Sonia Lewis was raised by a single mom and grandmother, both of whom were teachers. Lewis, who always excelled academically, was class president, made the honor roll consistently, and worked in student government. Unfortunately, she was forced into a caregiving role when her mother came down with bacterial meningitis and was hospitalized, leaving Lewis to care for her grandmother. School suddenly got moved to the back burner. Set to graduate in 2005, Lewis came to the attention of Bodine High School principal Karen Hill, who noticed she hadn’t applied for student loans. Lewis explained that her family didn’t have the money because her mother couldn’t work and her grandmother’s retirement wasn’t enough. She went on to explain that she planned to work for a year and then apply for college loans the following year. Hill was having none of it and set up an academic fund, eventually collecting $16,200 for Lewis. That allowed Lewis to enroll at Bloomsburg University and pay for her first year of tuition. Once there, she earned scholarships, worked several jobs, and kept moving forward. She earned her master’s degree, and eventually her doctorate. Now, Lewis is paying it forward by setting up a student loan repayment firm called Student Loan Doctor. Lewis and her 13 employees coach clients on how to create plans to pay off student loan debt through repayment, loan consolidation, and more. She’s a sought-after expert, offering free weekly classes and growing her business. Student Loan Doctor has now served over 50,0000 clients, helping to get an estimated $55 million in student loans forgiven. This year, a few days before winter break, Lewis entered the Bodine auditorium with a massive smile on her face and big surprise. She donated $16,200 to the school, enough to pay for the senior trip, senior brunch, and yearbooks for the whole senior student body.
