Photos and Story by Julia Buntyn
More Than She Can Carry
Mary Claire Black is a college student navigating the weight of financial struggle, mental health, and burnout. Between late night shifts and early morning classes, Mary Claire shows resilience despite exhaustion.
Mary Claire Black is a WKU freshman who majors in Special Education. After losing her father in 2023 she began suffering with her mental health. Her mother is a teacher and struggles financially, which leaves Mary Claire helping her mother out when she can but also also struggling to support herself. With little time available in her schedule, her only choice is to work an on campus job that pays little.
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Being a special ed teacher is my dream, once I get there everything will be worth it.
Mary Claire writes out her schedule for the last week of school. Having consistent shifts working as a Desk Assistant makes time management extremely difficult for her. Multiple times a day Mary Claire refers to her weekly planner to make sure she gets everything she needs done. “ Writing things out is the only thing that helps me stay on track, my mind runs a million miles a minute and it is so hard to remember everything” Mary Claire said.
Mary Claire makes just $8.50 an hour working as a desk assistant at WKU. With such little pay, she struggles to financially support herself. She often picks up night shifts and extra shifts during the day because her schedule is extremely packed.
Mary Claire converses with her roommate, Hannah Vohs, about her stresses and concerns of the upcoming week. Mary Claire talked of her mental health worsening and anxiety becoming overwhelming as finals week and summer break approaches.
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Having my friends and sorority sisters to talk to is what gets me through the harder days.
While visiting her sorority sister at the Alpha Gamma Delta house, Mary Claire studied for her finals for almost an hour.
Mary Claire eats by herself quickly before having to go to her dorm and change before a dinner with her sorority sisters. “Most of the time I have to eat quickly because Im always running to the next thing I have to do” said Mary Claire.
While visiting the Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority house Mary Claire talked with sorority sister, Emma Hull, about the final sorority events of the spring semester.
