Episode 81: Dr. Regina Beard - Victory 4 Kidz

Without question, Dr. Regina Beard, RN, loves people. 

 

 As life has dealt her a few daunting obstacles, she hasn’t wallowed in them, but instead has made it her mission to be a clarion example of what resilience and determination can achieve. Born in the midwestern community of Gary, IN, Dr. Beard professes that she was a failing student in high school. Yet, she persevered and would become a first-generation college graduate, and the very first in her immediate family to own a business. At the age of 20, Dr. Beard was the mother of two children. Being a young mother came with a lot of responsibility, and she was intent on providing a secure life for her family. 

 

 Dr. Beard recalls that while she was a freshman at Andrean High School, her teacher, Coach Bob Buscher, gave her an assignment to explore a future career. “I told my dad, and he told me to become the kind of nurse who puts patients to sleep. My dad told me to become a CNA, and then a LPN, and instructed me to follow that with becoming an RN. I was so intrigued that I did the research and called Methodist Northlake, a local hospital, to find out more, and learned the correct title for that kind of nurse is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). It also required a Masters Degree. I would eventually fail Biology and decide that nursing wasn’t for me, and give up on that dream.”

 

 Life would continue to happen for Dr. Beard. In the back of her mind, her dream of becoming a nurse continued to fester, and she would seek new ways to fulfill that dream. “In 2003, I became intentional about my walk with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was a new journey and I was on fire for the Lord. All I wanted was to be in His presence and will. I was going through a fasting series with my church titled “Daring to Dream Again.” That journey showed me that I had given up on my God-given dreams. I also realized that my dreams as a person were limited. I wanted more, but didn’t know where to start. My new journey provided the tools to deepen my walk with Christ, and I began to utilize principles in the Bible to transform my life. I prayed to God about what He wanted me to do, and soon had a dream about going into the nursing program. I took all of my practical nursing courses at Ivy Tech, but still, I wasn’t accepted into the nursing program, and I “My new journey provided the tools to deepen my walk with Christ, and I began to utilize principles in the Bible to transform my life.” I began to doubt my dreams. I would eventually take the program three times and still wasn’t accepted. I was in my last prerequisite when I overheard a couple of classmates discussing a new 16-month practical nursing program. I prayed to God to confirm if He wanted me to go in this direction. I also met with Purdue University and Brown Mackie to inquire more about their programs, and Brown Mackie said that I would only require 11 months with credit from my prerequisites at Ivy Tech. Purdue told me that as long as I passed NCLEx, I would be eligible to attend their program. That news was major, and I realized that I would be able to complete the PN program at Brown Mackie, pass the NCLEX, and eventually obtain my Associate’s Degree from Purdue and become an RN. I enrolled and earned A’s and B’s, and completed the program in 2006,” Dr. Beard says. She would return to school to get her other degrees, including a doctorate in Nursing. “Earning my Doctorate Degree wasn’t a part of my dream, it was God’s. God desires to use this degree for His glory.” 

 

 Fully armed academically, Dr. Beard set her sights on serving others. Today, in Hobart, IN, she manages several businesses, including a non-profit organization. One of her businesses is VicTory Training, which provides Healthcare Training for Nurse Aides, Qualified Medication Aides, Dental Assistants, Medical Assistants, Phlebotomists, Pharmacy Techs, and Electrocardiogram (EKG) Techs. Dr. Beard shares that VicTory Training came from one of the lowest seasons of her life. She was an unemployed Nurse and was taking care of her father, who was dealing with terminal cancer. “I realized that I had something living inside of me that every time I turned to it, it would prosper. I also realized that one of my greatest attributes is teaching, and I decided to use that gift to make money,” she shares. Dr. Beard began teaching her Nurses Aide course in 2015. Another business that Dr. Beard owns is VicTory at Home-Indiana Home Care Agency. With this, she provides attendant care (bathing and grooming) and homemaker services (light housekeeping and cooking) for her clients. “We are dedicated to providing safe, caring and understanding companionship, personal care, skilled care and home support services to physically-challenged, convalescing and dependent individuals of all ages in the comfort of their own homes,” she says. Her non-profit organization, VicTory 4 Kidz, encourages young people to fall in love with healthcare careers. 

 

 Founded in 2022, VicTory 4 Kidz aims to inspire young children to pursue healthcare careers by exposing them to various healthcare careers. The program offers camp sessions, including a one week-long camp for children aged 10-13 years old. They also collaborate with various individuals and organizations to teach student campers valuable skills that will benefit them throughout their daily lives. “We teach, we inspire, and we transform,” Dr. Beard says.

 

 With all of her academic and even personal accomplishments in life, Dr. Beard continues to find ways to serve others. Possibly, her actions and interests are a result of her life’s journey. Regardless, Dr. Beard is living by purpose. “I am committed to having a lasting and profound impact on my community. My faith in God is what continues to drive and push me. I also find inspiration in my father, mother, aunt Monica Beard, and Maynard Beard Jr. I also draw inspiration from my grandmothers, my children, and spiritual leaders, including the late Apostle Jo Ann Long, Archbishop William Hudson III, and Prophet Andria Hudson,” she shares. Most recently, she was honored as the NWI Non-Profit Influential Woman of the Year by the Northwest Indiana Influential Association for Women (NWI-IAW). As she looks to the future, she is focused on securing a legacy for her family, businesses, and organizations. “My desire is for them not to ever return to where we started. The goal is for us to ensure that our rental properties provide subsidized housing for a family or young mother to change the trajectory of their lives,” she says. Her advice to others who may follow a similar path in life as hers is to pray and seek God’s will for your life. “Be obedient about living a lifestyle that is pleasing and acceptable to Christ. You don’t have to believe in the vision, but if you’re obedient, you will see the vision come to pass.” 

 

To learn more about Victory 4 Kidz, please visit their website.

 

www.victory4kidz.net

 

 

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