Kayla Booth

 

 I am Kayla Booth, I was a high school dropout who ended up getting pregnant at 17 years old. At the time I thought I had my life together though I was far from it. At 21 years old after 6 years of living in toxic households, I moved back in with my mother in a shared room with my 3-year-old daughter. I was a single mother with absolutely no money for childcare, so I could not work a good-paying job, relying on independent contracting jobs where I could take my daughter with me, I was getting paid little to nothing. I was at one of the lowest points in life I have ever been. As I was living with my mother, I became close to my neighbor Ms. Janice. She was a 79 year old single woman who lived alone. Ms. Janice used to be a social worker and an art teacher. She also had a few more tricks up her sleeve making her a very smart woman. She was an incredible artist. She had many quirks about her, but some would say she was a “mean” little old lady. I learned to love her, and we grew a bond. I told Ms. Janice she was my adopted grandmother. She was never mean to me, and we had deep conversations. One day Ms. Janice got sick and became blind. She had no way to take care of herself but she was stubborn as a mule so she insisted she would continue living her life as she did before without any help unless it was from my family or myself. With her being blind, I would drive her around and talk for hours. Many times, she would mention how she could not believe one day she just woke up blind and how scared she was. One day we were sitting down at Waffle House, and I will never forget what she said to me. She said to me “Kayla I took so much for granted in my life when I had the ability to see, I can’t read, I can’t write, I can’t drive, I can’t do my art and there’s so much more I regret not doing.” This made me completely shift my perspective on life. I have the ability to see, the ability to learn, write, drive and so much more. As I was sitting in bed one night after we had this conversation, I researched how I could go back to school and get my high school diploma. I figured out how to get childcare, I found a program in Mobile, Alabama that helped me get my high school diploma, once I graduated my school paid for me to get my CNA certification as well. Every step of the way when I accomplished something that I thought I never would be able to, there was a weight lifted off me. After all, I had a daughter who was looking up to me and I knew I needed to fix my life. It’s never too late. Four years later I got my high school diploma and got a good paying job. I moved in with my father and now my daughter and I have our own bedrooms. I always wanted to go to college I just didn’t know how I would be able to financially accomplish that. Luckily, I was able to figure it out through the state. I got accepted into Bishop State as a first-time college student and began my core classes to get into the nursing program. I sat at my table and cried when I saw I got accepted because once again I felt like I was moving forward. On top of working full-time, being a full-time mother, and going to school full-time it has still been challenging for me mentally and physically, but my teachers at Bishop State have been very understanding and helpful. I still have a lot more steps to take before I get to where I would like to be in life, but I am much farther down the road than I was before. There is always someone out there who wishes they could do better, feeling stuck in a repetitive cycle. This goes to show things it is never too late to improve your life. Things will get better, and you are not alone.