I was in my third year of college when I got pregnant. I felt like the world stopped turning when I realized that I was pregnant. I was already three months along. I hadn’t noticed my missing periods – all I knew was that I was so hungry all the time. When I was really sure about my pregnancy, I told my boyfriend. I’m proud of myself for never considering an abortion, unlike some other young girls who are afraid of the consequences of what they’ve done.

I continued my schooling until I gave birth. It was really hard to go to school while I was pregnant. I could not do what my classmates were doing like going to parties or working on projects at each other’s houses. There were big changes in my life but I have never regretted what happened to me.

I remember the day I gave birth. I was so young – only 19. It was 10:00 in the morning when I noticed that there was a little water with blood in my underwear. I didn’t panic. I stayed calm. I texted my teacher and described what was going on. My teacher told me to go to the hospital to give birth, but I didn’t go yet. I relaxed and took a bath and spent some time with my neighbors. No one knew what was happening to me. As time passed I started feeling some pain from the contractions. Around 6:00 pm I told my boyfriend what was going on. He prepared our clothes and told my mother that I was going to give birth. My mother came with us to the hospital. When we arrived at the emergency room, the doctor examined me to find out how widely I was dilated. He was shocked because I was already at 9 centimeters and ready to deliver.

Aaaaahhhh!!!…Aaaaahhhh!!!…Ouccccchhh!!! Uuuhhhaaaa!!! Finally, my lovely son, Rhen-rhen, came out. He was huge – 8.6 pounds! He had long curly hair and looked like he was already two months old. I was so happy to see him.

I really didn’t have any idea about how to take care of this little angel. “How do I give him a bath? How do I feed him? What do I do when he starts crying?” Those are some of the questions that made me tense. Thankfully, my boyfriend knew a lot about how to take care of the baby, and was really supportive.

I rested for one week. School was off during that time so I didn’t miss any of my classes. When classes resumed, I went back to school. It was so hard because I was breastfeeding and I had to go home every time my mother texted me that my baby was hungry and crying.

I wanted to finish college even though it was hard for me to be a mother and a student at the same time. When first term finished I decided to take a leave of absence to take care of my baby full time. I told myself that I could enroll again the following year to finish my degree.

I had wanted to only leave for one semester but when the term ended, my baby still needed me and we didn’t have enough money for my tuition. Instead of going back to school, I got a job as a saleslady at the local department store, NCCC.

One day while I was working, one of my former teachers saw me and encouraged me to go back to school and finish my degree. I told her I wanted to go back but couldn’t afford it. She told me she would help me if I went back. My contract with NCCC was up soon anyway, so I told my boyfriend and my mother that I wanted to continue my schooling. They said that they would support me and help take care of my son. I applied as a student aide in the Deans Office and resumed my courses. Teachers in the Department of Education helped me so much. They were so supportive with their time and their materials. They lent me their books for my practice teaching, and they mentored me and encouraged me until I passed my final teaching demonstration.

When I realized I would soon graduate, I started wondering whether I would be able to find a job. I worried that I wouldn’t find something meaningful. Thankfully I am so blessed, and my teacher, Susan Evangelista, told me about the organization she was starting with her daughter, and she offered me a job. I accepted the position even though I didn’t know all the details. All I knew was that the organization would be helping other people, and I thought it would be a good chance for me to pass on all the help that other people gave me when I needed it.

I started working for Roots of Health in June 2009. When I heard the name of the organization I laughed because I was going to work for a health organization when I wasn’t very healthy. And the organization works on trying to prevent unplanned pregnancies… which I wasn’t able to do. But I have learned a lot and I feel like I can really relate to the women and girls that we’re working with. I’ve been through what a lot of them have gone through and I know it can be hard. A lot of the women and girls are like me – they have insufficient knowledge and information about their health. I am really glad that I can be a resource to them and help them so that they can be more prepared than I was when they decide they want to have children.