Bridging Gaps for Teen Parents

After giving birth at 15, during her sophomore year of high school, Paola Ordonez had to figure out how to raise a daughter as a single mom and still be able to pursue her educational dreams. She found support from family and AltaMed Youth Services, and now, at 21, she has graduated with four associate’s degrees from East Los Angeles College (ELAC).

AltaMed Youth Services gave Paola the opportunity to complete one year of parenting workshops before transitioning to the AltaMed Bridge program, which helps teen parents stay on track with their education through one-on-one mentorship and financial support through a program stipend. With a network of support around her and the stipend funds to purchase a laptop for her schoolwork, Paola graduated from high school and was ready to start her college journey at ELAC.

As a first-generation student, Paola found herself struggling in the transition from high school to college. Her Bridge case manager, Thelma Martinez, helped her find the direction she needed to navigate different career paths and explore opportunities to further her dream of working in law enforcement.

In 2023 Paola graduated from community college with a 3.5 GPA and four associate’s degrees—an AA and AA-T in Administration of Justice, an AA in Social and Behavioral Sciences, and an AA in Natural Sciences. She now plans to finish her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice at Cal State Los Angeles, and plans to explore law enforcement careers in the FBI.

In 2019, she shared her experience with the Youth Services program at a conference for the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health initiative in Sacramento. “AltaMed gave me an opportunity to reinvent myself and become not only a successful parent, but also a hardworking and intelligent woman,” Paola told the group. Looking back at her experience, she wants others in similar circumstances to know that “being a teen parent doesn’t define you.”