Alyssa Horton

Alyssa Horton is a young mother and full-time student. Growing up in Naperville, IL, she was an athlete from an early age and involved in theater at Naperville Central High School. When she became pregnant at 16, Alyssa received services from Teen Parent Connection, a nonprofit organization in Glen Ellyn, IL. She graduated from high school a year early and began taking college classes while raising her twins.

Alyssa has been called a “success story,” and she attributes her success as a parent to her strong family support, as well as the services offered by Teen Parent Connection. These include support groups, home visiting, an incentive-based Parent’s Pantry, and a staff that works to be personally involved with each one of their hundreds of participants. She now works for this organization as a Peer Educator, talking to schools and community groups about healthy decision-making and preventing teen pregnancy.

Alyssa is currently finishing her Associate’s Degree and has been accepted into the School of Social Work at Aurora University. She will graduate in the spring of 2016, and she plans to devote her life to assisting and empowering those in need.

Alyssa Horton
Teen Parent Connection
alyssah@teenparentconnection.org
teenparentconnection.org
630-790-8433

Taking Control of My Life

I have an amazingly unique job: trying to put my employers out of business. At an agency that helps teen parents, I advocate for preventing teen pregnancy. As a proud mother of two, I would do anything for my sons, and I can only hope that they never go through the same challenges that I’ve taken on for them. My story is not about how teen pregnancy changed my life, but how I chose to take control.