Hello, My name is Cortney Robinson and I am sophomore at Avila University in Kansas City Missouri majoring Radiologic science with a minor in psychology. With my degree I plan on becoming a mammography technologist. I plan to use my degree so that I can become not only an advocate for my community to get early testing but so I can also be the smiling face they see when they do come in for their tested. Minorities face a lot of adversity in health care so it is important for me as a black women step in and be the face of change in healthcare setting. I am very passionate about serving minorities in health care, which is why I currently work at a inner city hospital that serves many minorities on a day to day basis. I plan on taking a job as a mammography technologist at this hospital after graduation to further serve my community the minorities that our hospital takes pride in serving. I chose to get my minor in psychology because I want to connected with my patients both mentally and physically. I want to be able to give the highest form of health care that I possibly can and be able to understand how they feel mentally. Being a mammography technologist I know I will have patients that will come in feeling nervous or scared because breast cancer is a terrifying disease and going in to get tested for this disease can be frightening. My psychology minor will prepare me for tough conversations I know I will encounter on a day to day basis with my patients. I know that I am only on person but I have made it my goal to try to put a stop to medical adversity in minorities. I hope that with my determination that I am able to not only reach my goal of putting a end to minority adversity will inspire others like me to step up and be apart of the change. The more we bring awareness into this problem the more lives we can change and the more lives we can change. I am very passionate about both my degree and my career goals. I put my all into my school work because I know that one day I will be not only be an advocate but I will also be changing peoples life one day at a time. This scholarship will help take off some of the financial stress that comes along with college. I would like to thank the reviewers for taking time to read my essay in consideration for this scholarship as I do highly appreciate it.

During the 2020 Covid 19 lock down I was in the best shape of my life. At the time of the lock down I was a senior in high school and I spent my time during lock down working out and meal prepping. But once restrictions were lifted and I started to go back to school in person I gained40 pounds. I struggled to find time to work out with my busy school and work life, which lead me to eat unhealthy. I found myself out growing my clothes along with having digestive issues. One morning I looked in the mirror and was mortified with how overweight I had become. That was the day I knew I had to make a change. I first started with cutting out all sugary drinks as I had previously been consuming an average of three to four a day, then started to meal prep. I focused on preparing high protein meals while staying in a calorie deficit. Meal prepping was extremely hard for me as I was a college student who was a commuter without access to a microwave. But, I was able to make friends who stayed in the dorms and took advantage of the mini kitchens provided in the dorms. At the time of me meal prepping and being on a high protein and calorie deficit I was not working out because I didn't think I had the time to. I was upset because while I was losing weight I wasn't losing as much as I thought I would and I wasn't seeing the results I had hoped for. Once I was fed up with not making process I knew I would need to work out to really see progress in my health journey. I started out going on runs. I would run at home, on a treadmill, at parks near my home, and on the track at my old high school. I loved running, it made me forget about anything I was stressing about and I was only focused on was bettering myself each run. I loved the feeling running was giving me so I then started weight lifting. I was so happy that I was not only losing weight But I felt so much better inside and out. I was eating good and getting in good work outs all while maintaining a healthy balance with my school ,work, and social life. Because I have stayed consistent for over 3 months I have lost 20 pounds, I don't have digestive issues , and my clothes are fitting looser. Changing my eating habits and working out has made me a better person over all and I plan to continue my health journey as I always have new goal I am trying to reach.