Rosa Meza is in her third year of attending Cal State La University and she would not change being a teen mom for anything. She had her first born Jayden Rodriguez December 18, 2018 at 1:39 pm. He was the greatest impact she had because he really made her mature and get on task with her life to provide for him.

We could say this was her wake up call to be more responsible and be gentle and careful with a newborn. She has said herself that if she didn’t have that newborn she would probably be having a sabbatical year and barely be getting to her career. 

Transcript:

Daisy Meza: I am Daisy Meza interviewing for Story Corp please state your name and how to spell it

Rosa Meza: R-o-s-a M-e-z-a

DM: What are you currently doing?

RM: I am currently attending CalState La, I am getting a bachelor’s degree in public health and a minor in child development. I am also doing an internship for somosleya which is a Latino equality alliance which is a centro ayuda for us Latino to get equal rights.

DM: How did you choose your career path?

RM: I choose my career path as nursing first but then unfortunately I didn’t get in so I had switch up to something that would substitute nursing but would also fit it in so I always thought the medical field and helping people so public health was one of the options that really fit well a child development came after I took an elective and I just really liked it as a mom of a child that has speech delay umm I feel that child development, that helped me really understand my child and the frustration of a mother when your child is not meeting the milestones so that is how I chose it.  

DM: How did you know that is what you want to do the rest of your life?

RM: uhh I always thought that I wanted to give back to my community, help other because I used a lot of resources as I got to my career a lot of community resources so I always wanted to know that I wanted work in a program that served the community or in a public hospital that served the community 

DM: Would you ever change your career path and why?

RM: I don’t I would change my career path like the degree probably the path right now I’m really set on being a epidemiologist which is more science work it’s the research and prevention of disease so for example all the COVID things, the COVID 19 the coronavirus trying to finding a vaccine but as I’m an  intern in the community program I’m in I’m really liking that helping the lgbtq community feel safe and providing resources for them so I don’t know I would not say I would want to change it but I would like to explore different paths in my same degree

DM: How was your high school experience?

RM: my high school experience was okay. I did have lot of a lot of like things that happened that I wasn’t expected to happen but it just gave me motivation I had a child in Junior year and I didn’t let that slow me down so I’m still like at the path I didn’t miss any school year and ya.

DM: What was something that has impacted your life and why?

RM: Something that has impacted my life would be I think having a child at a very young age because that made me in a way mature a lot faster than others I know a lot of people that went to school with me that didn’t do anything after high school and maybe are barely getting on track once I’m 6 months away from graduating and I know that maybe if I didn’t have that child right now I would be one of those people too taking a sabbatical year or just doing other things I like but I really was like I don’t have time anymore.

DM: How was the journey being a teen mom?

RM: My journey as a teen mom was pretty hard I didn’t know how to take care of a baby because I was a baby as well I did have a lot of support from my family members and my baby’s dad so it was okay it just made me in a way umm be more responsible and careful as he was so gentle and yea.

DM: What is something that you deeply care about and why?

RM: something I deeply care about is my family but not just only my little family now but like all my family members and I think I also care about making what I am trying to do like my degree like actually making a change and impact or a change in that because it only takes someone to want to have a change have equality for example in the lgbtq community and standing up for it.

DM: What has been the most difficult thing that you had to deal with in your life and why?

RM: The most difficult thing was would be my life change like really quick because I had no I was young a teen mom and I had no financial stability so it was really hard like you know buying diaper, formula going to school like it bought a lot of stress on so I think that was the most impactful thing that happen in my life.

DM: What is a quote that means the most to you?

RM: A quote that means the most to me would be hold on let me get it I know it it’s from pele um “the more difficult the victory the greater happiness in the winning”

DM:  Thank you