In a colourful children's room in the guts of Stanford University's campus, two-year-old Javier Arellano presses a star-shaped button on a plastic machine until a steel-drum version of Brahms' Lullaby whispers from a hidden speaker on the toy. The music mixes with the wails of one other child nearby, and the muffled cacophony is punctuated by the rapid tapping of Karen Arellano's fingers on her laptop as she studies at a close-by desk.
“Mommy!” Javier interrupts in his slurred toddler Spanish, pointing to his next object of intrigue to get his mother's attention. “Car!” he cries.
“Sí,” she says in Spanish, looking up to envision on her son. “It’s a car,” she confirms with a smile stuffed with drained enthusiasm before turning back to her studies.
The scene is typical of the lifetime of Arellano, a senior at Stanford University who, with the assistance of a bunch called “San Francisco,” juggles raising her son and attending an elite university Shine together in Milpitas.
Each yr, Shine Together helps as much as 200 moms ages 13 to 25 navigate parenting, life and education by connecting them to the resources they should succeed.
“Every mother that comes through the door, we meet them where they are,” said Sara Reyes, executive director of Shine Together — or Shine for brief. “Our ultimate goal is for our mothers to feel empowered and find their voice to advocate for themselves and their future.”
The agency is asking Wish Book for donations to support at the least 60 young moms in San Jose and their children and to fund the staff and facilities that take care of them.
Arellano came upon she was pregnant the identical day she had to substantiate her enrollment at Stanford University. When the doctor at Planned Parenthood presented her with several options, she decided to maintain the infant. Then she sat within the automobile in front of the clinic and sent off the registration documents.
When she got home, the truth hit her when she was faced with a stark statistic: Only 2% of teenage moms graduate from college by age 30.
Despite her drive, she faced obstacles at Stanford. Her pregnancy often left her drained and gave her brain fog, and even when she asked, her teachers didn't at all times reply to her needs. Although she tried to not feel ashamed, she felt the stigma of being a pregnant student.
When she gave birth to Javier, her responsibilities grew and so did her financial burden. Although her housing was financially supported, child care cost her and her family $2,600 every month, a high price for a farmworker family.
She often felt alone. At the time, Javier's father was away, and Karen lacked consistent assist in caring for Javier or child-friendly opportunities to socialize. She slowly began to doubt whether she would even graduate.
Then a caseworker referred her to Shine Together. She called an attorney who told her they may provide her with diapers and clothing and connect her with the resources she needed.
“In that moment… I knew I could do it. I thought, ‘This is what I was looking for.’ This is what I needed,” Arellano recalls.
Shine helped her find free childcare and provided Javier with clothing, diapers and wipes. They also provided her with hair care products, something she had been neglecting, so she could get monetary savings for essentials.
Shine matches each mother with an advocate to assist them find resources and navigate child care, housing, legal systems, education and financial support.
These resources are tailored to every mother. Esmerelda Torres was living in her automobile together with her daughter and attempting to graduate from highschool when she came upon about Shine Together. Shine helped her find everlasting housing and meet her basic needs so she could refocus on earning her GED. “I didn’t really have a family that was there for me, but (Shine) cares about what happens,” Torres said. “Good or bad, they’re always there.”
Advocates work with each mother individually and together create a game plan to assist them achieve their goals – whether that's earning a GED, completing an expert certificate or completing college. They also offer moms help with financial literacy, health and wellness, and all the things from parenting techniques to emotional support.
“We are their biggest cheerleader,” said Isabel Chavarria, Shine’s current program manager and Arellano’s former advocate. “We really empower them to be the best (mothers) they can be.”
Shine also hosts events to attach moms with one another, giving them the chance to learn life skills together and construct community.
“I tried to make friends here (at Stanford). It was so hard…to build those friendships,” Arellano said. “It's really important for me to interact with some mothers… because I knew I had other people who had similar experiences to me.”
Many of the supporters were there themselves. Shine's team is made up entirely of ladies, a lot of whom come from the identical neighborhoods because the people they serve. Some were young or teenage moms themselves.
“We all needed support along the way…we were in this situation once as individuals,” Reyes said.
Many of the moms at Shine come from backgrounds affected by poverty, food insecurity and other trauma. A 3rd of those surveyed suffered from housing conditions and 44% were children of young parents themselves.
Despite the circumstances, the approach works for the moms. While only about half of teenybopper moms nationwide have a highschool diploma, nearly nine in 10 of Shine Together's young moms are on the right track to earn a highschool diploma, and over 60% are pursuing further education resembling college or a certification program.
The work not only prepares the moms for achievement – it also helps the kids. Research shows that when parents receive an education, their children do higher, even a long time later.
“(We) break these generational cycles through education and empowerment,” Chavarria said. “We serve two generations at the same time.”
Javier is now two and a half years old, while Arellano will complete her bachelor's degree in anthropology next yr and has been chosen for the honors program. She is conducting a thesis research on young moms pursuing higher education and hopes to present her research to assist break the stigma surrounding the subject. That yr, Javier's father moved in to support Javier and Arellano.
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“Shine is part of this movement for equality and justice. They have the ability to make a difference,” Arellano said. “That's what Shine is supposed to do – give you stability to achieve your goals… That's what it did for me.”
THE WISH BOOK SERIES
Wish Book is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operated by The Mercury News. Since 1983, Wish Book has produced a series of stories throughout the holiday season that highlight the needs of those in need and invite readers to assist make those wishes come true.
WISH
Donations help Shine Together support at the least 60 young moms in San Jose and their children and fund the staff and facilities that support them. Goal: $25,000
HOW TO GIVE
Donate at Wishbook.mercurynews.com/donate or email this to us form.
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