My name is Asia Miles, and I am a second-semester nursing student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The journey that brought me here has been deeply personal and shaped by both loss and resilience. I lost my mother in 2018 to an aortic dissection caused by high blood pressure. She was a nurse who dedicated her life to helping others, and her sudden passing became the turning point in my life. I was only fifteen at the time, but in the midst of my grief, I made a decision that would define my future—I would follow in her footsteps and become a nurse. Since then, I have taken full financial responsibility for my education, funding every course, every textbook, and every certification on my own. While attending college full time, I also completed a phlebotomy program and currently work as a certified phlebotomist. Balancing work and school has not been easy, but my motivation to serve others through nursing has kept me grounded. My passion lies in labor and delivery, where I hope to not only provide clinical care but to be a voice for Black women who are so often overlooked in these spaces. The disparities in maternal healthcare are staggering, and I want to be part of the solution by creating safe, supportive, and empowering environments for women who look like me. As a labor and delivery nurse, I hope to represent the underrepresented, to stand at the bedside of women who deserve to be heard, and to offer the kind of care that builds trust and saves lives. But my vision doesn’t stop at the bedside. I also plan to become a nurse educator, because I know that change happens when we invest in the next generation. I want to mentor future nurses of color, expand diversity in healthcare education, and help shape a more inclusive system that uplifts every voice. The Michele L. Durant Scholarship speaks directly to my story. Michele’s dedication to education and her service as a Black woman in the Air Force mirrors my own commitment to breaking barriers and pursuing higher education despite the obstacles. Receiving this scholarship would allow me to fully focus on my clinical development and academic success, without the constant weight of financial strain. It would be an investment in someone determined to lead with purpose and compassion. I am working every day to become a nurse who makes a difference not just in individual lives, but in the broader healthcare system, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be considered for this support.

I didn’t grow up imagining myself in scrubs or memorizing anatomy terms, but I did grow up surrounded by women who healed. My great grandmother, grandmother, and mother were all nurses, and their compassion shaped my earliest understanding of strength, not the kind measured by power or prestige, but the kind that quietly changes lives one patient at a time. Nursing in my family wasn’t just a profession, it was an act of service and love. I didn’t know then how much their stories would shape my own, but after losing my mother in 2018, I began to see nursing not only as my heritage but as my future. I was fifteen when my world shifted. My mother collapsed at work and never came back. It was sudden, painful, and impossible to prepare for. In the days that followed, grief settled into our home like a thick fog. But amid the heartbreak, something else quietly emerged...clarity. I realized how fragile life could be, how sacred each moment was, and how deeply I wanted to do something that mattered. That’s when nursing became more than a family legacy, but it became a promise I made to myself. Since that moment, I’ve taken full responsibility for my education. Without financial support, I’ve juggled jobs, studied relentlessly, and earned two associate degrees while becoming a certified phlebotomist. Today, I’m proud to be in my second semester of nursing school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The path here has been far from easy, but every step and every challenge has solidified my purpose. My goal is to specialize in labor and delivery. It’s a space full of first breaths, powerful beginnings, and extraordinary vulnerability. But it’s also a space where racial disparities persist, especially for Black mothers. As an African American woman, I rarely see others who look like me represented in this specialty, and that absence can have dangerous consequences. I want to change that. I want to be the nurse who understands the cultural nuances, who advocates fiercely, and who reminds her patients that they are seen, valued, and protected. But I don’t want to stop there. My vision goes beyond bedside care. I hope to become a nurse educator. Someone who trains future nurses to lead with empathy and cultural awareness. Representation is powerful, but education multiplies impact. By becoming an educator, I can help build a future workforce that reflects the diversity of the patients we serve. This journey hasn’t been easy. I’ve had to face financial hurdles, academic pressure, and emotional weight that could have easily pushed me off course, but every challenge has only made me more resilient. Whether I was studying for exams while working full time or navigating rejection letters from nursing programs, I never lost sight of my mission. I kept going because I knew this path was bigger than me. It was about creating a life of service, one that honors my mother’s memory and pushes the boundaries of who gets to be seen in healthcare leadership. There was no single moment that made me want to be a nurse it was the accumulation of many moments, small and sacred, painful and powerful, that brought me here. Every memory of my mother’s kindness, every patient I’ve drawn blood from as a phlebotomist, and every class I’ve passed against the odds has brought me closer to the nurse I’m becoming. Now, as I work toward my degree, I do so not only with purpose but with pride. I am determined to represent the underrepresented.

