check out some of our scholarship recipients!
The individuals who have completed & graduated from our program are from all over the world and yet there is a constant feeling of closeness and connection in our classes and private online support group. We all give and receive an incredible amount of information and praise as we go through the training and beyond. It never feels like we are separated by hundreds or thousands of miles.
Check out some of our recipients
Denise
This is literally the difference between life and death for Black Women and children.
I could have been a doula, I just thought I had to go back to school and go back for a long time. Apparently, that is midwifery. Once I found out it does not take that long, I have been mustering up the courage to plow forward. Within my Birth worker Tribe, I heard that Bebo Mia has the best training program available. I saw that they offer scholarships and being in-between Blessings as far as financially I applied. But isn’t that how it goes when you are doing great things, seems like the money is always SHAWT? So I thought let’s do this. And so I am. And here we are. And I can’t wait.
Diamond
Hi, I'm Diamond Sadé Walker. I am a hard-working, courageous, generous, dedicated, and loving woman. I wanted the scholarship because I’ve always been into birth and birth work. I have seen five people in my family deliver babies, I wasn’t there as a doula, I was there just like a family member watching. When I first saw my aunt give birth I was like omg this is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. I have also always thought that home birth was so special. Also because I have seen it so many times I wanted to actually be able to be a doula and help someone through birth and not just a friend or family member that’s seeing someone give birth but actually be the one helping through the process with all the background to back it up.
Jill
Hello, I am Jill Stewardson. I have a rad spouse and two beautiful children, 3.5 years and 1.5 years. My little family lives in upstate NY and love it here! I have been working as a sign language interpreter for over 10 years in various areas. I felt that I needed a change in my career. After soul searching and speaking to friends (one who happens to be a doula), I realized becoming a doula is the right path for me. So currently I have started working as a full spectrum doula. The doula community in my area is amazing. I have been graciously accepted and I’m so grateful for them!
Devin
My name is Devin Biggs -Vanderhorst, I am 38 years old from Harlem, New York. I am a mother of 7, 2 boys 19, and 16 years of age. 4 girls ages 14,13,11, & 2. I am married to my wife Shawn, she is my best friend and my #1 supporter I couldn’t be happier. I wanted the Queer for Queer care scholarship because in 2017 Shawn and I decided to add a baby to our family through home insemination. For the Queer community adding to the family can be quite a task. After finishing my program, I plan to start a successful doula business geared towards the LGBTQIAS2+ community, I want to aid in the fertility, birth, and postpartum process.
Kate
My name is Kate Ubermuth and my pronouns are she/her. I have known that I identify as an intersectional feminist since about Sophomore year of high school. I became interested in birth work in my Sophomore year, the sheer power that birthing people have as well as the gross injustices that they often face called on me to learn more. I created an independent study about the role of midwives and doulas throughout history and today and recently finished up one about the reproductive justice movement. At the core of it all, I want to be a doula because 1) I want to help people tap into the power and intuition that they have been told to ignore, and 2) I want to increase love and empathy in this world.
Erin
My name is Erin Vinson. Lover of all things purple, sweet tea, photography, and animals of course! I’m a 26-year-old, mother to one sweet little nugget, my two-month-old, Edyn Azalea. Overall, I would like to consider myself a nice fusion of earthy, birth-y, and a heaping scoop of nerdy. Sharing my experiences through the application process for the Be Brave Award moved me to be just that. Brave. The Be Brave Award is shaping the future of my life and career path as I ultimately embark on being a changemaker for the birthing community. I plan to build my business on the grounds of restoring and creating more positive experiences shared between the relationship between providers, birth workers, and birthing clients
Brianna
My name is Brianna. I am a 27-year-old single woman living in South Florida with my adorable dog, Freddie. I am currently studying to become a licensed massage therapist alongside starting the training to become a doula. When it comes to the future, I am so happy and excited to look forward. I believe that birth is a time of transition and growth, and that everyone deserves a happy, healthy, and safe birth experience. I want to be able to hold classes and support groups for parents – like Mommy and Me or Daddy and Me courses – in infant massage, and to be able to create a safe space for parents to talk about the joys and struggles of parenthood
Dy’Ana
My name is Dy’Ana Turner; I am the single mom of an amazing 5-year-old and a veteran of the U.S. Army. Community is the backbone of our cities, my parents and community nurtured a spirit of always wanting to give back and be of service. I grew up in the Bay Area of California, we were the trickle-down of the immersive community efforts of The Black Panther Party. I knew I wanted to serve those I saw every day who were subjected to less access to those who and that which would support healthier journeys before, during, and after childbirth. I wanted this scholarship because I am ready to begin my journey to become a valuable member of the MSP community and outward.
