Florida mother Ashley Payne has a passion for helping pregnant women and babies.
A mother of seven herself, the 35-year-old was determined to become a nurse and midwife so that she could put her dreams into action and help mothers the way others had helped her through her pregnancies.
So, with a lot of hard work, perseverance and, most importantly, encouragement from her husband and children, Payne graduated on July 7 as valedictorian of her college class at Keiser University Lakeland, according to the university.
In her valedictory speech, Payne recognized her seven children as her “motivation and inspiration,” People magazine reports.
“Each step has been marked by the support and love of an amazing family who have been my rock and foundation throughout,” she told her graduating class. “To my precious children, you are the reason I strive for greatness and I thank you for the motivation and inspiration you provide every day.”
Payne shared the story of her oldest daughter Lorelai, 9, who wrote a note of encouragement to her on her first day of college in 2019.
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“She sent me to school with a Post-It note in her tiny handwriting that had this phrase ‘Aim for the moon, if you miss, you may hit a star,’” she said, according to the university. “If she can realize the vast opportunities this world has to offer, so can you.”
According to People, the Florida woman initially planned to attend college after she graduated from high school in 2006. But soon after beginning her freshman year, she suffered a pulmonary embolism and spent two weeks in intensive care in the hospital. Payne did not go back.
Instead, she got married, began having children and ran a party rental business with her husband, according to the report. Then, after so many of her own pregnancies, Payne said she began to feel called to help other pregnant women.
“My array of birth experiences, after having seven babies, has put me in a unique position to be able to empathize with most women and has cultivated a passion for birth work as deep-rooted as the oldest Shepherd’s tree,” Payne said.
Reflecting on her graduation, she said her life has been an “incredible journey,” and she is thankful.
Payne graduated with a Bachelor of Science in nursing. A first-generation college graduate, she plans to continue with her education to earn a Master of Science in nurse-midwifery at Bethel University in Minnesota.
