Worcester Telegram & Gazette: "Students, Athletes, Mothers"

Students, Athletes, Mothers: Two Young Women Find A Way To Juggle College and Parenthood

By Jen Toland, College Beat Writer

May 9, 2010

Note: Article Appears In Sunday’s Living Section of The Telegram 

Worcester, MA --- Brittany Meadows finished up her final class of first semester, her water broke early the next morning and on Dec. 12, Darren Alexander, her 5-pound bundle of joy, was born.

Suddenly, “all-nighters” took on a whole new meaning for Meadows, a Clark University senior.

Sheamus Mahoney, who turns 2 on Wednesday, usually naps from 12 to 1:30 every afternoon, and his mom, Michaella Mahoney, a junior at Worcester State, makes the most of those 90 minutes, studying and writing papers. At 3 p.m., Mahoney, the ace of the Worcester State softball team's pitching staff, and Sheamus leave for practice. Mahoney's mother meets them at the field and watches Sheamus until Mahoney gets home. After she feeds him, bathes him and puts him to bed around 8, Mahoney returns to her schoolwork.

  Meadows and Mahoney are both single moms and student-athletes (Meadows, honored last year by Clark as a scholar-athlete, had to forgo her final season of volleyball because she was pregnant). Getting pregnant and having babies obviously changed their lives and their college experiences — they now tote diaper bags in addition to book bags. But Meadows and Mahoney are both intelligent, dedicated, loving and diligent young women, determined to earn their college degrees and give their sons bright futures.

“After Darren was born I was like, OK, I'm going to have a semester left. That's four classes,” Meadows said one afternoon last week as she sat in a Kneller Athletic Center office in between classes mixing Darren a bottle. “As long as I can manage to find someone to watch him while I go to class, I'll be able to pull it off. One semester — I can stick it out.”

Help — “lots of help,” Mahoney said — is how they both manage.

Meadows, who is from Los Angeles, lives in an apartment near campus with Darren and two roommates, Jillian Camilleri and Elizabeth Popken, who are also Clark seniors and Darren's favorite baby sitters. Other friends also lend a hand. Meadows works as a front-desk proctor at the Kneller and on days she can't find a baby sitter, Darren joins her. He usually just sits quietly in his stroller, gazing about, smiling at his mom and then nodding off for a nap.

“I do what I have to do,” said Meadows, who will graduate May 23 with a degree in screen studies. “I have to make money. If I have to bring him along, I bring him along.”

Mahoney, who helped lead Shrewsbury High's softball team to the 2006 state title, lives at home with her parents. She attended St. Anselm College for one year, took a year off after Sheamus was born and returned to Worcester State as a full-time student last spring. The support of her parents, family members, friends and teammates has made it possible. Returning to school was never a question, Mahoney said. Resuming her softball career was.

Mahoney was a standout pitcher in high school and had a strong freshman season at St. A's. She played in a weekend tournament the summer after Sheamus was born and, having yet to shed her baby weight, her balance and equilibrium were off. But she felt like she still “had it,” and she worked hard to get ready for last season. This year, Mahoney led the MASCAC with a 1.48 ERA and was named to the all-conference team.

“It's not something I have to do,” Mahoney said. “It's something people around me have allowed me to do because of all the help they give me. They know softball has always been a big thing for me. I get a lot of help so I can do something I love to do.”

Sheamus loves to be at the field. His first word was “ball.” He knows the name of every one of Mahoney's WSC teammates. He has personality-plus and is the Lancers' little mascot.

“After our game against Clark last week,” Mahoney said, “he told everybody, ‘Mommy hit a home run over the fence.' I didn't, but it sounded good.” Mahoney, a dean's list student, has yet to declare her major, although she is taking a number of psychology courses. She is enrolled in a watercolor class this semester and all that paint has definitely sparked Sheamus' interest.

“He wants to help,” Mahoney said with a laugh, “so I keep all that packed up until he goes to sleep.”

Like Sheamus, Darren, 4 months and a very healthy 15 pounds, is Mr. Popularity on the Clark campus. Meadows takes him to baseball games in his stroller and the cutie always draws a crowd. “He is always smiling and laughing and he never cries,” sports information director Kevin Anderson said. Men's basketball coach Paul Phillips gets a good giggle by giving his toes a little tickle.

Darren was born 3-1/2 weeks early, but it was good timing because it gave Meadows a solid month — all of winter break — to adjust. Her mother came from California to help out and let her get some rest those first few weeks. Meadows will return to Los Angeles for the summer, but plans to raise Darren in Massachusetts.

“My goal was always to try to finish on time,” Meadows said. “I said, ‘Whatever I have to do to make sure I graduate on time, I will do that.' It is hard, but it is very possible.”

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