From Motherhood to Midwifery: Meet Kelly

For most of her life, Kelly has been a caregiver. As a mother of two, she has spent years putting her family first. When her oldest child was born with autism, Kelly and her husband put their own education and social lives on hold so they could give their son the care and stability he needed. They even started their own business so they could build their work around his needs.

When Kelly later became pregnant with her daughter, years later her own experience of motherhood opened a new door. During her pregnancy, she was cared for by an incredible midwife who made her feel strong, supported, and validated. She had an empowering home birth, and the experience gave Kelly a new appreciation for the kind of care and support a mother can receive during one of the most important moments of her life.

That experience changed the direction of her life.

After her daughter was born, Kelly began working as a birth assistant at the birth center where she had received her prenatal care. Supporting people through labor quickly became more than a job. She describes it as an “incredible privilege,” and it wasn’t long before she knew she wanted to do it for the rest of her life.

So she started over.

After nearly two decades away from the classroom, Kelly returned to school. She passed her entrance exam, completed her prerequisites, and went on to maintain a 3.8–4.0 GPA, earning straight A’s. She has now attended more than 250 births and is in the final stage of her midwifery education.

But just as she was nearing the finish line, changes surrounding her school’s accreditation affected the financial aid she had been relying on. With demanding clinical requirements and long hours as a student midwife, finding another way to fund the remainder of her education was a significant challenge.

That’s where the Make A Difference Now USA Sponsorship Program stepped in.

Through the Make A Difference Now scholarship, Kelly now has the financial support she needs to continue her education and move closer to becoming a practicing midwife. For someone who has spent so much of her life putting others first, the scholarship gives Kelly the chance to finish something she started for herself, and to build a career around the care she has come to value so deeply.

But her vision extends beyond her own career. Kelly hopes to use her skills to improve maternal healthcare in her community and abroad, including supporting efforts to expand access to safe and affordable maternal care in Africa and help educate future midwives.

Kelly’s journey to midwifery was not a straight path. It came after years of putting her family first, stepping away from school, and eventually finding herself called back to the classroom. Now, as she approaches the end of her training, the different parts of her life seem to come together.

As Kelly shared, “The world is made up of mothers and their children, after all.”

We are proud to support Kelly as she completes this final chapter of her education, and grateful to the donors who make opportunities like hers possible. Your support can help another determined student take the next step toward a future they have worked hard to build. To learn more about the Make A Difference Now USA Sponsorship Program and how you can support a student, contact info@makeadifferencenow.org.