Personal Perspectives

It’s no secret that the Hartsville Boys and Girls club does great work, but the Teen Center needed a serious face lift. So when the Midlands class of the spring 2014 Diversity Leadership Institute was choosing a project to work on in Hartsville, S.C., the Boys and Girls club seemed like an obvious choice.

Two years ago, I embarked on a journey to enhance my understanding of pregnancy prevention. I was approaching my graduation from my doctoral program at the Arnold School of Public Health at University of South Carolina and this amazing postdoctoral fellowship position presented itself at the SC Campaign. I had not worked directly in teen pregnancy prevention before, but had extensive experience in HIV prevention. After researching the SC Campaign, I knew that this position would be an ideal next step for my academic and professional career.

The fireworks stands are popping up on every corner reminding us of the holiday that celebrates freedom and independence. However, a recent Supreme Court decision was quick to remind us that individual freedom- freedom to decide how to plan for child-bearing and freedom to decide what is best for our bodies is often not free.

You may have heard that I’m leading a webinar this week as part of a series we have been conducting at the SC Campaign on leadership. When I agreed many months ago to facilitate this three-part series, I didn’t think much of it. Leadership is a topic that I enjoy learning about, reading about, studying and subsequently sharing what little knowledge I have with others.

I sat down with Rena Dixon, Priority Youth Specialist at the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy to learn more about how she became a public health professional. Rena has worked for the SC Campaign for four years and recently earned her Ph.D. in Community Health Promotion and Education from Walden University.

Our 15th annual Summer Institute conference is only two days away, and the SC Campaign wants to know... Are you ready?! We've got a spectacular program for you all this year, including...

As I write this blog today, I will do my best not to melt into a puddle of tears. For the past seven years, I have served the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy as its Director of Communications – a position that I’ve truly loved.

March 24, 2002. A little more than 12 years ago I began the most challenging role of my life: mother. Up until that point I had been a daughter, student, friend, girlfriend, coworker, and wife but none of those roles had prepared me for my new position. I remember bringing our daughter home from the hospital and being amazed that they actually let my husband and I leave with her. The fact that we were allowed – and expected – to assume complete responsibility for this brand new life, this sweet little baby girl, was astounding to me.

In all seriousness, we are counting down to Summer Institute 2014, where we will continue to celebrate 20 years of accomplishments in teen pregnancy prevention while pushing even harder for more growth and progress. We are excited to have more than 350 colleagues from across the state and the nation. This is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the 47 percent decrease in SC's birthrate but focus on the research, awareness, advocacy, and evidence-based programming necessary to keep improving as SC is still ranked 11 in the nation for teen births. While we will work hard in beautiful Charleston, SC June 11-13, we will also take time to party just as hard as we did in Columbia at our 20th Anniversary Celebration, especially during our celebration on Thursday night at the conference! Check out some conference highlights below:

When my mom held her baby girl and thought about the future I’m sure she saw our relationship growing into something Gilmore Girlesque when I became a teenager. I’d tell her about my first crush while she painted my nails. I’d cry on her shoulder and we'd pig out on ice cream when I got my heart broken. Reading my diary would never cross my mind because my life, to her, would be an open book.