school and as they find a fulfilling path in the workforce.”

Alongside the release, Roadtrip Nation will be streaming a live workshop series, Together We Thrive, for single mothers and their supporters, featuring conversations, resources, and inspiring stories. The event runs from November 16-20. Learn more and register to attend at  https://www.crowdcast.io/roadtripnation.

To learn more about “A Single Mom’s Story,” visit rtn.is/single-mothers.

You can also learn more about the film by following @RoadtripNation and @ECMCFoundation.

About Roadtrip Nation

Roadtrip Nation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that humanizes career exploration through story and empowers individuals to connect their interests to fulfilling lives and careers. Through its award-winning public television series, New York Times bestselling book “Roadmap,” and educational programs and tools that provide visibility and insights into career possibilities and pathways, Roadtrip Nation gives people from all backgrounds confidence and belief in their ability to persist through challenges and define success for themselves. Roadtrip Nation has been showcased at the United Nations Social Innovation Summit, Clinton Global Initiative, NBC Education Nation, TEDx, Talks at Google, SXSW, and the Harvard Social Enterprise Forum. For more information, visit roadtripnation.com.

About ECMC Foundation

ECMC Foundation is a Los Angeles-based, nationally focused foundation whose mission is to inspire and to facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomes—especially among underserved populations—through evidence-based innovation. It is one of several affiliates under the ECMC Group enterprise based in Minneapolis. ECMC Foundation makes investments in two focus areas: College Success and Career Readiness; and uses a spectrum of funding structures, including strategic grantmaking and program-related investments, to invest in both nonprofit and for-profit ventures. Working with grantees, partners and peers, ECMC Foundation’s vision is for all learners to unlock their fullest potential. Learn more about ECMC Foundation by visiting ecmcfoundation.org and ECMC Group by visiting ecmcgroup.org.

About KQED

KQED serves the people of Northern California with a public-supported alternative to commercial media. An NPR and PBS affiliate based in San Francisco, KQED is home to one of the most listened-to public radio stations in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services and an award-winning education program helping students and educators thrive in 21st-century classrooms. A trusted news source and leader and innovator in interactive technology, KQED takes people of all ages on journeys of exploration — exposing them to new people, places and ideas. www.kqed.org

About APT

American Public Television (APT) is the leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s public television stations. For more than 10 years, APT has annually distributed one-third or more of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. Founded in 1961, among its 250 new program titles per year, APT programs include prominent documentaries, performance, news and current affairs programs, dramas, how-to programs, children’s series and classic movies. “America’s Test Kitchen From Cook’s Illustrated,” “Cook’s Country,” “AfroPoP,” “Rick Steves’ Europe,” “Chris Kimball’s Milk Street Television,” “Front and Center,” “Doc Martin,” “Nightly Business Report,” “Midsomer Murders,” “A Place to Call Home,” “Lidia’s Kitchen,” “Globe Trekker,” “New Orleans Cooking with Kevin Belton,” “Simply Ming,” and “P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home” are a sampling of APT’s programs, considered some of the most popular on public television APT licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service. Entering its 13th year, Create®TV — featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming — is distributed by American Public Television. APT also distributes WORLDTM, public television’s premier news, science and documentary channel. To find out more about APT’s programs and services, visit APTonline.org.

Mark Fewell
Roadtrip Nation
(949) 764-9121
[email protected]