Alumni
Natalie Russell
My name is Natalie Russell and I’m from Natchez, MS. I’m in Nursing School at Mississippi College, graduating in December 2020. I found out about Team LC from a Facebook post on one of the Mississippi College pages. When I started working for Lauren, I had just been accepted into and was beginning nursing school. Before working with Lauren, I had countless opportunities to work with people who have a disability. My mom is an occupational therapist and I have grown up going to work with her and spending time at the clinic where she works. I have also worked with a group called Challengers League that helps individuals with disabilities play softball/baseball. My family and I also have a good friend with Cerebral Palsy… click to read more
Valenica Curtis
I received a bachelors in psychology from The University of Southern Mississippi. I recently graduated from Holmes Community College where I received an associates in Occupational Therapy Assistant. I've always known that I wanted to have a profession in the medical field and it wasn't until I received my bachelors that I realized what direction I was headed toward. Working with Lauren has taught me the value of patience and understanding. Being a Personal Care Assistant takes commitment, for we are there to not only help her with her daily living skills, but also aid in mental, physical, social, and emotional support. I have enjoyed working with her for she has such an optimistic and sensational attitude that can't help but to rub off on you. Team LC Rocks!
Shelby Hedgepeth
My name is Shelby Hedgepeth. I graduated from Mississippi State with a Kinesiology degree and Holmes with an occupational therapist assistant degree. I am currently practicing as an occupational therapy assistant at Manhattan Nursing and Rehabilitation. I had the incredible opportunity presented to me to work for Lauren about 3 years ago when I was in school studying occupational therapy, and my instructor told us about this position. I felt like this was the opportunity I had been waiting for God to place in my life. I knew I would gain the experience I was looking for because of my field of work, but it has been that and a whole lot more. Lauren has been the answer to so many prayers. She has been a source of uplifting encouragement on the days where it's needed most and the light that everyone needs in their life. I feel like a person knows they are in the right place when they have grown as a person. Lauren has taught me so much about kindness, gentleness, loving people, patience, grace, and faithfulness. Even though she was my boss it is fitting to say I worked for the best boss (friend) a girl could ask for!
Maddie Hall
My name is Maddie and I was one of Lauren’s assistants from July 2016 to January 2019. I am currently a nursing student at Hinds. Working for Lauren helped prepare me for nursing school and nursing in general. I have learned how to take care of someone's personal needs and be able to predict what my patients need before they ask for it. Because of Lauren I have met so many amazing people through the Ms. Wheelchair America competition, Lauren’s work, and the people in Lauren’s life. Working for Lauren has allowed me a different perspective on daily life. My job as Lauren’s personal care assistant has helped me grow as an individual and as a future nurse.
Ebony McElroy
Hello, my name is Ebony McElroy, a former employee of Lauren’s. I am from Jackson, MS and a graduate of Holmes Community College where I studied Pre-nursing. I learned about Lauren through a family friend. I was fresh out of high school and had a desire to work in the healthcare field when I was introduced to Lauren. The Compere’s accepted me without me possessing any experience. I had never worked with anyone with a disability. My experience working for Lauren was everything. I carry what I learned from her with me even still today. I was scared when I first started working with Lauren because I did not want to harm her. Lauren would always reassure me that I could do it by saying, “You cannot break me.” Lauren has a great sense of humor and is full with life, far more than anyone I’ve seen in a chair. Lauren and I became sisters and friends. We were connected at the hip. I received 6 years of experience from working on Team LC. I learned that no matter what your circumstance is, make the best of it. I watched Lauren daily do the impossible in-spite of her condition. She was so inspirational in everything she did and currently does. Lauren was dedicated and lived her life with her whole heart. Team LC prepared me for today because caregiving is a piece of cake for me now all because of Lauren. Caregiving is no longer just my passion, it's my career. Thank you Lauren!
Krystan Neal
Hey my name is Krystan Neal. I worked with Lauren from February 2016 to March 2019. I was part-time at first then God put it on my heart to become full-time in January 2018. I am a wife and mother of two girls. I had never worked or had any experience working with someone with a “disability” until working with Lauren. When you work with Lauren you become part of her family and she becomes part of your family. I used to tell her all the time that I felt guilty for having a job I enjoy and most of the time it didn’t even feel like a job.
Parker Goff
Hey! My name is Parker. I’m from Ridgeland, MS. I received an Associates of Arts degree from Hinds. I was already a friend of the family when the idea came up for me to be on Team LC as the chef. Prior to working with Lauren, I had worked for one other person for about a year who was disabled. The scariest part of working for Lauren for me was not knowing her routines and how gentle I needed to be. However, the whole family and the other assistants helped me to understand anything I had fears or questions about. They also gave some great life advice. Being on Team LC taught me how to multitask and plan more efficiently. During the time I spent working for Lauren, I learned valuable life lessons and made some really amazing friends. I’m currently studying at Mississippi State to be a civil engineer and am excited about the future!
