The nursing industry is something I have always been interested in but more recently after getting hands-on experience and shadowing I've noticed how attentive nurses are as well as how passionate they are about advocating for the patient no matter what. As a healthcare professional, you see so many patients a day but you have to be committed to caring for each one uniquely. As a nurse, you work hands-on day-to-day with patients in the most intimate way more so than any other healthcare professional. During my childhood, I spent months in the hospital at a time in addition to regular checkups and physicals. For as long as I can remember nurses have been the personnel that instantly put me at ease and lift my spirits as soon as they the room. Experiencing this, I have always aspired to be a light in a situation of darkness. Despite the foreseeable hardships of rigorous work in nursing school and entering a field in which there is a high demand for more employees because of vast shortages, I am very excited to be devoted to joining this career and taking care of my patients with the utmost care and compassion. In a nursing shortage, and in the midst of massive nursing burnout, it is important that new nurses are trained to care for their patients to the best of their ability. My goals for a successful career are to do a research program with the NIH this summer in which I will research a specific topic in the nursing field. I also plan to go for my masters after my second year of being a new grad nurse simply to maximize the impact I can have on the field of nursing. A personal and academic accomplishment of mine is that I was able to earn a 3.77 grade point average in the first year of my college matriculation. In doing so I have optimized my chances of being accepted into the nursing school in which I am applying to this fall. In the last 2 years, I have interned at Johns Hopkins Hospital as an Occupational Health Coordinator and obtained paid employment there. I have also volunteered at the covid vaccine clinic for students and employees. I participated in the Summer Health Professions Educational Program (known as SHPEP) at Howard University this summer in which I shadowed in the OR, gained telehealth experience, and went on clinical rotations with nurses on various units of Howard university hospital. Participating in this program has given me knowledge of healthcare ethics and disparities as well as interprofessional care and cultural competency skills. Despite the foreseeable hardships of rigorous work in nursing school and entering a field in which there is a high demand for more employees because of vast shortages, I am very excited to be devoted to joining this career and taking care of my patients with the utmost care and compassion.

My name is Lailah Johnson, a second-year pre-nursing major attending Hampton University with a 3.77-grade point average. I am originally from Baltimore City, Maryland where I have lived for almost 20 years! Although there are a lot of negative stereotypes about Baltimore, I like to see the good in my community. We have a long way to go but I am very proud of the sense of community created by Baltimoreans as well as the support. At Hampton, I am involved in the Freddy T Davy Honors College as well as the Assistant Director of a community service organization, The Noir Project, and a member of Black Girls in White Coats. I am a first-generation college student, so I am very adamant about being active on campus to make connections and get the very most out of my college experience. When I am not at school of love to get on the driving range and practice my golf skills! I plan to become an OB nurse in an effort to close the gap in maternal mortality rates, especially in Baltimore where there are lack of resources for the homeless, individuals in need and underserved communities. Beyond my employment as a nurse, I plan to implement my own not-for-profit initiative in which homeless and less fortunate pregnant individuals are able to attend information sessions and get the proper resources for a seamless and healthy pregnancy and postpartum experience. Plenty of women go through post-partum issues such as depression and anxiety, and care for pregnant women doesn’t simply stop after giving birth. As a nurse practitioner, I will be able to run a clinic to facilitate these individuals' transition into motherhood safely. I also plan on heading up cultural competency and healthcare ethics classes for my colleagues in order to properly and compassionately care for each mother in an equitable manner. For as long as I can remember nurses have been the personnel that instantly put me at ease and lift my spirits as soon as they the room. Experiencing this, I have always aspired to be a light in a situation of darkness. Nurses take on much more of a role than just caring for patients' health concerns but instead advocating and sharing compassion for patients in the best way possible. Throughout my various internships and shadowing opportunities I have seen how much of an impact nurses can have on a patient's life in addition to their family lives. Despite the foreseeable hardships of rigorous work in nursing school and entering a field in which there is a high demand for more employees because of vast shortages, I am very excited to be devoted to joining this career and taking care of my patients with the utmost care and compassion.

