Damien, 23 – Worcester, Massachusetts
At 23, Damien Fox had already become a director of nursing at a long-term care facility with more than eight years of experience already behind him. But that accomplishment came out of countless sacrifices.
As a child, Damien’s goal was to be one of the first people in his family to graduate from high school on time, and one of an even smaller number to go on to college — no matter the sacrifice.
“(My family) was stable here and there. We had hiccups. I saw extended family having issues and I just never wanted to be like that. … I never wanted to worry financially about needing things,” Damien said. “I wanted to make something of myself.”
To do that, he took on two certified nursing assistant jobs while he was in high school, working roughly 40 hours a week.
But, the commitment to work meant missing out on “once-in-a-lifetime events,” like baby showers and prom. It meant “neglecting” his mental health for years as a teenager to get ahead. It also meant sometimes shelving his schoolwork to focus on his career aspirations.
“I was just pushing myself to the limit and I was saying ‘This is for my future. I need to get this done,’” Damien said. “I missed some assignments. There were some days I missed school just because I was too tired, but I got through. … It was a good thing because if I didn’t push myself, I would not be where I am today, but it also is kind of a bad thing because for someone that young, it was a lot of pressure.”
Damien’s father was someone who “didn’t have the choices in life that everyone else had” and dropped out of high school, later earning a GED and pursuing a career in engineering.
“He still made his way up in life, and I learned that if you want to be successful, no one holds your hand,” Damien said. “He’s the one who always said that to me.”
Enrolled in a vocational high school, Damien began his training to become a certified nursing assistant at 15. Students in the program were certified the following year. But, beyond his school requirements, Damien took on two nursing assistant jobs after school, one full-time and the other per-diem.
He’d alternate shifts based on the day, but typically worked from 3 to 11 p.m. on weekdays, then double-booked himself on weekends, working a 3 to 11 p.m. shift and following it with another that was from midnight to 7 a.m.
“There would be a lot of missing out on fun with friends, missing out on certain family day trips,” Damien said. “I had a lot of FOMO when it came to that type of stuff because I was always at work on the weekends or work after school. … I felt left out.”
School felt like the easy part. Damien was able to stay on top of his grades and instead felt like work was the challenge he needed.
“If you want to be successful, no one holds your hand.”
– Damien, recalling advice he heard from his father
“My career (was more important to me), but at the end of the day you can’t have a career if you don’t finish school,” Damien said. “When it came to my grades, I was very lucky. I always got high honors through high school. I was very lucky to know what was going on because I told myself ‘I don’t have time to mess up.’”
During school hours, his lessons had his complete focus. In his free time, he made and used flashcards to study.
He would complete his homework after his shifts, only getting a few hours of sleep before waking up at 5 a.m. to catch the bus to school more than 1.5 hours away.
“There would be some nights I would be falling asleep trying to do my homework, and then wake up and be like, ‘Oh no, it’s 3 in the morning and I didn’t do anything because I was too tired,’” Damien said. “Some nights, I’d be lucky and I just didn’t have much and I’d be able to get some rest.”
A devastating blow
While the teen was able to graduate at the top of his class, what followed didn’t come as easily.
The workload ultimately caught up to Damien once he began working toward his registered nursing degree at Worcester State University.
“I was going for a four-year degree and failed out by less than half a point,” Damien said. “College is much, much harder … than any other general curriculum. My grades were slipping. I was slacking. I got burnt out because I was moving too fast.”
It was a devastating blow to the teen, who said it felt like his “world collapsed.”
“I thought that was it. I was like ‘What am I going to do now? I’ve been doing this for (years), taking accelerated courses to speed up the process and here I am, feeling lost,’” Damien said. “I didn’t know what to do with my life.”
Damien attended a local community college and took courses to become a licensed practical nurse. It was a setback, but it allowed him to gain more experience, taking nursing assistant contracts in Boston and working in an ICU – all of it helped him when he re-enrolled in a registered nursing program.
“I was 10 times more successful,” Damien said, who graduated with his registered nurse degree in 2025.
In July, he was promoted to a director of nursing role, and recently enrolled in another nursing program to continue moving up the ranks.
As he reflects on his high school experience, Damien doesn’t regret how hard he pushed himself, but warns students not to burn themselves out.
“Push yourself as hard as you can, but don’t push yourself to the limit where you can’t do anything,” Damien said. “Make time for certain once-in-a-lifetime events, like going to prom. … (Don’t) skip someone’s graduation or someone’s baby shower or someone’s birthday party because you have work going on. … I always tell other people, ‘If I had kids, I would never push them as hard as I pushed myself.’”