For the past fifteen years I have had the honor of helping women during their childbearing year, as they navigated the intense learning process that surrounds having a child. It was after the birth of my own first child that I left a corporate career to serve people as true individuals, as their doula, childbirth educator, and a lactation consultant. While this work has been rewarding, it has its boundaries, as it is all certification based. Thus, I have made a bold choice at forty-three years young to pursue a direct-entry Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. In this new role I will be a licensed allied health care provider able to hopefully help a wider range of people. Occupational therapy stands out to me as a natural next step, because much like through the lens of lactation consultation, people are treated holistically with an eye to improving their quality of life. I cannot wait to begin this new phase and addition to my career, as I still plan on helping all people navigate the childbearing year. I believe that the underserved demographic of pregnant people face healthcare access gaps and biases, lack of availability, and equity disparities during what is a vulnerable and short window in which to help improve their lives. This is especially true for our underserved trans population. My plan is to focus my doctoral capstone project on maternal and fetal health, specifically on how education and advocacy in at-risk communities can impact positive changes. The United States has no paid family or maternity leave, no childcare policy, and very little standard care for people after they give birth, such as pelvic floor therapy or ongoing breast health checks. Women helping women, and those who identify as women, is key in establishing trust and safe spaces. Additionally, my life experiences as a lesbian, single mother and helping over a thousand families to date gives me an unique insight into patient care. My clients and my children have taught me so much that I wouldn't be able to put into a classroom setting or in a lecture. I am confident that I will be able to bring those experiences into both clinical and advocacy settings to impact change that is greater than I could do alone. This is all to build on what advocates have paved before me, with such a strong client-centered and evidence-based field ahead of me. Ideally this will continue to open the spaces for families to have an equitable say in their rights and care. In fact, my perspective is that breast health is directly tied to community health and the future of our society. The health of future generations lies directly in the combined effort of breastfeeding advocacy and support, impacting children today from increased immune systems to bonding and secure attachment development. Greater benefits include lowered risks of diabetes and childhood obesity, both of which are already epidemics in America. As that generation ages, their beliefs and shared customs will pass down, which can help or hinder future child rearing practices based on shared experiences. Further, monitoring breast health and identifying breast cancer early helps us keep parents with their families longer, creating stronger, more supported family units.

As a past singer and performer myself, I am persistently amazed by Billie Eilish's songwriting skills as well as her voice. Her voice speaks to entire generations of soul filled sound that, somehow, is contemporary and yet classic. I think she's a true visionary when it comes to music! My favorite song to date is "Happier Than Ever" as it resonated with me during my divorce. Some days it still gets me through difficult days, with a haunting and calm beginning, that breaks into a strong beat and reflects the anger I need to let myself feel more often! "Therefore I am" is my strong second favorite, as it just feels so unique to anything any other performer is creating. It feels like spoken word poetry, without being rap, and could be interpreted in so many ways: a break up song, a friend who has wronged you, or better yet, an anthem against an institution, due to lines like "articles, articles, articles"! Deciding on a third top choice was incredibly difficult. Billie speaks to so many phases of life, moods, and emotions. Considering that the other two are sublime I decided to go with an equal feeling, but super fun lyrics: "Wish you were gay." This speaks to me as I came out in my 30s after years of living a hetero life on paper. Thank you for a fun submission! I love talking about Billie's works!

Here is the original game, as I believe the initial order of the words presented plays a role in confusing the solver: Kale Ivy Olives Throw Eggplant Emerald Defense Foul Tomato Turtle Decision Phone Name Avocado Shot Rebound Ideally the groupings throw the solver off due to the amount of words that could be added to another category. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy connections so much, due to the skill level, it takes more than just a first glance. My second favorite twist to connections is that there are varying difficulties to the categories. Thus I have tried to create the same. Categories fall into: Easy - the color green This is easy, yet there are other items in the puzzle that are also green, so there is still a component of elimination needed. Medium - lesser known fruits This specifically geared to stump solvers because they may not be able to group the foods unless they know they're not vegetables, and are classified as fruits. Medium - sports terminology This is designed to confuse people because I chose words that could also fall into the last, and hardest category. Difficult - things “you call” Made to be the hardest category to figure out, and takes Thus the solution is: Green: Kale Ivy Turtle Emerald Fruits: Olives Tomato Avocado Eggplant Sports: Defense Shot Rebound Throw To "Call": Phone Name Decision Foul Hope you had fun solving it! Thank you for a fun submission!