My name is Lailah Johnson, a second-year pre-nursing major attending Hampton University with a 3.77-grade point average. I am originally from Baltimore Maryland where I have lived for almost 20 years! At Hampton, I am involved in the Freddy T Davy Honors College as well as the Assistant Director of a community service organization, The Noir Project, and a member of Black Girls in White Coats. I am a first-generation college student, so I am very adamant about being active on campus to make connections and get the very most out of my college experience. When I am not at school of love to get on the driving range and practice my golf skills! I intend to obtain my Bachelor of Science in Nursing in the Spring of 2026 and take the NCLEX soon after. After becoming a Registered Nurse, I intend to come back to Baltimore to help my community. As we all know there are many health disparities among the black community as well as people of color in general. I plan to get my master's in nursing to further my impact on the healthcare field and run a clinic to ensure that mothers of color get the care that they need when giving birth because of the high maternal mortality rates in the POC community. This scholarship would be a blessing for me relieving me of some of the burden of my high tuition and helping me get a head start on paying off my debt acquired in my freshman year. With a bill of seventeen thousand dollars for the fall and eleven thousand for the spring, any amount of money would help to relieve some of the financial burdens from my mother and me. With the aid in tuition, I will be able to focus on buying books, scrubs, stethoscopes, and anything else I need for the upcoming clinical rotations. Being a student as well as a part-time employee at Johns Hopkins and keeping up with internships in order to further my career as well as keeping up with campus life and most importantly academic classes can be stressful at times when I need money to sustain my lifestyle at college. Honestly, in college, any amount of money towards tuition helps. Five to ten thousand dollars is a huge contribution and could help me tremendously in making a large dent in my tuition. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to make a tremendous change in my life so that I can stay active on campus and motivated to make a change in the world one day!

Being a nurse is one of the most challenging jobs in the world. My motivation to be a nurse comes from my passion to be an agent of positive change in individuals’ lives. Nurses along with healthcare professionals work each day to improve individuals' quality of life. In my opinion, nurses have the biggest impact on the world today. I plan to become an OB nurse in an effort to close the gap in maternal mortality rates, especially in Baltimore where there are lack of resources for the homeless, individuals in need and underserved communities. Beyond my employment as a nurse, I plan to implement my own not-for-profit initiative in which homeless and less fortunate pregnant individuals are able to attend information sessions and get the proper resources for a seamless and healthy pregnancy and postpartum experience. Plenty of women go through post-partum issues such as depression and anxiety, and care for pregnant women doesn’t simply stop after giving birth. As a nurse practitioner, I will be able to run a clinic to facilitate these individuals' transition into motherhood safely. I also plan on heading up cultural competency and healthcare ethics classes for my colleagues in order to properly and compassionately care for each mother in an equitable manner. As a black woman who would like to experience motherhood, as well as the sister of siblings who have had multiple miscarriages and birthing complications, I want to ensure that other mothers of color are protected and safe, the only way to do this is to be their biggest advocate in the hospital which is exactly what a nurse is there to do. For as long as I can remember nurses have been the personnel that instantly put me at ease and lift my spirits as soon as they the room. Experiencing this, I have always aspired to be a light in a situation of darkness. Nurses take on much more of a role than just caring for patients' health concerns but instead advocating and sharing compassion for patients in the best way possible. Throughout my various internships and shadowing opportunities I have seen how much of an impact nurses can have on a patient's life in addition to their family lives. Despite the foreseeable hardships of rigorous work in nursing school and entering a field in which there is a high demand for more employees because of vast shortages, I am very excited to be devoted to joining this career and taking care of my patients with the utmost care and compassion.

The nursing industry is something I have always been interested in but more recently after getting hands-on experience and shadowing I've noticed how attentive nurses are as well as how passionate they are about advocating for the patient no matter what. As a healthcare professional, you see so many patients a day but you have to be committed to caring for each one uniquely. As a nurse, you work hands-on day-to-day with patients in the most intimate way more so than any other healthcare professional. In a nursing shortage, and in the midst of massive nursing burnout, it is important that new nurses are trained to care for their patients to the best of their ability. My goals for a successful career are to do a research program with the NIH this summer in which I will research a specific topic in the nursing field. I also plan to go for my masters after my second year of being a new grad nurse simply to maximize the impact I can have on the field of nursing. A personal and academic accomplishment of mine is that I was able to earn a 3.77 grade point average in the first year of my college matriculation. In doing so I have optimized my chances of being accepted into the nursing school in which I am applying to this fall. In the last 2 years, I have interned at Johns Hopkins Hospital as an Occupational Health Coordinator and obtained paid employment there. I have also volunteered at the covid vaccine clinic for students and employees. I participated in the Summer Health Professions Educational Program (known as SHPEP) at Howard University this summer in which I shadowed in the OR, gained telehealth experience, and went on clinical rotations with nurses on various units of Howard university hospital. Participating in this program has given me knowledge of healthcare ethics and disparities as well as interprofessional care and cultural competency skills. During my childhood, I spent months in the hospital at a time in addition to regular checkups and physicals. For as long as I can remember nurses have been the personnel that instantly put me at ease and lift my spirits as soon as they the room. Experiencing this, I have always aspired to be a light in a situation of darkness. Despite the foreseeable hardships of rigorous work in nursing school and entering a field in which there is a high demand for more employees because of vast shortages, I am very excited to be devoted to joining this career and taking care of my patients with the utmost care and compassion.

