Staying on Track
BY KAYDEN MULROONEY
When Rachel Campoy found out she was pregnant before her junior year of college, she was faced with a choice: embrace full-time motherhood or continue her education.
When Rachel Campoy found out she was pregnant before her junior year of college, she was faced with a choice: embrace full-time motherhood or continue her education.
The summer before her junior year of college at Western Kentucky University, in an unassuming Kroger bathroom, Rachel Campoy is faced with two faint blue lines.
After joking with her friends at their favorite Mexican restaurant, Campoy was not expecting the pregnancy test to actually come back positive. She texted her boyfriend Travis with shaking hands, who bought nearly $50 worth of additional tests to confirm what they already knew: they were going to have a baby.
"You're just trying to come to terms with it for a while," Campoy says. "Figuring out what to do and trying to get out of being in shock."
After joking with her friends at their favorite Mexican restaurant, Campoy was not expecting the pregnancy test to actually come back positive. She texted her boyfriend Travis with shaking hands, who bought nearly $50 worth of additional tests to confirm what they already knew: they were going to have a baby.
"You're just trying to come to terms with it for a while," Campoy says. "Figuring out what to do and trying to get out of being in shock."
Rachel Campoy holds a handful of positive pregnancy tests on July 11, 2023, the day she found out she was pregnant.
Travis and Rachel hold their first set of ultrasound photos on August 2, 2023
Rachel tells her sorority little, Gigi Lamb, about her pregnancy on Alpha Gamma Delta Bid Day in 2023. She says that having a large group of girls potentially judge her for her decision was scary, but that everyone has been very supportive.
The couple slowly began to tell their family and friends the news and were met with an outpouring of support. When Campoy told her father, he asked if she was staying in school.
"He was telling me that I shouldn't do that and that it was a bad idea," she said. However, Campoy was determined to get her degree.
"He was telling me that I shouldn't do that and that it was a bad idea," she said. However, Campoy was determined to get her degree.
Campoy finished her junior year taking online classes from her hometown of Lexington, Kentucky. The goal was to have the support of her family for the last months of her pregnancy while also focusing on school. For Campoy, missing a full semester wasn't an option.
"I knew that if I didn't [stay in school] I would be less motivated to graduate," Campoy said. "I live near the University of Kentucky and not too far from some other places, but no one had my same majors and classes and everything."
"I knew that if I didn't [stay in school] I would be less motivated to graduate," Campoy said. "I live near the University of Kentucky and not too far from some other places, but no one had my same majors and classes and everything."
On February 25, 2024, Blaine Archer Gordon was born.
"I didn't know anything about kids before having him," Campoy said as the youngest in her immediate family. "The only babies I was ever really around was just a rare second cousin or something."
The rest of the semester was spent adjusting to life with a newborn, but come August, it was time for Campoy to move back to WKU for her senior year.
"I didn't know anything about kids before having him," Campoy said as the youngest in her immediate family. "The only babies I was ever really around was just a rare second cousin or something."
The rest of the semester was spent adjusting to life with a newborn, but come August, it was time for Campoy to move back to WKU for her senior year.
The biggest challenge of balancing being a parent and student is time management, according to Campoy. Between five days of class, an internship, and sorority events, she tries to keep a calendar of all the important dates and deadlines. Campoy stays in contact with her friends and makes plans where she can, but her little family will always come first.
"I have to consider not only my kid, but [Travis] when it comes to making plans or even if its just like going to the store," she said.
"I have to consider not only my kid, but [Travis] when it comes to making plans or even if its just like going to the store," she said.
Rachel checks out at the grocery store with Blaine waiting in the cart. While she is by herself, Rachel either carries her son or sits him in the cart while she shops. "I never realized how much free time I had before having a baby," she said.
Rachel dons her stolls and honor cords to take her senior photos. She will graduate a semester early on Dec. 6, 2024 with degrees in psychology, sociology, and criminology.
After earning three undergraduate degrees, Campoy will continue her education at the University of Kentucky to pursue a Masters of Science in Criminal Justice.
"I definitely think its been worth it. I think I'm glad that I stayed on track," she said. "And technically I got to graduate early and put in the effort for it."
"I definitely think its been worth it. I think I'm glad that I stayed on track," she said. "And technically I got to graduate early and put in the effort for it."
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I think I have enough motivation to achieve the goals I want to achieve and be a good mom