2025 Lyons Health Labs ANFP Student Grant recipient reflects on her unexpected journey and how leading from the heart creates change.
Every year, Lyons Health Labs partners with the Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals (ANFP) to present the ANFP Grant. This grant, which receives a number of applications each year, is bestowed upon several applicants who are looking to further their education and involvement in foodservice. For many recipients, this very grant determines their ability to pursue this education. This was the case for one of this year’s recipients, Arshon Williams. “I would’ve applied for the certification, but I wouldn’t have been able to pay for it,” she says. “Now I’m full speed ahead.”
An Unexpected Journey
Arshon was born and raised in New York City, and has worked in the healthcare sector for 18 years. She started her career in the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services performing outreach to older adults of the Bronx. As a senior clerk she put residents in contact with care management services and eventually became care manager assistant. Eight years later, she moved to South Carolina to care for her mother whose health had been declining. Here, she became a caregiver recruiter at Home Helpers of Lowcountry, continuing her work putting older adults in touch with the caregivers they needed. “I love working with this demographic too,” she says. “They are like living libraries.”
In November 2022, Arshon’s mother passed away, and Arshon took a brief step back. She says, “I needed a change.” At this point, she says her path took some “record scratch” wild turns. She moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, continued working as a credentialing coordinator, and got her Google IT Support Professional Certification. As if her plate wasn’t full enough, she still considered other opportunities with warmth and curiosity; namely, through Instawork, she picked up some gigs at The Sharon at SouthPark as a dietary aide. She learned about the Continuing Care Retirement Community certification and felt immediately drawn to it. Staff at The Sharon felt drawn to Arshon too; the certified dietary manager (CDM) told her she’d be a great fit there. Arshon applied and works as a dietary aid supervisor at The Sharon to this day. What’s more, the COO encouraged her to explore foodservice, complete her CDM certification, and apply for the ANFP grant. “I was nervous applying for the grant,” she says, “but I’m passionate about this work, and I’m gonna show up as my authentic self and see where this takes us.” Arshon was awarded the grant, and by the end of 2025, she will have completed her CDM certification at the University of Florida.
Connection and Dignity
Arshon’s focus is supporting the dignity of older adults and valuing their lived experiences. “I’m excited to put a new spin on things,” Arshon says. “Sometimes older adults are overlooked. But it’s a blessing to get to that age—do you know how much information is on those two legs?” This enthusiasm doubles while creating meal plans with them. For Arshon, a collaborative approach to meal planning is a non-negotiable. Providing residents with nourishment and sitting down for genuine conversations with them go hand-in-hand. Utilizing this approach is a great honor for Arshon. She says, “It pulls at my heartstrings; you never know what someone’s going through, what they like or don’t like…it makes a difference.”
It’s clear that Arshon leads from the heart, and while she enjoys her busy work life, the creativity her job requires, and the human connection it provides, she knows sometimes the most productive thing you can do is unplug. “Things can get overwhelming,” she says. “After the loss of my mother I learned to say, ‘maybe I’m not okay in this moment, but I’m gonna get through it’.”
Forging a Path
Arshon says her winding path has been a blessing. Between the community she’s found and receiving the ANFP grant, she says everything aligned perfectly in the course of a year. Now she looks forward to what’s next, whether she eventually owns her own business or consults with healthcare facilities. Regardless, Arshon knows she wants to create something new. “I get to work with my favorite demographic of people, and I’m able to grow my career and consider what it could look like for me.” For her, that could take any form it needs to so long as kindness takes the wheel. Whether food-related or not, she says, “older adults are deserving of good experiences, and I’m ready to think outside the box.”