10 Teen Moms That Became Successful: By Jazmine Gonzalez

Pregnancy is, without a doubt, a wonderful and glorious time in a woman’s life. From the moment a woman finds out that she is growing a tiny life inside of her belly, their life changes forever. Most women celebrate this creation and start planning on the hundreds of things that run through a mother’s mind; to breast or bottle feed, parenting techniques, birthing classes, and so much more. This may not always be the case for every new mom, such as a teenage girl.

When a teenage girl finds out that she is pregnant, it is a different ball game. They may be happy about it, but also completely horrified at the same time. A teenage girl has different thoughts racing through her mind such as where to live, how they are going to finish school, how they are going to provide for the baby, or even worse, the thought of having an abortion. Some teenage girls may even try to hide their pregnancy.

Teenage pregnancy is the leading reason that teen girls drop out of high school. Many of them never get to wear their cap and gown or get to walk down the aisle to get their diploma. They miss out on their prom and many of the other things that other teenagers get to experience. What is even worse, is that less than 2% of teen moms will even earn a college degree by the time they are 30-years-old. Although statistic proves that teenage mothers aren’t likely to finish school, go to college while taking care of their baby and make a promising path for both of their futures, it can happen. Here are 10 mothers that became successful even though they became a teen mom.

10. Amanda Ray

Amanda Ray realized she was pregnant at a young age of only 14 years old. Becoming pregnant at the age of 14 is somewhat younger than the average teen pregnancy, so naturally one would think her chances of becoming successful would be even less. Amanda made sure she would not only be a good mother but also made sure she would become a huge success in her career.

By the time Amanda was 25 years old, she had become a lawyer. She was able to juggle being a mother, worked two jobs to pay for college, and still managed to graduate at the top of her class. She was even the valedictorian. Amanda does admit she had to lose many precious moments with her son that she will never be able to get back, but she wanted to be able to provide for him and set a good example. Amanda Ray definitely deserves to be on the list of 10 teen moms that became successful.

9. Pattie Mallette

Pattie Mallette is also known to everyone as Justin Bieber’s mom was a teen mother. Pattie had a tough childhood. Her sister passed away at a young age of only five years old. She was molested at an extremely young age of only three years old which continued for many years. When she was 15 years old, she met Jeremy Bieber. Pattie became pregnant a couple of years later and gave birth to Justin Bieber at the age of 17.

Pattie raised the baby as a single mother with the help of some of her friends. Her friends helped take care of young Justin so she could finish school and earn her diploma. Pattie was on government assistance and lived in low-income housing which motivated her to become something more. Pattie has an interest as a child in singing and acting, but it didn’t pan out for her. When Justin Bieber was two years old, she noticed he also had an interest in music. She encouraged his interest in music to flourish and posted videos of him on YouTube. She became his manager and also wrote a book, “Nowhere But Up,” which became a New York Times bestseller. Pattie Mallette rightfully gains a spot on 10 teen moms that became successful.

8. Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin got pregnant with her first son at the very young and tender age of 14. When she was still just a young girl herself, just four years after her mother tragically passed away, she became pregnant. A short year later, with one baby already in her arms, she gave birth to her second son at the age of 15. Aretha had a love and passion for music and an amazing set of vocals, so she continued to explore her passion. Seven years later she gave birth to one more son at the age of 22.

Aretha worked her butt off vocally and broke into the music industry, something that not everyone was able to do back in the 1950’s and 1960’s. At the age of 25 years old, Aretha made it big in the R&B world with her hit single “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You).” She went on to have one more baby, her fourth child, another baby boy, at the age of 28. Even with four kids, she was able to become a huge success. Aretha went on to have 20 number one hits and 112 charted singles. This amazing mom really deserves some respect.

7. Fantasia Barrino

Fantasia grew up in the rough area of High Point, North Carolina. She ended up dropping out of high school after being brutally assaulted by a fellow classmate. Fantasia got pregnant at the young age of 16 and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl who she proudly named Zion Quarri Barrino on August 8th, 2001.

Being a new mom can be scary, but even more so for Fantasia, since she was still considered a kid herself. Fantasia loved her baby girl regardless and gave her the best life that she could. When Zion was only three years old, Fantasia applied to be a contestant on the hit singing show, American Idol. She made it and won the season. Fantasia gave a stunning performance of the song “Summertime,” and nailed it head on. Fantasia made her, and her daughter’s dreams come true that night, and she became a huge success with a singing career. Her net worth is estimated to be over $4 million.

6. Catherine Hughes

Catherine Hughes also called Cathy, got pregnant when she was 16-years-old. Her mother kicked her out of the house, and her friends told her that her life was over, but her life was far from over. She had several different jobs, but one that helped her become the woman she is today is being a general sales manager of the radio station WHUR-FM. She increased their revenue the first year from $250,000 to $3 Million.

