There are exceptions, of course, and Tamika Hall-Frye is one of them. But for her, an additional challenge was transcending the expectations people had of her once she became pregnant. “People were shocked because I was an honor student and a ‘nerd’ so for me to be pregnant was a big deal,” she recalls. “Everyone I knew basically told me that I was not going to amount to anything if I had a child at 16. My high school college advisor told me not to bother filling out applications, despite the fact that I was an honors student.” Tamika surprised everyone again—this time by graduating high school on time and going on to complete four years of college. She went on to obtain her Master’s degree in Curriculum Writing and Instruction, and worked as a teacher for years.
