For as long as I can remember, my response to what do you want to be when you grow up has rotated between Veterinarian, Pediatrician, and a singer. It wasn’t until I went through the experience of giving birth that I realized I didn’t want to become any of those. I realized I want to be a labor and delivery nurse. When I turned 3 years old my mother made the bold decision of packing up all our things and traveling across the country to California in hopes of a better life for her and I. She found a job working at Black Infant Health and as a single mother I spent majority of my time in her office right alongside her. As we grew up I started to help out with minor tasks and build relationships with the coworkers and children of the families that would enter. Little did I know that no matter how small the task, I was contributing to something bigger. I was participating in their mission, “to empower Black/African American women by connecting them with vital care and support needed to promote a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy and after birth.” At 20 years old, I decided to bring life into this World. My babygirl was 41 weeks and it was time for her to make her grand entrance into the World, but while preparing for her arrival I couldn’t help but feel anxious, scared, and sad. The news on my cellphone was clouded with articles about how the maternal mortality rate for Black/African American women was 3.5 times more likely than any other race. I started digging and reading articles on stories of women who passed away from complications that could have easily been avoided. When I drove to the hospital to be induced, I thought long and hard about my plan and how I wanted things to go. After arriving I went over my feelings and expectations with my care team and expressed my emotions on having to give birth. They made sure I felt heard and safe. I went through a seamless induction and gave birth to a gorgeous happy baby with almost no complications. It wasn’t until after transitioning to the mother/baby unit my nurse noticed I was hemorrhaging. She took the necessary steps in ensuring I would be okay, but in the back of my head I couldn’t help but overthink and worry if this was the best course of action for me and my bundle of joy. I want to be a nurse to show others that there are healthcare workers that look like them. I want to give them a sense of connection when they look at me and feel that I can be trusted to listen, understand, and act on making important decisions in their health. I want to destigmatize the negative association that women of color have when it comes to speaking up on things that matter to them. We are not ghetto, loud, and over-dramatic. We deserve to be heard and treated with care and compassion. I don’t plan to stop once I obtain my bachelor’s in nursing. Instead, I want to further my education and research the complications that arise, find preventatives, and solutions to help lower the maternal morbidity rate.

On a beautiful day in sunny California, as my mother and I sat on the couch in the living room watching Judge Judy, I would have never expected to receive such heart wrenching news over the phone from family over 2,000 miles away. My grandmother called and said that my only uncle had a heart attack and was hospitalized. As I stood by my mother in support as tears flooded our eyes, I couldn't help but wonder how his lifestyle, habits, and family history contributed to this tragic event. It made me analyze not only his health and the choices he makes, but the choices we all make in life. My uncle spent 4 days in the hospital and was diagnosed with coronary artery disease. During his recovery my family turned to me for the answers in understanding how to go about this new information and while I felt great about my family coming to me for answers, I had no clue about this disease. I did know that the coronary artery supplies oxygenized blood to the heart and how vital that is, but not how this affects his day-to-day life. I decided to research and learn about how people with CAD can lessen their chances of complications and pave the way for a long, beautiful life. After recovering in the hospital my uncle came across the US to southern California and moved in with us so that we could help take care of him. As we sat at the table, I told my uncle how important he is to me and how important it is to change his lifestyle habits to improve his health. We cut out cigarettes, limited greasy foods, and went on walks every single day. To keep each other accountable we would both adapt to these changes and make healthy decisions not only for ourselves but for one another. We would talk for hours and hours about a million different topics and as a result of this quality time, our relationship blossomed into something incredible. Going through this new discovery as a family brought us all closer and gave me a new love for healthy living that I plan to pass on to my family as long as I shall live. My uncle eventually returned to our hometown in the South and we call each other at the end of every week to debrief and discuss how the day was. We discuss the challenges we faced, if we stayed the course, or if we need a refresher on the importance of making healthy lifestyle choices. If my uncle didn’t take that leap and build the courage to take the necessary steps to improve, I'm not sure how things would have turned out. But what I know for certain is that I’m extremely grateful that my uncle instilled perseverance, discipline, and motivation into me. These are attributes I plan to carry throughout life.

After returning home to Louisiana for my undergraduate degree I had no clue I’d be leaving so soon again to stop my studies and become a single mother. As a first-generation college student, it has been such a struggle adjusting to college life and managing the workload as a pre-med student. It was during the peak of covid and the middle of my semester that I discovered I was pregnant. Despite every woman’s hopes and dreams of marrying prince charming, bringing up your child in a loving two-parent household and having that spousal support, I had to face reality quickly in making the sound decision to move in with my mother, push my studies aside and focus on being the best mother I could be for my baby. Living with my mother came with its own struggles but I am so grateful to have had a roof over my head when things could have been worse. Shortly after moving back into her home, I got a job at a bakery full time in order to pay my portion of rent and prepare for my baby’s arrival. I worked long hours standing on my feet up until the very moment I couldn’t work anymore. During covid school transitioned to online and I applied to do some courses to continue my education even though I had no clue how I'd continue my pre-med track without much support. My mother provided a comfortable bed to sleep in, but I was on my own when it came to school, babysitting, food, and transportation. To no success, I failed school. I couldn’t manage the time well enough while being a new mother, taking classes, and working to support her and I. I was devastated because I failed and felt like I had to prove to everyone that I could do it all on my own. Four years later, it is now my time to continue my education and graduate with my bachelor's in nursing. After I accomplish that goal, I plan to work hard towards becoming an NP or OB\GYN. With my degree I plan on building clinics in low-income communities and specializing in childbirth. With extensive research I plan to lower the maternal mortality rate for Black women and facilitate safe practices while also emphasizing how important it is to listen to patients when they voice concerns to their primary care physicians. All women deserve to experience a safe birth and bring home healthy babies.