A woman who's dealt with tragedy has been awarded a scholarship from an unlikely source. A supermodel.

Robin Bucholz wrote an essay nearly a year ago to win the scholarship through Elearners.com as part of Project Working Mom on The Tyra Banks Show.

Nearly eight months later she was contacted -- flown to New York City, and awarded her scholarship on air. She says the chance to pursue a new career, is exciting. But it's also bittersweet.

Robin Bucholz has lost more in her 53 years than some people have in a lifetime. Her older sister died at the hands of a drunk driver when Robin was only 12 years old.

She says, “I always thought I’m not gonna live -- I know I’m not gonna live to be 18 either -- and that's what I grew up from 12 on -- and never dreaming that my daughter would be the one to die at the hands of a drunk driver.”

Tragedy hit her once more in 1994, when her oldest daughter Heather was also killed by a drunk driver, leaving behind a 2-year-old daughter Jamie -- who Robin has raised.

Robin says she tried once before to go back to school, but with four children, the time constraints were too much.

She remembers, “When I saw this I said ya know my kids are grown up -- Jamie’s gonna be 18 soon -- I thought why not try it.”

Robin says she's going into graphic arts and web design so she can create memorial web pages to remember other victims of drunk driving crashes.

She says, “If her death and these web pages help one person -- just one person not to drink and drive, not to take somebody in your vehicle when you've had too much and stop and make you think -- then what better gift can you give to another family than their child’s memory goes on.”

Robin says she was nervous to start her first class -- but says she believes in herself. She says her first test, “I didn't do so well -- but then I said Robin -- ya got to look at this again and ya gotta do this and now the last four tests I’ve gone ok.”

Robin she says she doesn't know who long it will take to complete the graphic design course through Ashworth College, but she looks forward to the future and helping others heal through her work.