Ayana Grace Belton Memorial Nursing Scholarship

“I want you to think about trash”. It seems like an absurd assignment but, in my sophomore year my AP World History teacher decided that for our first assignment we would think about the things we throw away. At first I was confused, but to my surprise, Mr. Russel was onto something. After hearing so many things about the rigor and the tenacity it takes to succeed in an AP class, I never imagined my first assignment would be to think about trash. Trash and history class? The idea seemed laughable; I believe I actually did laugh out loud. I went home with this assignment and mulled over what could be the possible motive for having your students think about trash. I first thought about my overuse of Q-tips, the piles and piles of protein shakes I throw away every month, and the amount of uneaten food I’ve wasted because I don’t have the heart to tell my mother I hate when she uses green peppers in her cooking. How do the things we throw away show our history? I believe that trash isn’t limited to what we throw away. In some ways, trash can be the things we choose to keep. My mother is a hoarder—not literally—but from preschool to 12th grade she has not thrown away a single one of my assignments. Every finger-painted Mother’s Day card, Christmas ornament, school project, poster, essay, and book report are piled in a closet in the guest bedroom in what I like to call “The Ultimate Shrine to Angelina”. As I sat on the floor in the closet and went through the piles of multicolored paper, I thought back on Mr. Russel’s assignment. Think about trash. Is this trash? Maybe to a stranger, but these dusty pieces of construction paper are a tangible record of my growth; not to mention a beloved keepsake. Unlike the fossilized oyster shells Mr. Russel used to demonstrate how some early civilizations were organized, my second-grade hand turkey might not be around a million years from now. What can I leave behind that will make an impact? Knowing your life’s purpose is as complicated as knowing what is waste and what is value. Which path of service do you take and how will what you contribute matter as much as or as little as a trivial hand turkey. For as long as I can remember I have been drawn to midwifery. To me, midwifery is about positively impacting people’s lives during a time that is intimate and personal. Childbirth like any major event in someone’s life, has the potential to be traumatic. Many people don’t realize that the collective experience of mother and baby at birth can affect how people make connections for the rest of their lives. As a nurse-midwife my efforts could create lasting impacts for families and determine the experiences felt through entire lineages. It is through this impact that I can leave behind something that isn’t trash, but a legacy of care that will echo through generations.