Proud graduate Andante celebrates with her son, Atticus, who she fell pregnant with during her A-levels (Picture: University of Bristol/PA)
A young woman wants to shatter the stigma that teen mothers are ‘lazy or irresponsible’ after graduating top of her class.
Andante Singer was a schoolgirl studying for her A-level exams when she found out she was pregnant, aged just 18.
But now, aged 23, she graduated top of her glass at The University of Bristol, with her three-year-old son, Atticus, watching on.
Andante said: ‘There is a myth that teenage pregnancy happens to a specific type of person, but these things can happen to anyone.
‘To label someone as lazy or irresponsible because of something like that is so horrible and harmful.’
Andante remembers bursting into tears and feeling ‘very scared’ when she learned she was pregnant.
‘I’m not glorifying the situation, but there are options’ (Credits: PA)
‘I just didn’t know what to do,’ she said.
‘I thought there were two choices: to either not have the baby or to face stigma and struggle.’
Luckily, Andante had support from her family.
She said: ‘I thought my mum would be annoyed but she wasn’t at all. She was just really lovely – the first thing she did was give me hug.
‘It’s so important to have that support network; having a very supportive family is probably the one thing that got me through.’
Miss Singer, who lives in Portishead, Somerset, thought her plans to go to university would be in jeopardy if she had a child.
But she received a bursary from the university and was able to access extra support, including reduced fees at the university nursery.
‘Once I knew that support was in place, I was able to make the right choice for me,’ she said. ‘And I’m so glad I made the decision I did.’
Although Andante admits that she still worried about standing out.
‘Mum’s get so much stick no matter their situation’ (Picture: PA)
She said: ‘For a long time, I’d try to wear clothes that made me seem older because I didn’t want to stick out. I just wish people wouldn’t assume and judge others.’
Despite juggling motherhood and studying, Andante thrived at university.
She achieved 90% grades in some of the course’s hardest units and was given a prestigious British Psychological Society undergraduate award.
She also received a mark of 180 – the highest amongst her peers.
She said: ‘I’m not glorifying my situation at all because it has been really hard, but the one thing I would want other people to know is that if you do find yourself in that situation, there are options.
‘Mums in general just get so much stick, no matter what their situation.
‘I’d love to reduce the stigmatisation of teen mothers by showing what I’ve accomplished; I hope that will allow others in my situation to flourish.’
Miss Singer is now a reading mentor in a school, and she plans to study for a PhD in psychology.
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Andante Singer fell pregnant while studying for her A-levels.
