• W.E. Manning Memorial Scholarship Recipient •

Wise Words To Live By

“Life is not always easy, but the journey is worth the wait. Never allow someone to tell you that you are not worth it or will never amount to anything. Prove them wrong by keeping your head held high and never giving up. It’s your life and you can create it however you want. Set goals and take the steps to complete them no matter how long it takes and always do it for you and no one else. Someone once told me, ‘It’s not a mistake but an opportunity to improve and grow.’”

Tabitha Mays lives by this philosophy. She discovered she was pregnant on her first day of LPN school and will graduate from the University of Arkansas in May 2025 with an RN-BSN degree at the same time as her first daughter graduates from high school.

Mays, 38, resides in Benton, a suburb of Little Rock, where she works as a director of nursing at an elder care facility. As a wife and mother of three daughters who works full-time, going to school is not easy. During the day she supervises up to 70 certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and approximately 30 licensed practical nurses (LPNs). Her workdays are filled with reviewing charts and orders, managing care plans, maintaining the medication inventory and distribution, and dozens of other tasks that all have a single purpose: to offer the residents of her facility the dignity and comfort they’ve earned in their long, sometimes troubled lives.

“I ensure the residents’ needs are provided for and will fight for them,” Mays said. “Many times, families do not agree with the residents’ wishes and wants.”

It is nurses’ responsibility to ensure the autonomy of residents is honored, she said.

Mays’ interest in eldercare began in 2001. While in high school, she took a part-time job as a CNA at a local nursing home, working on weekends and during holidays. It created a desire within her to become a caregiver for the elderly who, quite often, had no one.

“I wanted to be a nurse and thought that being a caregiver would help with the experience and with schooling,” she recalled. “I learned many things from the residents. Several residents do not have family engagement, and the feeling you get when you can make someone’s day is the best feeling in the world.”

Following through on her desires, she became an LPN in 2008, even as she raised her daughter as a single mother. After several years she went back to school at the U of A, where she will soon graduate as an RN with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

“I watched my parents struggle to take care of my sister and I,” she said. “I did not want my children to go through the same, and I wanted to be able to provide for my parents later in life.”

Even so, the journey from a CNA in high school to an RN with a bachelor’s degree has not been easy. Mays struggled to further her education via in-person courses but found it beyond difficult without fully understanding why.

“I attempted to go for my associate’s degree in 2009,” she said. “The program I attended was new and in-person. I struggled with the computerized testing. After speaking with my doctor, he sent me to a specialist, and I was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. I completed the first semester, then withdrew from the program.”

Despite this, Mays did not let her dreams of something more die, especially when faced with a frequent negative stereotype that sometimes appears in the medical workplace.

“After many years, I decided to go back,” Mays said. “I was tired of hearing I was ‘just’ an LPN. That phrase irritates me to the core! It takes a team to care for someone. And all titles are important. I am a natural educator and want to be able to help others overcome the stigma of titles and learn the basics of care.

Mays searched for a way to make everything work, a way that would allow her to keep her family and work lives but still offer her opportunities for growth. She had reached a point where she felt “stuck,” having reached maximum pay level and was faced with duties that required an RN license.

When a fellow nurse introduced her to the RN-BSN program at the U of A, she knew she’d found her path.

“The online program was the only way I was able to go back to school as I have to pay my bills and work full time as well as be a wife and mother,” she said. “I liked the fact that the classes were all ages. With my ADHD, I cannot sit long enough in a classroom setting to focus on learning. With the online program, I can complete assignments as assigned and get help if needed. I complete my classes after work and study after I finish household chores. I like the ability to take one to two classes at a time and can do my homework at night. I knew my schedule in advance which helped with my family life and work life.”

With this degree, Mays felt she would be financially stable and able to apply for jobs that suit her interests, such as hospice or skilled nursing. Her goal is to continue on to obtain a Master of Science in Nursing with a specialization as a geriatric nurse practitioner.

“It has not been easy being a full-time student as well as a mom, wife, working full time, maintaining a household, and my small farm,” Mays admitted. “It has been difficult, as the roles have changed in our family dynamics. I have had to make sacrifices and miss out on some family events.”

Mays is a recipient of the W.E. Manning Memorial Scholarship for online U of A students for the 2024-2025 academic year. The scholarship began with small gifts from many people who passionately believe in the transformative power of education. It was created in 2018 to financially assist students who are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate online degree programs.

“I was shocked to receive the scholarship,” Mays said. “Being in my late 30s, it has been hard to obtain scholarships or financial assistance. My advisor assisted me with finding this scholarship. It has helped me focus and relieve some of the stress from financial burdens and worry.”