Ann and Phil's Scholarship

Growing up in a low-income household, I learned early that success is not determined by where you start, but by the determination you have to keep moving forward. As a first-generation college student, pursuing higher education has come with financial and personal challenges, but those obstacles have only strengthened my commitment to achieving my goals. My current goal is to earn my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and become a registered nurse. I am currently enrolled in Chamberlain University's BSN program and expect to graduate in March 2029. After becoming an RN, I plan to continue my education to become both a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) and a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM), allowing me to provide comprehensive, compassionate care to women throughout every stage of their lives. My passion for nursing comes from a genuine desire to care for others during some of the most important and vulnerable moments of their lives. I am especially passionate about women's health and hope to make a meaningful difference by providing compassionate, respectful, and evidence-based care to every patient I serve. As a future WHNP and CNM, I want to empower women through education, preventive care, pregnancy and postpartum support, and reproductive healthcare. I believe every person deserves to be treated with dignity, kindness, and understanding, regardless of their background or circumstances. As someone from an underrepresented minority community, I understand the importance of having healthcare professionals who can relate to and advocate for diverse patient populations. Representation in healthcare matters because it helps build trust, improve communication, and create better outcomes for patients. I want to be the kind of nurse who not only provides excellent medical care but also serves as a source of comfort, education, and support for patients and their families. I hope to help reduce healthcare disparities by ensuring women feel heard, respected, and empowered to make informed decisions about their health. Although I qualify for the Pell Grant, it does not fully cover the cost of earning my degree. Between tuition, textbooks, technology, and other educational expenses, I continue to face financial challenges while working toward my dream. Receiving this scholarship would help reduce the financial burden of my education, allowing me to focus more on my coursework and clinical experiences instead of worrying about how I will pay for the next semester. It would also reduce the amount of student loan debt I will carry as I continue pursuing graduate education to achieve my long-term career goals. My ambition is fueled by the desire to build a better future—not only for myself but also for my family and the communities I hope to serve. As a first-generation college student, earning my nursing degree will be a milestone that proves perseverance and hard work can overcome difficult circumstances. I hope my journey inspires younger family members and others from similar backgrounds to believe that their dreams are achievable, even when the path is challenging. Nursing is more than a career to me; it is my calling. I am committed to becoming a compassionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated nurse who improves the lives of women and families through exceptional care. This scholarship would be an investment in my education, my future, and the countless patients I will have the privilege of serving throughout my career.

What Drives Me Growing up, I learned that survival often came before dreams. I was raised in a low-income household where SNAP and WIC helped put food on the table. College wasn’t something many people around me believed was possible. As the oldest sibling, I learned responsibility early. I helped care for family members with chronic illnesses, experienced time in foster care as a teenager, and became a young mother while refusing to let go of my dream of earning a college degree. I watched people I loved struggle with poverty, incarceration, illness, and loss. I also witnessed how financial support in my community often went toward helping loved ones survive immediate crises, while investing in higher education felt like a luxury few believed they could afford. Those experiences taught me that when survival comes first, long-term opportunities often feel out of reach. Instead of accepting that reality, I decided I wanted to help change it. Today, I am a first-generation college student pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I still rely on SNAP and WIC while working toward my degree because I know education can change not only my life but the trajectory of my family for generations. I have maintained a 3.4 GPA while balancing nursing school, the UAB School of Nursing Honors Program, research, clinical rotations, work as a Student Nurse Technician, and raising my family. Those accomplishments came from refusing to let my circumstances define my future. My goal is to serve as a nurse in the U.S. Navy, become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, and eventually build assisted living communities that provide exceptional care while creating jobs and opportunities in underserved areas. I also hope to create scholarship opportunities, mentorship programs, and community partnerships that make higher education and healthcare careers feel attainable for students who rarely see those paths reflected in their own lives. I know what it feels like to question whether college is financially possible. My goal is to become living proof that it is. I measure success by how many people I help bring with me. I hope to mentor first-generation students, teen parents, and young people from neighborhoods like mine because representation matters most when someone can look at your story and believe, “If she did it, maybe I can too.” Every opportunity I earn carries the responsibility to create opportunities for someone else. The greatest lesson my upbringing taught me is that breaking cycles requires more than hard work. It requires someone willing to imagine a different future before anyone else can see it. I refuse to let poverty become my legacy. Instead, I want resilience, education, and service to define my family’s next chapter. Receiving this scholarship would ease the financial burden of nursing school and allow me to continue investing in a future dedicated to serving others. For me, this degree is more than a diploma. It is proof that cycles can be broken, expectations can be rewritten, and one person’s opportunity can become hope for an entire community. My dream has never been simply to earn a degree. It has always been to become the person I once needed and to build a future where more students from backgrounds like mine believe their dreams are possible.

