A few years ago one of Nekqua’s close friends was shot in the head. “Every time I think about her, I always think about that day she was turning the corner like ‘You better be going to school,†Nekqua said.
“Being a mom is fun but you cant be like a normal teenager you have to stay home you cant hangout and go do what you wanna do anymore,†Brittney said.
“Whenyou are at school and you're a mom,†said Brittney, “you'reconstantly worrying about your kid at home to make sure they're okay,its kind of – its hard to focus but you gotta focus to graduate, which is kind of stressful cause your dealing with drama at school, then dealing with drama at home and then taking care of your baby. Being a teen mom is just stressful, but I wouldn't change it.â€
“I picked [the flower] up and smelled it and it smelt nasty so I threw it and some lady called the cops on me and the cops almost put my in jail cause I was violating a property and...I was like how was that violating a property it's on the side of the dang road," Brittney explains how she almost got arrested for picking a flower.
“I wanna go to college and become a nurse and do cosmetology. Being on welfare you really cant do all that cause you wont have a college diploma and stuff like that to actually go places and make your own money and get a good job and support your son on your own," Brittney said.
Nekqua graduates from Corcoran High School in Syracuse, NY. The school district has a graduation rate of 52%, which is lower than the state graduation rate of 88%.
In June, Nekqua visits Brittney at her new home in Antwerp, NY. This is the first time they have seen each other since Brittney moved up north last Septemer.