6/27/2008 10:36:00 AM
Teen moms beat the odds to get an education
Graduation ceremony for nine students who fell pregnant at school
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| Graduates from the Teen Service’s Continuation School Cylka Robinson, 18, and Crystal Waldron-Smith, 18, with babies Jyn and Sinaj, hope to go on and further their studies in the near future. *Photo by Helen Jardine
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Helen Jardine
In spite of their swollen feet, cramps and cravings, nine teenagers proved that being pregnant is no reason to put your education on hold.
After months of studying, the students graduated this week from Teen Services' Continuation School - a programme put in place to prepare pregnant teens to pass their BSC or GED.
"It is always a very proud moment every year," said programme director Michelle Wade. "From that first day back in September, you are on board with them through all of their ups and downs, struggles and challenges, which makes graduation all the more emotional."
The programme has three full-time teachers as well as social workers on board to offer support.
Motherhood
Not only are students taught in all of the academic staples, but they also learn how to look after babies - covering all aspects of mother care from breast-feeding to diaper rash.
18-year-old Cylka Robinson is one of the recent graduates and passed her GED in December.
Holding her four-month-old son, Jyn, in her arms, she says that it was the dedication of her teachers that got her through.
"The teachers were what made the programme," she said. "They were lovely. The most valuable lesson I learned was that just because you have a child, it doesn't mean you just give up.
"It was a much better experience than public school - being pregnant and having people snickering about you. It would be like putting you in a shark tank."
Cylka said the hardest part of being a teen mom is not being able to just "get up and go" whenever you want.
"I beg my mom, 'please look after Jyn tonight'," she said. "I don't want to go out and drink, I just want to put on my heels and dress up for a night!"
Cylka, who dropped out of CedarBridge Academy before enrolling in the programme, said she is looking forward to go to college in the United States.
Graduate Crystal Waldron-Smith, also 18-years-old, said she first heard about the programme through one of her friends who sought help from Teen Services when she discovered she was pregnant.
Crystal, a former Berkeley Institute student, now has a six-week baby boy, Sinaj, and says it was helpful to meet young women in a similar situation.
Mature
"I think I am more mature for having gone through the experience," she said. "I have a better outlook on life."
Crystal wants to go to Bermuda College in January to become a registered nurse.
The guest speaker at this year's 41st graduation service was Ms. LaVonne Lee, who knows all too well how hard it is to juggle school and babies.
Ms Lee, whose "baby" turns 13 next week, is herself a graduate of the Continuation School.
She was 15 when she went through the programme in 1995, had been expelled from many government schools, and said Teen Services was her "last chance."
"I think it was beneficial in my development as an individual," she said.
"If I hadn't gone through the programme I probably would have still been making bad decisions . . . The hardest part of being pregnant was that I was still a child myself."
After graduation, Ms. Lee went on to attend the University of St. John's in New York, and now works in management and insurance at Flagstone Re.
"The best advice I can give these graduates would be to stay focused, and never lose sight of what you have to accomplish," she said.
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Posted: Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Comment by:
steph
This article is great. I love to hear success stories especially of those who are not given freebies. Congrat ladies on your continued success!
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