“I want to beat the statistics.”

“I want to beat the statistics.”

Raven has heard the assumptions people make about young mothers. Instead of letting them define her, she is building a future rooted in stability, growth, and opportunity for herself and her son.

“Having my son so young, I’m just staying committed to wanting to give him a better life,” Raven said. “I want to leave him behind something. I know how people look at people who have kids young. I want to beat the statistics. It takes a lot to get where I am now.”

Raven is a personal banker at US Bank and a junior at UWM, where she is pursuing her degree in psychology.

“I never would have thought I’d get this far,” Raven said. “Even with my job right now, I never had banking experience before, and now I should be getting promoted in the next two months. It’s insane to me. I feel shocked.” 

After working so hard in both her career and her education to build a better life for herself and her son, Raven decided it was time to take the next step. She is becoming a homeowner.

Employees from Master Lock, a sponsor of Raven’s home, volunteering on site

“I asked myself, right now in this moment, what would be the best decision?” Raven said. “Would it be to move to an apartment and pay rent? Or would it be not having to pay so much in rent and buying a whole house?”

That’s when Raven came to Milwaukee Habitat. A coworker who had moved into a Habitat home years earlier encouraged her to apply.

Now, in partnership with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, Raven is becoming a first-time homeowner and purchasing a home for her family. Throughout the program, Raven continues to be motivated by her son and the future she wants to build for him.

“He has a big personality,” Raven said. “He’s in swim class and has been in it for a couple of months. He’s four and can swim all by himself. He loves it. He also loves his dinosaurs. He’s very into animals.”

Raven grew up in the same house her entire childhood and hopes to give her son that same sense of stability. Right now, they rent the upper unit of a duplex, a space they are quickly outgrowing.

“I want him to be able to invite people over,” Raven said. “I want to be the hosting house. I want him to have birthday parties at our house. I loved growing up in the same house my whole life. I loved all that. I want him to be able to do the same thing.”

For Raven, the house itself is only part of what makes Habitat homeownership meaningful. She also values the structure and support provided by the Habitat program.

“I like, number one, that you guys work with the person,” Raven said. “You hold us accountable.”

At the end of the journey, Raven will hold her keys and open the door to her home for the very first time. It is a moment she knows will be emotional, even if she cannot fully imagine it yet.

“I’ll probably cry, probably just be in shock,” Raven said. “When you’re in this moment, it’ll go so fast. I can’t envision it. If I can’t envision how something will go, I know it’s going to be a good moment.”

Raven has already accomplished so much at a young age, and she is not slowing down. As she works toward becoming a first-time homebuyer, she knows this milestone represents far more than a house.

“I feel like I’m just super proud of myself,” Raven said. “I feel like that will be one of my biggest accomplishments I will have ever done…I really got this far.”