Some mornings, 19-year-old Jazzmyn Herndon struggles to get out of bed. The young mother, who gave birth to her daughter at 17, is still battling postpartum depression on top of a traumatic brain injury she sustained in a car accident at age 12.
The injury also left Jazzmyn with a rare eye condition that makes her feel different from her peers.
“Because of my eyes, I don’t feel human. I feel like an alien living in a world full of normal aliens,” she said. “Those struggles often lead me to doubt myself, even as I tried to move forward with caring for my child.”
Her honesty reveals what many teen parents live quietly, the emotional, physical and mental toll of raising a child while still figuring out their own lives.
In 2023, Harris County reported 3,334 teen births among individuals aged 10 to 19, which is 49% higher than the national average and slightly above the Texas rate. For many of these young parents, isolation, poverty, stigma and health barriers compound the challenge of finishing school or planning for a career. Without support, cycles of instability repeat.
When she found out she was pregnant, the first person Herndon told was her baby’s father. He didn’t know what to say. Shocked and scared, she turned to her mom and later, her child’s father’s family, who embraced her and her daughter with love.
“They do so much for me and my daughter,” Herndon said. “They love her so much. I’m so grateful for their support during this challenging time for me.”
Her school counselor connected her to Lovie’s Pearls, a nonprofit organization that supports teen mothers. That’s where she met the founder, Elisha Weatherton, who became another anchor in her life.
“She came up to the school and just asked if I wanted to sign up. I said most definitely. She even taught us how to put the car seat in right,” Herndon recalled. “It’s the little things like that that mean so much.”
Through workshops and mentorship, Herndon gained tools and encouragement. And while she admits her most significant barrier is still herself, the support reminded her she doesn’t have to do it alone.
Building a bigger village
Stories like Herndon are why Jasmine Robinson of Collegiate Mom Coalition, Amber Brown, Founder and executive Director of TWICE (Teen-Mothers Walking In Committed Excellence), Shekina Wiley-Sattiewhite, founder and executive director of Cradle2Career, and Weatherton joined forces to launch the You Got This! Teen Parent Summit.
On Nov. 1, they’ll welcome more than 100 Houston-area teen parents for a day of resources, childcare, workshops and community building. For these women, it’s about rewriting the narrative around teen parents.
“Not all the women on board are teen parents,” Robinson said of the group she pulled together, “but they are passionate and down for the cause.”
Robinson, a founder who completed college while parenting, was initially drawn in by sheer recognition; each nonprofit leader had observed the same gaps and missed opportunities. Rather than competing, they decided to combine what they had and cover each other’s blind spots.
Wiley-Sattiewhite, who discovered she was pregnant at 15 and attended a school for pregnant girls, described why showing what’s possible matters.
“It shows them that there’s a community of people in the same situation,” she said. “You always need someone to say, ‘I know it feels tough right now, but here’s what it looks like on the other side.’”
Brown, whose mother was a teen parent, shared the “five S’s” that teen parents often lack stability, support, security, structure and success and why that matters beyond a single day.
“They’re not broken,” she said. “They’re just underserved.” Her role in the collaboration is to ensure the summit doesn’t just inspire but creates durable connections in a tribe that can pull a young parent up when life gets heavy.
Weatherton presses for services that meet parents where they are, hands-on workshops, meals and practical help. “The biggest struggle is lack of resources, or even knowing resources exist,” she said. “Community groups often can’t get school districts to treat them as a trusted partner, which is why the coalition decided to take services out into neighborhoods and bus teens in when necessary.”
The summit agenda includes targeted workshops designed by leaders to answer everyday pain points, mental-health recognition and postpartum support, lessons on safe car-seat installation and infant care, sessions explicitly for guardians, and hands-on introductions to local colleges and trades. There’s even a session called “No more iPad kids,” a practical conversation about parenting in an age of screens and distraction.
The coalition was explicit about follow-through. Rather than promising abstract help, organizers want teen parents to leave with a contact list and a clear next step. Robinson described the hope simply, “We’re looking for vendors who are local…so these teens can actually access those resources and connect directly to the community.”
For more information visit: You Got This: Teen Parent Summit
