11 THE COMPASS Friday, May 9, 1997
A special Compass report:
Student moms rise to the challenge
of the struggle to realize their dreams
by Yushawnda Thomas
In a society that looks down on un
wed mothers, ECSU's student parents
are working hard to change their lives
for themselves and their children.
Instead of using early parenthood as
a reason not to succeed, student par
ents—like senior Gloria Bates—are
combating the statistics of drop outs
and federal aid.
Bates said she refuses to let preg
nancy change her goals.
"People see pregnancy as a stum
bling block and they think you won't
complete your goals. I'm a senior. I'm
graduating. My pregnancy is not stop
ping me from doing anything. I also
feel that although I was supposed to
go to grad school right away it has to
wait. Right now I have to worry about
loans, jobs, and my child.
Bates said that being pregnant has
changed her life.
"1 stay tired a lot and my sleeping
habits have changed," she said. "It
seems as if everything has to be
planned and scheduled. I'm holding
down two jobs, classes, and I plan to
graduate on time."
Bates said that having a child out of
wedlock isn't the end of the world.
"It's something between me, my
maker and the father of my child. A
child out of wedlock isn't a mistake-
my child is a blessing from God."
Mothers and pregnant mothers say
they feel more pressure to succeed for
themselves and the benefit of their chil
dren.
ECSU senior Tabetha Summerlin said
she thought she was one of the few
pregnant women on campus when she
was pregnant with her daughter
Brianna.
"The first thing I though to do was
drop out," Summerlin said.
Summerlin completed that semester,
however, and returned the following
semester— still pregnant. Her baby was
due in December but came in Novem
ber. Summerlin had already requested
I's in her courses so that she would
have the opportunity to complete her
work.
Summerlin didn't return until the
following fall.
She said that the birth of her child
helped her redefine her goals and set
limitations.
"I can't just up and move. I know I
have to make a life for me and my
child.'
Summerlin said she has received a
lot of support from home. "My mother
has given up two and a half years to
help me with my baby."
Summerlin said all campuses need
child care to be available to students
with children.
"This is the nineties. They need to
publicize and tell students that the labo
ratory school is available."
Senior Cindy Smith said that her
four-year old daughter doesn't affect
her work but the distance between
them affects their relationship. Smith's
mother keeps her daughter during the
week.
"Becoming a mother gave me a sense
of direction and helped me to revise
my goals," said Smith. "After I had her
I decided to go back to college."
Smith also credits "support from
home" with helping her cope with the
pressures of being a student mom.
"I do pretty much anything I need to
do as far as school is concerned. Even
if there is a weekend my mother steps
up and takes care of my daughter for
—^ ff
me.
Keneeka Chavis, a senior, said that
after she told her parents that she was
pregnant her father told her she wasn't
going back to school. Chavis sat out
for an entire year before her parents
would fund her education again.
"My father told me to stay home and
work and take care of my responsibili
ties," Chavis said.
Her mother still encouraged her to
return to college. She enrolled her
daughter first at Martin Community
College and then back at ECSU.
Chavis spends weekends with her
daughter, Jo'neeka. Her daughter keeps
her focused and goal-oriented.
"I knew I couldn't play around any
more," she said. "I had someone de
pending on me. I'm glad my mother
let me come back."
Chavis advised pregnant students
not to think their lives are over and not
to refuse help.
"You can still have a life and get your
education," Chavis said." And if the
father is willing to help let him help.
Don't use the child as a pawn in prob
lems between yourself and the father."
Chavis said the University needed
counseling services to assist student
parents:
"It would have helped me to talk to
someone who had been through the
same situation."
The world just
became a more
beautiful place.
(At least this lucky little piece of it did.)
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