While most students look to life after graduation as a wonderful mystery, for Megan, the mystery of what was ahead was made abundantly clear upon a trip to the doctor near the end of her sophomore year in 2001.

Months after the appointment, when all of her friends were entering their junior year, the 16-year-old was giving birth to a boy whom she named "Ethan," and whose impact on the lives around him a Richter scale couldn’t measure.

When asked how her parents responded to the news of her pregnancy, Megan, who attends the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, explained that they were "disappointed, but not mad."

"They’re both pretty level headed. After about a week or so, everything was okay. After we started going to doctor appointments, everyone got really excited about it. It was good then."

And this is where the story gets decidedly upbeat, thanks to Megan’s faith, her strength of character, the strong emotional support of her family and friends, and the Diocese of Dodge City’s Teen Moms’ program.

"I don’t think I’ve had it hard at all," she said modestly, adding though, that she hasn’t "had everything just handed to me. The money part, I’ve done most of that on my own. I’ve had a lot of emotional support."

She cited, in particular, the moral support she has received from both her parents, and that of the child’s other grandparents. Ethan’s father is currently away at college, and though still taking part in his son’s life, he and Megan have long since ended their relationship.

Of the Teen Moms’ Program, which is presented through the Catholic Social Service office in Dodge City, Megan said, "It’s been awesome. We get so much information. We have people come and talk to us about car seat safety, nutrition, child support, lawyers, wills, and parenting tips.

"We have people in the group who, if you see them outside of the program you would think they were totally different from you. But here, you have so much in common, and it’s cool because you can talk to them about how you are feeling, and they are in the same boat. Amy [Falcon, director of Teen Moms] is awesome because you can tell her anything."

Megan said that her pregnancy remained a secret from all but closest family and friends until she reached five months. The reactions were mixed.

"You’re talked about a lot at school," she said. "No one said anything to me, but I would hear about it. I have some pretty close friends who were supportive of me. After I got pregnant I was at a different point in life, and I found out who my real friends were."

On one occasion, an adult asked her if she would consider an abortion.

"The idea never even crossed my mind," she said. "I knew I could never do anything like that. I don’t believe in abortion. I think that if you’re pregnant, then you’re supposed to have that child — maybe you’re not supposed to keep it, but there are families who will. I even had [relatives] who came up to me and asked if the baby would be up for adoption, but even if it was family, I knew I couldn’t give him up."

Just weeks after giving birth, Megan, who was living with her mother at the time, made the decision to continue her high school education at Second Opportunity School, where she and other young mothers sat in class with their babies at their sides.

"He was pretty little and slept all the time," she said. "I went for three hours, and then to Self Image Salon."

Owned by Ethan’s grandmother on his father’s side, the staff and customers at Self Image delighted in Ethan, who slept in his crib while his mother cleaned the salon.

Despite the extra physical and emotional work-load, Megan managed to graduate a full semester earlier than her friends in public school, and began attending cosmetology classes at Dodge City Junior College the following month

With her son in daycare, Megan was free to attend classes while also tutoring a student in reading, working at the salon, and cleaning her father Brad’s cabinet building shop on weekends. She recently earned her beautician’s license and is slowly building up her clientele, and was even able to purchase a new car. She currently rents a basement apartment in her father’s house.

"Sometimes I just sit back and look at where I was three or four years ago, and I feel proud of what I’ve accomplished," she said. "I don’t think I would be doing what I’m doing if I didn’t have Ethan. Things just kind of work out."