As a young girl, I was drawn to helping others. I always found and continue to find myself wanting to exuberate kindness, comfort and help strangers, classmates, friends, family, etc. Acts of service fulfill me with a sense of purpose. Over time, this innate compassion matured into a focused ambition, to become a nurse. For me, nursing is not just a career; it’s a calling. It’s the daily practice of empathy, science, and resilience. I want to seize the chances to make lasting differences in people’s lives. As a returning student and professional balancing motherhood, work, education, care giving, and family, I am deeply committed to making positive impacts on our youth including my own son. I have encountered many setbacks and challenges along my journey, but each obstacle only provided me with extra layers of armor and experience fueling my desire to pursue nursing. Rather than deter me, my life occurrences and experiences have cultivated resilience and a profound sense of empathy. My future goals are centered on serving minority communities by educating and mentoring the next generation of healthcare providers. I am particularly passionate about guiding minority males, whose representation in nursing remains critically low. Coming from a similar background, I understand the barriers they face and am committed to supporting them through hardships, academic challenges, and their professional development. My broader professional and educational ambitions focus on preparing future nurses to deliver compassionate, intentional, and exceptional patient care. A commitment to excellence is integral to my personal and professional growth. I view learning as a lifelong journey and actively seek opportunities for development, whether through mastering complex medical knowledge, refining clinical skills, or embracing new technologies. In my view, excellence in nursing extends beyond technical proficiency; it involves being present, listening with empathy, and advocating fiercely for patients. Over the past decade, I have dedicated my career to upholding the quality and integrity of patient care as a Medical Auditor and Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialist. Ensuring that medical records accurately reflect the care provided has been a vital contribution to improving healthcare outcomes. These roles, along with my earlier experiences as a CNA/GNA, Phlebotomist, Laboratory Technician, and Coding Auditor, have been essential steppingstones in my nursing journey. Each day, I strive to exemplify and display character fitting to serve our youth. My daily efforts are to walk paths not measured by accolades, but by the consistent, quiet efforts to care for and uplift others. As I continue my nursing education and career, I carry the spirit of the young bright eyed young girl within me. My aspiration is to be a nurse who not only delivers exceptional clinical care but also uplifts the human spirit through dedication, empathy, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence. In doing so, I hope to honor Barbara Rhomberg’s legacy and make a meaningful impact on the lives of those I serve.

Exactly fifteen years and 11 months ago, in February of 2009, was the beginning of my faith keeping, testing, and loudly speaking to me and my new life than I ever could have imagined. I had recently turned twenty-five years old just two months before, in December. I was truly having a great time in life as a young adult, and then two months later I fell devastatingly ill. To my surprise I was informed that I was expecting, which was a complete shock to twenty-five-year-old me, who by the way had decided long ago, not to have children. My on and again, off again ex was informed and was thrilled to my surprise. We decided to give our family a chance. Well, that was what I thought anyway. The devastatingly illness never eased, turns out I was one of the lucky 0.3 – 3% of pregnant women diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum. The non-stop nausea, vomiting, over salivating, dizziness, unbalanced equilibrium, and weight loss, were just the beginning of faith being my keeper. I lost twenty pounds by the time I reached two moths pregnant. Which was very dangerous for me and baby. I began around the clock medication administration and nursing care. I cried day in and out, constantly in pain and agony. I constantly thought over and over I am twenty-five years old, why is God punishing me so, what I have I don’t to deserve this. I soon also realized that my ex’s intentions were to be a dad when the baby was born and did not sign up for being supportive while baby was in utero. I was unable to return to work, and with no income had to surrender my apartment, that I absolutely adored. I moved back home with my mom in Baltimore, to occupy her living room and sofa bed/futon. At four months gestation I was told that I was 1cm dilated, and that my baby was not expected to make it. My choices were to have a Cervical cerclage procedure that stitches your cervix closed to prevent premature birth due to a weakened cervix. Which came with a 40-50% chance of infection which would lead to miscarrying, which increased by 10% by me being prone to infection and immune compromised. My other choice was to be on strict bedrest for the remained of the pregnancy. I chose bedrest even though that meant not being able to work at all for nine straight months, without any income and bills not disappearing. Even though my faith was tested over and over, Faith also kept me. Any decision that I had to make for the baby I carried was made within seconds each time. It wasn’t till I thought about writing this essay that I remembered how much God spoke to me during my pregnancy. I honestly though it was my maternal instinct, it definitely was not. He spoke to me loudly over and over telling exactly what to do and what not to do. He even told me that it was a boy before sonograms. My entire pregnancy, I had a front row seat of my life being completely dismantled and unrecognizable, but I wasn’t worried at all. The only job I had was to focus on our health, which is what I did. Toward the end of my pregnancy I received long and short term insurance payouts and was able to pay all bills, prepare for baby, move into a larger apartment, and welcomed my little angel here on earth that introduced me to my new life and purpose.