Cori, aware of how her mother shielded her from hunger and financial deprivation, is aiming for a full scholarship to cover the $60,000/year tuition fees. Level-headed Tayla Solomon is an only child, although her energetic, often overbearingly upbeat mother would have liked more and takes the whole step team under her wing. Tayla loves her mother, but is also sometimes embarrassed about her youthful participation.