Alumna Creates Non-Profit to Mentor Teen Mothers
“I have heard people say, ‘you don’t need others to make it in life’ and about ‘self-made’ successful individuals. This was not my story. I needed people,” said Altrichia Cook Wilcox (BSW 2009).
While just starting out at Florida State University and five hours away from her hometown of Lakeland, Florida, she knew what it was like to be overwhelmed by the prospect of being a young mother balancing the demands of school and daily life.
“I was about three to four months pregnant and dealing with nausea on top of wondering what lay ahead of me,” she recalled. “I was overly determined and though it came with many challenges, I was ready to meet and overcome each of them.”
Holding herself to a high standard, Altrichia dedicated herself to her studies as a social work undergraduate student but, above all, to being a mother.
Each week, she and some of her closest friends, several from her sorority, the Zeta Omicron chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., gathered to plan out their schedules, with the central purpose of figuring out who could help babysit her son Anthony while she was in class.
“I had the best friends and sorority sisters in the world! I was a college success because of my village,” she shared about how her family, friends and faith helped her thrive in college.
Not only did she thrive academically, Abut ltrichia was able to participate in campus life as a Garnet and Gold Guide and as a member of the FSU Black Student Union. She is also particularly thankful for her BSW degree, which helped prepare her to run her own nonprofit.
“Not only did my studies help me to provide me with a strong foundation in understanding social skills and how to identify community needs, but to understand the basis of client support, program development and effective communication, all crucial aspects of running a nonprofit,” she expressed.
Throughout her own college experience, she kept an eye on supporting young mothers, and after graduation, she began working with the Polk County Schools Teen Parent Program in 2012 to mentor teen moms in high school.
By 2014 Altrichia established her nonprofit Mentoring Agency for Maternal Adolescents, Inc., or MAMA, Inc., to further support teen moms and their families in her community. Through MAMA, Inc., she created the Sweetheart Seminar, an annual event on Valentine’s Day centered around self-love, self-awareness, and encouragement of adolescent mothers to empower themselves and further their education.
In 2025, the 11th annual Sweetheart Seminar was held with great success, even welcoming 4 young fathers into the mix, with four mothers serving as speakers to share their stories of success.
Since MAMA, Inc. was established, the non-profit has served more than 300 young families in Polk County. Despite the normal challenges of a non-profit, including the constant need for funding, Altrichia credits supportive board members and the community MAMA, Inc. has developed for its success.
“MAMA, Inc. has ensured that teen moms succeed because they and their children are our future. We are dedicated to elevating the mentalities of teen moms to choose success as their only option,” she enthused. “The tireless contributions of our mentees have enabled young mothers to further their education, thus creating economic advancement for multiple generations. MAMA, Inc. has helped these families maintain housing and become self-sufficient.”
To connect with Altrichia or MAMA, Inc., visit themamainc.org.