Hello, my name is Brenicia LeBlanc. Thank you for taking the time to read my submission. I will first tell you a little bit about myself. I am an UMSL graduate who has decided order to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. I look forward to receiving my BSN so I can start helping others in my community as well as beyond that. I first graduated with a degree in Psychology. Although I love learning about the mind, I have always had an interest in becoming a Registered Nurse. I actually planned graduating with a nursing degree. Although that was the plan, I believe that I was not ready back when i first stated college. I lacked the discipline that I have now as well as the ability to retain and apply information. To simple put it, I did not truly know what I wanted to do in life so I went through majors a lot before becoming interested in psychology. In my opinion, I believe that to be a leader means to encompass a plethora of different qualities. These qualities can include a positive outlook, compassion, as well as being honest. As a leader, my attitude directly impacts those around me. To simple put it, if I have a negative attitude, those under me will exhibit the same traits that I am displaying. I have direct experience with this, as I have experience as a supervisor. I tend to use my positive personality as a way to reach my goals and win over my staff. In order for my staff to follow me, I first had to lead by example to win their trust. Through my positive attitude, I conveyed to them that I was there to assist them no matter what. They knew that no matter what was going on, that they could talk to me. By keeping a positive outlook, I was able to lead by example as well as set expectations for them. When it comes to learning new information as well as growing from it, I tend to commit myself wholeheartedly. I enjoy learning new information and applying so I am always observant in everything that I do. This was evident in my undergraduate years. As a psychology major, we were required to write vigorously as well as apply new information daily. That taught me how to truly commit myself to learning and thinking efficiently. I have one experience that stands out to me in that regard. When I was taking a class for Research Methods, a lot of my fellow classmates were struggling when we were forced to do online classes. Due to covid, we were unable to truly get the one on one help that was needed. Although I did good in the class, the switch to online learning was different. Instead of allowing myself to fail, I decided to commit myself to reading the information given and use that to teach myself. I began reading chapters at a time while using different methods to retain the information as well as doing my actual research papers. When I worked as a direct support staff for individuals with developmental disabilities, I had many duties. My duties included assisting with activities of daily living. One of my favorite activities were when my coworkers and I would take our clients to bingo. Though it may seem small, it was important due to the fact that I could tell how much it meant to the individuals that we support. We would take them to bingo every Wednesday. They usually needed our assistance with playing but that did not minimalize their sense of independence. Quite the opposite. We helped them to become integrated into society. I enjoyed watching their faces light up when that won a prize. The reason it was important to me was the joy I experienced seeing the individuals’ faces light up and see them truly enjoy themselves with other people like them. As a woman of color, I try to immerse myself in diversity in order to learn about different cultures, backgrounds, religions from my own. from my own. It was important that I be around different people. Their reason was so that I would not be afraid of someone or something that differs from my own identity as well as respect it. I had a number of friends whose cultures differed from my own. No matter the difference, I was taught by my parents to respect it. I remember taking a class in college about African studies. At first, I was unaware that African people and African American people differed. I soon learned that diversity was much more than skin color. I learned that different countries in African had different cultures. Since I grew up without knowing any African people, I had just assumed that they were like me. In reality, they can be totally different. I thought that since I was around so many people growing that I was well versed in diversity. However that class taught me that I had much more to learn and still do. It is important to be inviting to diversity. Personally, I find it very important to assist vulnerable populations. Given that I myself am a racial minority, I am fully aware that there are a lot of disadvantages minorities face in their daily lives. I also work with individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. A lot of the individuals served are from lower economic backgrounds. This population is very vulnerable due to the fact that people with ID/DD are a minority that is not talked about enough. To simply put it, there is an unfair stigma to the development/ intellectually disabled, mainly due to the fact that a lot are unable to speak for themselves. I am very passionate about advocating for individuals with ID/DD and plan to work with them as a nurse. It is very important for me to give back to a community that I feel personally invested in.

My name is Brenicia LeBlanc. I am a college graduate and UMSL alumni. I first graduated with a degree in Psychology. Although I love learning about the mind, I have always had an interest in becoming a Registered Nurse. I actually planned graduating with a nursing degree. Although that was the plan, I believe that I was not ready back when i first stated college. I lacked the discipline that I have now as well as the ability to retain and apply information. To simple put it, I did not truly know what I wanted to do in life so I went through majors a lot before becoming interested in psychology. I have a plethora of experiences that relate to my interest in nursing. I have always loved science whether it was biology or chemistry. In hugh school, I was apart of the CNA course studies. I believed that that is what sparked my interest in nursing. My goals have always been tied to the medical health field. After gaining valuable knowledge from my undergrad, I knew that it was time to pursue my real dream of being an RN. I was thrilled to hear of the accelerated option due to the fact that my goals involve further education after receiving my BSN. My ultimate goal is to achieve my DNP and become a Nurse Practitioner.