Ever since I was a little girl, my life has been defined by the rhythm of healthcare, evolving from childhood "nursing" games to a profound sense of duty. My earliest memories are of wearing my mother’s stethoscope to be her “baby nurse,” but this play quickly transformed into a real-world responsibility. By age ten, I had become my grandparents' primary caregiver and advocate, navigating a complex medical system for them as they spoke very little English. I spent my mornings learning the precise technique for my grandfather’s insulin injections and my evenings assisting my grandmother with her eye drops for glaucoma and cataracts. In exam rooms, I sat between them and their providers, translating English to Creole and learning to communicate not just their symptoms, but their humanity. Witnessing the nurses who took the extra time to explain imaging results and blood tests to a young girl and her grandparents cemented my affinity for the science of nursing. I saw firsthand that a nurse’s true power lies at the intersection of clinical expertise and the human heart. While my family inspired my path, my own health journey solidified my professional resolve. At sixteen, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Navigating a condition that was then poorly understood was daunting and isolating; I often felt dismissed by physicians who labeled my debilitating symptoms as "normal." This experience was depressing, but it taught me the necessity of self-advocacy. The turning point came when I met an OBGYN Nurse Practitioner who finally made me feel heard. She did not offer a "quick fix," but instead ordered extensive diagnostics, researched alternative treatments, and ensured I was an active participant in my care plan. That encounter was transformative. It taught me that while doctors may diagnose, nurses truly see the patient. I knew then that I wanted to provide that same relief and validation to other women, particularly those from underrepresented populations who are often marginalized by the system. Now that I am in nursing school, I am finally able to apply these lessons to support patients and families during their most vulnerable moments. My mission is to serve as a person who dismantles the barriers of language, bias, and lack of access that I once faced with my own family. I intend to make a difference by empowering patients through education, ensuring that patients, especially women have the tools to understand their bodies and navigate the healthcare system with confidence. By leveraging my background as a translator and advocate, I will provide culturally competent care that addresses the root causes of medical conditions rather than just the symptoms. I am not just studying to pass exams; I am studying to become the advocate I once needed and was for my grandparents. Receiving this scholarship will allow me to continue this mission, ensuring that the next generation of women never feels "unheard" in an exam room and receives the high-quality, empathetic care they deserve.

My dream is to go to medical school and become an OBGYN doctor so I can fulfill my mission to serve and provide great quality care to underrepresented women, especially black women and girls, locally, nationally, and globally. I plan to make a positive impact on the world by assisting in improving the lack of access to medical resources for minority women, but more in particular for black women and girls. Black women experience inferior health outcomes and disparities when seeking or getting medical care from non-black healthcare professionals. The lack of insurance, inadequate or nonexistent medical care, and ingrained biases contribute to the woeful health outcomes or poor health for black women and girls experience. I have heard some black women complain of the insensitivity, racism, sexism, and lack of empathy that Caucasian doctors have towards them. Many black women have reported that their doctors did not care and provided them a quick fix by performing a hysterectomy instead spending the time to find the root cause of their medical conditions. A hysterectomy is a life-changing procedure that can affect women’s ability to have children, have mental health issues, and find a partner. As a black woman who does have PCOS and was given this diagnosis at the age of 16, it is quite daunting and depressing to hear about the experiences and care given to other black women with PCOS. My personal experience, concomitant with the stories of these black women, in seeking medical care for my medical problems inspires me to pursue a career in medicine so I can positively impact the lives of various underrepresented black females. I intend to be an agent of change in female medicine to make substantial differences in the lives of these people locally and globally. I will volunteer in some local clinics to help provide health services to minorities, especially black females. I am in the process of securing placement in a medical clinic this upcoming summer where I will educate black women and girls on various ways to access healthcare resources and communicate their medical problems to healthcare professionals. Also, I will perform various tasks in the clinic, ranging from taking vital signs to doing health assessments. In high school, I volunteered in a CPR facility where I helped teach people, especially black women, skills to save the lives of their loved ones in case they experienced cardiac arrest, became unconscious, or started choking. I plan to participate in religiously based mission trips to various countries in Africa to help provide care to underrepresented black women and girls. I have been able to travel with my family to the countryside of third-world countries where I met people who seemed genuinely joyful despite having limited material resources. Being around these people inspired me to incorporate or emulate their positive outlook on life, a sense of service to others, a profound connection to nature, the importance of a spiritual connection to a higher power, and the desire to provide medical care to underrepresented people in the U.S. and other countries. My propensity for traveling, meeting, as well as connecting with people, and providing quality care and services to others will continue to guide my commitment to becoming a medical doctor so I can enhance the quality of care I institute for underrepresented minorities, especially black females.

The world is an interesting place. Everyone experiences their own challenges. However, some challenges happen too frequently that they become issues in various communities, nationally, or even globally. A change I want to see in my community, the United States, and the world is improving the lack of access to medical resources for black women and girls. Black women experience inferior health outcomes and disparities when seeking or getting medical care from non-black healthcare professionals. The lack of insurance, inadequate or nonexistent medical care, and ingrained biases contribute to the woeful health outcomes or poor health for black women and girls experience. The way I act locally to make a difference is by volunteering in clinics to help provide health services to minorities, especially black females. As a back woman who has accessed medical care for some medical problems, I uniquely identify with the challenges black women and girls experience in accessing medical care in non-black milieus. I am in the process of securing placement in a medical clinic this upcoming summer where I will educate black women and girls on various ways to access healthcare resources and communicate their medical problems to healthcare professionals. Also, I will perform various tasks in the clinic, ranging from taking vital signs to doing health assessments. In high school, I volunteered in a CPR facility where I helped teach people, especially black women, skills to save the lives of their loved ones in case they experienced cardiac arrest, became unconscious, or started choking. I plan to participate in religiously based mission trips to various countries in Africa to help provide care to underrepresented black women and girls. My dream is to go to medical school and become an OBGYN so I can fulfill my mission to serve and provide great quality care to underrepresented women, especially black women and girls, locally, nationally, and globally.