This article was originally written for FirstGenerationStudent.com, now a part of ImFirst.org.
My advice to any college student is to work hard, and this is definitely true for students who are the first in their family to attend college. I grew up in a family where higher education was a given. Both of my parents were college graduates and were in the process of obtaining advanced degrees. My sister was getting her master’s from Yale University when I was completing all of my college applications. I did not understand the true value of a college degree until my own prospects for college were jeopardized by my pregnancy. In short, I took it for granted.
Once it was clear that I was going to be a teen mother, people stopped talking to me about college. In fact, most people told me that I would never go to college and would not be successful in life. This was hard for me to accept. I was smart, driven and an honor roll student. I had already been accepted into several schools. I also knew that college was a must in order for me to provide my daughter with the type of life that she deserved. I wanted to go to college then more than ever. Fighting for my degree made me realize just how precious and valuable it really is.
Defying the Odds
I started as a full-time freshman at the College of William & Mary in Virginia when my daughter was almost three months old. I was a poor, single mother, with maybe two or three outfits to my name and a hand-me-down book bag. I did not fit the mold of a traditional student on that campus. I felt out of place, awkward and foolish at times, but I did not give up. Four years later, I graduated with high honors in English. My daughter walked across the stage with me holding on to my graduation gown. She was three years old.
In 1998, I was one of 16,000 teen girls to become pregnant in the state of Virginia. Statistics said that I, like the vast majority of these young girls, would not become a college graduate. But I did. And, two years later, I earned a master’s degree in social policy from George Mason University. I defied the odds.
In 2010, I started a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. called Generation Hope, which helps teen parents in the D.C. metro area earn their college degrees through financial support and one-on-one mentoring. I don’t want my story to be a rarity. I want other young parents to experience the stability and success that can come from graduating from college. The statistics are so daunting–less than 2 percent of teen mothers who have a baby before age 18 will earn a degree before age 30–but we are changing that.
Our Scholars are all young parents attending two- and four-year colleges across the D.C. metro area. They are pursuing degrees ranging from criminal justice to chemistry. To date, we have provided more than $40,000 in tuition support in just two years of offering the program. We also go into schools, churches, homeless shelters and local agencies, spreading the message to more than 100 expecting or parenting high school students each year that college is possible.
In July 2013, we welcomed our third class of Scholars into the program:13 young mothers ranging in age from 16 to 25. Every member of our 2013 Scholar class is a first-generation college student. The majority of them were embarking on their first year in college. My advice to them was very clear. Work hard. College is not easy, especially for non-traditional students. Keep your priorities straight. Remember that the short-term sacrifice is worth the long-term gain.
No matter what road led you to college, the road before you is an exciting one. And, with a college degree, the road never ends. There is a world of possibilities before you. I wish you the very best in your endeavors, and in the most difficult moments, remember that it is all worth it–every single second.