Beatriz Rios is the proud mother of Annalysia De’Jesus and Kailia Orendach. She got pregnant with Annalysia two weeks after her 16th birthday and got pregnant with Kailia two years later on a one night stand. She refers to Kailia’s father as “sperm donor” and rarely ever talks to Annalysia’s father who she dated for 3 years. The only time she does talk to him is to retrieve a child support check which is a meger $36 a month. “That wasn’t even enough to pay for diapers for a week” said Beatriz. She has single handedly raised these two kids with no help from anyone except for the government. Ever since the young age of 16, she has been on various government programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). At first she received $400 a month being an unemployed student. Determined to give her children the best life she could, she went on to finish high school while raising a child, applying for government programs, and visiting food banks. Afterwards, she went on to community college and is now about to graduate from an online college and received her bachelor’s degree. The entire time she went to community college, she had a part time job where she received minimum wage and an addition $400 per month from the government. Since graduating, she now works a full time job where she receives an additional .50 cents. This additional .50 cents has resulted in a new SNAP budget of $190 per month. “We don’t live we sustain.” She skips meals for her kids and sometimes has to put them to bed hungry. The only way she manages to keep pushing forward is because she knows she has a hidden budget. She has a fiance she has been engaged with for the past 7 years. His additional budget is the only reason she has been comfortable with pursuing promotions and better job offers. The only reason they have not gotten matties is because if they did they would lose all of the current benefits. “We are poor, but to them we are rich.” Beatriz is a mother. Beatriz is a mother who loves her two children.