I first want to begin by sending my condolences to the Singh family and express my gratitude to you all for devoting yourself to service amid grief. I am proud to be following in Christina's footsteps through occupational therapy. I found my way to this field through tragedy after sustaining second and third-degree burns on 35% of my body in November of 2020. I was in the intensive care unit for four weeks, before being moved to the burn floor for an additional 3 weeks. I was angry, reclusive, and unmotivated until I met my occupational therapist Rebekah. The OT team made it a point to motivate me throughout my process, they emphasized my strength and resilience. The OT and PT team helped me regain the strength and functioning of my body. As my skin grafts healed, my occupational therapist helped me relearn everyday activities through various stretches and interventions. She took an interest in my life beyond my accident and made me feel normal. The trauma and the changes in my physical appearance were extremely hard to handle. I felt immense grief and hopelessness. My OT helped me navigate the complex feelings and encouraged me as I completed my undergraduate degree throughout my recovery. I was not very familiar with occupational therapy before getting one of my own. The field of occupational therapy captivated me in ways that I had not expected. I thought about how I could help burn survivors feel a sense of hopefulness and purpose. I want to help someone the way that I was helped at my lowest. I have the utmost respect for healthcare workers after witnessing the hard work of these frontline workers during a pandemic. This solidified my desire to be a healthcare hero. During my continual rehabilitation, I was so grateful to have my occupational therapist and a team of surgeons advocate on my behalf and provide the opportunity to try several different interventions. In society, those who are disabled are often ostracized. They lack resources, support, and encouragement. I want to be able to provide access to resources for disadvantaged people and assist them in actualizing their potential. I aspire to become a practitioner who reaches different types of people all over the world. Through this career, I want to be able to create a more inclusive society for vulnerable populations. One of my goals through this field of study is to empower people in the United States and abroad. I want to use my sensitivity, experience, and compassion to change lives. I hope to be able to improve the quality of life of many people while promoting health and wellness. I also plan to take my knowledge to my country to provide resources to those in need in Sierra Leone. I have always had an interest in law and policy and would like to be an advocate for change on a political level. I want to promote fire safety and precaution. I truly believe that this is a field that people are called to. It takes compassion, empathy, and strength. I am sure that Christina exemplified these traits and more.

It has been 8 years since my grandmother passed, and I still can not speak about her without my eyes watering. I read somewhere that grief is love with nowhere to go. I think that statement may be true. To have known and been named after someone as selfless, honest, kind, and resilient as my grandmother, is an honor that I feel deeply every day. I walk with her in everything that I do. I am constantly asking myself if she is proud of me, if I am walking on a path that she would be proud of. I miss her. I miss her small hands, her denture-filled smile, and the little trinkets she collected. My grandmother was a simple woman really, all she wanted to do was help others. She lost her mother at the age of 8. She stayed home to raise her siblings. She could not read or write, and never had much formal education. She married my grandfather very young. Eventually, she had enough money to send my mom to America so she could make a better life for herself. By the time my mom had me, my grandmother had a green card and would visit us for months before returning to Sierra Leone. As the youngest, I shared a room with her most days. She doted on me and took special care of her “namesake”. I did not appreciate those moments as much as I should have. She was always home when I got back from school. A fresh meal was always waiting for me. She would ask me what I learned and make me teach her how to write her name. She told me how important it was to be smart and to go to school. I think that she really would have loved to have the opportunity to go to school herself. I was always aware of my privilege. To be a woman of color in this country with access to education is power, she’d explained. Where she grew up many women did not have the option to go study and make a life for themselves. Many girls my age did not have enough money for school fees, clothes, books, or food. I wanted to fight to achieve the highest level of education I could. I did everything to be the stellar student my grandmother could not be. My grandmother was a giver. She would watch people’s children when they needed to go to work for little to no pay. She would cook for grieving or sick families. She would organize donation tins to be sent back to Africa with her. She was respected and loved by so many because of her heart. She was a survivor of significant trauma and loss herself. She escaped a bloody civil war that claimed the lives of several of her siblings. Although she was faced with hardships, that never stopped her from loving people deeply. She was sensitive and kind and open. She loved hard and fought even harder for the things she cared about. She taught me the importance of selflessness and service. Even in her last years, all she wanted to do was to cook for her family and give all she could to those in need in Sierra Leone. When she passed in 2015 from cervical cancer, I felt like my world was ending. I did not and still do not fully understand how cancer took out such a force of a woman. In 2020 after a house fire caused me to sustain burns to 35% of my body, I had a vivid dream of my grandmother while I was in the ICU. She spoke to me and told me not to let my trauma stop me from helping people, helping the world. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare after her death but I just did not know what. After losing her, and almost losing my own life, I have committed my life to the things that matter. Those things are community, service, and family. We as humans are family, we are community, and I am committed to servicing my community and my family through health and rehabilitation. I am fighting to achieve health equity for all. I am fighting so that future generations will not have to fight. I want every little girl in the US, and Sierra Leone, and Bangladesh or wherever to have access to education and healthcare. I want people to start relying on their community and family, because we are all that we have. I want the spirit of selflessness and service to touch upon everyone's hearts. I want to create something that makes my grandmother proud. A clinic for women in her hometown. I want to fight to be just like her.

