It has been 5 days since she got the results, but she still cannot believe her test came back positive. She cannot get it off her mind. It feels like her whole life has changed. She knows that she has to tell her parents. But she is not sure that she is prepared for how they might react. She was 15, still a child, having a child; she was scared, shocked, and excited all at the same time.

This is the reality of many teenage girls in high school.

Being a parent at a young age is not the ideal thing that anyone would want. Nevertheless, thousands of young men and women become parents with no idea on what to do. Most young parents internally debate to continue their education, or simply drop out and focus on their newly found family.

According to The Wymans Center, parenthood is a leading cause of school dropout among teen girls. In fact, this is true for 30% of all teen girls, with minorities having higher rates: 36% for Hispanic girls and 38% for African American girls. One in three teen mothers earned neither a diploma nor a GED, compared with only six percent of young women who had not had a teen birth.

According to TeenHelp.com, in the United States, around 750,000 teenage girls become pregnant each year. If you average that out over 365 days, that is roughly 2,055 a day. In some cases for young mothers, 57% of teen pregnancies end in terminating the pregnancy.

These are daunting statics.

However, with the help of Mrs. Amber Palmer, head of the Teen Parenting Program at Judson High School, all teens – male and female- get the help they need to make it through high school and on with a happy life. Palmer provides support with Medicaid, WIC, and transportation for parents and their children. With everything Mrs. Palmer has to do, she also provides counseling for both parents.

“I do this not just for Judson High School, but for the entire district,” Palmer said. “The pregnancy program is for all campuses with teen mothers and fathers.”

One of the young mothers on campus is S.C., an empowered youth who has bravely decided to raise her child and still go to school.

“I was kind of mad at myself,” S.C. said. “But I already knew that I was pregnant, so I was not that surprised.”

With the help from Mrs. Palmer, S.C. has a mode of transportation for herself and her baby. She also has access to counseling if needed, as well as tutoring with her academics.

“Not able to do a lot of things other kids can do, I am happy and fortunate to know Mrs. Palmer and be a part of the program.” D.G said, a young father.

While being a pregnant teen can be terrifying, they should be aware that they have resources available to help them.

“I would not change anything because having my little on, motivates me to get an education,” S.C stated.

The campus has services and assistance for all students, including those who are pregnant. And even though it may seem overwhelming, students should not be scared to go through it alone.