Rebroadcast • Stories that Shape Us with Nicole Lynn Lewis

Nicole Lynn Lewis is the founder and CEO of Generation Hope and an incredible leader in the fight against poverty and the stigma surrounding it. Her specific area of focus? Teen mothers.

You see, Nicole is a former teen mother herself, rocked by this sudden life change that upended her life at a young age. But she was able to rebound, to put herself through college with a three-month-old daughter along for the ride.

"... across higher education, about one in five undergraduate students across the country are parenting. It's almost five million students," she says. "It is an invisible population ... a population more likely to be women and women of color, particularly black women."

Nicole decided to do something. She wrote a book, Pregnant Girl: A Story of Teen Motherhood, College, and Creating a Better Future for Young Families, and Generation Hope was born. It's a nonprofit dedicated to supporting teen parents and their children through mentorship, emotional support and guidance, and financial resources they need to thrive through college and kindergarten, a two-generation solution to poverty.

Nicole's story is amazing, inspiring, and challenging all at once. Join us and hear how her story truly shaped the future of this movement. Our deep thanks to Nicole for joining us on Mission Forward.

• (00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
• (03:24) - A Story that Launched a Movement
• (11:12) - Exploring Champions
• (14:16) - The Invisible Common
• (16:50) - Making the Story Real for Those who can Make Change
• (21:03) - Pressing Issues
• (24:01) - Moving Through Urgency, With Urgency, and not Against Urgency