I am the first person in my family to go to graduate school and upon completion of my studies, I will be the first person in my family with a Doctorate. My parents gave up their lives in Sierra Leone to pursue the American Dream. They fought tirelessly to make a life for themselves and their children. Every dream, every possibility, and every opportunity that I have been afforded is due to the sacrifices of my parents, my ancestors, and my lineage. I knew I wanted to be a change-maker and a healthcare hero very early on in my life. My mother is a nurse, she has preached about the health inequity and disparities that plague third-world countries, such as her native home, for as long as I can remember. I grew up with an awareness and appreciation of my privilege. We were constantly sending what little we had to my cousins back in Africa. My mother would make house visits to the African aunties in our community while working two jobs at different hospitals, and raising 5 kids. She has dedicated her life to caring for and healing people. My grandmother visited us from Sierra Leone often. She was a pillar in our community. There is a small Sierra Leonean community where I am from, and my grandmother assumed the matriarch role very seamlessly. She watched people's children when they needed to get to work, cooked for families when they were sick, and organized donation tins to be shipped back home with her for those in need. These two women are the biggest inspirations in my life. They taught me the importance of selflessness and service. They are a large part of why I wish to dedicate my life to serving others. I lost my grandmother to cervical cancer in 2015, and shortly after my sister lost her newborn baby after having her early due to complications with fibroids. This tragedy pushed me to focus on global health equity and maternal and child health. 95% of cervical cancer cases are a result of the HPV virus, which many people get vaccinated against in developed countries. In places like Sierra Leone, there is no access to these preventative measures that could save lives. Unfortunately, poor birthing outcomes and poor gynecological health are common among Black women globally, even in the US. After graduating high school, as valedictorian, I studied Family Science with a focus on maternal and child health and a minor in law. I had planned to get my MPH in maternal and child health, but I have found another path in healthcare that I am just as passionate about. During the first semester of my senior year in undergrad, I was involved in a house fire that left me with burns to 35% of my body. After occupational therapy, physical therapy, voice therapy, and countless surgeries, I am still here. I am still here with a huge smile on my face ready to help other burn victims and victims of trauma heal through occupational therapy. OT integrates mental and physical health and truly guided me in the darkest season of my life. I am committed to opening a Women's health and rehabilitation clinic in the United States and Freetown, Sierra Leone to provide women with proper mental and physical care. I want to integrate my interest in occupational therapy and maternal and child health through these clinics. The money that I save by paying down my student loans will get me one step closer to making this dream of mine a reality.

