In the second semester of her freshman year, Ashley Watts found out she was pregnant. She had never wanted or planned to be a mother that early in life. She wasn’t ready for a child. However, she refused to do what everyone thought she would do; she refused to give up.

Now, 24-year-old Watts is pursing her Master’s degree in criminal justice at the University of Alabama and is the proud mother of a 4-year-old.

Watts’ story illustrates the lives of a segment of the University’s diverse population that is often overlooked: student parents. Watts is among the hundreds of young women across campus facing the challenges of that group every day.

“Being a mother and a student at the same time is extremely hard,” Watts said. “Anyone who tells you differently is delusional.”

Natalie Adams, assistant dean of the graduate school, helped win the grant that founded UA’s Graduate Parent Support, and consequently, Undergraduate Parent Support. She said becoming a parent makes the college experience very different from the traditional 18 to 22-year-old student’s.

“These students aren’t concerned with the block seating at football games, but with having high chairs in the Ferg,” Adams said.

Rosalind Moore, director of Undergraduate Parent Support, has noticed these different concerns can create a sense of isolation for mothers.

“We’ve seen from focus groups that student mothers often feel a sense of isolation,” Moore said. “Their classmates are fancy-free, and their levels of responsibility are completely different. These mothers’ biggest challenge is often just dealing with being different in an environment catered to traditional students.”

Haley Proffitt, a 26-year-old junior majoring in criminal justice, has had trouble matching her schedule with that of a traditional student’s.

“It is really hard, especially when you consider that I have a full-time job in addition to caring for my two daughters,” Proffitt said. “Meeting at night for a group project or a paper is not something I can fit in my schedule.”

Cori Perdue, a Ph.D. candidate, director of Graduate Parent Support and mother of three, said challenges like these can be overwhelming to mothers. She said the best thing a mother can do is ask for help.

“I realize we don’t all have it figured out, but that is okay,” Perdue said. “Though sometimes uncomfortable, moms should be willing to ask questions. We’ll help you figure it out.”

Watts agreed becoming a mother should never mean giving up on education.

“One of the most common misconceptions I have faced is that everyone thought that once I became pregnant that I would just pack my bags and head back home,” Watts said. “They all thought I would just give up school, or take my daughter home to father to let him raise her. But that was never an option for me.”

Watts said her life is often overwhelming, but she continues to push through for her daughter.

“My daughter will know that no matter what life may throw at her, she can still come out on top,” Watts said. “Getting pregnant young does not have to be an ‘end of my life’ scenario. It is exactly what you make it, and I chose to rise above and be more than just another statistic.”

Kimberly Brown is a 31-year-old mother of two. She is also a freshman majoring in early childhood education. She agreed it is never too late to pursue your education.

“Your dreams are not dead if you have children,” Brown said. “It is not the end of the world if you have children or procrastinated to go back to school. You can still be the successful person you want to be.”

Proffitt said her becoming a mother led to her to value education more than she ever did before.

“Being a student now is different than it was before,” Proffitt said. “I definitely appreciate education more. I want to instill just how important education is to my daughters.”

Perdue said all students should respect student mothers for their commitment to bettering their futures.

“I would hate for people to think that student parents are irresponsible,” Perdue said. “I would hope people would respect them in that they aren’t giving it up. They are making it work.”

Watts, whose ultimate career goal is to become a Supreme Court justice, only wants her daughter to be happy.

“My dreams for her are that she will never want for anything, that everything she asks for in life I will be able to provide for her,” Watts said. “I want her to go to the best school, have friends and be happy, but above all know that anything is possible and achievable as long as she works for it.”

For more information on the free services offered by Graduate and Undergraduate Parent Support, visit their website at gps.ua.edu.