Being 14 years old and standing in the bathroom with my mom holding a positive pregnancy test was very scary. A bunch of questions came to my mind! How was I going to finish school? Who would watch my son while I went to school? How would I provide for him? I was in shock for a week or two until me and my mom heard of the COPE program. That’s when I felt an instant relief of stress because I realized I wasn’t alone. I started attending COPE and met Ms. Debbie who was so kind and supportive and always brought sweets. At the time she had just started her organization Teen Moms Choose Life, and I was assigned a Big Sister named Larissa. Little did I know that Larissa would have such an impact in my life. She always pushed me to be a better version of myself. Every time I felt lazy or got off track she would be there telling me to get up and work towards my future. She kept pushing me so much to go to school for Medical Billing and Coding. I have been working in Medical Billing for three years and I absolutely love it. I am very thankful for the COPE program because I was able to finish school a year ahead of time and still feel part of a big family at Teen Moms Choose Life.
Ms. Debbie’s Note:
Aryam still attends meetings at Teen Moms Choose Life, and she was once chosen as
“Little Sister of the Year”. She has recently been asked to move up as a Big Sister.
Her maturity shines through and will be a great asset to TMCL.