Throughout my current career it has been part of the joy of my job to help those who could not afford services and reach out to my community through giving, as often as I am able. I believe knowledge, whether acquired through formal education or by experience, should not be gate kept. For the past fifteen years I have had the honor of helping women during their childbearing year, as they navigated the intense learning process that surrounds having a child. It was after the birth of my own first child that I left a corporate career to serve people as true individuals, as their doula, childbirth educator, and lactation consultant. I own my own business, so I am able to participate in events such as 5K fundraisers, volunteerism, and pro bono work. This has included the privilege of being able to offer classes and lactation clinics for free over the years, and adopt families at Christmas who couldn't afford one otherwise. Whether it involves supporting a woman in labor or answering breastfeeding and postpartum questions, a goal has been to perpetually allow my community to tell me what to offer and how, to address their needs. While this work has been rewarding, it has its boundaries, as it is all certification based. Thus, I have made a bold choice at forty-three years young to pursue a direct-entry Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. In this new role I will be a licensed allied health care provider able to hopefully help a wider range of people. Occupational therapy itself stood out because people are treated holistically with an eye to improving their quality of life. I cannot wait to begin this new phase of my career, as I still plan on helping all women navigate the childbearing year. I believe that the underserved demographic of pregnant women face healthcare access gaps and biases, lack of availability, and equity disparities during what is a vulnerable and short window in which to help improve their lives. My plan is to focus my doctoral capstone project on maternal and fetal health, specifically on how education and advocacy in at-risk communities can impact positive changes. The United States has no paid family or maternity leave, no childcare policy, and very little standard care for women after they give birth, such as pelvic floor therapy. Women helping women is key in establishing trust and safe spaces. Additionally, my life experiences as a single mother and helping over a thousand families to date gives me an unique insight into patient care. My clients and my children have taught me so much that I wouldn't be able to put into a classroom setting or in a lecture. I am confident that I will be able to bring those experiences into both clinical and advocacy settings to impact change that is greater than I could do alone in my current private practice setting. For my recommendation letters I decided to attach two of the ones I received for the application to my doctoral program. My hope is that you will find the impact that I aspire to achieve in the words written by my mentors even though that was not what their actual prompt was. Thank you for creating this opportunity for students!

For the past fifteen years I have had the honor of helping women during their childbearing year, as they navigated the intense learning process that surrounds having a child. It was after the birth of my own first child that I left a corporate career to serve people as true individuals, as their doula, childbirth educator, and lactation consultant. While this work has been rewarding, it has its boundaries, limiting me to support services. Additionally, it has always left me both on call and at the behest of my clients for income, which has consistently been hard on my children. Thus, I have made a bold choice at forty-three years young to pursue a direct-entry Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. In this new role I will be a licensed allied health care provider able to hopefully help a wider range of people, as well as have a steady career with more sustainable hours for my family. The first hurdle was certainly the judgement from others when telling them I was going back to school for a career change. In my case my eldest child and I will graduate the same month and year, him from high school, and me as an Occupational Therapy. This adds challenges as I know I will miss out on some events from my own school and clinical needs, and it limits my time availability for my children during these next few years. However, the most surprising aspect has been the microaggressions from peers and university staff, when they assume I am faculty and approach the news that I am in fact a student with surprise. I have even had guest speakers disagree with me or joke that am I plant in my classroom. Admittedly, I am older than my entire cohort by 16-20 years, so the difference is notable. The potential of receiving a scholarship would help me with my goals, which is another key obstacle: to graduate with as little student debt as possible. I am working almost full time throughout my program, as well as being a single mother to children who are incredibly supportive, but it does make finances tight. There have been times I couldn't even afford to pay for parking at school, and I've definitely gotten more creative with meal planning! Time management has become the biggest aid, such as completing homework while they are at school or after bedtime. I try to put as much as I can down when they come home from school so that we can still cook, eat and clean together as a family. On the weekends they are with their dad I do the majority of my studying, and layer in as much work as possible as well, so that when they are with me we can spend time together. We all know that this career change will improve our lives as a family in the long run, though, as well as help the community of families I know need more access to care. I'm so incredibly grateful for their unwavering support. Thank you for providing opportunities like to to mothers returning to school!

