“I was a mess when I was nineteen. And then I had [my daughter] and everything just kind of clicked into place. Motherhood worked for me.”
-Anna, recipient of the first-ever Pro-Life Aggies Pregnant and Parenting Student Scholarship.
On March 3, 2012, the Pro-Life Aggies at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, officially awarded their newfound Pregnant and Parenting Student Scholarship during their first 5K fundraiser, “Run for Their Lives.” The recipient is 22-year-old Anna, a history major at the university. Anna is a full-time student who is raising her 2-year-old daughter on her own.
“This is the first time I’ve ever come across something that is specific to young parents,” Anna said about the scholarship. “It’s the first time that I actually feel like I’m being accepted into A&M.”
There are currently very few resources available to assist parenting students who attend Texas A&M. The biggest project the Pro-Life Aggies take on is raising funds for the $1,000 scholarship that is awarded to a selected student each semester. The organization’s hope is that pro-life groups at other universities will begin a scholarship program specifically to provide resources to student parents on their campuses as well.
Jennifer Rumpf, president of the Pro-Life Aggies, is ecstatic to have awarded the scholarship to a young woman like Anna.
“Anna is not only an impressive student as shown by how she balances school and being a loving mother, but she has won my heart and the hearts of Pro-Life Aggies because of how much she cares about the beautiful life she has brought into this world,” Jen said. “She has a passion to reach out to others in her situation and share what she has learned.”
Like many other pregnant and parenting students, she noted that community support was something she lacked. “One of the most shameful things about getting pregnant while you’re still in school is the way other people your age see you. That really affected me. Having more support from the people around you would be great.”
“Anna is a shining beacon of hope for those who find themselves young and pregnant,” said Theresa MacGregor, an officer of the Pro-Life Aggies, who initially suggested to Anna that she consider applying for the scholarship. “Her amazing example proves that being a young parent and still going to school is an achievable feat.”
“You can’t let having a kid stop your life. You just can’t,” Anna advises students who find themselves faced with an unintended pregnancy. “They actually become the best part of your life if you give it a chance…If it’s something you really think you can’t handle, adoption—there’s nothing wrong with it.”
If you have questions about how to start a scholarship at your university, email ProLifeAggies@gmail.com
