Pregnant at 13 and now preparing for med school — this teen mom's college essay is searingly powerful

Every year, hundreds of thousands of youngsters step out of high school and apply for their dream college. But not all of them can make it, with a majority getting filtered out in the selection process itself. It not only takes sound academics, being active in co-curricular activities, and a satisfying application form to get into the dream college. However, it needs a breakout story to set one apart that can help strike a chord with those responsible for selecting a candidate. Reflecting the same, a woman hailing from Texas chose to pen an application letter sharing her life journey and is now winning hearts online. The 21-year-old Madeleine Lambert—who goes by @madslamby on TikTok—got pregnant at 13 and after facing all the difficulties, she wants to enroll in a medical school to fulfill her childhood dream.

In the video, Lambert shared her college application for the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) in Fort Worth. The mom of two revealed her dream of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon since she was an eighth-grader. “I didn’t fully understand what it entailed, just that it sounded impressive, and I enjoyed the biology class,” the aspirant wrote, admitting what motivated her the most was the drive to prove people wrong, apart from the love for science.

However, Lambert’s social career didn’t get off as expected. “I was the seven-year-old who would run out of class screaming from overwhelming anxiety. By thirteen, I was pregnant and dropped out entirely,” she wrote. This led to her suspension from school and people calling her names. She was addressed with terms such as “Anxiety,” “Trichotillomania,” or “Teen mom.” More so, the criticism of her decision to keep the baby provoked her to share her story.

The Texas resident, who earlier completed her associate's degree at Tarrant County College, was determined to prove the naysayers wrong. That is why she started traveling the world with her daughter and began posting her experiences on YouTube (@MaddieLambert). Through her unique content emphasizing the struggles of a single mom, she went on to gain a million subscribers within a year. She was no longer taking online classes after completing her freshman year; instead, her focus was raising her daughter and pursuing a career as a travel content creator.

“I talked about how thankful I was to be a mother and how I was determined to be a good one,” she added in her college application, taking a vow to overcome the odds and give her daughter the life she deserved. However, the mom didn’t want herself to be associated with the “Dropout” tag, nor did she want her daughter to feel the same. After obtaining her GED certification, she began taking college classes again.

“Maybe I could still be a cardiothoracic surgeon one day,” Lambert said. Based on the curiosity and interest in the subject shown during the class, the institute’s anatomy and physiology teacher urged her to apply to The Summer Academy of Health Sciences (HSC). “Every lecture I attended captivated me, and every lab excited me. I realized medicine was not just about prestige—it gave me purpose,” she added. She didn’t shy away from expressing her desire to be addressed as Dr. Lambert someday.

“The world has given me many labels, but this one – this title – I will earn myself,” she concluded, prompting a variety of reactions on social media. Additionally, the video has garnered over seven million views, including 944K likes and hundreds of comments. “I work with high school students applying to college, so I read many essays each year. This is likely one of the most beautiful college essays I have ever read,” stated @paoxo. “I’ve never seen someone talk about the struggles of trichotillomania so openly. You are seen and making others feel seen,” @shr00mieb0i remarked.

You can follow Madeleine Lambert (@madslamby) on TikTok for more uplifting and lifestyle content.