For the past fifteen years I have had the honor of helping women during their childbearing year, as they navigated the intense learning process that surrounds having a child. It was after the birth of my own first child that I left a corporate career to serve people as true individuals, as their doula, childbirth educator, and lactation consultant. While this work has been rewarding, it has its boundaries, limiting me to support services. Additionally, it has always left me both on call and at the behest of my clients for income, which has consistently been hard on my children. Thus, I have made a bold choice at forty-three years young to pursue a direct-entry Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. In this new role I will be a licensed allied health care provider able to hopefully help a wider range of people, as well as have a steady career with more sustainable hours for my family. The first hurdle was certainly the judgement from others when telling them I was going back to school for a career change. In my case my eldest child and I will graduate the same month and year, him from high school, and me as an Occupational Therapy. This adds challenges as I know I will miss out on some events from my own school and clinical needs, and it limits my time availability for my children during these next few years. However, the most surprising aspect has been the microaggressions from peers and university staff, when they assume I am faculty and approach the news that I am in fact a student with surprise. I have even had guest speakers disagree with me or joke that am I plant in my classroom. Admittedly, I am older than my entire cohort by 16-20 years, so the difference is notable. The potential of receiving a scholarship would help me with my goals, which is another key obstacle: to graduate with as little student debt as possible. I am working almost full time throughout my program, as well as being a single mother to children who are incredibly supportive, but it does make finances tight. There have been times I couldn't even afford to pay for parking at school, and I've definitely gotten more creative with meal planning! Time management has become the biggest aid, such as completing homework while they are at school or after bedtime. I try to put as much as I can down when they come home from school so that we can still cook, eat and clean together as a family. On the weekends they are with their dad I do the majority of my studying, and layer in as much work as possible as well, so that when they are with me we can spend time together. We all know that this career change will improve our lives as a family in the long run, though, as well as help the community of families I know need more access to care. I'm so incredibly grateful for their unwavering support. Thank you for providing opportunities like to to mothers returning to school!

For the past fifteen years I have had the honor of helping women during their childbearing year, as they navigated the intense learning process that surrounds having a child. It was after the birth of my own first child that I left a corporate career to serve people as true individuals, as their doula, childbirth educator, and lactation consultant. While this work has been rewarding, it has its boundaries, as it is all certification based. Additionally, it has always left me both on call and at the behest of my clients for income, which has always been hard on my children. Thus, I have made a bold choice at forty-three years young to pursue a direct-entry Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. In this new role I will be a licensed allied health care provider able to hopefully help a wider range of people. The first hurdle was certainly the judgement from others when telling them I was going back to school for a career change. In my case my eldest child and I will graduate the same month and year, him from high school, and me as an Occupational Therapy. This adds challenges as I know I will miss out on some events from school and clinical needs, and limits my time availability for my children during these next few years. However, the most surprising aspect has been the microaggressions from peers and university staff, when they assume I am faculty and approach the news that I am in fact a student with surprise. I have even had guest speakers disagree with me or joke that am I plant in my classroom. Admittedly, I am older than my entire cohort by 16-20 years, so the difference is notable. The potential of receiving a scholarship would help me with my goals, and another key obstacle: to graduate with as little student debt as possible. I am working almost full time throughout my program, as well as being a single mother to children who are incredibly supportive, but it does make finances tight. There have been times I couldn't even afford to pay for parking at school, and I've definitely gotten more creative with meal planning! We all know that this career change will improve our lives as a family in the long run, though, as well as help the community of families I know need more access to care. Thank you for providing opportunities like to to mothers returning to school!

For the past fifteen years I have had the honor of helping women during their childbearing year, as they navigated the intense learning process that surrounds having a child. It was after the birth of my own first child that I left a corporate career to serve people as true individuals, as their doula, childbirth educator, and lactation consultant. While this work has been rewarding, it has its boundaries, as it is all certification based. Thus, I have made a bold choice at forty-three years young to pursue a direct-entry Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. In this new role I will be a licensed allied health care provider able to hopefully help a wider range of people. Throughout my work, it was the occupational therapists that made the difference when I couldn't help, seeming to be practical magicians, seeing women as whole people. To me this is what makes occupational therapy stand out: people are treated holistically with an eye to improving their quality of life. I cannot wait to begin this new phase of my career, as I still plan on helping all women navigate the childbearing year. I believe that the underserved demographic of pregnant women face healthcare access gaps and biases, lack of availability, and equity disparities during what is a vulnerable and short window in which to help improve their lives. My plan is to focus my doctoral capstone project on maternal and fetal health, specifically on how education and advocacy in at-risk communities can impact positive changes. The United States has no paid family or maternity leave, no childcare policy, and very little standard care for women after they give birth, such as pelvic floor therapy. Women helping women is key in establishing trust and safe spaces. Additionally, my life experiences as a mother and helping over a thousand families to date gives me an unique insight into patient care. My clients and my children have taught me so much that I wouldn't be able to put into a classroom setting or in a lecture. I am confident that I will be able to bring those experiences into both clinical and advocacy settings to impact change that is greater than I could do alone. This is all to build on what women have paved before me, with such a strong client-centered and evidence-based field ahead of me. Ideally this will continue to open the spaces for women to have an equitable say in their rights and care.