The moment I realized the power of care was the moment I knew I wanted to be a nurse. Growing up, I watched my mother work selflessly as a nurse, always going the extra mile to make her patients feel supported and understood. Her dedication inspired me, and when she passed away in 2018 due to complications from high blood pressure, my purpose became clear. I was only fifteen, suddenly forced to navigate grief while caring for my younger sister who has an intellectual disability and seizure disorder. That experience gave me strength, and it cemented my desire to pursue nursing, a path that allows me to help others in their most vulnerable moments. Today, I am in my second semester of nursing school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I have fully funded my education on my own, managing school full time while earning my California Phlebotomy Technician license and completing two associate degrees in Social and Behavioral Sciences and in Mathematics and Science. I currently work as a phlebotomist, where I have developed strong communication, precision, and problem solving skills. My work has affirmed that I am capable of making a meaningful difference in people’s lives, and that only pushes me further in my nursing journey. My dream is to become a Labor and Delivery nurse and to be a voice and advocate for women of color in maternal care. Black women face disproportionately higher risks during pregnancy and childbirth, and I want to be part of changing that reality. Representation in nursing, especially in specialties like Labor and Delivery, is essential, and I want my presence to reassure and empower patients who often feel unseen. Beyond bedside care, I also plan to become a nurse educator. I want to help train and mentor the next generation of nurses, particularly those from underrepresented communities. By fostering education and inclusion, I hope to contribute to a healthcare system that is more equitable, compassionate, and informed. Receiving a scholarship would significantly relieve the financial pressure of nursing school and allow me to fully focus on my studies, clinical work, and community engagement. It would be an investment in someone who is deeply committed to making a difference, not only in hospitals but in the broader healthcare landscape. I am grateful for any support that brings me closer to becoming a nurse who uplifts others, just as my mother once did for her patients.

Hi, my name is Asia Miles and I’m currently in my second semester of nursing school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Getting to this point has been anything but easy, but every challenge has only deepened my passion for nursing and my drive to make a lasting difference in the world. My journey started with a dream I shared with my mom. She was a nurse case manager and the most compassionate person I’ve ever known. I grew up listening to her talk about her patients with such empathy, explaining treatments, advocating for their needs, and making sure they felt seen and supported. She had a way of making people feel safe even through a phone call. My mother was my inspiration, my role model, and my biggest supporter. When she passed away suddenly in 2018 due to an aortic dissection, my world turned upside down. I was only fifteen. Losing her forced me to grow up fast. I became a source of strength for my sister who lives with an intellectual disability and seizure disorder while also trying to process my own grief. But I made a promise to myself: I would become the nurse my mom raised me to be. I would carry on her legacy of compassion, advocacy, and excellence in care. Since then, I’ve been fully responsible for financing my education. I earned two associate degrees while working toward my phlebotomy certification, which I completed while juggling a full course load. I now work as a certified phlebotomist at CSL Plasma where I continue to develop my clinical and interpersonal skills. It’s incredibly rewarding to make people feel comfortable and cared for in vulnerable moments, even more so knowing I’m building a foundation for my future as a nurse. But I’m not just chasing credentials, I’m chasing impact. My dream is to become a Labor and Delivery nurse and eventually a nurse educator. I want to represent and uplift the communities that are too often underrepresented in maternal healthcare, particularly African American women. We are not commonly seen in this specialty and unfortunately, we are also among those who experience the most disparities in outcomes. I want to be a face that patients can trust and feel safe with. I want to change the narrative. Becoming a nurse educator will allow me to take that impact even further. I want to guide future nurses to be not only clinically competent but also culturally responsive and deeply compassionate. There is so much value in having diverse voices and perspectives at the front of the classroom and I’m committed to being one of them. A scholarship would be more than financial relief, it would be an investment in my ability to serve others. Every dollar would go toward allowing me to focus on school rather than stretching myself thin to make ends meet. I’ve already proven to myself that I can work, study, and keep moving forward under pressure. But with support, I can do so much more and I can do it with the energy and focus that this calling deserves. I know the power of nursing because I saw it firsthand in my mother. I feel it every day I put on my scrubs and I promise to carry that power with me into every delivery room, every classroom, and every patient encounter I’m blessed to be a part of. Thank you for considering me!