I am a second-year pre-nursing major from Baltimore Maryland pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Hampton University. I am a part of The Freddy T Davy. Honors College as well as a member of Black Girls In White Coats, and the assistant director of a community service organization titled “The Nior Project”. I currently work at Johns Hopkin Hospital as an Occupational Health Coordinator and just finished an internship with Howard University Nursing Program this summer. I enjoy keeping up with my golf skills in the spring and fall months. After obtaining my BSN I plan to pursue a master's degree in nursing. Being a nurse is one of the most challenging jobs in the world. My motivation to be a nurse comes from my passion to be an agent of positive change both in individuals’ lives as well as in the world as a whole. Nurses along with healthcare professionals work each day to improve individuals' quality of life. In my opinion, nurses have the biggest impact on the world today. I plan to become an OB nurse in an effort to close the gap in maternal mortality rates, especially in Baltimore where there are lack of resources for the homeless, individuals in need and underserved communities. Beyond my employment as a nurse, I plan to implement my own not-for-profit initiative in which homeless and less fortunate pregnant individuals are able to attend information sessions and get the proper resources for a seamless and healthy pregnancy and postpartum experience. Plenty of women go through post-partum issues such as depression and anxiety, and care for pregnant women doesn’t simply stop after giving birth. As a nurse practitioner, I will be able to run a clinic to facilitate these individuals' transition into motherhood safely. I also plan on heading up cultural competency and healthcare ethics classes for my colleagues in order to properly and compassionately care for each mother in an equitable manner. Nurses take on much more of a role than just caring for patients' health concerns but instead advocating and sharing compassion for patients in the best way possible. Throughout my various internships and shadowing opportunities I have seen how much of an impact nurses can have on a patient's life in addition to their family lives. In an industry in which there is such a high demand and vast shortage of nurses, I intend to be a nurse who not only makes a positive difference in my patients' lives but makes a positive impact on the world, starting in my own community.

The nursing industry is something I have always been interested in but more recently after getting hands-on experience and shadowing I've noticed how attentive nurses are as well as how passionate they are about advocating for the patient no matter what. As a healthcare professional, you see so many patients a day but you have to be committed to caring for each one uniquely. As a nurse, you work hands-on day-to-day with patients in the most intimate way more so than any other healthcare professional. In a nursing shortage, and in the midst of massive nursing burnout, it is important that new nurses are trained to care for their patients to the best of their ability. My goals for a successful career are to do a research program with the NIH in the near future in which I will research nursing field specific topics. I also plan to go for my masters after my second year of being a new grad nurse simply to maximize the impact I can have on the field of nursing. A personal and academic accomplishment of mine is that I was able to earn a 3.77 grade point average in the first year of my college matriculation. In doing so I have optimized my chances of being accepted into the nursing school in which I am applying to this fall. In the last 2 years, I have interned at Johns Hopkins Hospital as an Occupational Health Coordinator and obtained paid employment there. I have also volunteered at the covid vaccine clinic for students and employees. I participated in the Summer Health Professions Educational Program (known as SHPEP) at Howard University this summer in which I shadowed in the OR, gained telehealth experience, and went on clinical rotations with nurses on various units of Howard University Hospital. Participating in this program has given me knowledge of healthcare ethics and disparities as well as interprofessional care and cultural competency skills. During my childhood, I spent months in the hospital at a time in addition to regular checkups and physicals. For as long as I can remember nurses have been the personnel that instantly put me at ease and lift my spirits as soon as they the room. Experiencing this, I have always aspired to be a light in a situation of darkness. Despite the foreseeable hardships of rigorous work in nursing school and entering a field in which there is a high demand for more employees because of vast shortages, I am very excited to be devoted to joining this career and taking care of my patients with the utmost care and compassion.

