Meghan Lewia helps keep people healthy

Meghan Lewia helps keep people healthy now, but she does so from behind the scenes. She is a friendly voice and guiding hand in making sure patients, many with chronic conditions, are getting the tests and regular care they need.

Meghan’s plan is to get out of the office and into some scrubs. She’s just graduated with honors from Vermont Technical College with her practical nurse certificate. Next, she takes the NCLEX exam to get her license. After that, Meghan's considering a bachelor’s degree and registered nurse career and maybe even the additional education needed to be a nurse practitioner.

Her career dreams were born from tragedy. Meghan’s son died as an infant, and she was inspired by the professionals who cared for him while he was sick.

Meghan has held jobs previously outside of the medical field that also involved helping people get the care they need. It’s work she finds rewarding.

VSAC has been there for Meghan when she needed it. Since well before she started her first nursing class, VSAC has helped Meghan fill out paperwork, find scholarships and generally assist when she gets stuck.

“Just having that support, it was great. Just making sure I was doing everything I was supposed to be doing,” Meghan said about the guidance of VSAC’s Educational Opportunity Center counselor Andrea Gould.

As a nontraditional student, Meghan has several extra balls to juggle while she pursues her career dreams. She’s a single mother of 10-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl, and she is working part time while attending school full time.

Her advice to other nontraditional students? It will be hard, but don’t give up.

“People can do it, you just have to stay focused and you have to really want it — because good things don’t come easy. You have to work hard for good things.”

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