Motherhood, College and Covid-19

Making the decision to turn down invitations to parties during this past year has kept Alive & Free collegians Shayla & Kayla Branner safe from contracting the Covid-19 virus as sophomores at City College of San Francisco.

“I keep thinking about the Coachism, ‘You’re only one bad decision away,” shares Kayla as she explains why she has declined party invitations this past year. “I can have fun at home and listen to music. Plus, I know too many people who have caught Covid this year, and I don’t want to bring that home to my nephew.”

Shayla & Kayla are sisters who share a strong bond as identical twins. They actively participate in sharing the responsibility of motherhood to Shayla’s one-year-old son, Jamarion, and diligently weigh the pro and cons of any decision they make. Their team effort to stay focused on their education and family values help to keep them grounded. They are majoring in Administration of Criminal Justice and are looking to transfer together to Texas Southern University with the goal of working for the FBI.

Both girls were in Alive & Free’s College Prep class in 2020 before the pandemic moved the classes to an online format. “I have benefitted during the pandemic because I was able to stay home with my son and watch him grow. I watched him crawl, I watched him take his first steps and now he’s running and learning new words everyday,” said Shayla as the majority of her classes remain online. Jamarion now has a few front and bottom teeth, finds joy splashing in puddles and finds love and safety within both his mom and auntie’s arms. The sisters balance their schedules by alternating their time for child care and homework.

“I do like the online classes too. I didn’t want to put myself in danger of Covid when my sister was pregnant. Now that the vaccine is out and more people are getting it, I’m more open to being outside,” said Kayla. “I do miss being social at school. I have an in-person math class at City, so I made sure to make a lot of friends there.” Kayla is also grateful for the challenge of City College classes as she and her sister maintain honor roll status and are saving money before they both head to Texas.

The twins share a very real experience when it comes higher education. It’s a fact that your life doesn’t always look like someone else’s and you have to make the best decisions you can to keep you on the path to reaching your goals. We are very proud of the Branner sisters and can’t wait for Jamarion to join our classes in the future!