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Sporting green and gold Air Jordan sneakers, �������� student Samantha Lewis rose from her wheelchair and put one foot in front of the other. ��

Less than four months after complications from medical treatments left her without feeling in her legs, Lewis walked across the stage to receive her bachelor’s degree in psychology at the 2025 College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) Degree Celebration on May 16. 

“It is a surreal moment,” said Lewis, who is from Ashburn, Virginia. “The ability to be able to walk across the stage when in January I was lying in a hospital bed with no feeling in my legs and I had no idea if I’d ever be able to walk again.” ��

Heavy on Lewis’ mind at that moment was her late father, Matthew, who 36 years and three days prior also graduated inside EagleBank Arena with a bachelor’s degree in decision science from George Mason in 1989. ��

“He was my best friend,” said Lewis, who was 16 when her father died of skin cancer. “I know my dad is watching over me, and I know he is very proud of me. I wanted to go to Mason because that’s where he went.” ��

Last fall, Lewis was diagnosed with and underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, which occurs due to the compression of blood vessels or nerves, causing shoulder and neck pain.

Following treatment in late January, she suddenly lost feeling in her legs. Lewis had suffered functional neurological disorder, a condition that can cause paralysis and kept her in the hospital for more than 10 days. ��

After several falls at home, she was admitted to the hospital again for five days followed by two weeks of acute rehabilitation. Lewis finished up an 18-credit hour courseload to stay on track to graduate in three years while receiving physical therapy twice a week along with visiting a neuropsychologist and therapist several times a month. ��

“What I learned in my major, particularly in cognitive psychology, helped me navigate those changes,” she said. “Understanding things like resilience, coping mechanisms, cognitive distortions, and the power of mindset gave me practical tools to work through some of my darkest moments.” ��

Lewis’ fascination with human behavior drew her to psychology as she desired to learn more about “how and why we, think, feel, and act the way we do.” Instructor Sam Neff, who taught PSYC 317 Cognitive Psychology, recalls Lewis always sitting in the front row and their conversations before class as he set up his presentations. ��

“She is intelligent, inquisitive, and was always looking to apply the concepts we talked about to her personal life,” Neff said. “On numerous occasions she had mentioned that the course was giving her information that was causing her to have ‘light-bulb’ moments about herself and the way that her cognitive processes worked.” ��

Lewis made the CHSS Dean’s List her last four semesters despite a heavy courseload, which included 26 credit hours over 10 weeks in summer of 2024 while she was also working at George Mason Recreation as a fitness program assistant.  ��

Prior to the 2024-25 school year, she shifted all her courses online. She credits George Mason’s Disability Services for helping and communicating with professors when she needed more time to complete coursework. ��

“That kind of advocacy was really important,” she said.  ��

When her name was called, Lewis—with mother Kristine, stepmother Megan, and three grandparents in the audience—proudly walked across the platform, receiving a huge embrace from CHSS Dean Ann Ardis and a thunderous standing ovation from the thousands inside EagleBank Arena. ��

“I heard the cheering, but I obviously was focused on making sure I didn’t fall,” Lewis said with a laugh. “I’m just overwhelmed by the support and response.” ��

“It is giving me chills even now,” Kristine Lewis said. “To watch her actually walk across the stage and then see the reaction from her professors and her dean, who just embraced her with such a strong hug... and then to see the student body do it, there are no words. That was such a moment of support for her and us. I was not expecting that.” ��

Lewis says she plans to take a break before considering her next steps. Her focus remains on making a full recovery as she has already gained sensation in most of her right leg.  ��

“It kind of scares me what I am going to do when I’m healthy,” she said. “You really can do anything when you set your mind to it. You just have to believe in yourself.”��