Triad nursing student makes commitment to be healthiest version of herself

GREENSBORO, N.C. — A Triad nursing student is practicing what her future profession preaches.

When University of North Carolina at Greensboro nursing student Maiya Kimbrew thinks about her white coat ceremony, she can’t forget how uncomfortable she was in her own skin.

“I was walking around all of my nursing peers. I was meeting a lot of them for the first time, and they were relatively fit, and I just felt like the biggest person in the room,” Kimbrew said.

Kimbrew was at her heaviest weight of 240 pounds.

That day, she went home and started looking at pictures of herself.

“I was like, wow, I can’t believe I’m wearing this uniform and saying that I want to be a nurse for someone,” she said. “How can I take care of a patient and I can’t even advocate for my own health?”

During the ceremony, Kimbrew and her peers were given a hat that says “Healthy Nurse.”

Kimbrew wanted to feel confident wearing it and made a commitment to be a better version of herself.

“When I first started, I would go jogging every single day. I wouldn’t jog long, maybe two minutes, three tops, but at least I was doing it,” Kimbrew said.

She also changed her diet and started lifting weights.

Kimbrew has lost 40 pounds since April and says she feels healthier physically, mentally, and spiritually.

“It’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be worth it. You have to wake up every morning and make an active choice to be your best self,” she said.

Kimbrew says she loves wearing her “Healthy Nurse” hat now because she feels as though she’s living up to what it means.