I am a first-generation Jamaican American student who has always has high hopes for her future. Growing up, education has always been a priority in my family. To ensure that my siblings and I had the best my mother worked tirelessly to send us to the best schools. At these schools, many times I found myself being the only black girl in the room or sometimes even the only black student. My extensive course load and extracurricular involvement was "shocking" to some of my white counterparts- teachers included and many of them vocalized their microaggressions. Initially, I was extremely discouraged because I became aware at a young age that I would have to work 10x harder as a black woman for just the slightest bit of respect. These experiences have shaped me and motivated me to be the best version of myself at all times. My mentor told me that I need to learn to be okay with being the only person in the room- the only person of color, the only person with my experiences, and the only person giving my people a voice. She challenged me to use what made me different to give myself credibility to advocate for those who look like me. My work ethic has allowed me to excel in my collegiate course work which has resulted in a 3.8 GPA as well as a year early graduation date. I have had to support myself my whole academic career but still managed not to fall behind in my coursework but at times it is overwhelming. I believe that my time at FIU has introduced me to my passion- advocating for others. The passion and the determination instilled in me come from watching my mother and her mother before her fight for a better life full of opportunities, a life full of hope in this foreign land. Because of their sacrifices and the strength to come to this land with nothing, I will be a college graduate, business owner, and medical professional at only 20 years old. I am majoring in Health Services Administration which would give me an outlet to not only voice my concerns but to also work to mend this epidemic. This can be accomplished by raising awareness and working to educate the uninformed. Representation is important as it allows us to help prevent the making of insensitive choices when important conversations regarding patient care are being had. Majoring in health services administration allows me to protect patients in the administrative aspect and will allow me to work for policy change to improve the overall treatment of underrepresented patients and supply them with the infrastructure of an advanced medical institution. I major in Health Management and Policy to fulfill my dreams for the future because I want hospitals to be a safe for people of all ethnicities, all races, and all genders. This will allow me to work for policy changes and the overall treatment of underrepresented patients. After hearing the alarming rates of deaths of black women after simple procedures and child labor I needed to find a way to do something. In addition to fighting for equality in inpatient care, I can work to diversify the healthcare business. There are too many instances where avoidable issues spiral out of control because there is no one of color to speak up and educate the majority. As a black woman who hopes to one day have a family, I want to do everything I can so that people like me feel safe while receiving health care.

I am a first generation Jamaican American student who has always has high hopes for her future. Many times I found myself to be the only black girl in the room or sometimes even the only black student. These experiences have shaped me and motivated me to be the best version of myself at all times. According to Harvard Public Health, Black women are 3 to 4 more times likely to die during or after childbirth due to negligence or avoidable complications. As a black woman living in an age of technology, it has become very apparent that we are often ignored and dismissed when asking for help. These issues have been heavy on my heart so I had to find a way to make a difference. Upon doing my research I found the major Health Services Administration which would give me an outlet to not only voice my concerns but to also work to mend this epidemic. This can be accomplished by raising awareness and working to educate the uninformed. Representation is important as it allows us to help prevent the making of insensitive choices when important conversations regarding patient care are being had. Majoring in health services administration allows me to protect patients in the administrative aspect and will allow me to work for policy change to improve the overall treatment of underrepresented patients and supply them with the infrastructure of an advanced medical institution. I am majoring in Health Services Administration to fulfill my dreams for the future because I want hospitals to be a safe place for people of all ethnicities, all races, and all genders. This will allow me to work for policy changes and the overall treatment of underrepresented patients. After hearing the alarming rates of deaths of black women after simple procedures and child labor I needed to find a way to do something. In addition to fighting for equality in inpatient care, I can work to diversify the healthcare business. By getting a seat at the table I can help to give others a voice. After all, there are too many instances where avoidable issues spiral out of control because there is no one of color to speak up and educate the majority. As a black woman who hopes to one day have a family, I want to do everything I can so that people like me feel safe when going to seek any form of health care.

According to Harvard Public Health, Black women are 3 to 4 more times likely to die during or after childbirth due to negligence or avoidable complications. As a black woman living in an age of technology, it has become very apparent that we are often ignored and dismissed when asking for help. These issues have been heavy on my heart so I had to find a way to try to make a difference. Upon doing my research I found the major Health Services Administration which would give me an outlet to not only voice my concerns but to also work to mend this epidemic. This can be accomplished by raising awareness and working to educate the uninformed. Representation is important as it allows us to help prevent the making of insensitive choices when important conversations regarding patient care are being had. Majoring in health services administration allows me to protect patients in the administrative aspect and will allow me to work for policy change to improve the overall treatment of underrepresented patients and supply them with the infrastructure of an advanced medical institution. I major in Health Management and Policy to fulfill my dreams for the future because I want hospitals to be safe places for people of all ethnicities, all races, and all genders. This will allow me to work for policy changes and the overall treatment of underrepresented patients. After hearing the alarming rates of deaths of black women after simple procedures and child labor I needed to find a way to do something. In addition to fighting for equality in inpatient care, I can work to diversify the healthcare business. By getting a seat at the table I can help to give others a voice. After all, there are too many instances where avoidable issues spiral out of control because there is no one of color to speak up and educate the majority. As a black woman who hopes to one day have a family, I want to do everything I can so that people like me feel safe when going to seek any type of health care. With this scholarship, I can not only work to make my family proud but also work to make a positive impact on my community. Earning this scholarship will help alleviate some of my tuition-related expenses to help me complete the final year of my bachelor's degree in Health Services Administration.