Trina
My name is Trina Nitsiyihkâson. I am a Swampy Cree woman with my maternal family originating from Treaty 5 territory but I was born and raised on Treaty 4 land in Saskatchewan, Canada. I remember the excitement I felt when the description of the Birth Justice scholarship was spot on with the work I hope to do for mothers who face many hardships on their parenting journey. As I am still paying student loan debt off, I jumped at the chance to start something I had only dreamed of. Helping the families build a strong bond in pregnancy is often the one chance of finding and keeping them in sobriety and it is the reason I want to do birth work.
Jeska
My name is Jeska, I am a midsized Filipino & Nigerian freelance model. I was born, raised and currently living in the Philippines. I am also a student studying Humanities & Social Sciences on top of my independent education on topics related to community development, trauma-informed holistic healthcare and reproductive justice. I’ve had to take a couple of gap years due to financial challenges. Although even before that, I already had trouble staying in school. I often didn’t feel well enough mentally and emotionally. Generally, I also had trouble keeping up and fitting in. In retrospect, I believe much of it has to do with my neurodiversity. I’m pretty sure I have ADHD, I’m hoping to have it confirmed by a professional as soon as possible. I loved learning so much, I wanted to quit school.
Nicole
Hello everyone! My name is Nicole, but I also go by Nicki or Nicoletta, and I use the pronouns she/her. As a little girl I was obsessed with babies, and I believe this is when the journey began, on my winding path, to become a birth worker. As a young person I did not know about birth workers, but over the years my experiences and choices have gradually shaped me into the person I need to be, so that I can be a fantastic birth worker. I have gone through infertility, due to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), experienced tragic loss and overwhelming joy. Here is a snippet of my life’s journey, which has led me to this program and wanting to be a birth worker.
Lori
My name is Lori Stafford and I am grateful to be the runner-up in the Brave Award. I want to train in the bebo mia community; because I can take the classes at my own pace, my doula license can be used nationwide. I have wanted to become a doula for about three years because to help minority women get help when going through postpartum depression and we often get singled out when it comes to the birthing process. The reason why I chose this community is because bebomia help all types of demographics no matter the age, sex or race.
Kaadia
My name is Kaadia Montgomery. I’ve lived in Tennessee for the majority of my life. My journey to doula-ing has been underlying for at least a decade. I want to find a way to utilize my skills as a Nationally Certified Counselor to provide general and mental health support to families, primarily during the postpartum period. I’ve given great consideration to becoming what I’m affectionately calling a “full service” doula, meaning caring for families from conception through the fourth trimester. Receiving the Olivia Scobie Perinatal Mental Health Award has awarded me confirmation that I’m living in my purpose (if anyone would like to discuss their purpose, I’m your girl)
Ariana
It is an honor to be the recipient of the bebo mia’s Be Brave Scholarship Award! My name is Ariana Lazo. My family and I are from Colorado, USA. It’s my husband, our four children and myself. I want my children to see their mama being brave and taking the steps she needs to take to follow her heart. I can do this. I will do this. I will have a successful doula business, but more importantly, I will teach my children that being brave is all it takes. My business will help low income or teen parents. I believe anyone who is pregnant deserves a doula, they just can’t always afford it. People in labor need support. That is all there is to it.
Samantha
Meet Samantha: A wonderful mom to her 3 babies and the many children she fosters.
She is located in Oakville and has so much knowledge to share with us within this program!I am so excited to say that I have been awarded a doula scholarship!! It is such a surreal thing for me. My name is Samantha. I identify myself as a wife, mother, and student. My husband is a Loss Prevention manager at a local retail store (he catches shoplifters) and a full time criminal justice student. We met in high school, I was 15 and he was 17. We’ve been together ever since. We will be celebrating our 6th marriage anniversary this August!
The Pinay Doulas Collective
Each year bebo mia set aside a small scholarship fund for their Maternal Support Practitioner Program (aka Doula Certification). Each year we talk with the most unbelievable women, strong, supportive women who are true community leaders. Often times, these women do not have the resources to jump into a doula training, but want it so bad I can feel it in their voice or their stories. This year a whole group of women showed up at our (online) door, and we could just tell they are here to make big changes, and we cannot wait to watch that happen!
Velvet
My name is Velvet, I’m a 25-year-old mother of three adorable kids. I’m from Louisiana. I love music and being creative through arts and crafts. I wanted this bebo mia scholarship to be able to receive the necessary training to start my work in helping parents of all types. I am so blessed to be one of the chosen scholarship winners. I researched many doula training classes and most of them really didn’t seem like they were designed to really teach you what you needed to dive into your career. I want to be a doula so that I can make a change in my community for young parents.
Joei
Meet Joei – A wonderful mom of two that is committed to supporting young mothers through their parenting journeys.
I’ve always known I wanted to be a mom – but I never knew just how much I would love pregnancy and birth! I used to be someone who feared pain, would cry at the tiniest paper cut, but after my natural births I felt so empowered, like I could survive anything – it’s an experience I knew I wanted to help other moms achieve.
