For Mahogany Lewis, nursing is more than a career. It is a calling — one rooted in service, compassion and a desire to make a difference in the lives of others.
A lifelong Warren resident, Lewis graduated from Warren High School in 2001 before beginning her nursing education at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She later transferred to the University of Arkansas at Monticello, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2006.
Her connection to Bradley County Medical Center began while she was still in nursing school. Lewis worked as a ward clerk in the emergency department, gaining firsthand experience in a health care setting.
After graduating, she continued her career at BCMC in Labor and Delivery before moving to Little Rock. There, she worked at Arkansas Children’s Hospital with adolescents dealing with eating disorders. She also worked at Arkansas Heart Hospital, where she was part of the first class of medical-surgical nurses to receive on-the-job critical care training.
In 2008, Lewis felt the pull to return home.
She came back to Warren and continued working in health care, with positions at BCMC, Southeast Arkansas Community Action and Jefferson Regional Medical Center. Nine years ago, she began what has become one of her most meaningful roles — serving as the Warren School District nurse.
As the district’s school nurse, Lewis cares for students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Her responsibilities extend far beyond treating the occasional illness or injury.
“What I find most rewarding is being able to reach students right where they are, not only for medical reasons, but also when the students just need a pause in their day,” Lewis said.
“I want them to know that I can be that smiling face they need or someone to talk to that will be non-judgmental. If they need a snack, a ride to school, or just a pause in their day, my door is open.”
For Lewis, the position also provides an opportunity to give back to the school district that helped shape her.
“I also find it rewarding that I am able to have hands-on experience with my kids’ education and give back to my Warren School District education,” Lewis said.
No two days are alike for Lewis. With two licensed practical nurses, Ronnie and Amanda, assisting throughout the district, the nursing team may see only a handful of students one day and dozens the next.
“We can go from zero visits from the time we get here through lunch to 25-40 after lunch or vice versa,” Lewis said. “You just never know what the day will bring.”
Lewis and her team provide vision and hearing screenings, scoliosis and body mass index checks, diabetic reinforcement training, medication management and other health services. She also maintains working relationships with behavioral health providers to help meet the broader needs of students.
While the medical services are important, Lewis believes some of the most meaningful moments happen in the simple interactions she has with students.
Asked whether a particular moment with a student has reinforced why her work matters, Lewis said there have been many.
“After kids graduate or after school when you see a student where they run up and say to their parent, ‘Hey, this is my school nurse,’ with a smile on their face and are happy to see you, you know you have made an impact in their life,” Lewis stated. “And that makes me happy.”
Lewis comes from a family where nursing runs deep. She, her sister, her mother and her maternal grandmother are all nurses.
Her grandparents on both sides of the family played an important role in shaping her values, she said, particularly by emphasizing education and independence.
“My grandparents on both sides showed me the importance of education because no one can take that from you, as well as the importance of being independent,” Lewis said. “My parents also influenced me and taught me the life lessons to become the strong, independent person that I am today.”
Lewis said nursing requires those same qualities.
For anyone considering a career in nursing, she offers a straightforward message: Be prepared to serve.
“Nursing is not an aesthetic,” Lewis noted. “It is not Fig scrubs, Bogg bags, nice shoes or an Apple Watch. It is a true calling of a servant’s heart. You have to have a steadfast determination and an awesome support group.”
Although nursing remains at the heart of her professional life, Lewis has continued to challenge herself and pursue new opportunities.
In 2024, she earned her commercial driver’s license and became a licensed pharmacy technician, both through the University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Technology-McGehee. She and her husband also own a logistics company.
Those accomplishments have given Lewis another way to connect with the students she serves.
“It is impactful that students will ask life experience advice on how I obtained my nursing degree and my CDL certification,” Lewis said.
Outside of work, Lewis enjoys traveling and watching television when she has the time. But she said her greatest accomplishment has little to do with her career.
“My four kids and being able to raise productive children with my oldest starting college with a major in chemical engineering this fall,” Lewis said when asked about her biggest accomplishment.
For Lewis, returning home has allowed her to build a career while remaining close to the people and community that helped shape her.
What she loves most about Bradley County is the familiarity of a small town.
“Everyone knows everyone,” she said. “I like the safety here. Wherever my kids go, they know me and my parents.”
She also appreciates the opportunity to raise her children in a community where they can receive a quality education without feeling like just another number.
“I love being able to raise my kids in a small town where quality education is available and they are not just a number,” Lewis said. “And I love being able to be close to my parents and being able to give back a portion of what they gave us.”
For Lewis, giving back has become more than a goal. It has become a way of life.
From the hospital halls where she began her nursing journey to the school nurse’s office where she now welcomes generations of Warren students, Lewis continues to serve her hometown one student, one family and one open door at a time.
