In early May we interviewed a Gladney caseworker for our ShiftED podcast (you'll get to hear this episode soon!). The plan was for Yvonne to come and speak about her job as an options counselor and her day-to-day life speaking with women in unplanned pregnancies. I have worked with Yvonne for many years and even tagged along to watch her navigate a relinquishment in a hospital many summers ago. I was touched by her compassion immediately. Personally, I knew her to be a single mother to two handsome boys and I have watched them grow on Instagram over the years, but I didn’t know her story until recently.

Yvonne agreed to speak about being a teen mom the day she came to the studio to record the podcast. The segment was designed to be only a few minutes and a couple questions, but hearing her story changed the plan for the show. Yvonne talked about the struggles she faced once she became pregnant at 15 and how that altered her trajectory. No one mentioned adoption as an option to teenage Yvonne and although she was able to make things work with the help of family, it influenced her entire life. So much so, she became a social worker working with women in unplanned pregnancies. Her story is so compelling, and it reminded me why AdoptED is so important. I can’t go back and talk to fifteen-year-old Yvonne, but I can remember her story as I speak to other students moving forward. How many Yvonne’s are taking AdoptED’s Virtual Classroom right now? How many will we meet this fall as we reenter the classroom? Our mission can and will change lives and that responsibility is not lost on me.