Above: PGCC alumna Sherise Holden is the founder and president of SheRises, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting young mothers.
She knows what it is like to be 17 years old, pregnant, and unsure about life. Sherise Holden, 41, grew up in Prince George’s County and was a young, pregnant single mother without much family support.
Today, she is a Prince George’s Community College alumna, business owner, and certified project management professional passionate about helping young women navigate motherhood. Holden recently partnered with the Wellness and Mental Health Center at PGCC to offer support services for young mothers at the College to complete their studies.
“What has surprised me the most [about this work] is the lack of compassion that people have toward young mothers,” Holden said. “There's definitely a stigma about what we think we know and the stories of what happened to that young mom. Sometimes, it's the saddest stories.”
Over the last five years, Holden has helped over 2,000 young women, ages 14-20 years old, through her nonprofit, SheRises, Inc. She cites that her program services a large Hispanic population in the community. She has also assisted human trafficking victims who have been abandoned once impregnated.
Holden and her team of volunteers walk alongside these young women to provide free mentorship, coaching, clothing, diapers, and academic scholarships. In addition to her service at PGCC, every 4th Saturday of each month, SheRises hosts a pop-up ‘Mommy Closet’ for young women to drop in and pick up items they may need.
In addition to the free resources, Mommy Closet participants enjoy refreshments, a live DJ, and words of encouragement. In the future, Holden looks forward to expanding and offering a mobile Mommy Closet and postpartum care for young women.
“It's one thing to give someone diapers and wipes and send them on their way, but we also want to make sure that they're feeling [like] we have compassion for them,” Holden said.
Holden’s hard-won compassion for young mothers through her own struggles fuels her life’s purpose and mission. A twist of fate, on the historic September 11, 2001, changed her plans of giving her daughter up for adoption.
“On that day, I decided that I was going to be a mom and that I was going to be the best mom that I could be,” Holden said. “Every year now, me and my daughter, Autumn, celebrate 9/11 as Mother's Day because it is the day that I chose to be a mom.”
Emboldened by her choice to raise her daughter, Holden took the first step in her education journey by enrolling in accounting classes at PGCC. She graduated from PGCC in 2006 and obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Maryland. She later also acquired a Master of Project Management and a Master of Business Administration. She credits higher education for her path toward success and encourages other young mothers to persevere in their education goals.
“I recognize that education was really the key and the catalyst for me being able to figure things out for myself and provide a future for my family,” she said.
Above: PGCC alumnae Sherise Holden and her daughter Autumn embrace at PGCC’s Commencement in 2019.
In 2019, Holden’s daughter, Autumn, also graduated from PGCC with an associate degree and has found a fulfilling career in graphic design. PGCC remains a pathway and pillar in Holden’s legacy to show young women how to rise above challenges against all odds.
“The fact is that babies are still being born, and they still need support. If there's anything that I can do to help shape what that looks like for a young mother, I'm going to be the person.”
Supporters can contribute to SheRises through donations or volunteering.