The scholar-mom at GSP

By Brooke Powell
George Rogers Clark High School, Winchester

A day in the life of Kyauna Cargill begins early. Her alarm sounds at 4:30 a.m., long before the sun begins to rise. At 5 a.m. She wakes her 8-month-old daughter Jaeda, feeds and dresses her. Then it’s off to the bus stop. They board the bus together at 6 a.m., then Kyauna drops off Jaeda at daycare.
Now it’s 7:20 a.m. and her day has just begun. After a day of high school classes, Kyauna will drop off her child off at home, where her mother will take care of Jaeda while Kyauna works at Kentucky Fried Chicken until closing time, spending her breaks doing homework. If she’s lucky, she will be in bed by midnight.
As hard as it might sound, it was the life that Kyauna embraced as a teen mother who wants to go to school and make something of herself.
This summer, Kyauna got a little break in her daily grind – and a big break for her future plans – when she was accepted into Kentucky’s prestigious Governor’s Scholars Program. GSP offers outstanding high school seniors an intensive five-week campus residency to build their academic and leadership skills.
Kyauna’s life began to change on June 19, when she arrive at Bellarmine University in Louisville, one of GSP’s three host campuses. She was the only parent-scholar to be accepted into the program this year, and she found herself among others of similar talent and drive.
“The Governor’s Scholars Program allows the scholars to be surrounded by the same level of quality,” said Aris Cedeño, Executive Director of GSP.
“The GSP does not discriminate against parenthood.”
At age 17, Kyauna Cargill spends her days not only working at KFC and attending school at Westport TAPP, but she also cares and provides for her baby daughter, a tough life for anyone at any age.
But, she says, “I wouldn’t change being a mother.” She credits Louisville’s innovative Teen-Age Parent Program for giving her the opportunity to take all the classes she needs while knowing that her baby is in good hands. There were even times when Kyauna’s teachers offered to stay after school and watch Jaeda, so that Kyauna could finish some school work.
In a strange twist of life, the birth of Jaeda gave Kyauna the opportunity for her experience at Bellarmine University. Motherhood led Kyauna to TAPP and TAPP led her to the Governor’s Scholars.
Kyauna was very excited when she opened her acceptance letter from GSP, but she immediately began to worry about who was going to take care of Jaeda and more selfishly, she fretted about missing her daughter for five weeks. Her mother offered to care for Jaeda, but Kyuna still misses her baby.
“I’ve missed laughing at Jaeda while she drinks her bath water,” said Kyauna, “As well as reading to her at night.” But during these tough times, she finds comfort in talking to her mom, who sends her pictures. Kyauna has taken a picture of Jaeda every day since she born, and her mother is continuing the tradition.
Kyauna said she has realized through the GSP experience that she can still grow and achieve great things while caring for her daughter.
“I’ve learned that I can be a mom as well as person,” she said, “and I have GSP to thank for that.”