At nine months pregnant, Jennifer Echeverria is determined to see her education through and not let society’s views on pregnant, college mothers discourage her from succeeding at her goals.  

In the beginning of fall 2015, Echeverria made it her mission to notify her professors about her situation and prepared to drop her classes if deemed necessary.

“I will only take a week off from school, because I have a lot of help and support from family. I planned my schedule so that I would have enough time to go home and come back during the day,” said Echeverria.

Adding to Echeverria’s concerns during her pregnancy are the stares and unnecessary comments from others.  

“People stare and this one girl told me, ‘You have a really cute belly. I didn’t want to tell you because it’s awkward.’ And I said, ‘I would rather you tell me instead of stare. It doesn’t bother me… I’m a grownup, it doesn’t matter,’” said Echeverria.

But, it’s incidents like those when Echeverria is grateful to be able to pursue an education and is not influenced by the stigma associated with pregnant students.

Echeverria feels that as the years have passed, society’s views on pregnancy have changed, but not as much as she would like.

“We have a long way to go, but it’s getting better,” she said.

Some of the changes that Echeverria wants to see implemented in the parent community is increased time for single mothers to raise their children, especially during the first five critical years of learning. One way to bring about this change is to raise awareness of the necessity to increase the time for paid maternity leave.

She would also like to build a community that can come together and help each other with things such as picking kids up from school and giving them snacks. This will provide support for children of single parents who may come from marginalized communities.

“This will let kids know their community cares for them and they will grow up staying out of trouble,” said Echeverria.

“I’ve seen a lot of horrible things happen to not only my family members, but a lot of kids in the community. They don’t get the same opportunities or help as those with white privilege,” said Echeverria.

Echeverria is a senior, majoring in Women’s Studies. She desires to be a social worker after graduation due to her own personal experiences, hence why she is passionate about helping others, making a difference and having a better life for her child.

Echeverria keeps the saying “children are the future” in mind as she plans to raise her daughter to change the world. Her focus in Women’s Studies and passion to change the rules of socialized gender norms will serve as a catalyst to move towards a better future.