JP Alumni Fellow Story: Chakita Lewis

The 2023-2024 Jeremiah Program Alumni Fellows, each many years removed from their time as JP moms, are using their experiences, expertise, and stories to advocate for other single moms and their families. This is Chakita Lewis’s story.

A lot has always been expected of me. Early in my life, my mother and siblings recognized my potential to be great and break the cycle of poverty in our family. However, no one in my family had the resources or knowledge on how to break that cycle. No one knew how to help me be great. All I was told was, “Go to college.” This plan came with the expectation that I would secure financial stability so I could take care of my family.

When I found out I was pregnant in 2011, I felt like I let everyone down. Many people, including family members, told me that I would not be able to achieve my goal of going to college if I chose to have my child. At this time, my child’s father made it clear that he would not be an active presence in my child’s life. I didn’t know how I would be able to achieve financial stability for my family and be a single mother.

I was scared. I felt like a failure, but I was not defeated. I ended up giving birth to my child at 29 weeks and having to deal with taking care of a premature baby with unknown health complications, and I had to figure out how to continue my education — not just for me but for my daughter’s future as well. I knew I must do this without compromising the type of mother I wanted to be: a mother who could and would support my daughter through any challenge she would face.

It was at this pivotal moment that I learned the value of community and support.

I was in the middle of midterms when I had my daughter. Because she was early, I didn’t have time to communicate my absence to my teachers. After her birth, I remember going to campus to talk to my professors when I ran into the student parent social worker, Beth Hamer. She asked me how I was doing, and I broke down crying. I went to her office and told her all I was going through. I remember sitting there with my face a mess, leaking breast milk everywhere, scared about the unknown challenges ahead. She immediately stepped in, holding my hand, and calming me down. Then she asked me to go back to the hospital to be with my daughter and assured me that she would handle any school concerns. She took down my number and said she’d call with updates and that I shouldn’t worry. Because of her, I was able to focus on my daughter while she remained in the special care nursery for 11 weeks and turn in all my coursework during my semester winter break. I made the dean’s list that semester, and my daughter continued to improve during that time. Aside from lung issues, she was fully healthy and never had to go to the NICU. Her strength during that time gave me the strength to keep going. Thank you, Beth.

Throughout my parenting journey, I have had many people step up and step in to support me and encourage me to continue my goal of finishing college. Any time my daughter had a hospitalization due to lung issues or a doctor’s appointment to track her development, I had a community that would assist me with my schooling so I could focus on what mattered the most, my daughter. An important part of my community was the Jeremiah Program, which I joined in May 2012 when my daughter was 6 months old.

Throughout college, there were times I wanted to give up, times when I didn’t think I had it in me to juggle it all. In those moments, it was my child and my community that gave me the strength to keep going.

When my daughter was 18 months old, I was worried about her development, and milestones were hard to determine. A JP mom named Shay Cosey provided me with resources for early childhood special education, and another provided tips on what to do at home to help my preemie child. Thanks to them and the work of the Child Development Center (CDC) staff, my daughter ended up excelling and was ahead enough to go to kindergarten a year early. She continues to excel in school and is described as a leader in school. Thank you, Shay.

When my daughter was 2 years old, she developed respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for the third time and had to be put on a ventilator. I was in the middle of finals at school, but I was prepared to delay or skip exams to be with my child. Yet, my mom and my daughter’s grandparents understood that I was working hard for a better future for my child and me, and they wanted to support us in any way they could. So, they took turns coming to sit with my daughter so that I could finish my final exams and papers. I remember that I passed my finals that semester and my daughter made a full recovery. She was able to come home after a week and a half in the hospital. Thank you, Mom, Tracey, and Nate.

In my last semester of college, I was able to intern with one of Minnesota’s U.S. senators. The internship was the last class I needed to complete my bachelor’s degree. I had no car during this time, and my family didn’t live close by. The JP childcare hours did not align with my internship hours, but a JP mom stepped up and allowed me to drop my child to her every morning and she picked my child up in the evening, so I didn’t miss my internship. That job helped me start a career in social services. Thank you, Michelle Ramsey.

Throughout college, there were times I wanted to give up, times when I didn’t think I had it in me to juggle it all. In those moments, it was my child and my community that gave me the strength to keep going. I watched my daughter continue to fight and overcome her health issues and surpass milestones they told me she may not achieve. Teachers, friends, mentors, and family reminded me of my strength and my goals. They helped to hold me accountable. I needed that support and accountability to keep going.

Where am I now? I am now a mother of two girls and a bonus mom to one boy. I am a fiancée. I am an alumna of the University of Minnesota with a master’s degree in public health. I’m a homeowner. I am a supervisor with Ramsey County, and I oversee four programs with social services that help support families and individuals with disabilities. I’m a mentor. I am a woman who is still trying to do her best to take care of those I love and accomplish my dreams of financial mobility for my family.

My older daughter is 12 years old and in eighth grade now. She continues to be an honor roll student. She is an aspiring actor and screenwriter. She is a kind person. She’s an entrepreneur. She now has an amazing relationship with her dad. She has so many people in her life who love her.

“I come as one, but I stand as 10,000.” This is my favorite quote from Maya Angelou, and it captures how I got to where I am in life. It allows me to honor and acknowledge all those, past and present, who have supported me throughout my journey and assisted me in achieving my goals and being a great mother to an amazing daughter. So, when you see where I am today, when you hear my story, know that many people are beside me and behind me. I am never alone in this journey.

Did Chakita’s story resonate with you? A monthly gift goes further to support JP families.