Wife of military family-man Alexis Speakman hopes to inspire her baby girl

Jacquelyn Edwards
Staff Writer

Wife, student, and mother, 19-year-old Alexis Speakman has her hands full, but that isn’t how she looks at it.

A science major, Speakman is determined to become a registered nurse and wants her life to be a shining example to her 9-month-old girl, Tiffany Gizelle Speakman, and the three other children that her husband wants to one day have.

What activities do you do inside and outside of school?

I am in this spring’s Ten Minute Play Festival, I also attend a lot of the seminars, and I am also a member of the cheer squad.

Outside of school I am a member of my husbands FRG, which is Family Readiness Group for Special Forces. I am a point of contact but right now I act as the leader of the group while the original leader takes a maternity leave.

I am also apart of CWOC which is Catholic Women of the Chapel.

What made you choose Pierce as your two year?

I had offers to WSU and PLU but I decided to choose Pierce because when you go to a four year university you can’t really have other obligations, so I chose Pierce so that I can wait until she is a little older to decide on a four year.

Who came up with the name Tiffany – your husband or you?

I gave him a list, an app, with a few and he picked Tiffany because it could be used as a first name and a middle name.

I decided to name her Tiffany because we are both Christian and it means ‘in the appearance of GOD.” We both decided that would be her because we both want to raise our kids Christian.

What are some of the challenges you face being an Army wife and an Army mother as well as a student?

The sacrifices. One of the definite challenges! You really have to pick and choose what you really want to do.

There are a lot of things I would love to be involved in at the school but when you have a family it’s hard to balance. You have to find some kind of balance. You sacrifice a lot.

I have brought her to school many times, I have had to miss school many times and make up classes.

What are some of the things you find Fulfilling about being a student mother?

I find it fulfilling knowing that my daughter is going to look up to me.

I am not just a teen mom who got married young and fell in love with the first guy she met. That’s not what I did; I wanted to give her a good future and someone to look up to.

I can tell her that, yeah, I went to college too and I am going to be somebody and I am going to make sure my future is there, even though I did decide to marry younger than most people.
Speakman has many hopes and dreams for her daughter. One is that she doesn’t get married as young as her mother.

Speakman hopes her daughter Tiffany will see her parents support her and will always support her no matter the circumstances.