The moment that changed my life happened in a flash. I was fifteen, sitting in the car with my sister while our mom ran into her office to drop off a few documents. A few minutes later, one of her coworkers came out and asked us to come inside. We were told our mom had collapsed. Not long after that, we were told she was gone. My mom, my best friend, my biggest inspiration, my heart was suddenly no longer with us. That day shaped everything that came after, including the decision to pursue nursing. Even before that day, nursing was always something close to me. My mother and grandmother were both nurses. I grew up watching my mom care for others with so much patience, compassion, and heart. She never rushed her patients. She answered every question, no matter how long it took. She made people feel seen and safe. I admired that about her. I wanted to be like her. After she passed, I had to step up—not just for myself, but for my older sister, who has an intellectual disability and a seizure disorder. That time in my life was incredibly painful, but it also taught me strength, responsibility, and how to keep going when things get hard. It showed me that life is short, but if you live it with purpose, it means something. Nursing became more than just an interest. It became my calling. I’ve worked hard to get here. I paid for my education on my own. I earned two Associate of Arts degrees from Chaffey College and became a certified phlebotomist, all while balancing full-time classes, family responsibilities, and eventually a job as a phlebotomist at CSL Plasma. I’ve done all of this because I know where I want to go, and I’m willing to work for it. Now, I’m in my second semester of nursing school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and every step I take brings me closer to the nurse I’m becoming. Labor and delivery is where my heart is. I want to be there for moms during one of the most vulnerable and powerful moments of their lives. More importantly, I want to be a voice for women who look like me. The reality is, Black women face serious disparities in maternal healthcare. Our voices are too often ignored, our concerns dismissed. I want to be in those rooms to listen, to care, and to show patients they matter. Representation is powerful. It saves lives. I want to be part of that change. I also want to become a nurse educator. My goal is to uplift the next generation of nurses and to make space for more diversity in healthcare. I want to help shape a system where more people of color feel seen, both as patients and providers. Teaching future nurses, especially those from underrepresented communities, is how I plan to give back. For me, nursing is personal. It is rooted in love, loss, and purpose. It is how I carry on my mother’s legacy. It is how I serve others. And it is how I plan to make a difference—not just in my community, but in healthcare as a whole. My journey has not been easy, but it has shaped me into someone who is driven, passionate, and ready to leave a lasting impact.

My journey to nursing has been shaped not by ease but by endurance. The path I have taken has been filled with obstacles that tested my strength, shaped my character, and ultimately solidified my purpose. At fifteen, I experienced an unthinkable loss when my mother passed away unexpectedly. Overnight, I was forced to confront grief while stepping into a more mature role at home, supporting my younger sister who lives with an intellectual disability and seizure disorder. That experience taught me what it means to keep moving forward even when your world feels like it is falling apart. Since then, every milestone I have reached has been a reflection of that perseverance. I have financed my own education from the beginning, balancing full time coursework, part time jobs, and additional certification programs without the luxury of a safety net. While attending Chaffey College, I managed a demanding 19 unit semester while also completing a phlebotomy certification program. Time management was not just a skill, it was a necessity. Through careful planning, dedication, and sacrifice, I completed two associate degrees and earned my phlebotomy license, all while preparing for nursing school entrance exams. Now, I am proud to be in my second semester of nursing school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I have worked hard to get here not just academically but emotionally and mentally. The setbacks I have faced along the way, including rejection letters from nursing programs and the financial stress of higher education, could have stopped me. Instead, they became fuel. Every challenge reinforced my drive to serve others through nursing. I want to work in Labor and Delivery, a field where I see a great need for representation. Too often, Black women are underrepresented in this specialty both as providers and as patients whose voices go unheard. I want to be part of changing that. My presence in this space will serve as a reminder that every mother, regardless of background, deserves to feel safe, seen, and supported. Beyond clinical care, I aspire to become a nurse educator and advocate. I want to be a voice for inclusion in healthcare and help mentor the next generation of nurses who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. My ultimate goal is to build bridges between patients and providers, between aspiration and access. I carry with me a heart to serve, a mind eager to learn, and a determination that no hardship has been able to break. Thank you for your consideration and support on this journey.