In 1979, she and her husband bought a radio station. They divorced within a year, and she gave up her home. Her main concern was keeping the radio station, which ended up being her ticket to becoming famous. Cathy and her son even slept on the floor of the radio station until she turned the business around. Cathy is worth approximately $240 Million. Her decision to keep the radio station may have been one of the best decisions of her life. Cathy and her son, Alfred, have been named Entrepreneur of the Year. Many people would probably agree she earned a place on this list.

5. Shashicka Tyre-Hill

Shashicka Tyre-Hill is truly another inspiration when it comes to teen moms. She had a rocky childhood having to deal with a father who had a drug problem to then having a stepfather who sexually assaulted her. She had her baby when she was only 15-years-old. She was on public assistance and had to drop out of high school. She stepped up to the plate and also helped take care of her grandmother until her grandmother passed away. Despite all of her problems she still managed to rise about it all to make a better a life for her and her child.

She had a passion for home health care after taking care of her grandmother until her passing. At the young age of only 21-years-old, she proudly became the youngest person in the United States to obtain a home health care license.  She was determined to become successful and used $700 from her tax return to start her business. Her growing business, Miracle Home Care, has seven locations throughout the state of Georgia. She is also a motivational speaker to help others pursue their dreams. Hopefully, she can touch the lives of others.

4. Kaye Byrd

Kaye Byrd is from Detroit, and she got pregnant with her son when she was just 17-years-old, and she was just a senior in high school. When most girls were anxiously awaiting prom, Kaye was anxiously awaiting the arrival of her of her first-born. She had big dreams for herself which, at the time, did not include a baby. Kaye hid her pregnancy from her mom for five long months until her sister eventually had to tell their mother what was going on. Their mother was in shock but agreed to help her out her beloved daughter in her desperate time of need.

Kaye graduated as expected, and on time, from an alternative high school for pregnant girls and teen moms. She gave birth to her healthy baby boy the July after graduation. Kaye decided to continue her education and go on to college for the sole purpose of creating a better life for her son so they wouldn’t have to rely on anyone else. She went to Wayne State University to get a bachelor’s degree in journalism and graduated. Kaye is now the very proud founder of GirlGrow.com, which supports women who need mentoring and support in order to reach their goals. Kaye shows that becoming a teen mom isn’t the end of the world. With hard work and dedication, success is possible for any young or teen mom out there.

3. Emily

Emily was 17-years old when she found out that she was going to be having a little baby girl. She was petrified to break the news to her parents more than anything else, which is a common fear for soon-to-be teen moms. Emily and her high school sweetheart had huge plans of attending college together, and they even dreamed of getting married one day. They knew that a baby would change everything, though. Emily knew that she was definitely going to keep her baby because she was adopted herself. She said she knew from the start that she would be the one to raise her child.

Emily went on to graduate high school and married her high school sweetheart, and the father of her firstborn daughter, a year later. Unfortunately, after only being married for a little over a year, Emily and her husband found out that they were not compatible after all.  After some ups and downs and everything in between, and three lovely kids later, Emily runs and owns a successful photography business. She shows that even if life does not turn out as planned, to never give up hope because it is possible for a teen mom to achieve their goals in life.

2. Gloria Malone

Gloria Malone is another teen mom that is an inspiration to others. She found out at the age of 15-years-old that she was going to become a mother. She was determined to be a great mother and someone that her daughter could look up to and be proud of.  She would wake up bright and early each day, drop her daughter off at daycare, and was still able to accomplish making it to school on time.

When Gloria was finished with the school day, she would pick her daughter up from daycare and spend quality time with her. She worked at a cell phone store to provide for her little one. She was always tired, but that didn’t stop her from becoming successful. She even managed to breastfeed her daughter and made time in her busy day to pump when she was away from her.

Gloria graduated school with honors and went on to go to college. With her hard work and drive, she achieved her dreams. Today, Gloria is an inspiration to many and helped create a group called #NoTeenShame. She is not an activist and shares her story with others to help motivate them to follow their dreams.

1. Jamie Lynn Spears

Jamie was only 16-years-old when she was found out she was pregnant while she was in a BP Gas Station bathroom. She felt as if her world was crashing down; she was not ready to become a mother. She was scared to tell her mother like a lot of teens are. She wrote a note telling her mother the news and left it in her bedroom. She knew she wanted to keep her baby even though she was afraid of becoming a mother at such a young age.

Jamie was already well-known and famous when she became pregnant, and so many people started to say horrible things about her. She didn’t let them bring her down, though. She didn’t want to be known as just another teen mom; she knew that she needed to grow up and be a great mother to her child. Jamie was a role model and wanted to show the world that she could still be successful and raise her baby. Her parents and family supported her in her decision to have the baby.

Her main focus was to be a good mother and put her career on hold. After becoming a mother and raising her child, she decided to return and go back to the spotlight. She released her own Country music album, and she also achieved a spot in the Top 30 Billboard of Hot 100 Country songs. She was happy to be back in the entertainment field, but her daughter is still her main priority and her motivation to keep going.