After graduating from high school, Miz Lexima wasn’t sure what she was going to do. Then her older sister recommended the Certified Nurse Aide program through Total Action for Progress (TAP) community action program. It seemed like a good fit for Miz—she had always been inspired by nurses. “And TAP had a good reputation,” she says, so she joined the program. From her start with TAP in the CNA program, Miz felt like she was in the right place—she felt a connection with TAP staff from the beginning and was excited to see Black women in roles of authority.
Feeling comfortable at TAP, she also began to look at other programs. She enrolled her kids in TAP’s Head Start program and later served as the vice president of the TAP Head Start Policy Council. Through this role, Miz developed a range of skills, like networking and building a professional reputation.
She spent time in a few of TAP’s education and employment programs and gained educational and professional experience, which led to her getting an associate degree in nursing from Virginia Western, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from James Madison University.
Miz found that TAP had programs that could help her while she was simultaneously parenting, working, and pursuing her education. TAP’s job-training programs, in particular, served as an extra support system when she needed it. When her laptop died right before the end of her semester, TAP staff used job-training funding to quickly replace it because it was crucial to her education and training work. Looking back, Miz recalls, “I had an end point of nursing,” and that the staff at TAP “helped me find the way there.” She put in the hard work, and TAP made sure small barriers couldn’t keep her from reaching the finish line.
For Miz, working as a nurse is deeply rooted in her personal goals and her desire to be a leader in the community. The opportunities she has taken advantage of are as much about the sense of growth as they are the qualification at the end of the journey. “I want to be a leader in my community through nursing,” Miz explains. At TAP, she could pursue her full portfolio of personal and professional goals without needing to prioritize one over the other.
With the final stretch of her nursing goals in sight, Miz is looking forward to establishing herself as a nurse practitioner, community leader, and an entrepreneur whose strong foundation of medical knowledge will power innovation in her future business endeavors. Looking back, Miz knows she took the right path. “Nursing is tough,” she acknowledges. “But life’s been good.”
Feeling comfortable at TAP, she also began to look at other programs. She enrolled her kids in TAP’s Head Start program and later served as the vice president of the TAP Head Start Policy Council. Through this role, Miz developed a range of skills, like networking and building a professional reputation.
She spent time in a few of TAP’s education and employment programs and gained educational and professional experience, which led to her getting an associate degree in nursing from Virginia Western, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from James Madison University.
Miz found that TAP had programs that could help her while she was simultaneously parenting, working, and pursuing her education. TAP’s job-training programs, in particular, served as an extra support system when she needed it. When her laptop died right before the end of her semester, TAP staff used job-training funding to quickly replace it because it was crucial to her education and training work. Looking back, Miz recalls, “I had an end point of nursing,” and that the staff at TAP “helped me find the way there.” She put in the hard work, and TAP made sure small barriers couldn’t keep her from reaching the finish line.
For Miz, working as a nurse is deeply rooted in her personal goals and her desire to be a leader in the community. The opportunities she has taken advantage of are as much about the sense of growth as they are the qualification at the end of the journey. “I want to be a leader in my community through nursing,” Miz explains. At TAP, she could pursue her full portfolio of personal and professional goals without needing to prioritize one over the other.
With the final stretch of her nursing goals in sight, Miz is looking forward to establishing herself as a nurse practitioner, community leader, and an entrepreneur whose strong foundation of medical knowledge will power innovation in her future business endeavors. Looking back, Miz knows she took the right path. “Nursing is tough,” she acknowledges. “But life’s been good.”