Shushannah Bartley-Smith, 36, has pretty much lived on a college campus her entire life.Her father went back to school when she was only three months old; while her mother Judith Bartley pursued her bachelor’s, master’s and PhD, from the time Mrs Bartley-Smith was aged eight to 15.In addition to living on a university campus while obtaining her own master’s degree in mathematics, Mrs Bartley-Smith also worked as a calculus professor at the college level.She has now returned to campus life as a mother of three. She aspires to receive a doctorate in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Alabama.She was recently awarded the prestigious Ford Foundation Fellowship, which includes a stipend of $20,000 per year, plus an additional $2,000 tuition allowance per year, for up to three years.She said she was surprised to get the award, but admitted it has taken a big financial weight of her shoulders.“It eases the strain tremendously because now I am getting paid to go to school,” said Mrs Bartley-Smith. “I don’t have to work and have time to just focus on doing my school work, doing my best in my degree, writing a good dissertation and graduating on time.”The award is given to minorities throughout the United States who have demonstrated superior academic achievement and are committed to careers in teaching and research at the postsecondary level.Applications pour in from across the nation, with only 41 students chosen this year.Mrs Bartley-Smith said academic advisor Dawn Bardot encouraged her to find a way to finance her schooling, while also getting some exposure and practical field experience.She was initially out of the running for most of the scholarships, considering she didn’t have American citizenship. However when her citizen papers came through last year, it opened up a world of new possibilities.Mrs Bartley-Smith spent countless hours researching about fellowship opportunities and stumbled upon the website for the Ford Foundation Fellowship.“I read the explanation of who they wanted to award and it was like I was reading my own biography,” she said. “They wanted someone who was teaching at the university level, who wanted to give back to the community. It was so perfectly me, so I showed it to my advisor and she agreed.”Mrs Bartley-Smith was actually first inspired to go back to school a few years ago by her students.She was teaching calculus at Oakwood University and found young people in her classes were constantly questioning how math would be used in the real world.“I couldn’t answer the question directly because my background is mostly academics, so I would say ‘Trust the people putting together your programme and they will know what you need’.“I always wanted to go back to school to pursue a PhD and I happened to be at the University of Alabama taking my students on a tour and by the time it was done I thought ‘I could do it’.“ I thought it was a good way to get practical experience and be able to answer that question better for my students in the future.”She said she loved teaching and wanted to connect with her students better — not just deliver information to them, but make a long-term impact in their lives.“I had personal reasons as well,” she explained. “I wanted to see how mathematics is used [outside the classroom] because I still love it and love studying it.”Mrs Bartley-Smith said she wasn’t sure exactly what she would be doing after graduating in 2015.However, she hopes to one day become an administrator and develop programmes and policies for minority students in areas they are under represented, like science, technology, engineering and mathematics, known as STEM.She said: “I have been aware of a lack of minorities for quite some time because I am in this area and got my degree in math.“So from a personal standpoint I have been the only one like me in the classroom more times than I can count, being a woman and being black, so both situations.“I have also attended different conferences and things in this area so I know there is a lot of need and a push now a days to get more minorities in the STEM areas.”She said minorities in science fields typically headed straight towards medicine, rather than research and faculty based careers. For the most part she believes there is just a lack of awareness about the benefits, including prestige and financial gain, available in other areas.Mrs Bartley-Smith said it was worth researching because there are many opportunities available for minorities in these fields.“If you do it right you won’t have a school bill or loans when you are done, but you will have a competitive degree that will get a job almost anywhere, that is respected and is not going to be outdated any time soon.“There are some fields where you have to continually get certified to stay on top, but for the most part once you get that degree [in a STEM area] you are pretty much set.”She said growing up and watching her parents pursue higher education was definitely an inspiration to her.“Throughout my entire life, except from the ages five to eight, I was in some way directly related to a college campus and I got used to the whole environment.“While my mother [Dr Judith Bartley] attended Indiana University I got to hear professionally trained opera singers [who were still in school] perform for free or practically nothing. I got a lot of exposure to people who are really good at what they do.“It was just normal for me to be in that environment and I liked it. I loved being in school and just feel comfortable there. It’s my niche.”She said her mom was a tremendous motivation for her throughout the years and she hopes to inspire her three daughters, who she raises with husband Duane Smith, as well.“My parents divorced when I was young and my mother went back to school with me and my sister. She was a single mom and finished all three of her degrees in seven years, while having both of us full time.“She is an amazing lady and still supportive of me to this day.”