NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville nonprofit has developed an interactive simulator that puts users in the shoes of pregnant college students facing financial hardship, hoping to build awareness and community support for young mothers.
The simulator, called Dilemma, challenges players with a stark scenario: "You are due June 1, and you're down to your last $1,000. Can you make it through the month?"
For many college students, this isn't just a hypothetical situation.
"Statistics show that one in five women get pregnant while they're in college," said Elise Jenkins, founder of Ella's House.
Jenkins knows the struggle firsthand. After battling childhood cancer, doctors told her she would never have biological children. But during her senior year of college, the impossible happened.
"I had been feeling sick, and my mom asked me to take a pregnancy test, and I was honestly a little offended, because she had been with me in the appointment where they told me I couldn't have biological children. And she's like, here, you should take this pregnancy test. So I took it, probably with an attitude, and it came back positive, which was, as you can imagine, very shocking," Jenkins said.
"I graduated, and 10 days later, my daughter was born, and through that experience, realized how important it is for these moms to have not only support, but things like doulas, mental health counselors, budgeting help, all the things that we as adults know are important that in college you might not have the time or resources to find on your own," Jenkins said.
With help from Lipscomb University computer science students, Jenkins brought Dilemma to life.
"It's designed to urge them to be an awareness tool rather than a game," said Ramy Ismail, a software engineering student who worked on the project.
The simulator forces players to make difficult choices between basic needs, such as sleeping in a shelter or skipping a doctor's appointment. Each decision carries real consequences that affect the player's health, finances and well-being.
"You don't have to be a woman or someone that's pregnant and kind of feel what it is, because it shows you know how hard it is," Ismail said.
"So if I choose to live in your car, the mental health will deplete, because that's not the most ideal situation," Ismail explained while demonstrating the simulator.
The goal is to help users understand the weight of every choice pregnant college students face daily.
"That people are able to experience these challenges and that it creates a sense of support from the Nashville community," Jenkins said.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@Newschannel5.com
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- Lelan Statom
