eLearners.com, the leader in connecting prospective students with online education, announced that Jeanne Sarmiento, a mother from Burbank, will receive a $1,500 scholarship to help in her pursuit of post-secondary online education.

The "Where Learning Begins" scholarship opportunity appeared in the September issue of Woman's World and the response was tremendous, with more than 1,200 women from diverse backgrounds submitting essays to www.eLearners.com.

Sarmiento is one of five women from across the United States who won the award. After poor choices as a young adult, this mother changed her life and became inspired by her children.

Determined to get her degree, even alone with an infant, she added credits slowly but surely over the years and graduated with an associate's degree. She is now going back to school for an additional degree, determined to hear her kids yell, "You did it Mom! You did it! You did it again!"

"I can't wait to hear my children screaming my name again from the stands," said Sarmiento. "They are my inspiration. They are holding my hands as I realize my dream. I will do it. I will do it, again."

Right now, Sarmiento is pursuing her business degree and after that would like to go after her lifelong dream of law school. Sarmiento has worked in law offices for 19 years and always wanted to be a lawyer.

"I couldn't wait to grow up and defend indigent clients. I wanted to be an advocate for the poor, assist families who were in need, and argue my position until I was blue in the face," said Sarmiento. "I wanted to save the world. But, as sometimes happens in life, I ultimately made choices that derailed that dream."

For Sarmiento, online learning has been a pivotal avenue. After having a second child, she couldn't work full-time, care for a baby and take classes on campus. That's when she learned about online classes.

"Without the benefit of e-learning I wouldn't have been able to go back to school, I wouldn't have been able to obtain my degree, I wouldn't now be able to be in business school and my dreams of law school would have disintegrated," said Sarmiento.

As she continues her journey she offers advice for women in similar situations.

"Don't give up. Going back to school as an adult is a whole different ballpark. I thought I would never get my AA degree. It took me 17 years to get that degree, but with the advent of e-learning, a whole new world has opened up for people like me," said Sarmiento. "Go get that degree and don't give up. You will not regret it. The feeling of finishing something you've started and finally having that diploma cannot be matched."

During this scholarship process, some trends became apparent in the essays. Many women face the common barriers of time, money and confidence, with financial aid as the largest and most tangible barrier.

"The trends in the essays spoke loudly to us at eLearners.com and illustrates the lack of part-time financial aid as a crisis in America that is keeping people from improving their lives," said Andrew Gansler, president of eLearners.com. "This has been an eye-opening experience and we are committed to making a difference. These scholarships are the first step and we will continue to build resources to shed light on and actively address this issue."

In response, eLearners.com has begun to address the issues facing working women going back to school. Online education, by virtue of women being able to study on their own time and at their own pace overcomes the barrier of time.

Eduventures, the leading research and consulting firm for the education industry, predicts one out of 10 post secondary students will enroll in an online distance education program by early 2008. eLearners.com has put together one of the largest databases of online educational opportunities on the web, including an assessment of " Is Online Learning Right for You?"

The large number of essays eLearners.com received proves one of the biggest obstacles for going back to school is cost. In addition to providing scholarship assistance, eLearners.com has also launched a fast, easy and free scholarship database with $15 billion in financial aid from various resources.

The database includes awards from the freshman to graduate level, which are categorized based on local, state, national and international scholarships. The database can be found at http://www.elearners.com/scholarships/.

"It is our goal to offer a comprehensive resource to working women as they begin a new journey as a student," continued Gansler. "A lot of women would love to go back to school, but lack the time, money or confidence. By providing women with the proper resources and knowledge, we hope these barriers will start to break down."