I have realized that my number one priority is myself. After experiencing a life-altering injury in 2020, I have been on a long journey toward recovery, healing, and health. I have dedicated my studies to health and hope to become a holistic Occupational Therapist in the future. For me, the holistic aspects of my health include my mental health, spiritual health, and physical health. School is very difficult and stressful, so I know that I must take time for self-care and therapy. As someone who suffers from depression, PTSD, and anxiety, I made a point to schedule weekly therapy sessions with my therapist at the beginning of my academic semester. I have been in therapy since July 2021 and it has truly helped me take better care of myself. My therapist encourages me to exercise, eat clean and get rest. I am also encouraged to connect with others socially. This is something I have struggled to balance with school. It is important for me to connect with others in fellowship and friendship so I make sure to spend time with family, and friends, and engage in community service when I can. My therapist also listens and helps me to manage any stressors in my life. I engage in self-care activities such as reading, yoga, watching movies, and playing with my cat on very hard days. also, lean on my faith constantly. This is an important part of my health that I nourish through weekly church and bible study attendances. When I do not have time for that, I will watch sermons on Youtube or podcasts about spirituality, faith and Jesus. He has helped me through the toughest battles in my life. Giving Him glory is something that I am very passionate about. I believe that it helps me to feel my best when I am aligned with God. I have been trying to read the word for 15 minutes every morning and making sure that I pray at night. I pray for good health and prosperity for my family and me. As a student, it can get very easy to prioritize other things, so I make sure to implement strategies that will ensure that I am prioritizing the things that make me feel best. I track my health and feelings through a wellness journal. This has grounded me to be more intuitive with my body and how I am feeling. As mentioned, I have been on a recovery journey from a burn injury. I meet with my doctor and surgeon regularly to monitor my health and healing. I have been seeing my surgeon bi-weekly as we prepare for further scar reconstruction. I have a very open dialogue about my physical health. I also make sure to get my gynecological and eye health in check through yearly check-ups. I dedicate myself to fueling my body through nourishing foods. I take vitamin supplements daily and try my best to eat foods rich in nutrients and minerals. Fresh produce and good gut health are very important in helping me sustain a balanced immune system.

My best back to school tip is to challenge self! It can be nerve racking to work with new people. It is normal to fear being judged by your peers! It helps me to feel more confident when I know I am being pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. It makes me feel empowered and confident and helps me to stand out amongst my peers! It has also helped me to gain friends and even connect with professors!

Nani Pelekai for Disney's Lilo and Stitch is my favorite Disney character. After losing both of her parents, 19-year-old Nani becomes the legal guardian of her younger sister Lilo. Despite battling grief, Nani does her best to support her sister financially and emotionally. Nani is set on providing for her sister and taking care of her despite social services trying to separate them. Nani is constantly busy. You can see her working several jobs just to be able to provide for her sister throughout the movie. Although she is not always able to keep the many part-time jobs due to caring for her sister, Nani never gives up trying to provide a stable environment for Lilo. She is hardworking and responsible, despite the hardships that she has faced. Nani is compassionate, resilient, kind, and selfless. When she realized that Lilo is displaying some behavioral problems she is understandably angry with her sister. Eventually, she sits down with Lilo to discuss the feelings that she is experiencing. She supports Lilo emotionally, and eventually allows Lilo to keep her new pet Stitch. She knows that her sister is experiencing difficulties in school. Once she sees how attached Lilo has become to stitch, she realizes that he is already family. Nani even opens up her home to Jumba and Pleakley. Nani reminds me so much of my eldest sister. My eldest sister is Khalia. She is the oldest of us 5 girls. She often had to be just as hardworking and resilient as Nani. My parents are immigrants who struggled to find work, go to school, and raise us. My sister Khalila was like a second mom to me. She would pick me up from school, help me with homework, and braid my hair when my parents couldn't. Family is so important to me and I loved being able to see the power of sisterhood portrayed in Lilo and Stitch. I always try to remember my Ohana in everything that I do. Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind.

High Tide by Fatima Koroma Sometimes I wake up and forget that it happened. In that moment, I am free. In that moment, I am me. Again. Then it rushes back. Like waves crashing into the sand. It slams into me. It rushes in so quickly. Sinks in too fast. I'm trapped, in quicksand. This is my reality. This feeling is high tide. The state of the tide when it is at its highest level. It feels like there is no coming down from this ride. It did happen to me. I am not free This thing, what happened, is now part of me Its best to remember it that way So that I don't forget again, I say Theres no point of low tide when the high is so rough but i drift, and i smile, and i laugh I forget to be tough Sometimes I wake up and forget that it happened. In that moment, I am free. In that moment, I am me. Again. Then it rushes back. This is my reality.