Carmen Harper
Hey my name is Carmen Harper and I’m from Brandon, MS. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Mississippi College and now am a registered nurse. During my time at MC, I had a class with Lauren and found out about the team through our friendship! When I applied for Team LC, I was about to start my first semester in Nursing School at MC. Prior to working for Lauren, my experience in assisting someone with a disability was limited. I had previously worked a few Parent’s Night Out activities at a local church that provided childcare for parents with special needs children. This was the only experience I had around individuals with disabilities. Like any new job, the thing that made me most nervous was just not knowing what to expect, especially since working for Lauren requires you to do such a large variety of tasks. The training someone on the team goes through will walk you through everything and help calm that fear almost immediately. When I saw just how involved someone on the team is with every aspect of Lauren’s life, it did make me… click to read more
Stephanie Wielgosz
I’ve lived in the Jackson area most of my life. I stayed in the area and went to Mississippi College for a degree in Psychology. Afterwards, I went straight into graduate school at Reformed Theological Seminary for a Master of Arts in Counseling. I became friends with Lauren at Mississippi College. Before I knew of a need for more team members, I would occasionally stay the night with Lauren in her dorm room.
It was my first year in graduate school that I heard about Lauren’s need for more team members. I was looking for another job to help pay for school, and Lauren gladly took me into her team. I had no prior experience as a personal care assistant. I was not (and am not) in the medical field, so I was thankful that Lauren took a chance on me! Since I knew Lauren from college, I was not very nervous about working with her. When I started working, I realized that there were some things I was nervous about doing for fear of hurting her. It didn’t take me long to learn how tough Lauren is, and I was able to feel more confident in how I lifted her or adjusted her… click to read more
Shelby Ruiz
Hey there, my name is Shelby Ruiz. I had the pleasure of working with Lauren as one of her Personal Care Assistants for almost two years. Two years in college or really at any stage in one’s life is an immense time for change and growth. Exponential growth are the words I would use to describe my time spent working for Lauren. Initially discovering Lauren’s job posting through my own university, Mississippi College, I jumped at the opportunity to finally have a job in a healthcare related field. I honestly think Lauren has assisted me in growing socially, spiritually, academically and personally more than either of us would have imagined at our first meeting. Lauren, despite her confinements to a chair, is one of the busiest people I’ve ever met. Rarely leaving time for her own personal needs, Lauren… click to read more
Peace Gill
I’m from Derbyshire, England and came to Mississippi College to play soccer. I met Lauren at a college career fair while I was a senior and looking for a temporary job following graduation. I was majoring in Psychology and minoring in Kinesiology, and had never considered being a Personal Care Assistant or even working in that career in any capacity until meeting Lauren. Although I had come into contact with multiple individuals living with disability, I had never spent long at any given time interacting with those individuals. When I met Lauren, I was walking through a season where I felt God challenging me about what it really meant to ‘love’ people and saw working for Lauren as an opportunity to do just that. What better way to practice loving someone than go completely out of your comfort zone to serve them? click to read more
Hello, my name is Jasmine, and I worked for Lauren in 2022 and 2023. I am now attending medical school at UMMC with hopes of one day being a surgeon. Lauren was in a very intensive part of her Master's in Counseling program while I was working on Team LC, and a lot of my projects revolved around her medical records, recruitment, and getting the administrative portions of her life organized and systematized. Because of this, I believe I am entering medical school with a greater comfort level with navigating medical records and paperwork as well as engaging as a part of a patient care team than I would have had if I had started medical school without first working on Team LC. As with any job, I started with the training wheels on, but I appreciate the trust and latitude Lauren and all of the Comperes eventually granted me in completing my projects and truly working to improve their quality of life because I was able to unleash some of my greatest skills, which is something that tends to define how much a person will thrive or be happy at work. I pray that Lauren and her family will continue to be blessed with great team members and that Lauren's career and many ventures bless her community beyond measure.
Jasmine Calisette
Reed Vincent
Hi, my name is Reed. I grew up in Lafayette, LA. I joined Team LC in the fall of 2022 as I entered my senior year at Belhaven University where I was a pre-PT student. While I was working with Lauren, I was able to thoroughly evaluate, document, and develop several therapy programs for Lauren, exercising what I had been learning on an entirely new level. I was able to work in conjunction with a physical therapist at Methodist Rehabilitation, who taught me techniques I had not yet come across. All of this helped me as I applied to, interviewed for, and was ultimately accepted to Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University! Though I am now studying in a different state, I am grateful for what Team LC taught me in preparation for coming to such a great school. I appreciated the team I got to work with and the opportunities it gave me. I had the opportunity to see behind the scenes of what happens with doctor’s and therapy visits, and I got hands-on experience that prepared me for a multitude of situations I may encounter in my career. Lauren was amazing to work for, and I am excited to see what my future holds!