In the fall of 2021, the sophomore class at Magnolia High School in southwest Arkansas was busy doing homework, making weekend plans with friends and dreaming of life after high school.
Kishaliya Doss was learning how to make bottles and change diapers.
Faced with parenthood at just 15 years old, the Lady Panthers basketball star was suddenly a fish out of water.
“When I became a mother, I didn’t know what I was doing,” Doss said. “I didn’t know how to make a bottle or what to do when a baby was sick. I had to grow up really fast. I couldn’t just go out and do what my friends were doing anymore. The only thing that mattered was taking care of my daughter.”
For Doss, overcoming the stigma of teenage pregnancy in her school and her community wasn’t easy.
“Everywhere I went, people judged me,” Doss said. “I was told that I would drop out of school and wouldn’t be able to play basketball anymore. Their words hurt me. I heard them so often that I started to believe they were right—that maybe I couldn’t do this.”
Fueled by the love from her inner circle, Doss learned to tune out the noise and embrace the challenge in front of her.
“I had a really good support system that told me to keep going,” Doss said. “My mom pushed me to stay in school and play basketball and my coach, Shanae Govan Williams, never stopped believing in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself.”
Doss defied her doubters that season, achieving All-Conference and All-State recognition while leading Magnolia to the Class 5A state tournament and receiving All-Tournament honors. Two years later, after walking across the stage with her high school diploma, the young mother was faced with a stressful decision regarding her future.
“I received multiple college offers, but they were far away from home,” Doss said. “I wanted to stay closer to home to be near my mom and my baby.”
While at a basketball tournament in Hot Springs, Doss was introduced to coach Eddie Broughton, Sr., who inspired her to spread her wings at National Park College in Hot Springs.
“Once I graduated high school, I knew that I didn’t want my daughter to go through the same things I went through,” Doss said. “I wanted a better future for me so I could provide a better life for her. In order to achieve that, I knew that I had to go to college. After communicating with Coach Broughton and Coach Dasia Turner, I quickly fell in love with NPC.”
Rewind to early 2023, where in the small country town of Ozan, Arkansas, 60 miles northwest of Magnolia, Blevins High School senior basketball sensation Ta’Keyla Williamson learned she, too, was pregnant.
“I was scared,” Williamson said. “I didn’t think that I was going to be able to play basketball anymore, but my mom sat me down and talked me through it. She told me that I would have my son and
everything would be all right. She was right. Two weeks after giving birth to my son, Zaire, I was back on the court playing the first game of my senior season.”
In her final season at Blevins, Williamson dazzled, surpassing 2,000 career points and leading the Lady Hornets to the most single-season wins in school history. With her high school career coming to an end, however, the young mother faced heavy questions about her future. That’s when she met Nighthawks head coach Eddie Broughton, Sr.
“Trying to keep my grades up while also being a mom and a basketball player was hard for me, but I knew that I wanted to go to college to better myself,” Williamson said. “Coach Broughton told me he would push me to be the best I could be and I loved that. National Park College was close to home and, on my first visit, I fell in love with the campus and the facilities.”
Moving away from home to begin college can be difficult for any student. For Doss and Williamson, it also meant sacrificing time with their children to build their futures. As their similar paths crossed for the first time, the two young ladies struggled to adapt to their new home away from home.
“I remember the first days being extremely hard on me,” Williamson said. “I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to play basketball. All I wanted to do was go home to be with my son. I remember thinking that I wasn’t going to make it, but my mom kept telling me to stay strong and finish out the first semester. Coach Broughton and Coach Turner were also very supportive of me and that was huge for my mental health.”
“I had never been away from my baby before,” Doss said. “I was sad the whole first week I was here. The idea of meeting new people and making friends felt wrong. I felt like I shouldn’t be here.”
Together, through NPC’s Career Pathways Initiative, both Williamson and Doss received assistance with textbooks, laptops and school supplies to help them get started on their collegiate journey.
“Books and computers are really expensive,” Williamson said. “Career Pathways helped me in ways I couldn’t imagine. They made me feel wanted and comfortable here. It was their support that made me fall in love with NPC.”
“From my books, my laptop and my calculator to helping me understand my schoolwork, Career Pathways has always been there to help me with anything I needed,” Doss said. “I don’t know that I could have made it as far as I have here without them.”
On the basketball court, Doss and Williamson have played pivotal roles in the resurgence of women’s basketball at National Park College. One year removed from ending their season early due to low numbers, the Nighthawks have shattered multiple records this season, including the largest margin of victory in program history, the most single-season wins in program history and the longest winning streak in program history. With two games remaining in NJCAA Region II play, the high-flying Nighthawks sit comfortably in first place with a first-round bye in the upcoming NJCAA Region II Tournament in Harrison, Arkansas.
“This season has been great,” Williamson said. “My teammates and I love each other and are very close. We’re here to win. Our goal for the rest of the season is to keep our top spot and to not let anyone get in our heads.”
“I love my teammates,” Doss said. “We make each other better. Coming into this season, there were a lot of expectations on us, so we go out there with energy and try to do our best every game.”
While the accolades continue to pour in for the program, both Doss and Williamson agree that their favorite moments of the season are seeing their families cheering them on from the stands.
“Seeing my daughter, Dior, at my games makes me feel like I’m in a dream,” Doss said. “She motivates me to keep going. Even though she won’t remember my games when she’s older, seeing her smiling and cheering me on makes all of this worth it to me.”
“Seeing my son at my games gives me the strength that I need to keep going,” Williamson said. “My family has pushed me to become who I am today because they believe in me. Having their support reassures me that I can and will do this.”
In her first semester at NPC, Williamson was named to the Dean’s list and dreams of becoming a physical therapist. Similarly, Doss also wants to go into the medical field. Inspired by her mother’s ongoing fight against breast cancer, the freshman wants to become a registered nurse to help change lives.
“You can do anything that you put your mind to,” Doss said. “Juggling motherhood, academics and athletics isn’t easy and I’ve learned that it’s OK to ask for help. My support system has been everything to me. When the going gets tough, I remind myself that I’m here to create a better future for myself and my child and that helps make everything feel OK again.”
“Don’t give up,” Williamson said. “Becoming a parent does not mean that your life is over. Motherhood has inspired me to push myself even harder because I want to make my family proud. When my son grows up, he’ll see everything that I’ve accomplished and be proud of me, too.”
For 17 years, NPC’s Career Pathways Initiative has helped parent-students overcome barriers to completing their education. Located in CO 264, the program assists an estimated 150 students annually with childcare costs, transportation, tuition and fees, textbooks, school supplies, career readiness and more.
For more information on Career Pathways Initiative, visit np.edu/CPI or email Director LaTaschya Harris at LaTaschya.Harris@np.edu.