Andante is a native of Somerset, who got pregnant and gave birth at the age of 18. Narrating her story to BBC, she said she was ashamed of herself when she found out about her pregnancy.

She stated that she said she thought her mother would be angry with her but the first thing she did was hug her.”It’s so important to have a support network, having a very supportive family is probably the one thing that got me through”, she said.

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Andante graduated from the University of Bristol with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and was one of the students with 90% grade points in her class. She also won the British Psychological Society undergraduate award.

She said for a long time, she would wear clothes that made her seem older because she did not want to stand out as a teenage mother. Andante ended up writing the A-level exams within her four months of pregnancy.

“I thought there were two choices; to either not have the baby or to face stigma and struggle,” she said. Andante said she thought her plans to go to university would be in jeopardy if she had a child but she remained determined.

Andante mentioned that she received a bursary from the university and was able to access extra support, including reduced fees at the university nursery. “Once I knew that support was in place, I was able to make the right choice for me,” she said.

She stated that she was not glorifying her situation because it was hard but wanted to reduce the stigmatization of teen mothers by showing what she had accomplished. Andante graduated alongside her three-year-old son.

“I’d love to reduce the stigmatization of teen mothers by showing what I’ve accomplished; I hope that will allow others in my situation to flourish,” she said.

Andante is currently a reading mentor in a school adding that she plans to study for a PhD in psychology and become an academic researcher later on.