Kelly Booth had been focused on her academic career from a very early age. She had dreamt of becoming a marine biologist since she was "old enough to understand the Discovery Channel" and had "been awed by the animals [she had] seen in the aquariums". Kelly graduated from her high school with honors and almost immediately thereafter was married and began to attend college. Only a short time had passed before Kelly learned she was pregnant with her first son; yet Kelly did not let the pregnancy deter her from her studies and she continued to make her way through school.

After a series of events both joyous and bleak, including the birth of her second son, divorce from her husband, and the new financial responsibility of raising two children as a single parent, Kelly had to withdraw from and reenter school on more than one occasion. "Even though this sounds sad," she said, "I have kept getting back up after every fall and kept pushing my way through… I was determined to not let anything stop me from reaching my dream of being a marine biologist." Fortunately, Kelly stumbled upon eCore while registering for classes on BanWeb. After researching eCore and what all it entailed, she enrolled in the program.

Kelly stated that she will take as many eCore classes as she can so that she may spend more time with her sons, though she acknowledged that when the time comes she will attend onsite classes. "I want a bachelor's degree in biology," she said, "which I know will take hard work and even take time away from my boys to get it done. But with the sacrifice will come a great career and the boys will see if mom can reach her dream, so can they."

Kelly affirmed that the moral of her story is, "no matter what obstacles life throws at you, everyone has the strength deep down inside to keep going. My biggest motivation now is my children. I love to hear them ask me about my school as we talk about theirs. It sends a message to them that if mommy can go to college so can they! For anyone that has children don't sell yourself short and say you can't, because you can! I am currently a sophomore due to my stubbornness to not quit and the determination to better my life and the future of my children. I never want to hear them say they can't."

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