My name is Asia Miles, and I’m in my second semester of nursing school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Nursing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember—it runs in my blood. My mom and grandmother were both nurses, and growing up, I watched my mom pour her heart into her work. She wasn’t just a nurse; she was a fierce advocate who made sure her patients felt seen, heard, and cared for. She set the bar high, and she’s the reason I’ve been drawn to this path. When I was 15, I lost my mom suddenly to an aortic dissection caused by high blood pressure. That moment changed everything. I had to grow up fast, not just for myself, but for my younger sister, who has a disability and seizure disorder. Taking care of her while processing my own grief was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But it also gave me clarity. I knew I wanted to spend my life helping others in the same way my mom helped hers. Since then, I’ve been determined to build a future in nursing, and I’ve done it all on my own. I paid my way through college, earned two associate degrees with honors, and became a certified phlebotomist all while juggling full-time coursework. I’ve worked hard to gain hands-on experience and learn how to connect with patients from all walks of life. My job as a phlebotomist has taught me not only clinical skills, but also how powerful it is to bring comfort and kindness to someone’s day. My end goal is to become a Labor and Delivery nurse. I want to be there for women during one of the most emotional and life-changing moments of their lives. But more than that, I want to represent the voices that are often missing in these spaces. As a Black woman, I know firsthand how underrepresented minorities are in maternal care and how deeply that affects outcomes. I want to be part of changing that. I want my patients to see someone who looks like them, understands their experience, and will advocate fiercely on their behalf. Eventually, I also hope to become a nurse educator. I believe that change starts with education, and I want to help shape a new generation of nurses who lead with empathy, cultural awareness, and heart. This journey hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth every step.

Nursing has always been more than just a career choice for me—it is a calling rooted in both legacy and lived experience. I come from a family of nurses, including my mother and maternal grandmother, whose compassion and service set a strong example of what it means to care for others. My mother, in particular, inspired my passion for healthcare. She worked as a nurse case manager and often spoke about her dedication to ensuring her patients felt informed, supported, and seen. Her selfless nature and willingness to go the extra mile made a lasting impression on me, shaping the kind of nurse I aspire to become. My decision to pursue nursing was solidified when I faced a life altering loss. In 2018, I lost my mother suddenly due to heart complications, specifically an aortic dissection caused by uncontrolled high blood pressure. I was only fifteen years old. The trauma of that experience, coupled with the responsibility of supporting my younger sister who has intellectual disabilities and seizure disorder, forced me to grow up quickly. Despite the emotional weight of this loss, it gave me clarity and a renewed sense of purpose: to serve others in their most vulnerable moments, just as my mother had done for her patients. After graduating high school in 2020, I began my college journey at Chaffey College, where I pursued a Pre Nursing track. Balancing six courses and a full time academic schedule, I taught myself how to stay disciplined and organized. I was eventually inducted into the college’s Honor Society and graduated in May 2023 with two Associate of Arts degrees, one in Mathematics and Science and another in Behavioral and Social Science, with honors and a 3.76 GPA. Wanting to gain hands on experience in healthcare, I enrolled in and completed a phlebotomy program while still attending school full time. I obtained my California Certified Phlebotomy Technician license in 2023 and have been working as a phlebotomist at CSL Plasma ever since. This role has allowed me to strengthen my soft skills like communication, adaptability, and empathy while also gaining clinical confidence. I often asked myself, “If I can have this kind of impact as a phlebotomist, how much more can I do as a nurse?” Today, I am in my second semester of nursing school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I have financed my education independently through work and perseverance, and I am currently seeking scholarships to help ease the financial burden so I can stay fully focused on my education. My long term goal is to become a Labor and Delivery nurse and, eventually, a nurse educator. I want to be a role model for other underrepresented students in healthcare and help train future generations of compassionate nurses. Every step of my journey, from personal loss to academic achievements, has prepared me for the challenges ahead. Nursing is my passion, and I am committed to using my experiences to bring comfort, advocacy, and care to those who need it most.

From a young age, I’ve been drawn to nursing not just as a profession, but as a purpose. Growing up in a family of nurses, with my mother and maternal grandmother both dedicating their lives to caring for others, I was surrounded by examples of compassion, strength, and service. My mother, in particular, played a pivotal role in shaping my aspirations. As a nurse case manager, she advocated fiercely for her patients, ensuring they understood their care and felt supported every step of the way. She often stayed on the phone with patients for as long as it took to ease their anxiety, walking them through procedures and lifting their spirits. Her ability to care not only for physical needs but emotional ones left an indelible mark on me. In 2018, my life changed forever when I lost my mother to a sudden aortic dissection. I was only fifteen years old. The pain of that moment was immeasurable but through that heartbreak, I discovered an even deeper sense of clarity and purpose. I knew then that I wanted to follow in her footsteps, not just to honor her memory, but to carry on the legacy of care that she began. Nursing, to me, is not just about medical interventions; it is about standing beside someone during their most vulnerable moments and offering comfort, dignity, and hope. Since my mother’s passing, I have taken full financial responsibility for my education. Despite the weight of personal loss and the demands of caregiving for my older sister who lives with an intellectual disability, I have continued to move forward with determination. After graduating high school, I attended Chaffey College where I earned two associate degrees and became a certified phlebotomist, all while managing a full course load and working part time. These experiences sharpened my time management skills and reinforced my commitment to healthcare. Currently, I am proud to be in my second semester of nursing school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. My ultimate goal is to become a labor and delivery nurse and eventually a nurse educator. I believe representation matters, and I aspire to be a voice for underrepresented communities in maternal healthcare. Through my future work in both bedside care and education, I hope to not only support individual patients but also train and inspire future nurses to deliver culturally competent, compassionate care. While I’ve faced setbacks and moments of uncertainty, I’ve never wavered in my pursuit of this path. Nursing allows me to blend my desire to help others with my passion for advocacy and education. It is both a calling and a tribute to my mother’s life, to the values she instilled in me, and to the many lives I hope to touch through this career. Every step I take brings me closer to fulfilling a dream that was born from love, strengthened by loss, and fueled by hope. I was able to access this scholarship through Bold.org! Thank you.

