One September evening, Faye Lewis, a student on her way to becoming a family nurse practitioner, was going through her items with her mom and talking about the struggles that she was encountering while pursuing her Doctorate. Her mom was encouraging Faye to keep going and not give up. That same evening, the student found a plastic bag full of her old badges: “[I] noticed that my new badge now listed my BSN so, I snapped the photo – to encourage myself”. Faye Lewis, then a 27-year-old shared the photo on her Facebook in order to motivate herself to push through the first difficult weeks of graduate school.
One day Faye Lewis, while struggling with her doctorate studies, decided to give herself a boost of motivation
Image credits: Faye Lewis
“I had been through a lot, and I knew I could do this too. I didn’t post it for attention. I just wanted to have this photo to motivate me through my Doctorate program,” said Lewis.
“I just needed to remind myself how far I’ve come,” she said. “I never in a million years would think it would also motivate other people to go for what they want.”
She went through her stuff and found a bag with all of her work badges and posted a picture of them on her Facebook
Image credits: Faye Lewis
When Faye was 16, she got her first job at KFC as a team member. She wanted to help out her parents and also have some extra cash, but as she says, “I knew I wanted to be nurse. I love to help people. I do it with joy in my heart.”
Faye continued working at KFC even when she went off to college, however, things didn’t go exactly as planned – she received Bs in two of her classes and was rejected from nursing school. To add to it all after the freshman year Lewis became pregnant with her son AJ, who was born in 2010. Faye left the university and moved closer to her parents.
“I didn’t know such a simple post would inspire so many”
Image credits: Faye Lewis
Around this time, Faye was promoted to a manager at KFC and obtained a position as a housekeeper at an Assisted Living Facility. With the help of a government program called New Step, Faye was able to complete her certified nursing assistant training and started working at Memorial Medical Center.
“People are telling me that the post gives them hope”
Image credits: Faye Lewis
Finally, Faye was working in a hospital setting and was surrounded by her role models – registered nurses. Inspired by them, Lewis knew that she had to continue her education. While still working at KFC, she enrolled into an LPN (licensed practical nurse) program and was able to complete it in 9 months. But she did not stop there and decided to continue her education, yet again, and pursued her Associate’s Degree in Nursing.
“I prayed a lot and asked God to guide me”
Image credits: Faye Lewis
Unfortunately, Faye was faced with yet another rough patch. “Many students lose their loved ones while in nursing school,” Lewis recalls a Professor saying. At the time, she did not think of it much. Tragically, just a few days after her professor said those words, Lewis’ father, three cousins, and the family dog were killed in a house fire. “When I heard the news, I dropped to my knees. My mom made it out alive just by a miracle of God,” Faye says. In such tragic circumstances, many people may have given up. But not Faye. “I had a supportive family and I knew my Dad wouldn’t want me to quit,” she added.
“My family really supported me and helped me make it possible”
Image credits: Faye Lewis
It was rough – Faye was working as an LPN during the day and at KFC during the evening and was still going to school, raising her young son and dealing with the tragic loss of close family members. She obtained her Associates Degree in Nursing in 2014 and enrolled in a Bachelor Degree program, which she graduated from in 2016.
“I made it through despite it all”
Image credits: Faye Lewis
Today, she is studying in a Doctorate Program to become a family nurse practitioner. Faye Lewis’ determination and passion has inspired thousands of people to go after their dreams.
“I probably wouldn’t have chosen this journey. But, it’s my journey, I own it. I embrace it.”
Image credits: Faye Lewis
“Keep trying. Never give up and stay positive through all of it,” Lewis says. If there’s one thing that we could learn from her, it’s certainly remaining positive no matter what life brings you.
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