A Young Mom Resists A Cycle Of Failure

Claudio Sanchez:

Of the million or so kids who drop out of school every year, nearly half are girls. They drop out for the same reasons boys do: they skip school, fall behind academically and they're bored. But the single biggest reason girls drop out is because they get pregnant.

Not a day goes by that Lauren Ortega doesn't regret quitting high school. When she turned 15, she got pregnant with her son.

Her pregnancy cut short so many things, Ortega says. A job, a car, her own apartment, college, and just being independent.

Now, at 20 years old, she complains about gaining weight and feeling a little lost. She's studying to get her GED at a school for adults in San Bernardino, Calif.

Ortega remembers she was starved for affection when she met Joseph, her boyfriend. She was only 14.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at July 27, 2011 1:07 AM
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