Personally, I have a lot of things that inspire me to get into the field of nursing, but my main motivation would be my mother. My mother worked as a RN my whole entire life. As a kid, I could see how passionate she was about her field of work, and I quickly realized I wanted to have the same career. By the age of four, I was set on being a RN. My mother worked tirelessly and sometimes around the clock to take care of patients. She moved from a hospital setting to work as a field case manager for a company that helps with workers compensation. I would see her working from the time she got back from medical facilitates with patients to late into the night to help get their paper work straightened out to get the help that they need. Unfortunately, on September 20, 2018 my mom passed away on the job from an Aortic Dissection due to her extremely high blood pressure. I would go with my mom frequently when she went to work and I saw the whole thing happened. The motivation that I had grew exponentially to do what my mom couldn't finish in her career. Before my mom passed, she wanted to expand her nursing career into doing research for different disease like cancer. She wanted to take nursing to a whole other level. A few months before she passed, she graduated from Chamberlin University with her Masters in Nursing. As far as carrying on the same traits as Cindy, my goal is to help people. As nurses, I believe we all aim to help people, but I also believe the way that you help them is impactful. You can find a lot of people who can diagnose and prescribe meds to a patient, but checking in on patients and making sure that they're doing well all together is important. Being someone that truly cares can make a big impact on a person. I want to embody that in my career. Currently, I'm going into my junior year at my local community college and I plan to graduate from there with 3 Associate's Degrees (Public Health, Nursing, Mathematics & Science) and transfer to either a Cal State or a UC in hopes of being admitted into a Nursing program their. After I graduate with my Bachelor's I plan to continue my studies in Nursing. I want to go into a Master's Program for Nursing to advance myself and I feel that I'd be able to help more people this way. I hope to have a life long career in this field and to be a nurse that patients will appreciate.

Having a career in the medical field has sparked my interest from the age of four. My mother worked as a registered nurse my whole life, and I saw how passionate she was about her job. She worked in hospitals and worked as a field case manager in her career. She often took work home with her, as some cases hit close to home. Her main goal was to help people and she ended up going back to school in 2016 to get her Masters Degree in Nursing. She graduated in June 2018 and wasn't able to put her Master's into Nursing. In September of 2018, she passed away on the job unexpectedly. She had big dreams of doing research for companies about diseases like cancer and she also wished to use her degree in the film industry. She wanted to gather information about diseases and formulate diagnoses for different shows like CSI. She was my big inspiration to make a career in the medical field. As I get older, I realize that how much this is becoming something I see is needed. As a nurse, I plan to create a safe environment for the people under my care and to provide for them to the best of my ability. I want to be able to make a positive change. During the height of the pandemic, I saw how much hospitals relied on nurses and I quickly realized that this is what I wanted to help work with. My dad asked me if I wanted to truly pursue this career. He didn't want to lose his daughter in another possible pandemic. I told him that this was my passion, to be on the front lines providing help to people who need it because who else is going to fill that gap? Currently I'm at my community college going into my junior year and I plan to graduate with 3 Associate's Degrees by Summer of 2023 and transfer to either a Cal State or UC to be admitted into their Nursing program. Earlier this year, I was admitted into my schools honor society, Phi Theta Kappa for having a 4.0 GPA (currently have a 3.89 GPA). If I do get this scholarship, it will help me purchase materials for school that I need in terms of textbooks, and it would help with the cost of transportation to school as well. Thank you for awarding me the time to apply to this scholarship.

