BOISE, Idaho — Eighteen graduates crossed the stage at Cardinal Academy, a school through the Salvation Army opened to pregnant and parenting students. Nine of the graduates are parents who balanced childcare responsibilities while completing their high school education.
"It's just very emotional because I never thought that I'd get to this spot right now," said Aracely Contreras, a now Cardinal Academy graduate.
Contreras, whose son is 3 months old, was among those celebrating this significant achievement.
"I wanted to be able to go to college and like get a job that would help me with my baby, so I was like I need to do better for him, so I wanted to come to high school," said Contreras.
Cardinal Academy allows students to get their education while receiving childcare and support. The school partners with the Salvation Army's Booth program, which helps students with pregnancy and early life skills.
"Some of them are the ones that started with us our first year. To watch them grow up, some of them we saw have their babies, they called us from the hospital, they had their babies, and they're graduating today, just words can't express, just so proud," said Heather Collett, Executive Assistant for Cardinal Academy.
Out of the 18 graduates, nine are parents, and despite the challenges of raising children at a young age, these graduates proved that nothing could stop them from completing their high school education.
One graduate, Natalie Munoz-Ramirez, decorated her cap with the message "I did it for you" alongside a photo of her son as a newborn and a recent picture from a month ago.
"I'm very proud, and I'm very proud when he grows up that I did it for him, like everything I did was for him," said Contreras.
The Booth Program for Young Parents is one of several local organizations you can help support through our Idaho News Six Community Baby Shower. The event is scheduled for June 11.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
