Family Values

  Photos by JENNIFER YUEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Jackelyn Alva reads to her 3-year-old son,
Anthony, before dropping him off at the Bellagio
Center, which provides child care for the UCLA community.
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By Marjorie Hernandez
Daily Bruin Reporter

When the clock hits 6:30 a.m., second-year molecular biology
graduate student Jackelyn Alva prepares herself for another busy
day.

But instead of getting ready and rushing out the door from her
University Village apartment like other students, Alva, 27, must
first take care of her two most important companions ““ sons
Angel and Anthony.

Alva, who currently researches the molecular development of
blood vessels, juggles the role of single mother and student,
leaving little opportunity for free time.

“From the morning, my day is stressful. It’s hard to
relax,” Alva said. “Sometimes I get frustrated because
I am a single parent. But I knew that I really wanted to go to
school and I really wanted a career.”

Her decision to pursue her education while raising children has
been a daily challenge for Alva. As she prepares breakfast for
9-year-old Angel and dresses 3-year-old Anthony, Alva begins her
day in high gear.

With little time to spare, she drives Angel to his elementary
school and then rushes off to the Bellagio Center, one of the
university’s three child care services, where Anthony spends
his day.

As a low-income, single mother and student, Alva receives grants
that help out with the cost of child care. The center’s close
proximity and qualified staff make Alva comfortable leaving her son
there for the day.

Once in the center, Alva takes time to cuddle and read to
Anthony, who is not always willing to let his mother leave.

“It makes it hard because I have to go to lab and he
starts crying,” Alva said. “But I have to say good-bye
so I can start my day.”

As Anthony reluctantly slips his arms away from his
mother’s embrace, Alva turns to the door, switching from
mommy-mode to student.

With few minutes to spare, Alva dashes to the Molecular Biology
Institute conference room, where she holds office hours as a
teaching assistant for a molecular, cell and developmental biology
class.

  Alva is a teaching assistant for Biology
138. Here, she teaches her third discussion class of the day. Alva
is required to teach supplement sessions as well as attend class
lecture.

“I think she is friendly and very approachable and she
knows her stuff,” said third-year biology student Manar
Chaaban, who visited Alva during last Monday’s office
hours.

“Some TAs would just tell you, “˜Oh, this is just a
technique. You don’t need to go into detail.’ But she
was actually showing and telling me,” Chaaban continued.

Alva’s busy schedule continues as she enters the lab where
she prepares for her experiments, future presentations and papers.
Despite her numerous responsibilities, Alva attributes her daily
accomplishments to careful planning and time management.

And her colleagues agree.

“Having kids really forces you to be organized, to think
ahead, and to be focused,” said lab principal investigator
and associate professor of molecular, cell and developmental
biology, Luisa Iruela-Arispe. “That is a tremendous advantage
and Jackie came with those skills because she is a mom.”

But the road to graduate school for Alva was not always a smooth
one. A single parent at 17, Alva decided that she would continue
her educational goals at UCLA.

The fear and uncertainty concerning her double role as a mother
and student initially worried Alva.

“I was so scared to start at UCLA,” she said.
“In the orientation they said, “˜Look around you. The
person sitting next to you will not be there in a year.’ I
thought to myself, “˜How am I going to go to college and have
a kid?’ But I had to try.”

Determined to accomplish her goals, Alva graduated summa cum
laude in 1998 with a degree in cell and molecular biology.

She also received the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the
National Science Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowships, prestigious
awards that fund Alva’s research and living expenses.

Alva attributes her success not only to her own determination,
but also the support she receives from her family.

Two days out of the week, family members or the children’s
father pick the boys up from school, allowing Alva to work on her
reading and longer lab experiments.

“As a graduate student I depend more on my family because
it’s just more demanding,” she said. “I feel bad
it’s like this, but at least the whole family is helping to
raise the kids.”

While other graduate students have 10- or 12-hour days working
on their lab research, everything stops for Alva at 5 p.m. As the
day winds down, Alva must switch hats and return to her role as a
mother.

But the work doesn’t stop once she reaches her apartment.
Alva makes dinner and prepares the boys’ baths. Homework must
be checked, and Angel reads at least 20 minutes to his mother every
night.

For other graduate students, relaxing usually means winding down
at a bar with a few friends, but down time for Alva includes
watching Cartoon Network with her sons and listening to the radio.
Sleeping is usually the only activity that allows her complete
peace and quiet.

  Alva does research in her lab on the
development of blood vessels.

Although she regularly visits her family, Alva said sometimes
the life of a single parent can be lonely.

“It makes me sad that I have to juggle my children and
also being a student,” Alva said. “I have to tell
myself, “˜It will be good for them if I have a
career.'”

Balance and planning, once again, are key.

“I want to do a good job being a mom and being in the lab.
I wouldn’t feel good about my career if I weren’t
trying my hardest,” she said. “The best way to do that
is to focus on that job at that certain time.”