Balancing Act: Master's Grad Perseveres Through Challenges

Balancing Act: Master's Grad Perseveres Through Challenges

By Emmi van Zoest

Even the tarantulas that reside in Dennis Kolosov's lab are fascinated by the work of master's student Jocelyne Dates. Whenever Jocelyne enters the lab, they scurry to the side of their cage, hoping to grasp a glimpse of what she's working on.

While not fond of them, Jocelyne musters up the courage to walk past the tarantulas to her lab station where she works with her own animals - caterpillars.

Although Jocelyne spends multiple days in the lab working with these insects, she has not always felt confident around them. In fact, she was scared of them. Facing her fears, Jocelyne has learned how to thrive, overcoming challenges while striving for a career that will support her family.

Jocelyne has stood out to her instructors at Cal State San Marcos. A master's of biological sciences student, Jocelyne was selected this month as the recipient of the President's Outstanding Graduate Award, the highest honor a graduating student can receive. She also received the Dean's Award for Graduate Studies, which recognizes the accomplishments of one master's student.

To qualify for the President's Outstanding Graduate Award, a student must show outstanding achievement in multiple areas such as academics, professional and service activities. Jocelyne has gone above and beyond when it comes to these requirements, and her journey, while not easy, has paid off.

Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Jocelyne started her postsecondary education in Illinois at Parkland College where she received an associate degree. Jocelyne moved with her children and then-husband to California, where she started attending CSUSM to pursue her undergraduate in biology.

Right before starting at CSUSM, Jocelyne and her husband divorced. As a single mother of three kids, balancing being a student and a parenthood has its fair share of challenges.

"Undergrad is a set schedule," Jocelyne said. "It doesn't anticipate parent-teacher conferences or a kid being sick. I don't have a lot of the freedoms other students have. A teenager has no less energy than a 2 year old but they're still navigating high school and choosing a college and how to buy a car and get a loan. A lot of emphasis is put on having little kids and thinking that once they reach school age you can navigate anything, but it's really not the case."

Not only did Jocelyne have to learn to anticipate the unexpected, she often went without some things many people in their academic journey had access to.

"Childcare was $30 an hour and I made $14 at the time," Jocelyne said. "So a lot of times we got free food on campus. There were times where we had to take advantage of something or go without. I didn't have any resources, so I did most of it solo."

Jocelyne said the most challenging part is balancing.

"You've got multiple roles as mom and dad, and there's not a whole lot of positive storylines about single parents," she said. "Usually the first line of everything is 'single parent, broken home' or the story is 'They've done well, despite growing up in a single-parent household.'

"Our house is not broken. We have a ton of fun, but it's a balancing act."

Not only does Jocelyne have a great relationship with her kids - she has sons who are 22 and 19 and a daughter who is 14 - but she has gained skills that have transferred over to her journey in grad school and the science community.

"All the skills I have as a single parent transferred directly into grad school," Jocelyne said. "Things like multitasking, organizing a schedule, planning ahead and anticipating the inevitable. So, unlike a lot of people, grad school has been a breeze. I love it. I think it's just ideal for an adult who's already had to adult a little bit."

Jocelyne credits much of her success to the mentors she met at CSUSM. Not only did professor emerita Linda Pershing play a critical role during Jocelyne's undergraduate journey, but so does her current adviser, biology professor Dennis Kolosov.

"He's just been great," Jocelyne said. "It's very much a family in his lab."

Jocelyne's work in Kolosov's lab has focused on caterpillars. She studies their kidneys, which function much differently than in a human.

"And caterpillars, I always say, are a lot like my teenagers - they literally eat everything, nothing's toxic," she said.

Jocelyne also brings her knowledge from the lab into the community around her to inspire young scientists. Her neighbor has a 5 year old who loves science, so Jocelyne and other neighborhood kids go to the park for "Science at the Park" sessions.

Next up for Jocelyne is continuing with her education. Jocelyne was accepted to 12 Ph.D. programs, and involved her kids in the process for every step of the way.

"I made the decision with them because it was going to involve a move, and they're going to be along for the ride so they have a say," she said. "We were all in the kitchen together when we clicked the 'I accept' button, and we did it together."

They clicked accept on Vanderbilt's offer, and she will begin classes in the fall. While there, Jocelyne will begin working with multiple species of animals such as mosquitos, beetles and treefrogs.

"We struggled for a really long time," she said. "So it's nice to have something outside of just being a mom that I can do. There's no yearly review for being a mom. You don't get a raise, there's no report card. So sometimes it's nice to have something outside that's tangible. It's been difficult, but I wouldn't have it any other way. They've been phenomenal."

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

[email protected] | Office: 760-750-7314