With the production company Lantingua Williams & Co., I reported this feature-length narrative story for the podcast 1 in 5. The 1 in 5 podcast profiles students who are also parents pursuing their education while raising a family and working. For this story, I interviewed Shaquana Graham.

The podcast episode originally aired May 24, 2021. You can listen to the story here.

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Shaquana Graham’s family always held education in high regard, but she dropped out of high school when she found out she was pregnant at the age of 16. After that, raising her three children and keeping a roof over their heads became her first priority. While fighting through the darkest moments of her life — and with the help of her family and a program that helps lift families out of poverty — Shaquana committed to going back to school and raising her self-esteem. Reporter Sonia Paul chronicles Shaquana’s journey back to the classroom.

Download and share the resource guide based on this episode here.

You can read the episode transcript here.

For more information on 1 in 5, click here.