Sheynatais “Shey” Rivera is the first in her family to attend college. She is thriving in her first year at Bard Microcollege Holyoke. Shey is currently taking a sociology course and is fascinated by the way false stereotypes can lead to real consequences in life.
Shey, like so many other young mothers and women of color, has dealt with others’ negative stereotypes. “I have had a lot of people doubt me.” Shey explained. “I ignored the negative comments and thoughts I would have and just followed what was best for my daughter and me.”
Despite her resolve, society’s expectations about teen mothers were hard to ignore. Shortly after becoming a mother at age sixteen, Shey nearly gave up on her education. She felt tired and unsupported and as a result, her motivation and attendance in high school suffered.
Shey’s Spanish teacher noticed she was struggling and pulled her aside. She told Shey about The Care Center—a supportive educational center designed for young moms. “If it wasn’t for that Latina teacher, they would have let me go,” explained Shey.
Discovering New Interests at The Care Center
When Shey entered The Care Center’s HiSET (GED) program, she was comforted to have her ten month old baby, Nadialis, in The Care Center’s nurturing daycare. A natural student, Shey quickly passed her HiSET tests while thriving in The Care Center’s extracurricular activities. She especially loved poetry, art, and cardio hip hop. “I was so into cardio hip hop,” Shey explained, “At first, I was a little skeptical. Why do we have our babies in daycare just to dance? I realized I could give myself a break. My baby would be good.”
With encouragement from her teachers and counselors, Shey enrolled in college courses and began to shake old ideas about what college is and who college is for. In The Care Center’s cozy brick building decorated by student art and filled with supportive staff, college was not some big impersonal campus for wealthy students as she had always imagined. It was a place to explore big ideas and challenge old assumptions. After the courses ended, Shey remembers thinking, “Did I just do college?”
Shey began to crave the experience of learning and gaining new perspectives so she applied and was accepted to Bard Microcollege Holyoke, the nation’s first college for young mothers and low-income women here at The Care Center.
College Life
She is excelling in her first semester at Bard Microcollege Holyoke. In addition to her love of sociology, Shey is enjoying James Baldwin’s Go Tell it on the Mountain and is interested in the hypocrisy around who is labeled a sinner. She also enjoys the lively discussions with her fellow students, a stark contrast to the isolation she used to feel in the classroom. Shey is looking forward to exploring her next step with her advisor but for now is just soaking in the college experience.
She reflected, “I am officially a college student. The Care Center taught me it’s not selfish to do something for yourself. Nothing will hold me back from getting the education I need.”
