GROSSMONT COLLEGE –Deidrea Lewis is one of the most active students  not withstanding a disability and a work injury, which limit her mobility. She has osteoarthritis, which is a joint disease.

“My disability does affect my weight, a lot, but I’ve always been a chubby girl, and struggled with my weight.” said Lewis. She is working on having  weight loss surgery but has been delaying the procedure because she doesn’t want to miss school.

A wife, mother, singer, a teacher’s aide, Lewis, 47,  is also  president of the honors society, Phi Theta Kappa.  Her daughter is 22 years old.

Lewis sings in the Grossmont College Gospel Choir, and the Cuyamaca Rock, Pop, and Soul Ensemble. She has been singing for over 40 years, getting her start at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Ennis, Texas.

A teacher’s aide for Sociology Prof. Gregg Robinson,  Lewis grades papers and coordinates study sessions for the students.

In addition, Lewis is a recipient of the $1,000 Osher Scholarship, a grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation to help students with expenses beyond registration fees. 

Lewis said that she was a homeless single parent in 1990 when she came to California. She had lost her job at the Hard Rock Café in Texas and the only help she was receiving was from her mother. She came to California with her two-year old daughter and a backpack full of dreams.

She said that she  came to California to pursue her dreams of going to college, which at that time was more than affordable. She has over 150 credits from Grossmont and is planning to transfer to SDSU by the Spring of 2011.  She also will continue at Grossmont taking Physical Education classes.

Lewis said her main goal in life is to be an inspiration. She said “I only come around this way once, and if I could give a smile to you then I have done my job.”
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Jacquett is a student in Media Comm 1323