My experience with mental health used to fluctuate like a roller coaster after my mom passed, but I have my mental health in better control than I used to. Even before my mother passed in 2018, I would find myself in deep sadness, dissatisfied with how my life was moving. It was so stagnant, the same routine every day. I didn't see a real benefit in life because nothing was ever going on. When my mom passed away, I entered a place I didn't even know was possible. An unexplainable sadness, the weeping of my soul, the late nights, always trying to sleep my sadness away. I found myself seriously thinking about overdosing one night and as I walked down my stairs, it felt like God stopped me. "What am I doing?" I couldn't answer that question. That night I asked the Lord to help me. My life did a complete 180. Looking back at that now, I don't think I could let myself get that low no matter what life brings my way. At my worst, I found the Lord, and he gave me something new I had never experienced. Getting up every morning, I thank the Lord for the gift of a day. I know that as long as I have the Lord, everything will be okay. This affected my relationships positively. I was more genuine and didn't put up a fence. I became more outgoing which was something my old introverted self refused to do. I've met some amazing people and they've helped change me for the better. Finding the Lord in my mental health problems has tricked me down into every aspect of my life. I strive to work to my best ability and always put my best foot forward. I was a Junior when my mom passed and that next semester of school, I earned a 4.0. I earned another 4.0 the last semester of my senior year and I hold that same GPA right now in college. I know that I have the full support of my immediate family to back me up in anything I want to pursue. I'm currently planning to transfer to Tuskegee University to major in Nursing and continue on my mom's legacy. She always put her best foot forward and I want to do the same. Now that I have some control over my mental stability, I can manage different emotions as they come. I know that I cannot let myself get too far off. I'm constantly reminding myself of the gifts life has awarded me. The family I have, the opportunity to higher education, a supportive family, great friends, and best of all God. I keep the bible verse Philippians 4:13 at the front of my mind. I know I can do all things when I have Christ on my side, whether that be overcoming overwhelming sadness, frustration, anger, and the trials of life. Through all of this, I've learned that it's good and normal to experience moments of sadness, but it's how you deal with it that changes things. I can't stay sad, mad, or even happy forever. I had to learn to keep my eyes on the positive so that the negative didn't start to define my life.

As a black female in America, I've seen and heard a lot. I've been protected from things because I'm not only female, but I am black. I first learned the word racism in Kindergarten after watching Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream Speech". Back then, I had no conception of what my race had to struggle through just to have some of basic freedoms and be seen as equal. At age 18, I'm realizing that I still have a lot to learn. Police brutality against unarmed black people has been on the rise in the last 10 years in America. "Can I even walk down the street without my character in question?" Something only a black person could relate to on a personal level. We still don't have equality which never fails to amaze me. Racism still exists in this day and age. At this point we are all human and our skin shouldn't change the way we get treated. All of this has become embedded in who I am today. It's apart of me I can't take away. Being seen as unequal and being treated like so has contributed to the frustration my soul can't let go of. As a someone black in America, it's important that I uplift the members of my community from the battles we face in society today. It's also important that I spread the message on how damaging racism can be. It trickles down into our personal lives, education, and jobs. Having equal opportunity and fair treatment would start to erase the racial disproportion that is seen in all parts of society.

One quote that means a lot to me is Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". That bible verse stays at the forefront of my mind in all situations I face in life, good or bad. When I have problems in my family life, in school, or my mental health is not the best, I always look to that scripture to help me keep in mind that I will make it through. Ever since I was a kid, my family always surrounded me with that scripture. Whenever I had a rough day my mom would tell me, "remember you can do all things through Christ". As I'm getting older and journeying through life, I see how much I need that scripture. It's a great source of encouragement.

