Brittany plays with Logan after reading a bedtime story to him on April 12, 2018 at her home in East Lansing, Mich. Every night, Logan wears a nebulizer for a breathing treatment that alternates between using budesonide and albuterol, which helps reduce his symptoms of asthma. "It releases some of that tension around the chest area so it's not as tight and it won't cause him to wake up, because sometimes the cough can wake him up in the middle of night," Brittany said. "That's how bad it is."
(Photo By Nic Antaya / GroundTruth Project)
“For Him” follows Brittany Slater and her then 2-year-old son, Logan, in their journey to Brittany’s 2018 graduation from Michigan State University. Faced with dropping out, homelessness and becoming a single mother, Brittany carved her own path to graduation. Eight years later, she walked across the stage — with Logan in her arms.
Being a parent is not uncommon among the 50,019 students at MSU. Between 5 and 10% of students are parents, and roughly one-third of those students are single parents. Despite this, a lack of understanding from professors and peers still remains.
“I’ve had understanding professors that have kids that know what it’s like, that have went to school with kids,” Brittany said. “I’ve had also professors that are like, ‘That’s not my problem, figure it out.’”
Brittany’s determination for success is contagious. She gives 100% to her studies, work, faith and to Logan.
“If I’m ever having a stressful day or stressful time – if I just look at him and he looks back at me and we have that moment. It’s like it makes everything worth it. It makes me forget about all of our problems,” she said.
Michigan State University senior Brittany Slater holds up her son, Logan, during a game night with friends on April 15, 2018 at her home in East Lansing, Mich. Brittany and her friends have a monthly game night. “Sometimes he’ll actually get on the table and sit in the middle of the game like, ‘No pay attention to me!'” Brittany said. (Photo by Nic Antaya/GroundTruth Project)Brittany buttons up Logan’s shirt as he plays with her necklace, etched with “#1 Mom,” on April 1, 2018 at home as they get ready to go to Easter Sunday church service. “I want him to take pride in the way that he looks when he steps out of the house,” Brittany said. “Church is the one way I use that platform to dress him up.” (Photo by Nic Antaya/GroundTruth Project)Brittany gets off the bus at a transfer point with Logan on March 12, 2018 at the CATA Bus Station on Michigan State University’s campus in East Lansing. “It’s a lot to load on and off the bus,” Brittany said. “If I can get somebody to help me, that’s great, but 9 times out of 10 that doesn’t happen. So I have to be prepared to lift. I have to brace myself like, ‘Alright we’re about to get off the bus, don’t trip.'” (Photo by Nic Antaya/GroundTruth Project)Brittany chases after Logan during a break in between her classes on Feb. 28, 2018 at Beaumont Tower on Michigan State University’s campus in East Lansing. “I try to balance stuff when I take him to classes with me,” Brittany said. “I have to balance him being able to play and be a kid with me having to be a student.” (Photo by Nic Antaya/GroundTruth Project)Brittany takes her PSY 209 Brain and Behavior exam as Logan slept on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 at Hubbard Hall on Michigan State University’s campus in East Lansing. “I’ll always have that thought, in the back of my mind like somebody’s thinking, ‘Well, who is this with a kid, why does she have her kid here?'” Brittany said. “But it feels good when I get the opposite response from people like, ‘Oh, you have a baby, he’s so cute. Can I see him? Can I touch him?'” (Photo by Nic Antaya/GroundTruth Project)Brittany rubs her eyes while she responds to a phone call while at work on March 30, 2018 at Brody Square on Michigan State University’s campus in East Lansing. “I try not to let my frustrations show through my voice, so I have to make faces so that I don’t get mad,” Brittany said. “My faces tell my frustration, but I try not to let it come off in my voice.” (Photo by Nic Antaya/GroundTruth Project)Brittany receives feedback from her supervisor, Dave Banker, while at work on March 30, 2018 at Brody Square on Michigan State University’s campus in East Lansing. “I will not work the Friday before graduation. I can’t,” Brittany said. “I refuse to be that stressed out before graduation.” (Photo by Nic Antaya/GroundTruth Project)Brittany takes an online quiz for her class as Logan played in the bathtub on April 12, 2018 at her home in East Lansing, Mich. “I feel overwhelmed a lot,” Brittany said. “A lot of the times, I have to talk myself out of the feeling of being overwhelmed because it’s my life. So it’s like I can’t change it. And honestly, it’s not going to get anything but get busier and more hectic from here.” (Photo by Nic Antaya / GroundTruth Project)Brittany plays with Logan after reading a bedtime story to him on April 12, 2018 at her home in East Lansing, Mich. Every night, Logan wears a nebulizer for a breathing treatment that alternates between using budesonide and albuterol, which helps reduce his symptoms of asthma. “It releases some of that tension around the chest area so it’s not as tight and it won’t cause him to wake up, because sometimes the cough can wake him up in the middle of night,” Brittany said. “That’s how bad it is.” (Photo by Nic Antaya/GroundTruth Project)Brittany embraces First Lady Dorothy Duncan after she shared her story of being a single mother in front of the congregation during the Easter Sunday service on April 1, 2018 at the Lansing Church of God in Christ in Lansing. “I honestly felt a relief, like the weight was lifted,” Brittany said. “I felt like that was something that I needed to get off my chest and I just felt like it was something that needed to be done.” (Photo by Nic Antaya/GroundTruth Project)Brittany slips on her heels during the Social Science Convocation on May 5, 2018 at Breslin Center on Michigan State University’s campus in East Lansing. “I’m hoping that I don’t trip,” Brittany said. “I’m hoping that Logan is on his best behavior and he’s a big boy and walks. I’m nervous.” (Photo by Nic Antaya/GroundTruth Project)Brittany raises her fist after crossing the stage with Logan to receive her diploma during the Social Science Convocation on May 5, 2018 at Breslin Center. “I can’t believe I did it,” Brittany said. “I can’t believe I did it with Logan. It’s amazing, I don’t even know how to put it in words. I don’t think it’s hit me yet that I’m done. It’s just surreal.” (Photo by Nic Antaya/GroundTruth Project)
Photographer’s note
Photographing Brittany and Logan pushed me as a storyteller. This was the longest time I had spent working on a photo story. Following their life solidified my approach to working on photo stories. Looking back on that first day of photographing Brittany and Logan, I had no idea how much our time together would shape me as a photojournalist.
As photojournalists, we are fortunate when people let us into their lives. There must be a trust established between the photographer and the person being photographed to truly understand and tell the complete story. I learned that building that relationship is the most important aspect to me.
I visited Brittany and Logan roughly twice a week over the course of the three months leading up to her graduation. I looked forward to spending time with them. Brittany and I shared a lot of laughs and I felt like we connected right away.
I found points of connection between my life and Brittany’s. I’m a first-generation, low-income college student. I was raised by a single mother. I feel these shared experiences helped me relate to Brittany’s situation, and my understanding was translated through my photographs.
After hearing all of Brittany’s past challenges and witnessing her then current struggles as an MSU student, I hope her story inspires others to keep pushing forward. By sharing Brittany’s story, I hope to create empathy and change the minds of people who previously dismissed the situations people like Brittany face.
As I made the final images, I knew Brittany walking across the stage to receive her diploma with Logan in her arms was one of the biggest achievements in her life. To this day, Brittany is one of the most inspiring people I have met. Her character inspired me to work even harder and improve myself as a photojournalist and, more importantly, as a person. I can still see her smile.
