News Releases

NJCU Sophomore La-Trenda Ross Featured in Book on Life as a Single Mother

La -Trenda Ross, a sophomore majoring in psychology at New Jersey City University, is among the 47 single mothers whose stories are featured in Life As A Single Mom: It Isn’t Easy, Or Is It? by Stephanie M. Clark, founder and chief executive officer of My Daughter’s Keeper, Inc. (MDK), a national educational and self-development non-profit organization.

Published in October by MDK Media, Inc., a subsidiary of MDK, the non-fiction paperback provides practical steps for achieving success as a single mom and features the stories of 46 single mothers from throughout the United States, including 32 from New Jersey, as well as one from Australia. The book also contains a chapter for single mothers or those at risk of becoming single parents.

Proceeds from the book will benefit “A Hand Up” fund, which offers temporary financial assistance to single mothers in emergency situations.

A native of Jersey City who resides in Hoboken, Ms. Ross has been a case manager at the Urban League of Hudson County for the past eight years.

Ms. Ross was a welfare recipient and the mother of two daughters, the first of which she had at age 18, when she enrolled in New Jersey’s first Alternative Work Experience Program and began classes at Hudson County Community College, earning an associate’s degree in human services in 2004. As an HCCC student, she was the recipient of the Alfred and Antoinette Golden Scholarship and served as evening representative for the Student Government Association. She served as alumni representative on the HCCC Board of Trustees, 2004-2005.

Currently pursuing a bachelor of science degree at New Jersey City University, Ms. Ross is a member of the University’s The Learning Communities Program. She recently completed a one-year term as chair of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education Student Advisory Committee on which she had served since 2005.

Ms. Ross plans to become a high school or college counselor and maintain her own practice and social services organization.

Ms. Ross’ daughters are now 25 and 19 years old and she has a six-year-old grandson.

Founded in 2002 and based in New Jersey, MDK empowers, educates, and enhances the quality of life for single mothers. Over the past five years, MDK has served more than 1,200 mothers and daughters throughout the tri-state area, including more than 500 female teenagers and approximately 30 formerly incarcerated women.

News releases by Ellen Wayman-Gordon, and Kelly Resch, Office of Public Information.