With the pandemic came the gift of quarantine. Over this past year, I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on why and how I do what I do, the driving force behind it all. I’ve questioned what career I want to go into and the medical field always struck a chord with me. Nursing tacks back to my maternal grandmother and many of my family members are nurses. As a kid, I had a keen interest in learning about the human body. Trips to the library to pick up books on the human body filled my summer breaks. In the fifth grade, I was able to recite all twenty-six parts of the heart and even freehand it. Over quarantine, I pondered on the question “what field of medicine will suit my interests the most?” At last, I found my answer. As a teen, I had the gift of my other being a registered nurse. I traveled to work with her daily, so I got to see firsthand the frustrations and the joy that nursing brought. On September 20, 2018, I went to work with my mom like any other day. She fell ill that morning but still went to work. Unfortunately, she had lost consciousness at work and ended up passing away later that day. The last few memories I have of my mom was her working as a nurse. She remained dedicated to the very end at that’s something I found very admirable. Still wondering what field I wanted to go into, I felt like I had a duty to serve my mother going into nursing. She was so caring towards her patients and wouldn’t let her situation dictate how she treated her patients. She was able to create this atmosphere where her patients clicked with her. She was very personable and had a deep desire to ensure the well-being of her patients. Until her dying day, she showed me how to be the best nurse. My mother remains my constant motivation and inspiration to go into nursing. The main goal I have in nursing is to provide the same level of care my mother would provide. From the blood, sweat, and tears, to the long nights working on case reports, she cared about her job. She wouldn’t let her emotions trickle into the room with her patients, but when she came home, you could see it written on her face. You could tell how exhausted she was, but hearing her patients thank her made it worth it to her. From figuring out ways to get her patients to appointments to explain their needs to the doctors, she is what I aspire to be. In her final years, she went back to school to get her master's in Nursing. She showed me that with Christ, all things are possible. She reminded me of that all the time, and that’s what I cling to get me through school. I’m currently enrolled as a freshman at my community college, but I plan to transfer to Tuskegee University this year to go to their nursing program. Being allowed to be a nurse will bring more than meets the eye. Nursing for me is something more than a job, but will bring me the chance of continuing the great legacy my mother left me with.

I want to pursue higher education because I know that it's not readily available to my culture in history. As a black woman in America, I understand that we had to fight for equality and are still struggling to be seen as equal. Something as important as higher education wasn't something we had access to, but thankfully in this generation so many of us do. I want to pursue higher education to do what's most fulfilling to me. In 2018, my mom passed away and she was my rock, the person I knew I could go to anything for. She was a nurse and right now, that's the most practical field for me to go into. There's always a spot open for nurses. As a child, I had an extreme hunger for learning about the human body. In the fifth grade, I knew all 26 parts of the heart by name. I drew the human heart so many times, I can practically freehand it. I know that with nursing, I'll be able to put my knowledge about the human body into action to help other people. I come from a family of people in the medical field, but I'm keen on Nursing. I'm currently a freshman in college, and I plan to transfer out of state to a university to get my degree in Nursing. I know that higher education is the format that I'll need to propel myself into nursing. I currently am not participating in any extracurriculars, but I love to research theology and science in my free time. I enjoy seeing how science meshes with my Christian faith and writing about my findings. The theory of general relativity, the law of causality, and the big bang theory are some of my favorites topics to study. I like to line them up and see how they prove God's existence. It's something very fascinating to me. When I look at what I'm truly passionate about, I always find myself turning back to the medical field and writing based around theology/science. I'm planning out how I'm going to go to school for biblical studies so that I'll have some credibility in my writing. Funny enough, my mother's side of the family had the gift of scribe, so you could say writing is a skill that's been passed down. I use writing as my creative and emotional outlet. If you ask anybody, I'm more fluent in the language of writing than I am speaking. I can articulate a different set of emotions through writing, making it very therapeutic for me. If I could make enough money to live life comfortably as a writer, I would do it in a heartbeat. The medical field has always been a topic that brings up excitement for me, so I could see myself going into that full time. I have other passions which include the composition of both music and dance, but I find myself always planning for Nursing and bible school. Through both writing and nursing, I know that I'll have the ability to affect many lives positively so that's a big plus for me. I'll be able to live out what I'm most passionate about and that's what's most important to me.

With the pandemic, quarantine forced me to look inward and work on self-improvement. I realized how much I needed God as well. Before I moved away to college, I wanted to make sure that I was as prepared as possible, both mentally and spiritually. I realized how messed up I was. I began to start working through some of the things that made me depressed and went straight to their root. I learned that I have trouble communicating how I feel at times because I don't like hurting anyone's feelings. Instead of talking openly about something I don't feel is right, I'll hide my feelings and that creates so many more issues. It's like a domino effect. I try to be more open with the people closest to me because I don't have anything I need to hide from them. I can't mope around complaining about not being heard when I'm not communicating issues in the first place. I also realized that to overcome this irrational fear of communication, I would have to lean on the Lord. I began to be in my word and I pray more now than ever. I forgot that Philippians 4:13 says that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Whenever I feel scared, I lean on that word. Communication is an important tool that we all need to use at some point and time. Learning how to communicate effectively will only propel me on to better things in the future. It will not only help me in my relationships, but also in the workplace and in society. Even if things are going well, you still have to be able to communicate things that are important to you.

