Women's History Month: Linda Mitchell '88

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Women's History Month: Linda Mitchell '88 

After leading a life of service, Linda Mitchell ’88 is taking action to pay it forward to the next generation of leaders at Lewis.

“This is an inspiring time for women to be able to stand up and take pride in their accomplishments. It’s an avenue for all women to say, ‘This is worth supporting and I want to share it with the world.’ Women were put down for too many years – unable to show or prove what they were capable of. I am able to give back and should not be discounted. I recognize that I have a powerful voice in this world that can make a difference,” says Linda.

Linda was born and raised in a small town in North Dakota. After high school, she traveled a bit before finding her passion for nursing as well as her soulmate, James. After getting married, the two moved to Chicago where Linda kickstarted her nursing career at Christ Hospital.

During that time, Linda and James began to build a family. But it wasn’t until after their second child that Linda decided to go back to school and pursue a bachelor’s degree at Lewis University. After six years of school as a non-traditional adult student and mother of three, Linda graduated in 1988.

She worked as a school nurse for more than 15 years before opening her own company, A New Leaf Redesign, and eventually retiring. After a few years of travel, her husband James unfortunately passed after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease about a year ago.

Linda feels very fortunate for all that she accomplished in her life, attributing much of her success to Lewis. Linda believed in education and understood the important role it had on creating opportunity.

“Lewis allowed me to continue my education during an important stage of my life,” Linda says. “I was committed to doing this – for both me and my family. My experience at Lewis allowed me to gain confidence and explore my passions. I know I had many more experiences and opportunities throughout my life than if I had not pursued my degree.”

As a true leader, Linda hopes to pay it forward by supporting various charities and institutions, one of them being Lewis University. For Linda, giving back is more than a moral responsibility – it is a powerful act that can ignite a positive change in the world.

“I feel that we were placed on Earth to help each other. How will someone know what their full potential is if obstacles are in the way of them reaching it? I hope that my support will allow students to follow their dreams and be a generation of leaders we can be proud of!”

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