Katiria Moran is a medical social worker serving new mothers, including teen parents, at Baystate’s Labor and Delivery Unit. A teen mom herself, Katiria never imagined that she would work in the same maternity ward where she became a mother.
She has a deep understanding of the challenges her clients face. Katiria had a baby at age 15 and lived in foster care during the beginning of her pregnancy. “Most teen moms want to do well, explore college and be great people,” she explained. “Sometimes they just don’t have enough support or guidance to start their journey as a teen parent.”
Katiria had her daughter, Jasleen, at Baystate in 1997. A sophomore in high school, Katiria was eager to continue her education but had trouble securing child care. She found The Care Center in the Yellow Pages and remembers waiting by a friend’s landline for The Care Center’s call. She was thrilled to learn that The Care Center had a daycare that could care for her one-month-old while she furthered her education.
Finding Support and Encouragement at The Care Center
Through an early iteration of The Care Center’s Bridge to College program, Katiria was able to take college courses while studying for her GED. She remembers the boost she felt when her teacher told her that she was educationally advanced and could pass the GED quickly. “When you’re a teen mom,” she explained, “you put a lot of pressure on yourself to be good but you don’t always have the support you need.”
She passed the GED a few months later and earned her associate’s degree from Holyoke Community College in 2001. She went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Elms College in 2014 and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Springfield College in 2015, the same year her daughter, Jasleen received her High School diploma. “It was important to me to show my children that if I could go to college, they could too,” said Katiria. Her daughter later received a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology in 2019 from Western New England University.
In addition to Jasleen, 24, Katiria and her husband have two other children, Jordan, 20, who will be attending Westfield State College in January and Jaden, who is 11. Being a mom and wanting the best for her kids is what gave her strength. Katiria explained, “I was a teen mom and I didn’t know what I was doing but I knew I wanted my kids to be better adults than me. They are great kids, and I am extremely proud of them. They were resilient as well.”
Bringing Hope to New Moms
Reflecting on her life now, Katiria feels a deep sense of peace. “I’m out of survival mode and enjoying life,” she said. “I’ve accomplished my dream from when I was 15. It’s not the end. It’s the beginning. I really hope that my story brings hope to young mothers.”
Katiria’s advice to other teen moms? “Hey, I’ve been there. It’s doable. Whatever life looks like today, it doesn’t have to look like in a year.”
