Carmen, who graduated as a registered nurse, worked for several years in one of the local hospitals before she developed a degenerative back disease. She returned to college to obtain a degree in Psychology. Carmen has two teenage daughters attending high school with plans to also attend college. As a single mother, she presently holds a full time job as secretary in a nursery school but does not earn enough income to cover college expenses. Carmen lives in a tiny concrete home with her mother, younger sister and two daughters. Only quiet space to study and do homework is sitting in a small alley behind the house.