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4B W F
Students across the University face pressure
r r rr r rfor that upcoming midterm. For some Univers

Wednesday, February 23, 2011 // The Statement SB
every day -pressueto do well on a test, to start a research paper and to cram
ity students, academic pressures often fade into the periphery. That's because

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BY DYLAN CINTI
PHOTOS BY MARISSA MCCLAIN

John Zehnptennig was
deployed to Iraq seven
months after his daugh-
ter was born.
Back in 2006, as the infant
was learning to crawl, talk
and walk, Zehnpfennig was
searching the grounds of a
war zone for explosive devic-
es to disarm.
Five years later, the
33-year-old Zehnpfennig - a
captain in the United States
Army Corps of Engineers -
finds himself in very differ-
ent territory as he pursues
a master's degree in electri-
cal engineering at the Uni-
versity. The transition from
active duty to academia was
one that Zehnpfennig said he
made for the sake of his fam-
ily. Since marrying his wife
Becky in 2004, Zehnpfen-
nig has had two children -
5-year-old daughter Haley
and 2-year-old son Joda - in
addition to helping raise his
11-year-old stepson Brendan.
As Zehnpfennig pointed out,
the alternative to his current
academic track would have
been continued military ser-
vice - a job filled with risks,
uncertainties and, worst of
all, separation from his fam-
ily.
Zehnpfennig said he
knew what he was getting
into when he enrolled as
an undergraduate at West
Point. He realized the dan-
gers attached to joining the
army and the prospect of
being deployed to a war zone
at any moment. Zehnpfennig
said when he got the call to
deploy to Iraq seven months
after the birth of his daugh-

ter, he was given less than a
week's notice to get ready to
ship off. For Zehnpfennig,
leaving his infant daughter
was especially difficult.
"That was the hardest
part," he said. "I left and
she wasn't crawling yet,
and when I got back she
was walking and talking. I
missed all those major devel-
opmental stages."
By the time Zehnpfennig
enrolled at the University
- becoming what he called
a "grandpa of the grad stu-
dents" - his wife had given
birth to their son Joda.
Zehnpfennig said it was a
difficult time. Not only was
he adjusting to a new place
and an expanded family, but
he was reentering school.
Additionally, because Becky
works fulltime as a nurse, the
couple had to find daycare
for their two young children.
They enrolled Haley at
the University's Northwood
Community Child Develop-
ment Center - a program
Zehnpfennig said helped
relieve some of the burden of
parenting.
Nevertheless, Zehnpfen-
nig said balancing school-
work and parenthood is still
cumbersome.
"I'm up with Joda at 5:30
every day, playing with him
non-stop and making him
breakfast," Zehnpfennig
said. "Then my daughter will
get up."
From there, it's into the
shower and into the car -
Joda needs to be at daycare
by 8:30 a.m.
Zehnpfennig then makes

his way down to Central
Campus for his first class,
which starts at 9 a.m.
"If it weren't for Michi-
gan time, I would be late for
class every day," Zehnpfen-
nig said.
After class, Zehnpfen-
nig is off to the lab to do
research. Since starting at
the University, Zehnpfennig
said he has had two academ-
ic papers published and hasa
third under review.
After doing research and
attending classes until 5
p.m., Zehnpfennig gets in the
car to pick up his kids from
daycare.
"Around 5 p.m. it's like
Fred Flintstone riding down
the brontosaurus. I had to
run over and get my daughter
... then I have to go to Dexter
to get my other kid," he said.
With the kids in the car,
they head home so Zehnpfen-
nig can cook dinner and give
them baths. Becky usually
doesn't get home before mid-
night.
"When it comes to the
other grad students, they're
like, 'Wow, I can't believe
you have kids (and) you're
researching,"' Zehnpfennig
said.
Though Zehnpfennig said
his colleagues are mostly
supportive and understand-
ing, there are times when he
feels like his life as a parent
isn't considered.
One time, Zehnpfennig's
daughter was sick and had to
be admitted to the Universi-
ty hospital. Because Haley's
illness happened to coin-
cide with the exam period,

Zehnpfennig asked his pro-
fessors for retakes, but one
of his professors denied his
request.
So on the third day his
daughter was in the hospital,
Zehnpfennig took the exam
with the rest of the class. He
aced it.
Despite its difficulties,
Zehnpfennig said he's appre-
ciated his time balancing
parenthood and being a stu-
dent and has been grateful
for the opportunities the
University offers.
"The big payoff is that I
get to spend time with the
kids, and they'll also see that
there's importance in educa-
tion," Zehnpfennig said.
Despite his desire to set-
tle down with his family,
Zehnpfennig feels the pros-
pect of deployment constant-
ly looming over him.
According to Zehnpfen-
nig, if he gets anything less
than a B- at the Univer-
sity, he'll immediately be
deployed for 18 months. If he
fails an army-administered
fitness test, it's the same
consequence - immediate
deployment. But Zehnpfen-
nig is determined to avoid
this, because though he's
committed to service, he
doesn't want that service to
take him away from his fam-
ily again.
His commitment is to fol-
lowing the "academic track"
- a career trajectory that
won't include impromptu
trips to war zones.
"I. chose this path so I
could be with my family,"
Zehnpfennig said.

