A Passion To Serve Teen Moms

BY LAURA BRACHE APRIL 29, 2022 5:45 AM

Ay’Riqua Ingram kissing her son Ma’Hari at the H.E.A.R.T.S. LoveBug Children’s Closet and Bless Fest held at the ReCity Network coworking space in Durham on May 15, 2021. Ay'Riqua Ingram/H.E.A.R.T.S.

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Ay’Riqua Ingram was a junior at Southern High School in Durham when she found out she was pregnant. She remembers feeling scared and alone in the beginning.

“I have always been bullied,” Ingram, who turned 20 in January, said in an interview. “Being pregnant in high school, you know, (as someone who) still hasn’t graduated, it’s kind of hard.”

It only got harder as Ingram tried to hide her growing belly and once doctor’s appointments became more frequent. She had to leave school in the middle of the day to take the city bus from a stop nearby.

Her mom helped her sign out of school when she could, but she relied mostly on one teacher, “Miss Jess.” The teacher suggested Ingram explain her situation to an assistant principal, Christopher Starkey. “He was one of the coolest administrators,” Ingram said. “He (knew), like, you know, I didn’t really have that support system that everyone would think I had, because I walked around with a smile on my face all the time.”

Ay’Riqua Ingram poses for a photo her son Ma’Hari at the H.E.A.R.T.S. LoveBug Children’s Closet and Bless Fest held at the ReCity Network coworking space in Durham on May 15, 2021. Ay'Riqua Ingram/H.E.A.R.T.S.