This study explored marginalized stakeholder feedback by reconstructing the lived experiences of 13 single mothers who completed post-secondary education while dependent on public assistance since the passage of the Personal Responsibility Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). This study utilized a qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological, systems thinking approach to explore the following research questions: 1) how do participants describe their lived experiences and 2) what systems stakeholder value and personal meaning can the study gain from their descriptions. Rich data was collected from four Census Regions of the United States using snowball sampling and one-on-one Skype interviews. Snowball sampling was utilized to ensure the study's trustworthiness by eliminating the influence of political, bureaucratic, or academic institutions. Recommendations for future research include, first, identify best practices for systems' accountability and oversite authority. Second, identify the existence of mentoring/advocacy programs and increase single mother access. Third, identify best practices for targeting the individual needs of single mothers attempting to overcome barriers and complete post-secondary education while dependent on public assistance. Fourth, identify the impact of power relationships and stakeholder marginalization during policy interventions. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]