In 2010, Makissa earned a Masters in Higher Education Administration with the desire to work in the federal TRIO Veteran Upward Bound program. Sadly, at the time no such program existed in South Florida. As a veteran herself, the absence of such program to prepare veterans to be successful in college, led her to pursue other opportunities to help the veteran population.

Lewis served as the National Education Director for the National Education Director for the National Women Veteran Association of America. In that role, she communicated with schools, women veterans, and community partners about the challenges within the women veteran and veteran community. In this capacity, Lewis was honored to be one of Legacy’s 40 Under 40 Black Leaders of Today and Tomorrow in 2016. She also served in the Veteran Counseling Veterans group addressing mental health and how Military Sexual Trauma and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder have lasting effects on female veterans. She continues to be of service to the veteran community for which Lewis was recognized as being a minority woman veteran that successfully transitioned out of the military and earned the title of Minority Women Veteran Organization Shero for 2018.

Currently, Lewis is the founder of the nonprofit, My Seester, Inc., that provides life skill coaching to female veterans that fell through the cracks.

Lewis is a proud public servant that believes Mother Teresa said it best, “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by, ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.”