Thea Bowman Leadership Academy celebrates Dr. Regina Beard of VicTory 4 Kidz being sworn into school board 

Since being founded in 2022, the nonprofit organization VicTory 4 Kidz has inspired young children to pursue healthcare careers. The organization accomplishes this by exposing students to various healthcare careers using camp sessions and collaborations with other organizations to provide the best experience possible.

With a motto of “We teach, we inspire, we transform,” the organization has already made an impressive impact in just a few years. This impact is only possible through the contributions of leaders such as Dr. Regina Beard, RN, who serves as the founder and president of the organization.

On August 20, Thea Bowman Leadership Academy celebrated Beard and all that she does in the community by having her sworn into the school board. This is an achievement that means the world to Beard, as she gets a chance to work with a local school in the Region.

“It’s an amazing and incredible opportunity for me,” Beard said. “I get the opportunity to make an impact on a larger scale and to ensure that the students are going in the right direction. We have amazing scholars, so it’s great to be able to partner with them, Board President Eve Gomez, and Vice President Jason Beres. We also have an incredible superintendent in Dr. Marlon Mitchell.”

While it hasn’t been long since the ceremony, Beard can already see herself helping out Thea Bowman Leadership Academy in multiple areas.

“We have a few things we’re working on right now,” Beard said. “My desire is to assist more with education to ensure that we are advancing where we need to be. I’m really passionate about healthcare careers as well as career and technical education (CTE). I’m looking to see how I can partner more with not just the high schools but also for the middle schools.”

Beard believes that her work with VicTory 4 Kidz will serve a monumental purpose in helping prepare her to shape the future of the school.

“The way I look at it is that the school board has Dr Regina Beard, who happens to be the founder of VicTory 4 Kidz,” Beard said. “I look at them in two separate ways, but I do feel like the knowledge that I bring to the table from VicTory 4 Kidz will help me with the school board. I have a great rapport with all the CTE directors from Lake County over into La Porte County. I think that is something that I add to the school board.”

The heart of VicTory 4 Kidz has been to educate, transform, and create student empowerment. The organization’s mission is to equip the youth with resources, valuable learning experiences, and mentorships through career exploration for pathways to success. Beard believes that Thea Bowman Leadership Academy will see growth in these areas now that she’s been sworn into the school board.

“As we continue to grow, having experience is one of the greatest things about this opportunity,” Beard said. “Even if I’m ever in a bind, I have different connections that I can turn to and rely on. I feel like the one leverage that Victory 4 Kidz has brought to the table is the many resources that I can utilize.”

One upcoming event that students can look forward to is VicTory 4 Kidz’s youth healthcare expo event at Valparaiso University. The event will help students connect with professionals from hospitals such as Northwest Health, Powers Health, and Methodist Hospitals.

“We have about 2,000 students scheduled and ready to come,” Beard said. “We still need some more exhibitors, so we encourage people to go to our website and check it out if they are interested.”

Along with VicTory 4 Kidz, Beard also plans to continue supporting the other two related companies, VicTory at Home and VicTory Training. The latter is offering new courses for medical assistants, dental assistants, phlebotomy, EKG, and pharmacy tech.

The dream goal for Beard is to help Thea Bowman Leadership Academy become one of the best schools not only in the Region but in the world. Now that she’s been sworn into the school board, she’s ready to tackle what gets thrown at her to make her impact felt at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy.

For more information on VicTory 4 Kidz, you can visit victory4kidz.net.