ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, December 26, 1995 TAG: 9512260008
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NORFOLK
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
When 17-year-old Lakeysha Rawlings got pregnant, everyone told her she couldn't finish school.
``But I want to go [to college] and get a good job, so my son will see that mommy did it, he can do it,'' said the Granby High School senior and mother of an 8-month-old son.
With encouragement from a local organization of professional women, Rawlings has submitted an application to attend Hampton University.
``A lot of times, the community shuns these girls,'' said Cheryl Footman-Banks, president of the Chesapeake-Virginia Beach alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. ``They feel they can't succeed. We believe in our pregnant girls and have a sincere indication that a lot of teen mothers have an ability to achieve.''
This is the second year of the sorority's College Advisory and Mentoring Program, or CAMP. Last year, 10 girls, mostly high school juniors, took part, and one was accepted by Old Dominion University.
``They gave me lots of support,'' said Shaneika Lawrence, an 18-year-old ODU freshman who wants to become an obstetrician. ``... They helped me carry on my dream.''
Lawrence has a 9-month-old daughter. ``I thought the baby would slow me down,'' she said.
Instead, she is earning A's and B's and working part time as a hairdresser. The Delta sisters helped her with applications, financial aid and budgeting time and money. They also awarded her a $1,000 scholarship.
The group also provides role models for the girls.
Christine Handy, a Granby teacher, developed CAMP. She said she was deeply shaken when her sister became pregnant during her final year of high school.
``She was the smartest of all of us,'' she told a group of girls during a recent orientation meeting. ``She was college bound, and it broke my heart that she got sidetracked.''
The girls who get involved with CAMP are encouraged to set high goals.
``You hear all the time that you can't go to college because you had a baby,'' said Elizabeth Robinson, a 17-year-old Granby junior with a 17-month-old son. ``But they gave us a hope that we can go to college and do more positive things.''
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