I used to pray nobody would ask where I lived. When my peers talked about having friends over or getting ready together, I always had an excuse. I didn’t want anyone to know I lived in public housing. I didn’t want them to know that some Saturdays were spent sitting in a laundromat because we didn’t have a washer and dryer at home. I didn’t want them to know I had been working since I was fifteen, not because I wanted extra spending money, but because I needed to support myself. The hardest part wasn’t being poor. It was feeling like I had to hide it. I grew up watching people with incredible potential settle for less because they believed that was all life had to offer. In my family, college wasn’t the expectation. Many people became parents young, dropped out of school, or chose jobs based on what would pay the bills instead of what they were passionate about. It wasn’t because they lacked intelligence or ambition. They had simply never seen someone who looked like them do anything different. When you’ve never seen a dream become reality, it’s hard to believe it’s possible for you.I refuse to let that become my story. Today, I’m the first person and the first woman in my family to attend college. I’m studying Health Science at Florida A&M University because I want to become an epidemiologist. I’m fascinated by understanding how diseases spread and, more importantly, how we can prevent them before they devastate communities. Growing up, I saw firsthand how families with fewer resources often had fewer opportunities to stay healthy, receive quality care, or even access basic health education. I want to help change that through research and public health. Since arriving at FAMU, I’ve made the most of every opportunity because I know how rare those opportunities are. I’ve served as Freshman Class Vice President, become an active member of the School of Allied Health Sciences Learning Living Community, presented award-winning research with a team studying vaccination adherence in Brazil, and earned a scholarship to study abroad in Spain. Every achievement reminds me that I belong in rooms I once thought were only meant for other people. But the financial reality of college never disappears. Every semester comes with questions about how I’ll pay for textbooks, housing, transportation, and the countless expenses that aren’t covered by financial aid. For a low-income, first-generation student, receiving a scholarship doesn’t just ease financial stress. It gives me the freedom to spend more time in the classroom, in research, and serving my campus instead of constantly worrying about how to make ends meet. More than anything, I’m driven by the legacy I want to leave behind. I want my younger siblings to grow up believing that graduating from college, traveling the world, and pursuing careers in healthcare are normal because someone in our family did it first. I want my future children to inherit opportunities instead of obstacles. This scholarship wouldn’t be funding a dream that hasn’t started. It would be investing in someone who has spent her entire life proving that where you begin does not determine where you can go. I’ve worked too hard to let finances become the reason I stop now. I’m not asking for someone to rescue me. I’m asking for the opportunity to keep building towards my future and my families future.

My decision to pursue nursing comes from a deep desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others during some of their most vulnerable moments. I have always believed that compassionate healthcare has the power to change lives, and I want to be a nurse who provides not only excellent clinical care but also comfort, understanding, and hope. As a first-generation college student accepted into the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program at Albany State University, I understand the value of perseverance, service, and using my experiences to help others overcome challenges. One of the greatest influences on my career path has been my little cousin, Kingston, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. Watching my family navigate doctor appointments, therapies, and educational services opened my eyes to the importance of compassionate, patient- centered healthcare. I saw firsthand how a caring healthcare professional could ease a family’s fears, answer difficult questions, and advocate for a child with unique needs. Those experiences inspired me to pursue pediatric nursing, where I can care for children with developmental and behavioral differences while supporting their families with empathy and respect. My own life experiences have also strengthened my commitment to nursing. In 2017, I lost my father after he was fatally shot by a police officer. That loss forever changed my family’s life and taught me how grief, trauma, and emotional pain can affect every aspect of a person’s well- being. Through this experience, I gained a greater appreciation for the connection between physical health, mental health, and emotional healing. I learned that caring for patients means seeing them as whole people, not simply treating an illness or injury. As a nurse, I want every patient to feel heard, respected, and valued regardless of their circumstances. Mental and behavioral health is an essential part of quality healthcare. Many individuals silently struggle with anxiety, depression, trauma, and other behavioral health conditions while also facing physical illnesses. Children with developmental disabilities often experience unique behavioral and emotional challenges that require compassionate, individualized care. I believe nurses play a critical role in recognizing these needs, advocating for appropriate treatment, educating families, and helping reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. I want to become the type of nurse who builds trust with patients and helps create an environment where they feel safe asking for help. My long-term goal is to become a Registered Nurse and eventually earn my Nurse Practitioner credentials. I hope to specialize in pediatric care, focusing on children with disabilities and behavioral health needs. I want to advocate for early intervention, educate families about available resources, and help improve health outcomes for children who often face barriers to receiving comprehensive care. I also hope to mentor future nursing students, encouraging them to approach every patient with empathy, professionalism, and cultural sensitivity. Receiving this opportunity would not only support my educational journey but also allow me to continue pursuing a career dedicated to service. Nursing is more than a profession to me it is a calling that combines science, compassion, advocacy, and lifelong learning. I am committed to becoming a healthcare professional who makes patients feel seen, supported, and empowered while contributing to stronger, healthier communities. As I continue my nursing education, I look forward to using my knowledge, experiences, and passion to make a lasting impact on the lives of children, families, and communities throughout Georgia and beyond.