A Single Mom Plans Her Next Act

THEN: Katherine Engel, 43, talked about the challenges of raising her two teenage daughters on her own in the April 2006 issue of Kiplinger’s. An immigrant from Russia, Engel earned $40,000 a year teaching English to new immigrants at a Tucson, Ariz., high school. That left her with little extra money after paying for her mortgage, groceries, utilities and insurance. Anya, 17, and her sister, Anastasia, 15, were approaching college age, and Engel hoped Anya would attend the University of Arizona, where her high school grades earned her a scholarship. As they looked toward the future, Anya wanted to travel and spend time studying abroad, and Anastasia wanted to become a veterinarian.

- Kimberly Lankford