Teen Mom to Solutions Engineer: A Black Woman's Decision to Defy Low Expectations and Graduate | S2 Ep. 8

Everyone told Temika Cage to be realistic. She was the golden child in a religious household, who was now 15 and pregnant. She had just shattered every expectation her family had for her. Her community assumed she would be another statistic and give up on her college dreams. Her parents assumed she would stay close to home and let them care for their granddaughter.  Temika said no. She packed up her daughter and left for Michigan State University, her dream school since she was 10.  Only 2% of teen moms graduate from college. Temika graduated with an engineering degree on Mother's Day. How? The determination to apply for every scholarship under the sun, the help of a welfare caseworker, and the college community that finally got her to trust that they were for her.  She calls herself a former welfare queen. Because if you invest in people, she says, they give back. Her student loans are paid off. Her daughter graduated from college debt-free. And she is now in her early retirement era, leaving the corporate world before she is "ready", and building something that belongs entirely to her. Her dream was not deferred. She just never allowed herself to consider the alternative. This episode is for you if you have ever been told that a circumstance in your life has changed what is possible for you. And, you're not ready to believe it. What We Talk About Growing up the golden child in a religious household — and what happened when that image shattered The decision every grandparent pushed back on and why it was never a question for her The stranger at the welfare office who quietly protected her future Learning to let people in when everything in her background said they would flake Getting laid off in 2014 and why it felt exactly like being 15 again Why she is building her platform around financial independence and why she says what she did is repeatable Listener Takeaways A circumstance is not a sentence The traits you develop from the hard cards are often the ones that change everything You cannot raise a child without a village, even when asking feels impossible Staying in someone else's hands long enough will eventually teach you to build your own What she did was hard. It was also repeatable. Content Note: This episode discusses teen pregnancy, reproductive health, family conflict, and financial hardship. Please listen with care if any of these topics are tender for you. The conversations on Unpopular Decisions are for informational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal, financial, medical, or professional advice. Every situation is different. This episode launches during Pride Month. If you're navigating questions of identity, faith, and belonging, please consult a qualified professional who can speak to your specific circumstances. CONNECT WITH US ✨ Subscribe to Unpopular Decisions for more stories about authoring your own story, despite the expectations of others ✨Help us reach more people by leaving us a review on Apple or Spotify! Youtube | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn | Website  CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST ✨ Follow and support Temika Cage on her journey to retiring early on Instagram and TikTok @temikacage and website: https://www.temikacage.com/home CONNECT WITH JAMEELAH ✨ Follow Jameelah Calhoun on social media LinkedIn | Instagram Are you in the middle of a career pivot? Join us on July 8th 7pm ET for Pivots LIVE: Positioning Your Next Chapter. This virtual event is a live strategy session for ambitious professionals navigating career pivots, leadership transitions, portfolio careers, burnout, and growth. ​Through live case studies, audience Q&A, and practical frameworks, we'll explore your questions, so you can expand what feels possible. https://luma.com/hemlytjf