class of 2009 > jenell padilla

Jenell Padilla's 4-month-old daughter Kihana is a very outgoing baby.

"Everything about my daughter is special to me," she says, "but if I had to choose one thing, it would be her personality. She is such a happy baby. I look forward to seeing her smile all day."

Being a teen mother has changed Jenell's life. It has made her more mature and she is taking life more seriously now. "What seemed to be a horrible situation in my life turned out to be the best thing that could happen to me," she says.

The Florence Crittenton School has helped in many ways. "They have so much to offer as a school as well as help with being a teen mother," she says. "Baby Bucks has helped supply me with clothes, formula, and diapers when I needed it. Without this school, I know I wouldn't have finished high school."

Jenell plans on going to school to become a Juvenile Probation Officer. "I just want the best for my family, but most of all happiness," she says.

Her advice: "Just keep going and follow your dreams. Anything is possible."