I have grown in my confidence and self-love over the past year. In November of 2020, I sustained third and fourth-degree burns to 35% of my body. My body has changed tremendously since then. After about 12 skin graft surgeries, I finally left the hospital on Christmas Eve of 2020. Since leaving the hospital, I have had 10 or more reconstructive and laser surgeries to help with the appearance of my scarring. I have had to wear compression garments on my face and upper body for almost two years now. I struggled immensely with grief, sadness, guilt, and mainly a lack of confidence. I felt ugly, I felt worthless, I felt like everyone was staring at and judging me, and I thought that my appearance made me unlovable. Around this time last year in September of 2021, I was 8 months post-injury. I had just started my reconstruction surgeries a few months prior. I was wildly uncomfortable in my skin. I could barely look in the mirror. I struggled with suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety. I knew I needed help, so for the first time in months, I prayed. I had been so angry with God, I blamed him for what I had gone through. I had not realized how distant I had become from Him. The next day my sister gave me the number of a Black therapist. It was small, but I knew it was a sign. I had been looking to switch from the therapist I was given at the hospital for some time. I needed someone I could identify with, but I kept putting off looking. I called and set up an intake appointment. After the intake appointment, I knew I had found the person that would help me transform. My therapist Rashida, told me that she was a breast cancer survivor that struggled for years to accept the body changes she experienced due to her diagnosis. Although our stories were very different, that was the first time I felt comfortable talking about how my injury impacted my self-image. Over the past year, Rashida helped me confront my self-confidence issues. I have a completely different outlook on my injury. We have spent several sessions discussing the trauma I have experienced. She helped me reconnect with myself. She also encouraged me to reconnect socially and spiritually as well. Although every day is a struggle, I can now look at myself in the mirror and feel proud of the scars on my body. I have learned that the most beautiful thing about me is not physical at all. The most beautiful attributes are the parts that are on the inside. My spirit, my resilience, my kind heart. Those are the attributes I want to be remembered for. Those are the things that define me, my appearance does not. These attributes never wavered, I know this because I was able to go through such extensive trauma and come out stronger and better than I was before. I finished my undergraduate degree without taking time off of school just months after my injury. My experience as a burn survivor has led me to Occupational Therapy school. I hope to help other burn survivors on their rehabilitation journeys. I am much more than the scars on my body. My scars are simply a reminder of how strong I am. Sometimes the most trying experiences are what will propel you into your destiny.

My life goals are to provide optimal health and wellness to victims of traumatic injuries, I hope to build a therapy and rehabilitation center for burn survivors. As a burn survivor, I know how difficult it is to recover from life-altering injuries. My ultimate dream is to build a rehabilitation center for women and write a memoir about my experiences as a survivor of a traumatic event.

As a first-generation immigrant and first-generation college student, it has been very difficult to learn about financial literacy. I am learning every day how to save and utilize my money and spending. My parents had little to no understanding of how expensive the American collegiate system would be for the average American family when they immigrated from Sierra Leone. Luckily, I am the youngest of 5, so I was able to learn from my sister's mistakes and take their advice on financial planning. I knew that my parents did not have the money to send all 5 of their children to college, so I worked incredibly hard in high school to receive financial assistance for my undergraduate degree. I graduated as the valedictorian of my class, which was very beneficial for my scholarship pursuits. I was able to receive around 5 outside scholarships and grants. I was awarded federal work-study and worked all 4 years of my undergraduate career to help with costs. Unfortunately, I still accumulated around $27,000 of student loan debt for my Bachelor's degree. I am working to address my current and future student loan debt by making a 5-year financial plan, working part-time while in school, applying for scholarships, and researching loan forgiveness options and resources. After graduating in the Spring of 2021, I made a financial plan from a template I found online. This five-year plan includes financial goals and a spending tracker. It has estimates of my total loan amount, cost of other bills, and a budget sheet category that I use to track my monthly spending. I knew that I wanted to go back to school after graduating, so I began to save up money while I searched for the right program. I worked for around a year as I applied to graduate programs. During the application process, I reached out to friends and family to ask for advice on funding my doctoral degree. I saved up emergency money in a separate account while continuing to develop and refine realistic monetary goals for myself. After I had chosen the school of my choice, I began to apply for scholarships across various platforms. I have been awarded a departmental scholarship from my program, as well as two outside scholarships thus far. I have an excel spreadsheet that tracks scholarships that I find. I keep track of their due dates and other important dates for that specific scholarship. I plan to continue to look for and apply to scholarships throughout the remainder of my program to reduce the debt that I accumulate. My financial package for my graduate studies included loans that I have taken out to help fund my educational pursuits. I have made sure to take out only what I need and nothing more. I have secured a part-time job that helps me pay for books and transportation as needed. I have also begun to look up loan forgiveness options. I receive information from the Department of Education and try to stay up to date on different resources that they have for students. I plan to apply for the loan forgiveness that was announced by The Biden Administration. I am constantly researching and watching students on Youtube who have paid off their debt, making sure to write down any useful information. Lastly, although I have deferred my student loan payments, I plan to begin payments on the debt from my undergraduate and graduate degree in January of 2023. This will help me to reduce the amount of interest I accrue and lower my overall amount of debt upon graduation.