Brittany
Meet Brittany – A retired military mama who is a single mom of two with huge goals with her scholarship!
Hello! My name is Brittany, and I am one of the scholarship winners. First off, I am so blessed and honored to have been chosen. Right now, I just couldn’t afford to pay for the training, and so as a single mom struggling to make ends meet as it is, this is truly a life changing opportunity. Speaking of my children, I have two beautiful little toddlers. They are the one (well, two…) thing that keeps me going and I am so happy to be their mommy.
Tarina
"I will have the training needed to begin work with the Department of Health as a postpartum doula through the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, either in paid or voluntary capacity. I know I need to learn more about running a business before I can make a more solid plan; that’s part of the reason I’m here with bebo mia inc " - Tarina Jackson, Bebo Mia Student + Scholarship Recipient
Amber
Zahra
I had been following bebo mia online for sometime; I loved the community feel you get from their online presence, and the comprehensive course package that covers fertility, pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. I felt very drawn to taking the online training, but financial barriers still stood in my way. I really connected with the values of bebo mia, and was thrilled when they posted an online scholarship application to their Fall MSP Doula training. - Zahra Khairunnisa
Ashley
I’m Ashley – a mother, wife, and DOULA!
I’m living in a rural town in Nova Scotia where I work part-time as the prenatal & postpartum support person at the local Family Resource Centre. I have an adorable, intelligent, hilarious “threenager” (her name is Luna!) and a husband, whom I’ve loved since I first laid eyes on him (Grade 10 science class!).
Nadine
Hello Lovelies! I’m Nadine – Momma to Mairead, wife to Dan and a lover of all things pregnancy, birth and babies.
My earliest memory of when I knew I was destined for birth work was when I was 9 years old. I had failed a math test at school and shamefully hid the news from my mother. When she found out I had been struggling and didn’t tell her she felt awful; in turn, so did I.
Miranda
Hi everyone! First I just wanted to say how excited and thankful I am to have received this scholarship and enroll in the Maternal Support Practitioner Program . This has been on my heart and mind recently, so when this opportunity presented itself, it just felt meant to be.
My name is Miranda and I am a 32-year-old single mother of one beautiful boy, my 9 month old son, Colin. We moved to Central Texas earlier this year and love it.
APRIL
Meet April – An American in Ireland who wants to support the isolated new moms in her community!
I am an American, born & raised in Chehalis, WA, USA, now based in Cork, Ireland. I’ve a loving, supportive husband, a wonderful and ever changing 16 month old daughter and my second due at the end of June this year. To say my life has changed is an understatement!
Afra
"I came across bebo mia randomly through the Birth Hour Insta-stories and I found out about their workshop talking about their program. The title "Maternal Support Practitioner" Training struck me. It was the perfect qualification to get the knowledge I needed. " - Afra Said Ahmed, Bebo Mia Student + Scholarship Recipient
Amanda
Hi, I am Amanda Russell. In my former life, I trained to be a school psychometrist – IQ testing, and tests for learning disabilities were my forte. Then, in 2004, my sister and brother-in-law invited me to attend the birth of my niece, who was the only survivor of triplets. I fell in love with birth, then and there, and I fell hard. I also knew that there was a call on my life to serve women in joy and sorrow in birth work. Bless my sister and brother-in-law for deciding I needed to experience birth at least once. Since I was in graduate school at the time, I thought maybe I could be a doula one day as a hobby, but thought no more of it and dove back into papers and presentations.
Brianna
My name is Brianna. I live in beautiful Nanaimo, BC but am originally from Montreal, QC. I am a mother to a beautiful little girl named Ayla who is 2.5 years old now, she keeps me very busy! We love spending our time outdoors hiking, swimming exploring and being with family.
I’ve always known that I wanted a career that had to do with birth, babies and helping women but I wasn’t quite sure what that it was for me. I then had a wonderful doula for the birth of my daughter, and we became very close.
Meridian
"I had been following bebo mia on social media, and when I saw that there were scholarship opportunities available, I knew the time to merge my knowledge of dance with doula work was now." - Meridian Negilski, Bebo Mia Student + Scholarship Recipient
Ashle
Wooohoo! I’m so thrilled and honored to be a part of this community, receiving this scholarship is such a blessing and dream come true. My name is Ashle’ and I use she/her pronouns. I was born in Denver, Colorado and live in Washington, DC with my pup and my partner. I was awarded the Intersectional or Bust award. I have always had a passion for social justice and equity. I’ve been able to work toward social justice through my work as a classroom teacher but for as long as I can remember I’ve been called towards birth work.
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Application
Scholarship applications for March 2023 session are Open!
To learn more about the bebo mia scholarship themes and categories
Use this guide to help you with the application process