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INSPIRING: She gave birth at 15. Now, she has a doctorate from UCLA.
Sonia Betancourt had dreams of attending UCLA to become a lawyer but put those dreams on hold after becoming pregnant when she was 15 years old. While she postponed her college plans to raise her daughter Stephanie and son Miguel, she didn’t let go of her dream. Earlier this month, that dream became a reality when she earned a doctorate in nursing from UCLA — as the proud daughter she raised as a teen looked on.
Sonia and Stephanie spoke to NBC 4 about Sonia’s accomplishment.
“Of course, who plans a pregnancy at 15, right? I didn’t,” Sonia said. However, she made clear that she wouldn’t let the fear of becoming a failure or the worry of becoming a statistic hold her back. Instead, she focused on raising Stephanie and later her son Miguel. The brother and sister eventually went to UCLA themselves, both graduating with Bachelor’s degrees, before it was Sonia’s turn to pursue her lifelong ambition.
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Stephanie wrote a touching tribute to her mom shared on UCLA’s nursing website. “As we know, life can throw us a curve ball or two, and despite the straight A’s, my mom was pregnant at fifteen — putting her dreams to attend UCLA on hold,” she wrote. “Nonetheless, she installed the same work ethic and drive into her children. She supported us in everything we did, nurturing us to become our best version.”
“For decades, everyone else came first,” Stephanie said. “Today, we honor a woman who reminds us that we can be selfless yet pursue our dreams too. It’s never too late to go after what you want — what you deserve. Congratulations, Sonia Betancourt. We are SO proud of you. Even more — we are SO grateful for you.”
Inspiring stories like Sonia’s serve as a reminder that pregnancy doesn’t mean the end of all ambitions and plans — it may just mean that life unfolds a little differently than expected.
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Human Interest·By Bridget Sielicki
