A 14-year-old woman who became pregnant when she was 14 has completed her BTECs.
Melissa McCabe, 16, of Tranmere, gave birth to her first child, Arthur, in November 2020.
She battled criticism and discrimination from other students at Ridgeway High School in Birkenhead, as well as the pandemic and full-time study while caring for her kid, to get three passes in Animal Care, Business, and Travel & Tourism.
When she first found out she was pregnant, she was worried that her only option would be to drop out of school to care for Arthur, she explained. She made the decision to continue her education, and she is so glad she did.
She is quite proud of herself and her achievements. There will always be a voice in her brain telling her that she could have done better, but she has worked so hard to get to this position.
She had had a teacher tell her she’d never make it, and that was before Arthur, so to prove them wrong has been incredible!
Melissa is motivated to dispel the stereotype that young and single parents experience every day.
As a teen mother, there are a lot of assumed preconceptions that come with the label, she explained.
She has had grownups make sarcastic remarks about her, as if it’s their taxes that pay for her son and that she is not suitable to be a mother.
She’s stayed in school to care for her son and to establish a life for both of them, and she receives very little in return.
Once she starts college to study health and social care, she intends to acquire a part-time job to supplement her income.
People really have to begin minding their own business, and if they don’t have anything constructive to say, they should say nothing.
She is trying her hardest to be the best mother and person she can be.
The 16-year-old admitted that it was tough for her to study and revise while becoming a mother, but she commended her brother Kyle, 30, and sister-in-law Amy for their assistance.
Her professors have been very encouraging and have helped her when she’ve slipped a little behind in her schoolwork, she added.
Kyle and Amy have always encouraged her to continue studying and have always offered a helpful hand when she needed it.
When school reopened during the epidemic, she had a few snide remarks from other students at first, but she also had a lot of friends stand by her and assist her get through it all.
People on TikTok have given her the most encouragement.
After she took Arthur to prom, her story kind of blew out on there, and she has had people message her to say how beautiful he is and what a fantastic mother she is.
It’s been a wild ride, but she is very thrilled to start college and see what the future holds for them.
