Graduating from adversity

~Charleston student on her way to college

CHARLESTON -- In 2000, Tieteanna Steele, then 15, visited her mother in prison, and it was at that very moment she decided her life would be different.

"I remember when my brother and I went to Vandalia to visit my mother because that's where she was," Tieteanna said. "And when I saw my mother and her surroundings, I realized I wanted to be different. I didn't want to be in the same predicament that she was in."

It's been approximately three years and Tieteanna has made a difference. She received her diploma from Charleston High School Monday night and ranked among the top 20 students in her class.

"I'm a little nervous because it's something new," Tieteanna said about graduating. "It's like you're ending the first half of your life and then you've got to start another thing -- a whole new chapter."

Tieteanna is hoping the next chapter in her life flows a little smoother than the previous one.

When Tieteanna's mother was sentenced to prison, she and her brother moved in with their grandmother and then their great-grandmother for awhile.

In November, Tieteanna moved in with her church members Eugene and Justine Horton because of lack of financing. She and her brother, who is a sophomore at CHS, were living with their mother, who was out of prison -- and hardly ever home, Tieteanna said. They were living without heat and electricity.

"So for days, my brother and I had to eat at my father's house (who lived nearby) or go without eating for a few days," Tieteanna explained, adding that on days without food, she would just drink a lot of water. "We would have to sleep in the same bed just to keep warm."

These days Tieteanna lives with her aunt-in-law, Carrie Stewart, while her brother still lives with their mother.

"At times, I did feel that I wasn't going to make it -- not just through graduation, but through life period without my mom or anything," Tieteanna said.

Despite what was going on in her personal life, Tieteanna continued to do well in school. She participated in only one extracurricular activity, Future Teachers of America, because she wanted to focus on her grades.

"I'm proud of her for understanding her obstacles and what she's overcome. I encourage her to continue to be self-motivated," said Charleston High School Counselor Ceola Morris.

Morris noted that she's watched Tieteanna grow spiritually and challenge herself by taking the difficult dual credit college courses.

For two years, Tieteanna had to be at school before 7:30 a.m. to ride the bus to the Sikeston Area Higher Education Center. There were many times she probably wanted to quit because it would have bee tough finding someone to bring her to school everyday, Morris said, adding at that time, Tieteanna was living in Wyatt.

"Sometimes I would thank God for helping me out," Tieteanna noted. "He's really been a mother and father to me more than anybody. And my church family has been a really big help for me.

She continued: "I guess looking at other people's lives and what they went through -- whether it was here or on TV -- made me keep going. You see them and think, 'Well, I don't want to end up like that,' so you try to do better. That's how I always see it. That's why I wanted to finish school and do better than both my mom and dad."

Tieteanna's mother was pregnant with her when she was 17 and didn't graduate from high school, Tieteanna said. The teen added her dad graduated from high school and attended Lincoln University for two years, but didn't graduate.

"I'm 18 and I don't have any children," Tieteanna said. "And, you know, it makes me proud of myself because I have that motivation and strive to do better. Most people don't think like that."

Even though Tieteanna received a $300 scholarship, a $200-renewable scholarship and the A-Plus Program scholarship, she continues to research other methods of financial aid. She is currently working at Pizza Hut to save money so she can attend Three Rivers Community College in the fall.

Although Tieteanna is on the right path to being a teacher, she said she's always wanted to be an author. Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King and John Carpenter are among her favorite authors, and she's even written a few stories of her own.

"It's all about choices that you make," Tieteanna said about staying on the right track. "You have to try to make the best choices that you think are possible for you. You can't just think of something and do it. You've got to think about it first and then do it," Tieteanna explained.

Everyone's situation is different, but Tieteanna said what influenced her to be successful was being around positive people. And even if you don't have that, sometimes, you've just got to keep going, she added.

"Keep going even though the tunnel's dark," Tieteanna said. "Even when things are so tough that you just can't handle it, you have to keep on trying because you never know -- something good might be on the other end of the tunnel."