When I started my career path to become a nurse, I thought I wanted to go into labor and delivery. The field interests me a lot and there are not many women of color I have seen in the field being advocates for other women of color like myself. I thought could help low-income women become more empowered and educated on their health and make a difference, one woman at a time. After learning more about the different branches of nursing open to me and having a few more clinical experiences, I realized that pursuing that path can limit my choices in the long run. I have decided to gain some experience in the medical/surgical area so that I can sharpen different nursing skills that I have been learning in school. After being in that unit for at least 1-2 years, eventually, I want to use the knowledge and experience I gained so I can transfer to the critical care unit. I can gain more experience there and get my certification as a critical care nurse, taking care of the seriously ill patients that need care the most. That is where I see myself on my 5-year path in my nursing career.

I got to meet a star. When I was around 16 yrs old, I was helping to teach tap dancing to some junior high kids in New York City. We were performing on the amphitheater stage so we were outside. As I'm running through the choreography, I see a cameraman following another figure as he approached, and turns out, Gregory Hines was in town for a show and heard about our performance. He watched us dance and I even got a chance to dance with him on camera. I was so happy I got to dance with a legend.

My experience as a black woman has been a mix of being underestimated for my intelligence and attempts to put me in a box to fit someone else’s idea of what I should behave like. I have worked in healthcare where geriatric patients look at me and see a novelty of a smart negro instead of an intelligent woman who is also black. I have also come across young Caucasian men who see me as an exotic beauty to be looked at but not to speak or simply beneath them as a person. I have also had positive experiences as a black woman. I have been exposed to women of color from different countries of the world and exchanged information on what it’s like living in this country, education people on my culture to expand their knowledge on what they have seen on the tv screen or books. In return, they have taught me about aspects of my culture that were lost due to the slave trade or adapted as a disguise so it could be preserved and passed down. I’ve met little girls who get to see women who look like them feel inspired to pursue their dreams because they saw these women do it. These experiences molded me to keep an open mind on subjects because they may not be what they seem on the surface. I learned that I can’t judge people by stereotypes or isolated incidents just as I wouldn’t want others to judge me based on their own stereotypes. I learned to wear my color and intelligence with pride instead of shame and be proud for the struggles I have endured because they should that working hard pays off and the struggles I make now help to make the future little girls like me forge an easier path from my footsteps, just like the black women before me did on my journey through life. My past experiences I want to use to teach other women that stereotypes should not be followed and everyone doesn’t fit a mold. We are a diverse group of women and should showcase that. Dimming our shine for another’s sensitive eyes does nothing for us. I don’t plan to dim my light, just point them in the direction of some shades.