‘1 in 5’ Season 2 Episode 3: Meet Soren
Soren’s interest in higher education has always been rooted in an interest in the environment, even from childhood. As an adult, after struggling with their own mental health, Soren became interested in psychology, and pursued jobs in the medical field, but was soon discouraged by the for-profit medical system.
Soren went through challenging transitions in their life – a cross country move, the birth of their son, and coming out as a non-binary person. When they moved to Minnesota, Soren regained clarity of what they wanted to pursue, and they went back to school in environmental studies. As a single parent, Soren was hardly making ends meet when someone from their university contacted them about emergency grants, many specifically for queer parents. With the support of the university’s student parent HELP center and a local foundation, Raise the Barr, Soren is launching their academic career with the hope of helping future generations, like their son’s, to live healthier lives.
![](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1in5_s2e3_Soren-1-2-1024x1024.png)
Listen
You can read the episode transcript here.
Resources
Raise the Barr’s two-generation (“2Gen”) approach builds family well-being by intentionally and simultaneously working with children and the adults in their lives to access new resources, solve problems, and sharpen existing skills.
Minnesota Student Parent Alliance (MN-SPA) focuses on increasing access to postsecondary educational pathways for student parents through coordinated policies, programs, service alignment, and communication.
The Out to Innovate Scholarships are intended for LGBTQ+ undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) programs.
Student Parent Stories
Related Posts
![Graphic showing Yoslin Amaya Hernandez against the blue arc of Ascend's brand. Left of her is a photo of her with her daughter, and to her right is a photo of her at a policy meeting.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Untitled-design-30-768x432.png)
![Graphic showing Yoslin Amaya Hernandez against the blue arc of Ascend's brand. Left of her is a photo of her with her daughter, and to her right is a photo of her at a policy meeting.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Untitled-design-30-768x432.png)
![Graphic with text that says "Announcing the 2023-24 Parent-Powered Solutions Fund Partners" and features Ascend's 2023 Parent Advisors against a blue backdrop.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Website_Blog_Banner_PSP_Phase3-800-x-400-px-768x384.png)
![Graphic with text that says "Announcing the 2023-24 Parent-Powered Solutions Fund Partners" and features Ascend's 2023 Parent Advisors against a blue backdrop.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Website_Blog_Banner_PSP_Phase3-800-x-400-px-768x384.png)
![Graphic featuring a photo of Michaela Martin, Yolanda Johnson-Peterkin, Ariel Ventura-Lazo, and Dr. Daria Willis.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Copy-of-1in5_BonusEp2_Header_Graphic-768x280.png)
![Graphic featuring a photo of Michaela Martin, Yolanda Johnson-Peterkin, Ariel Ventura-Lazo, and Dr. Daria Willis.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Copy-of-1in5_BonusEp2_Header_Graphic-768x280.png)
![Graphic showing a student's hand holding a graduation cap against a blue background.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1in5_BonusEp1_Header_Graphic-2-768x280.png)
![Graphic showing a student's hand holding a graduation cap against a blue background.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1in5_BonusEp1_Header_Graphic-2-768x280.png)
![Group photo of Ascend Parent Advisors standing outside in Aspen, Colorado with their arms outstretched upward.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Pando_Convening_Blog_Cover-768x512.jpg)
![Group photo of Ascend Parent Advisors standing outside in Aspen, Colorado with their arms outstretched upward.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Pando_Convening_Blog_Cover-768x512.jpg)
![Graphic featuring headshot photos of Dr. Deana Around Him, Julian Thompson, and David Croom.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1in5_BonusEp1_Header_Graphic-768x280.png)
![Graphic featuring headshot photos of Dr. Deana Around Him, Julian Thompson, and David Croom.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1in5_BonusEp1_Header_Graphic-768x280.png)
![](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Website_Blog_Banner_PSP_Phase3-1-768x432.png)
![](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Website_Blog_Banner_PSP_Phase3-1-768x432.png)
![A collection of different photos featuring Christian Ortiz, his daughter, and his mother](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screenshot-2023-06-15-at-1.34.59-AM-768x367.png)
![A collection of different photos featuring Christian Ortiz, his daughter, and his mother](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screenshot-2023-06-15-at-1.34.59-AM-768x367.png)
![Cover of the digital chartbook, "We Are Here Too: Who Are the 1 Million Fathers in College?". A student father in a graduation cap and gown is seated with his son and daughter, smiling.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cover-768x432.jpg)
![Cover of the digital chartbook, "We Are Here Too: Who Are the 1 Million Fathers in College?". A student father in a graduation cap and gown is seated with his son and daughter, smiling.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cover-768x432.jpg)
![Cover of the digital chartbook, "We Are Here Too: Who Are the 1 Million Fathers in College?". A student father in a graduation cap and gown is seated with his son and daughter, smiling.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cover-768x432.jpg)
![Cover of the digital chartbook, "We Are Here Too: Who Are the 1 Million Fathers in College?". A student father in a graduation cap and gown is seated with his son and daughter, smiling.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cover-768x432.jpg)
![Cover of the digital chartbook, "We Are Here Too: Who Are the 1 Million Fathers in College?". A student father in a graduation cap and gown is seated with his son and daughter, smiling.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cover-768x432.jpg)
![Cover of the digital chartbook, "We Are Here Too: Who Are the 1 Million Fathers in College?". A student father in a graduation cap and gown is seated with his son and daughter, smiling.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cover-768x432.jpg)
![A photo of students and their children at Santa Fe Community College](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/NMimage2-768x470.jpeg)
![A photo of students and their children at Santa Fe Community College](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/NMimage2-768x470.jpeg)
![](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GettyImages-1366623750.jpg)
![](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GettyImages-1366623750.jpg)
![Photo of student parent Waukecha Wilkerson with her family at her graduation ceremony.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screenshot-2023-05-02-at-6.32.36-PM-768x215.png)
![Photo of student parent Waukecha Wilkerson with her family at her graduation ceremony.](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screenshot-2023-05-02-at-6.32.36-PM-768x215.png)
![Photo of Isis Patterson and her family](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-24-at-5.28.27-PM-768x280.png)
![Photo of Isis Patterson and her family](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-24-at-5.28.27-PM-768x280.png)
![1 in 5 Student Parent Podcast](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/PSP_1in5_1600x900-768x432.png)
![1 in 5 Student Parent Podcast](https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/PSP_1in5_1600x900-768x432.png)