Look again: Auburn teen mother defies stereotypes | Historical past

AUBURN — Eighteen-year-old Carrie Rooker is aware of what it is prefer to be stereotyped. 

The day earlier than her sixteenth birthday she gave start to her daughter, Rashelle.

Teen mothers are usually portrayed as highschool dropouts who stay depending on welfare.

Not Rooker. She goes to varsity full-time, holds down two jobs and moms her daughter.

“The previous couple years have been powerful,” Rooker mentioned. “It’s exhausting. It’s so exhausting, however I do what I’ve to so as to give my daughter the life and future that she deserves.”

Utilizing grants to subsidize day care prices, Rooker accomplished her highschool diploma necessities and graduated on time. She selected to take action by attending Cayuga Neighborhood School, which additionally allowed her to earn faculty credit.

“I graduated with a Regents diploma and one step forward of my class due to the faculty credit I gathered earlier than commencement,” Rooker mentioned. “It was necessary to myself and my dad and mom that I end highschool.”

She mentioned the stereotypes that observe teen mothers are exhausting to beat.

“I do know that there are ladies who match the stereotypes, however I’m not one in all them,” she mentioned.

“If it weren’t for day care and assist paying for it, I would not have been in a position to end highschool, not to mention go on to varsity, after which I’d be the everyday teenage mother, highschool dropout.” 

— Compiled by David Wilcox