WASHINGTON — Tajha Jackson has already put in a full morning before most of her classmates ever get to Ballou High School in Southeast, D.C.
"She gave me a hard time this morning," laughed Jackson. "She had so much energy!"
The 18-year-old is a senior and a first-time mom. While she's in classes, 1-year-old Raelynn is getting her own education in the high school's daycare that serves up to 16 babies.
"A lot of people doubted me once I had my daughter," she explained. "But my daughter motivated me. She keeps me going. Every morning I look at her, and know I got to keep going because I want a better life for her, well, us both."
While Jackson continues to rise in the face of adversity, she's still working through the trauma of seeing her daughter's father shot. But Jackson said she knows her way out and up is on the court.
Jackson just wrapped up her season as the highest-scoring girls' basketball player in DCIAA (District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association).
She said it wasn’t a goal she set out to accomplish, but rather, "it just kind of happened, but I knew it. I can ball," she said with a smile.
She's confident and committed, not letting anything stop her. She was back in the gym just three weeks after delivery. She said she couldn’t have done it alone, getting support from her parents, her coach and friends.
But her biggest motivator is her smallest cheerleader. She hopes to inspire other teen moms.
"Don't let people doubt you. Don't ever give up. Keep pushing," she said, "and do what you got to do for your child."
Jackson has dreams of playing in the WNBA, but said first she has her eye on college and has already received some offers.
She even said one school in Florida offered to pay for classes and daycare so she can play college basketball.
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