“I did not have a rolodex or a big funder, but I did have a deep passion and commitment…and a first-hand experience of how a college degree can truly transform the life of a teen parent and of their child.” – Nicole Lynn Lewis, Generation Hope

In honor of National Mentoring Month, we welcome Nicole Lynn Lewis, Executive Director and Founder of Generation Hope. Generation Hope works to reduce poverty one family at a time by providing direct sponsorships and one-on-one mentoring to teen parents who are attending college in the Washington, D.C. Metro area. Today, Nicole tells us about her personal story that led to the founding of Generation Hope, as well as some of the organization’s most recent accomplishments (new office space!), challenges (ensuring teen parents are part of the college conversation), and needs (volunteer mentors!). She also offers sage advice for others in the nonprofit sector. Welcome, Nicole!

1) What motivated you to begin working with your organization?

I guess the better question would be what motivated me to start Generation Hope as I founded the organization in 2010. Lily Tomlin said, “I always wondered why somebody doesn’t do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody.” That has always reminded me of how this journey began. I was a teen mother. I became pregnant my senior year of high school, and I heard the same message that many young women hear in that situation — “Your life is over.” I was an honor roll student, and I wanted more than ever to go to college. So I did. My daughter (who is now 15), was a little under three months old when I started at the College of William and Mary. I was a young, poor, single mother unlike any other student at the college, and even though there were many sleepless, cold nights with very little in the fridge, I graduated in four years with high honors and bachelor’s degree in English. I moved up to the D.C. area after graduation, started graduate school, got my first job, and it did not take long for me to see that there were so many young parents in our region who were struggling to make it from day to day (D.C. has the number-one teen pregnancy rate in the nation). One of the biggest reasons was a lack of education. I decided that I wanted to become involved with an organization that specifically focused on teen parents and college completion. That’s when I discovered that there were none in the D.C. area and very few across the country. That was my Lily Tomlin moment. I did not have a rolodex or a big funder, but I did have a deep passion and commitment to this issue and a first-hand experience of how a college degree can truly transform the life of a teen parent and of their child. If we want to make a tangible difference in our community, we have to believe in — and invest in — the potential of young parents and their children.

2) What exciting change or innovation is on your mind?

Generation Hope is in the process of wrapping up a three-year strategic planning effort. Mapping out Generation Hope’s trajectory through 2018, this plan calls for robust growth, increasing the number of teen parents whom we support in college to 65 in July 2015 (essentially doubling our numbers) and to 100 by 2018. This bold growth is necessary because the demand is so great. There are thousands of young mothers and fathers in our region who need the mentoring and financial support that our program provides to realize their college dreams. Our support increases the likelihood that D.C. area young parents will earn their degrees and have the means to provide economically stable lives for their children. We are beyond excited about what this means for young parents, their children, and our entire region.

3) Who inspires you (in the philanthropy world or otherwise)? Do you have a hero?

Starting an organization is no easy task. It’s a leap of faith for sure, and anyone who becomes involved in a start up is taking a leap of faith right along with you. Our founding board members believed in me before we even had our 501(c)(3), and that has always been so inspiring. There are two women who are recognized over and over again for their amazing leadership, and they too, believed in me and in Generation Hope early on. Terri Freeman, former President of the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, and Dr. DeRionne Pollard, President of Montgomery College, joined Generation Hope’s board simply because they knew how critical this work really is. Terri even gave us two cubes in the Community Foundation’s office space to ensure we had a place to work. They — like all of our board members — have such a heart for making a difference. I work with many inspiring people — our board, staff, donors, funders, volunteers, and partners. I am very fortunate.

I have numerous heroes, and our Scholars are definitely in that group. Their stories are heartbreaking. Some have overcome physical and sexual abuse, extreme poverty, and foster care. All were told that their lives were over when they found out that they were going to be parents. Each day I see them working, going to school, and raising their children when others might just give up. They are overcoming tremendous odds and fly in the face of what you think of when you hear “teen parent.” It’s an honor to be a part of their journeys.

4) What was your most interesting recent project/partnership?

We just moved into our first official office space, and that was a really interesting and fun project. It was a staff effort. We thought through the design of the office, ensuring that it reflected the impactful work we do each and every day. So we have beautiful photos of our Scholars and their children on our walls as well as inspirational quotes. We also had to figure out how to get moved in and furnished on a tight budget so there was a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and late nights with IKEA furniture. In December we had a holiday office warming to celebrate the new office and to give out gifts from donors who had adopted our Scholars for the holidays. So many of our Scholars and their children came (we even had an appearance from Santa), and seeing them enjoying the space and having a great time made it officially feel like home.

5) What is the single greatest challenge that your organization faces (besides finances) and how are you dealing with this challenge?

One of the greatest challenges that Generation Hope faces is helping people understand the connection between teen parents educational attainment and the vitality of this region. There is a stigma surrounding teen mothers and fathers, and it often results in them being left out of the college completion conversation. We know that when young people earn a four-year degree, they earn $26,000 more annually than their counterparts with just a high school diploma. Nearly half of D.C.’s homeless youth are young parents under the age of 24 living on the streets with their children. Children of high school, drop-out teen mothers are 10 times more likely to live in poverty. Without educational success, it is extremely difficult to survive, especially with a child. If we care about homelessness, hunger, poverty, and child welfare, we have to care about teen parents’ educational achievement. They can be the next generation of teachers, computer engineers, and nurses if we invest in them. And the great part about investing in young parents is that we’re also investing in their children. The outcomes for the children of teen parents are dismal (more likely to drop out of high school, go to jail, and be teen parents themselves), but when their mother or father earns a college degree, it’s a game changer. The likelihood that they will succeed skyrockets.

6) What advice do you have for other people in your position?

Surround yourself with good people — good at what they do and good hearted. Be genuine. Never lose sight of the mission and keep the people you serve as your number-one priority. Think in the long term (as someone told me “no one else gets paid to be a visionary but you”). Lastly, have fun. Our jobs are not easy and the issues we deal with every day can be draining, but you can still have a good time doing what you love.

7) What’s next/coming up for you?

Next up is recruiting 30-35 individuals to match with Generation Hope’s largest Scholar class to date. We are looking for people (and organizations) who are willing to mentor and financially support 30-35 teen mothers and fathers in college starting in July 2015. It is a rewarding personal connection that has a direct impact on a young parent’s ability to reach their educational goals, provide for their family, and realize their full potential.

Thank you, Nicole, for all that you — and Generation Hope — do for this community! To learn more about how to sponsor a Generation Hope Scholar, visit: http://supportgenerationhope.org/why-sponsor