Paying Tribute to Pregnant and Parenting Students in College.

Nicole Lynn Hannons

author of Glori, the story of her journey to college

I started college as a very unique student.  My backpack held books, a calendar and also a breast pump.  My days included juggling classes, writing papers and a clockwork bath time.  My roommate was a one-year-old who was anything but tidy and never helped pay the rent.

I was a young, single mother attending the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. My daughter was two-and-a-half months old when I started my freshman year.  At that time, I was still living with her father in an apartment about forty minutes from campus. I left him right before my sophomore year because of his drug dealing and a slew of other bad decisions he'd made, and moved into a family housing apartment on campus.

William & Mary is not accustomed to teen mothers.  It is considered a "public ivy league" because of its rigorous academics and long history.   At the time, I was the only young parent raising their child on campus while attending school.  Yet, I made it work.  The family housing apartment was considerably cheaper than apartments out in the community, and I made sure that I applied for financial aid as an independent student so I could get more money.  I used the loans to pay for tuition, rent, groceries, daycare and books.  I was also constantly searching for scholarships for teen mothers on the Financial Aid Office's website.

With diligence, determination and creativity, I earned my degree in four years and graduated with high honors.  College Mom Magazine is a great place to start your own success story! ------Nicole Lynn Hannons

For more information go to http://www.nicoleink.com

About Nicole Lynn Hannons:
An Inspiration for College Moms

Nicole Lynn Hannans' first article was published at the age of 11 in the Interracial Family Alliance on her experiences growing up biracial.  Now 27-years-old, she has had numerous articles published on topics from affirmative action policy to the media's influence on teen girls' body images, which appeared in The Virginian-Pilot.

Her writing has been recognized with Honorable Mention in the Patrick Hayes 2002 Alumni Writing Festival G. Glenwood Clark Short Fiction Contest and participation in The Hurston/Wright Foundation 2002 Writer's Week in Washington D.C. 

In 2003, she graduated with High Honors in English from the College of William & Mary in recognition of a year long creative writing thesis ­ a collection of short stories on the black woman at different periods in history. Two years later, she earned a Masters degree from George Mason University with a concentration in Social Policy and Communication. 

Hannans is an author and professional speaker on topics varying from goal achievement, self-empowerment, and how to succeed as a teenage mom.  Glori is her first book, - a breakthrough memoir and success story on surviving on her own as a 19-year-old mother. ----from http://www.nicoleink.com