Nicole Morack met her boyfriend during
her freshman year at the University,
when they both worked in the Bursley
dining hall. They gradually fell into a
serious and committed relationship.
Seven months later Morack was pregnant -
but it wasn't something they had planned on.
It was the start of her sophomore year, and she
was 19.
Morack gave birth to her daughter Jenni-
fer in July 2007, the summer after her sopho-
more year. Jennifer is now 3.5 years old and
attends a University-sponsored daycare pro-
gram while her mother - who graduated
from LSA in 2009 with a degree in sociology
- pursues a master's degree in the School of
Social Work, from which she expects to grad-
uate this spring.
When she found out she was pregnant,
it came as a huge shock to her and her boy-
friend, Morack said.
Luckily, Morack said she felt close enough to
her boyfriend to tell him the news immediately
and not withhold any of her complex feelings.
"We were comfortable with each other,"
Morack said of their relationship, which had
been going on for eight months when she got
pregnant.
Morack said their easy rapport enabled them
to have an honest and forthright conversation
about her pregnancy.
"There was conversation about what to do
about it," Morack said. "There was some decid-
ing back and forth about if we were actually
going to keep her."

Ultimately, as Morack put it, they decided to
keep her and "work around it."
Though they reached a decision together,
they knew that working around the pregnancy
wouldn't be easy - especially for Morack.
"I was finally getting into the swing of col-
lege ... and then I had to grapple with being
pregnant," Morack said.
It was not news her family greeted warmly.
Morack said it was difficult for her mother, who
took several months to get used to the idea of
her daughter being an expectant mother.
"My mom was pretty shocked and upset,"
Morack said, adding that she eventually came
around when Morack's pregnancy began to
show.
As she worked to garner the support of her
mother, Morack was also facing an equally
daunting task - how to continue with school.
Morack said dropping out or postponing her
education was never an option.
"I knew I just wanted to continue on because
getting my masters in social work was my plan
all along," Morack said.
According to Morack, her professors and
GSIs were understanding during the first
months of her pregnancy. If there was a class
she couldn't attend or a paper she missed,
Morack said her teachers would find a way to
accommodate her.
"I talked to a couple of GSIs and let them
know about the situation, and they were sup-
portive," Morack said.
As Morack's pregnancy became more vis-
ible, she said she noticed a difference in the
happen until after the presenta-
tion was over.
"I actually had to go to the hospital three
hours after I was done with my presentation,"
John said.
Since giving birth to her daughter Tara in
July, life couldn't be more hectic for John as

way she was treated. People in j
the hall would either stop and
stare or conspicuously avoid looking at her.
Morack sensed that people were talking about
her behind her back, but never approached her.
Morack added that her Resident Advisor
came up to her and acknowledged her pregnan-
cy - but it wasn't until March, toward the very
end of her second trimester.
"She came up to me and said, 'Oh, just so you
know, I noticed and some other girls in the hall
noticed that you're pregnant,' " Morack said
with a laugh.
But Morack said that being pregnant was
easy compared to actually having the baby.
Morack gave birth to Jennifer with her
boyfriend and family byher side. After couple
months of resting at home, Morack prepared to
reenter the University - this time with a baby
on board.
Morack and her boyfriend moved into
Northwood Apartments on North Campus in
an apartment unit designed for family housing.
"It was definitely strange to get used to it
being just me, (my boyfriend) and the baby,"
Morack said.
Because they didn't want to enroll their
two-month-old in daycare, Morack and her
boyfriend planned their academic schedules so
that one of them would be with Jennifer at all
times.
While the time with her daughter was grati-
fying, it also took a physical and emotional toll.
"On the days I wasn't in class I would basi-
cally just hang out with her," Morack said. "I
she balances classes, group work, her impend-
ing graduation and motherhood - not to men-
tion finding a job.
Nevertheless, John said she's optimistic
about her life and future, despite its daunting
nature.
"I know what I'm capable of doing," John

didn't get much sleep because she would be up
at night. It's like having two full-time jobs."
Because she had to focus on academics and
parenthood, Morack said she missed out on
many basic student activities, like going to par-
ties and making friends in the classroom.
"I didn'treally grow my social group on cam-
pus," Morack said of her time as an undergrad-
uate. "It was really weird to be like, 'Uh, I have
a kid, I can't really hang out."
Now that she's a graduate student, how-
ever, Morack said she's found and befriended
a group of fellow students who also have chil-
dren - and these people have provided a firm
network of support.
"Being in grad school and being involved
in different parent groups ... has been really
great," Morack said.
In graduate school, Morack said she wasn't
just "the girl with the kid" anymore.
Morack said having a daughter at the Uni-
versity has been an illuminating experience
and one that's fundamentally shaped her time
as an undergraduate and graduate student. *
Looking to the future, Morack said she'd
like to find a way to apply her social work
degree to low-income families and child-
care - a career choice influenced by having
a child.
."I've always had the interest of working
with families, but I've had an interest more
in early childhood as a result of having my
daughter," Morack said.
said. "I know how much I can multi-task while
still remainingsuccessful at the things that are
most important to me."
According to John, the past few years of her
life have been an extended exercise in effective
multitasking.
See STUDENT PARENTS, Page 8B a

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