Stephanie’s Next Big Step
A Seacoast Family Promise Story
It’s hard to keep up with Stephanie.
She’s a locomotive charging ahead at a relentless pace—a human dynamo who started from ground zero as a single mother facing homelessness and now has a world of potential lying ahead. Eleven years ago, she was on her own with no support system and had just given birth to her baby. Brutal circumstances conspired against her, and she suddenly found herself without a job, without help, and without a path forward. She and her newborn were homeless.
“I had no support, and I had to think quickly,” she recounts. “Call it divine intervention, but someone referred me to Seacoast Family Promise and I was there the next day. My life took a different turn at that point.”
After several months in the program, stabilizing and rebuilding her financial situation, she set off to get her life back on track. She was working as a Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA), then earned her Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) certification. Her next step was to enroll in a Registered Nurse (RN) program.
“Call it divine intervention, but someone referred me to Seacoast Family Promise and I was there the next day. My life took a different turn at that point.”
And last year, she achieved her RN credential. This milestone followed years of an otherworldly balancing act, juggling parenting responsibilities, her day job as an LPN, and the rigors of a full-time, in-person academic program at Saint Joseph School of Nursing in Nashua.
When she walked the stage in her cap and gown in August 2024 (on her birthday, no less!) it marked the fulfillment of a dream more than a decade in the making. Throughout her journey, Stephani remained connected to Seacoast Family Promise, accessing aftercare supports.
“It was extremely difficult,” she says. “You have to have a drive and a devotion to practicality and structure to get through that program, especially when you’re a single mother. It was very demanding—mentally, emotionally, and physically.”
Despite those demands and all she’s achieved, Stephanie still isn’t done. She’s now enrolled in a Family Nurse Practitioner program through the University of New Hampshire.
“As a nurse practitioner, I can use my gifts broadly and make an impact in the community,” she says. “But more importantly, I want to show my children that no matter what happens in their lives—regardless of the deviations, the bumps in the road, or anything they’ll face—if you push, anything is possible. I know people say that often, but I can show them the actual results.”