
The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association has named Justin Boyd of Trinity Glen its District III Nurse Aide of the Year. The honor caps a decade of surprising career and educational twists for the Winston-Salem native.
“My mom has been a CNA all my life. However, in 2013, I was studying criminal justice at Winston-Salem State with the goal of attending law school at NC State,” Boyd explained.
“There I was, 20-something years old, when my grandmother was hit with terminal pancreatic cancer. A hospice nurse came in to help take care of her, and I saw that despite her pain, my grandma looked upbeat in the final moments of her life. I knew then that I wanted to do something that could bring that type of joy to a person in their final stages of life.”
Boyd prayed about it and discussed changing studies with his college advisor. When he learned that many of his criminal justice credits would not apply to a nursing degree, “I dropped everything and started over,” he said. He entered the associate degree in nursing program at Forsyth Tech Community College and challenged the state board, passing his CNA exams without completing formal studies. He has been at Trinity Glen ever since.
“You have your good days and your bad days,” Boyd reflected on his CNA career. “But as long as you keep God first, you come in and hold your head high, you walk with integrity, as they say, ‘Thy will be done.’ I love my residents and they love me as well. Every time I see them, I think about my grandma.”
In addition to his CNA work at Trinity Glen, Boyd cares for his other grandmother, who has lung cancer. And he’s working toward a registered nurse license as time allows. He was honored at NCHCFA’s annual Convention & Expo in Greensboro on February 19.
“If you know Justin, you know this award is well deserved,” said Trinity Glen Administrator Logan Wilmouth. “He lives out our mission, ‘Empowered by Christ, we walk together with all we serve.’”