I chose to attend an HBCU because of the sense of belongingness and community that I have been searching for since starting school as a kindergartener. I have been to various schools and nothing felt like home more than touring the HBCU campus' in which everyone is given a warm welcome and made to feel at home. Not only is there a sense of community but endless opportunities targeted toward the black community. The staff simply care and understand the struggles and advantages of being a young black student seeking higher education. It is uplifting to walk around my campus and see thousands of people who look like me at Hampton, each more unique and motivated than I've ever seen, holding promise and excellence in their future. This is extremely motivating when seeking education. This is the safest and most taken care of and cared FOR I have ever felt at an institution of education and I would not trade this feeling of belongingness for the world. The support and understanding of black staff and professors along with the companionship of other black students reaching for similar goals as me makes me a better student and proud to have chosen an HBCU for my post-secondary education experience!

I am will be attending Hampton University in the fall of 2022! I intend to attain my bachelors in nursing, becoming a registered nurse straight out of college and to go on to work as a nurse while completing medical school to become an OB/GYN physician. I would like to do this in order to be an advocate for mothers of color as well as babies of color because of the lack of regard and attention for birth givers of color in the medical setting due to racial disparities. Attending an HBCU is important to me because I would like to give back to my community as well as experience all of what an HBCU has to offer. The individualized support and regard for students at an HBCU is unmatched by any other type of University/College. I know I will encounter a lot of influential black mentors and peers that I can benefit from and who can benefit from me in college and beyond. I plan to build a network in order to give back to my university and community upon graduating!

I picked up my first golf club in the fall of my tenth grade school year not knowing how to play or what I’d learn from this experience. As I prepare to graduate high school in just one week I can truly say that golf has opened my eyes to so many lessons that can take me through college and beyond. Being a young black girl in Baltimore Maryland, I didn’t see anyone who looked like me on the golf course, I felt like I did not belong at the course and it was clear from the stares I got that people like me didn’t frequent this country club. This experience made me extremely hesitant and very nervous. As I practiced for my very first match against one of the best schools in my county my couch continued to tell me to be patient with myself being that golf is a very tedious and complex game. This is something he would continue to tell me throughout each match for the next 3 years. As I stepped up to the tee box, naturally, I was very intimidated looking around seeing my peers. I was the only person of color as well as the only female at the tee box but what I would later learn is it didn’t matter who you are in the game of golf, as long as you bring your A game and keep calm and focused on driving the ball right onto the green! I finished the game in 3rd place and I would go on to get even better as I learned to maintain my peace on the course. As I go to college and through life I have found that life can be a tedious and complex game but that as long as you stay focused on the end goal, it doesn’t matter who you are or even who you are playing against, all that matters is that you keep your focus and tenacity and bring your A game! I will keep the words of my couch as well as my personal experiences with golf with my for the rest of my life. After playing 4 sports in high school, I can say with confidence that golf has had the greatest impact on me and has thought me the most about not just myself but life in general. I intend to keep these ideas close to my heart as I continue my education and on to medical school where I am sure I will be encountering similar experiences.

I picked up my first golf club in the fall of my tenth grade school year not knowing how to play or what I’d learn from this experience. As I prepare to graduate high school in just one week I can truly say that golf has opened my eyes to so many lessons that can take me through college and beyond. Being a young black girl in Baltimore Maryland, I didn’t see anyone who looked like me on the golf course, I felt like I did not belong at the course and it was clear from the stares I got that people like me didn’t frequent this country club. This experience made me extremely hesitant and very nervous. As I practiced for my very first match against one of the best schools in my county my couch continued to tell me to be patient with myself being that golf is a very tedious and complex game. This is something he would continue to tell me throughout each match for the next 3 years. As I stepped up to the tee box, naturally, I was very intimidated looking around seeing my peers. I was the only person of color as well as the only female at the tee box but what I would later learn is it didn’t matter who you are in the game of golf, as long as you bring your A game and keep calm and focused on driving the ball right onto the green! I finished the game in 3rd place and I would go on to get even better as I learned to maintain my peace on the course. As I go to college and through life I have found that life can be a tedious and complex game but that as long as you stay focused on the end goal, it doesn’t matter who you are or even who you are playing against, all that matters is that you keep your focus and tenacity and bring your A game! I will keep the words of my couch as well as my personal experiences with golf with my for the rest of my life. After playing 4 sports in high school, I can say with confidence that golf has had the greatest impact on me and has thought me the most about not just myself but life in general. I intend to keep these ideas close to my heart as I continue my education and on to medical school where I am sure I will be encountering similar experiences.