On November 11th, 2020, I sustained second and third degree burns on 35% of my body from a house fire that started from a candle. I was in the intensive care unit for four weeks, before being moved to the burn floor for an additional 3 weeks. During my time at the hospital, I often felt the nurses were negligent. There was a time when an IV was left in my leg leaving me with cysts. It was ignored and only noticed when my mother brought it to the staff’s attention. I experienced several other instances of negligence with the nursing staff. It made it hard for me to feel safe at the hospital. I found comfort with my occupational therapist and physical therapists. The OT and PT team helped me regain the strength and functioning of my body. As my skin grafts healed, my occupational therapist helped me relearn everyday activities through various stretches and interventions. She took an interest in my life beyond my accident and made me feel normal. The trauma and the changes in my physical appearance were extremely hard to handle. I felt immense grief and hopelessness. My OT helped me navigate the complex feelings and encouraged me as I completed my undergraduate degree throughout my recovery. This experience sparked an interest for occupational therapy. I decided I wanted to work to provide a safe space for survivors of traumatic events. I want to provide survivors with a safe space to regain their strength. I want to become a practitioner that changes lives. My dream in life is to build and run a rehabilitation center for women who have survived traumatic injuries such as burns, car accidents, and other life altering injuries. My dream also includes making an impact on many individuals and educating more people on burn injuries. Prior to my injury, I was looking to pursue a career in maternal health. I have always wanted to pursue a career in the healthcare field. I still have plans to become a birthing doula to assist women during labor. I was not very familiar with occupational therapy before getting one of my own. I I know that God put me through these hardships for me to turn my pain into purpose. Seeing aspects of my OTs job sparked an interest, but it was her ability to empathize and address aspects of my mental well-being that really made me consider a career in occupational therapy. The first part of my plan is to become a licensed occupational therapist. I have already been accepted into George Washington University's Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program, which begins in the Fall of 2022. Despite the challenges I face during my hospital stay, I have the utmost respect for healthcare workers after witnessing the hard work of these frontline workers during a pandemic. This solidified my desire to be a healthcare hero. During my continual rehabilitation, I was so grateful to have my occupational therapist and a team of surgeons advocate on my behalf and provide the opportunity to try several different interventions. I want to be able to provide access to resources for disadvantaged people and assist them in actualizing their potential, to feel like functioning members of society. I aspire to become a practitioner who reaches different types of people all over the world. I will do this by staying focused and diligent with my studies for the next three years. I plan to utilize the field work opportunities , as well as part time positions in the field of rehab to gain expertise and professionalism. I write down yearly goals and a 5 year plan to stay on track. I will rely on the support of my family and friends to help me actualize my potential. After completing my doctorate degree, I will pass the board exams and become a licensed OT. Throughout my academic career, I have committed to learning and understanding public health and the healthcare system. My background in Family Science and Community Health focused on social determinants of health and other individualistic and societal factors that affect patients. I will be able to use my background to encourage health promotion and prevention on a large scale. I will continue to look for training, certifications, and other educational opportunities to become the best healthcare professional I can be. After passing my board exams I plan to work in the field for several years, making connections and networking with other professionals. I will work in a variety of settings to gain as much experience as possible. I hope to take business courses in the future while establishing a plan for my facility. I have already connected with a mentor, who has built a family medicine practice of her own. I will use my education and experience to empower people in the United States and abroad. I want to use my sensitivity, experience, and compassion to change lives. I hope to be able to improve the quality of life of many people while promoting health and wellness. I also plan to take my knowledge to my country to provide resources to those in need in Sierra Leone. I will do my best to save money and apply for grants so that I can develop the facility of my dreams. I will hire the best therapists in the field and do my best to provide the best care to all my clients. I will also continue to speak about my experiences, advocate for survivors, and volunteer to help the disadvantaged. Through continuous hard work, compassion, and utilization of resources, I will achieve all of these goals.

