VANESSA Wilkes was 16-years-old when she dropped out of school and tried to enter the workforce.
But she was lost in direction.
"School wasn't the right fit for me personally, and working in hospitality was affecting my mental health," she said.
At 17, she found out she was pregnant, putting any chance at an education on the back burner.
It wasn't until she had her baby boy Xavier in her arms that she felt a purpose.
The now 23-year-old is studying with the Young Parents College in Newcastle to attain her Higher School Certificate and says her life has never felt more full.
"I decided I wanted to finish my HSC," she said.
"Being a mum means the world to me, and as soon as I saw my son, he just changed my life for the better. He gave me a purpose."
Having her baby was a catalyst for change, to do something with her life and provide as many opportunities as possible for her son.
Next year she will graduate with her HSC from the fully NESA accredited, special assistance school that is in the grounds of St Philip's Christian College at Waratah.
Ms Wilkes will be the first in her family to receive a HSC and she plans to use it to study further and become a zookeeper.
"The school has really changed my perspective of life, I never really expected to find a place full of people that would support me and not judge me for being a young mum," she said.
She found a refuge for young mothers and fathers which has made her feel "more confident" and reitrerates that "it's never too late".
"It crossed my mind that it was the end of the road for education when I fell pregnant, but once I had my son I wanted what's best for him and I wanted to achieve my goals," she said.
"I'm pretty proud of myself for that."
A different way of doing it
Ms Wilkes attends school four days a week from 9.30am to 2.30pm and drops Xavier at the early learning centre, Narnia, which is next door. Other mums with bubs opt to have their prams in the classrooms.
The HSC is completed over the course of three years instead of two, which allows for part-time study through a pathway which requires zero exams.
Young Parents College Newcastle director Amanda McInnes said many students were living with anxiety and mental health struggles. There were 35 students at the Newcastle campus and 20 on the Central Coast.
"Instead of exams they use a vocational pathway doing four units of VET over two years. This way they are able to get a full HSC with an ATAR equivalent," she said.
Ms Wilkes is studying English, Business, Early Childcare and Visual Arts.
"I feel super supported in class. We have a wellbeing officer that checks in with us and school-time is flexible because we are parents," she said.
"We have flexibility to help people finish because that piece of paper is a big thing and it's a big deal personally," Ms McInnes said.
Ms Wilkes said that having a child at a young age didn't mean you were any less deserving of an education.
"It doesn't mean you can't do what you dream of. It's not finished, it's just started. It's just a different way of doing it," she said.
Generational change
Every year in Australia there are 5000 babies born to teen parents.
The Central Coast is listed with the sixth highest birth rate in the country, and Ms McInnes said Newcastle and the Hunter was sitting in close proximity.
She says the statistics are a reflection of why teen parents need more access to education.
"Teen parents have a history of generation of low educational outcomes. When mum finishes school, the likelihood that their children finish school is so much higher than if mum doesn't finish school," she said.
"We're all about generational change. Learning for mum or dad, but also the kids at the same time," she said.
She said the most powerful thing the Young Parents College could do was believe in each student.
"I think that we see a group of people who are incredibly resilient who have found purpose after they've had a child, who are making changes to their lives and that is the most incredible thing that you will ever see," she said.