In the future, I plan to graduate from Tuskegee University with a degree in Nursing. I have a whole line of nurses on my mom's side of the family so I plan to continue that on. Currently, I'm in the process of taking classes at my local community college to transfer to Tuskegee University. After graduating, I hope to go on to provide care for individuals who need it. That's my main goal in life. As a kid, I always wanted to grow up to help people in any way, shape, or form. The medical field seems like the most practical and easiest way to do that. I also want to dabble in writing and maybe even get my degree in biblical studies. I feel like these two paths are the ones that are cut out for me and what excite me the most. The potential I know society has is what makes me excited about this world. I feel like everybody was born with a specific purpose, and if these purposes get lived out, so many people would be impacted positively. I plan to give back to others by living out my God-given purpose. In a field like nursing, you can be put in the position to care for someone's life. The care nurses provide their patients affects them directly and that makes the field so much more meaningful. As far as potential writing may go, I want to write about Christ and what he's done for me. Spreading my testimony might help the next person dealing with some of the same trials as me. My mom passed away on September 20, 2018, and God changed my life in a split second. He came through and was there for me when I needed it. To help somebody else realize the power God has would be the ultimate way to give back.

In the first semester of my junior year of high school, my mother passed away unexpectedly and it crushed me. She was my best friend and ultimate motivator and in the blink of an eye, I lost it. "Ma, I have your purse" was the last thing I said to my mom, but I had so much more. I didn't get the chance to say goodbye and that affected me for months after she had passed. I went through a deep depression after she died and I contemplated suicide because my days were filled with crying myself to sleep. My mom and I were like two peas in a pod. I went everywhere with her and she was the parent I could do almost anything in front of. Months before she passed, she told me when she did pass, to move on my life and to live it for the Lord. In the months after her death, it was hard to live that out, because I couldn't grasp the idea that she did die. After realizing that I had lost hope in everything, I turned to the Lord one night, and my life changed forever. It was the Lord who brought me out of that trial. My mom always encouraged me to get to know God for myself, but the need for that didn't kick in until after her passing. I didn't realize my need for him until after my mom died. To be completely honest, keeping God first helped me more than I thought it would. I stayed on track in school. I didn't hang out with the wrong crowd because I kept in constant contact with the Lord. If I was struggling with sadness or frustration, I'd talk to my dad or stepmom about it and they always led me back on the right track. My family was always there as my support and always touching base with them kept me focused on my end goal. I have constant motivation from my mom and the rest of my family to keep pushing through regardless of the trials. I ended up bouncing back in school in the second semester of my junior year. I had a 4.0 GPA for the first time in high school and continued to do so in my senior year. I'm currently attending a community college due to the pandemic, but I'm still pushing a 4.0 there as well. I've been accepted to Tuskegee University where I plan to transfer in the Fall of this year. I owe all of that to the Lord and what he's allowed me to go through. I work harder and I always have a goal I'm trying to meet, whether it be academic or something I want to do in my life. At Tuskegee, I plan to go into their Nursing program and continue the nursing legacy on my mom's side of the family. My mom showed that I can truly do all things through Christ who strengthens me and I will hold on to that until my last breath.

In the first semester of my junior year of high school, my mother passed away unexpectedly and it crushed me. She was my best friend and ultimate motivator and in the blink of an eye, I lost it. "Ma, I have your purse" was the last thing I said to my mom, but I had so much more. I didn't get the chance to say goodbye and that affected me for months after she had passed. I went through a deep depression after she died and I contemplated suicide because my days were filled with crying myself to sleep. My mom and I were like two peas in a pod. I went everywhere with her and she was the parent I could do almost anything in front of. Months before she passed, she told me when she did pass, to move on my life and to live it for the Lord. In the months after her death, it was hard to live that out, because I couldn't grasp the idea that she did die. After realizing that I had lost hope in everything, I turned to the Lord one night, and my life changed forever. It was the Lord who brought me out of that trial. My mom always encouraged me to get to know God for myself, but the need for that didn't kick in until after her passing. I didn't realize my need for him until after my mom died. That experience keeps me motivated and focused now more than ever. I have constant motivation from my mom and the rest of my family to keep pushing through regardless of the trials. I ended up bouncing back in school in the second semester of my junior year. I had a 4.0 GPA for the first time in high school and continued to do so in my senior year. I'm currently attending a community college due to the pandemic, but I'm still pushing a 4.0 there as well. I've been accepted to Tuskegee University where I plan to transfer in the Fall of this year. I owe all of that to the Lord and what he's allowed me to go through. I work harder and I always have a goal I'm trying to meet, whether it be academic or something I want to do in my life. At Tuskegee, I plan to go into their Nursing program and continue the nursing legacy on my mom's side of the family. My mom showed that I can truly do all things through Christ who strengthens me and I will hold on to that until my last breath.