My dream life would be surrounded by happiness and health. I would be comfortable with myself and in my skin. For me, this looks like managing my health and wellness. I want to have a life where I am actively managing my anxiety and depression, keeping active, and focusing on my spiritual connection with God. This dream life involves me focusing on the betterment of myself. I wish to always be challenging myself to learn and grow in ways that I have not experienced. I will likely have pursued higher education. I will build a rehabilitation center for women. I want to create a safe space for survivors of traumatic events to recover from their injuries. I would work with like-minded women in healthcare to provide spaces for Black Woman to receive care. I also want to work in maternal health care, focusing on providing women with the resources to obtain safe birthing plans. The maternal morbidity of Black women around the world is something that I want to spend a lot of time advocating for. I would love to work closely with a non-profit that focuses on the health and wellness of Black Women. In this dream life I want to be the best friend, sister, daughter, and aunt that I can be. I want to be present in the lives of my loved ones. I want to continue to grow in these relationships as they are so important to me. I will have enough to support my family, allowing my mom to retire. My entire family will be in optimal health and living out their dreams as they see fit. My dream life includes travel, philanthropy, advocacy, and volunteerism. My mother has always wanted to build a women's clinic in. I her native home of Sierra Leone and it would be amazing to help her actualize this dream. I hope to travel the world and experiences all the pleasantries that life has to offer. My dream life includes enjoyment, laughter, and nature. I would love to visit every continent at least once with my loved ones. I am most looking forward to exploring Africa. I want to be able to build a home for my family in Sierra Leone. I hope that my family and I are able to visit frequently. I want my future children and nieces and nephews to be able to connect with our culture.

My grandmother share the same first and middle name. I was named after her. She was born in the West African country, Sierra Leone. She was the oldest of 8 children. When her mother passed away when she was around 9, she took the role of the mother to her younger siblings. She never learned to read or write, she worked daily cooking, cleaning, and watching her family. At 17 she married my grandfather, a police chief in Freetown, Sierra Lone. By 22, she had two children while still taking care of her siblings. She worked in local shops in her spare time and was a pivotal part of the community. She always supported women, bringing them together through volunteerism across her town. She worked to be able to send her children to America. My mother was able to come to the US to pursue an education. My mom would go on to become a registered nurse. My mom was eventually able to bring my grandmother to live with us after the passing of my grandfather. She created a community of African women who supported each other through anything. My grandmother was constantly cooking for grieving families, sending money and resources back to Africa, and taking care of my siblings and I as my mother worked. Although she did not have a formal education, my grandmother was one of the smartest women I have ever known. She was so wise and kind. She carried herself with grace and compassion no matter what life handed her. She witnessed bloody civil wars, the deaths of siblings, and so many other traumatic events in her life. She would tell us stories of how difficult her childhood had been between her 5 prayers a day. My grandmother had a strong connection to her faith, I admired that the most about her growing up. She prayed for our family daily. She also prayed for others. She would pray for family and friends who were struggling, our family back home, and so many other people that she encountered. In 2015, after a long battle with cervical cancer, my grandmother passed away. I carry my grandmother with me everyday. I am reminded of how kind, hard-working, and supportive she was. It reminds me of how much work she has done to give my family and I all that we have today. I strive to be as wonderful as she was. Everyday I am reminded of the bravery, strength, and fight that my grandmother exuded. This name pushes me to overcome my hardest challenges on my lowest days.