Could you take a peek into my future with me? I'm a women's health nurse practitioner, one of the 4% of practicing nurse practitioners in the U.S. who are black. It wasn't an easy road to obtaining advanced degrees and being in a field where people like me are underrepresented, but I attended an HBCU that not only trained me well but instilled an unwavering confidence in my identity. I'm not just treating patients, I'm advocating for them and fighting for their right to receive quality, equitable health care. Every day, I see the impact of racial disparities in maternal mortality rates firsthand. I see the fear in the eyes of Black mothers who are worried about their own health and the health of their babies. I hear their stories of being dismissed and disregarded by other healthcare providers and of not being listened to when they express concerns about their symptoms. Every day, I'm inspired to work hard to achieve better outcomes for my patients. That's why a college education is so important to me. The future I envision for myself is not just about earning a degree or getting a well-paying job – it's about gaining the knowledge and skills I need to make a real difference in the lives of others. As a young Black woman, I've seen many examples of systemic inequality in our society, such as access to education, resources, and opportunities. I aim to use my college education to address these inequalities within healthcare, specifically women's health. Studies have shown that black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women, and black infants are over two times more likely to die in their first year of life than white infants. However, these disparities are reduced when black women and babies are treated by black healthcare providers. My college education can literally save lives. The opportunity to address injustice makes me passionate about pursuing a career in nursing. I won’t allow my community to continue suffering the negative outcomes of a broken healthcare system. I am determined to be part of the solution and to lend my voice and skills to the fight for health equity. Nursing’s emphasis on holistic care and patient advocacy will allow me to create meaningful change. There are many ideas for addressing the problem of health disparities, but I am choosing to help my community improve outcomes by providing culturally competent health care, which means understanding and respecting the diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences of patients. Too often, black patients deal with indifference or discrimination in healthcare settings. In a diverse society, cultural competence is necessary to provide quality care. Culturally competent health care for black mothers and babies is best provided by increasing the number of black doctors, nurses, and other staff who are taking care of them. I plan to continue my education and become one of those providers who provide quality medical care to all people but focus on the unique needs of black mothers and babies, listening to their concerns, treating them with respect, and keeping them alive. Pursuing a career in nursing is not just about achieving personal success or an exciting career—it is about using my skills, knowledge, and passion to improve the health and well-being of my community. I want to be an advocate for those who haven’t been treated well by our healthcare system. I want to work towards a future where every person, regardless of their race or social status, has access to high-quality, respectful healthcare that helps them to live healthy lives.

Standing out is inevitable when you’re one of a few in a particular environment. My environment is the world of classical ballet, as one of few dancers of color. I have danced from a young age, and some of my greatest joys have involved dance. There have also been difficult lessons in my dance journey that, while painful at the moment, resulted in personal growth for me and inspiration for others. These lessons included learning to thrive as one of the few dancers who looked like me and encouraging others to do the same. I don’t look like the typical classical ballerina, as a young woman of color with brown skin, tightly coiled hair that doesn’t always conform to a sleek ballet bun, and muscular limbs as opposed to slender ones. These attributes were once a source of timidness, as I felt different from my peers. I hesitated to do anything that would make me stand out more than I already did, like wearing tights and slippers that matched my skin tone or choosing music that aligned with my culture. I feared being different and worried too much about what others would think. Additionally, I felt discouraged and defeated by the numerous instances of discrimination I faced by faculty at my dance studio. Over time, I met and was inspired by older black dancers to be proud of my unique attributes and fully embrace my identity. At that point, I decided that I needed to help those dancers coming behind me by being a role model and providing representation for younger black dancers. The representation I needed years ago that I ultimately used to feel more comfortable in my skin. I started within my dance studio, teaching about black dance history, providing tutorials of ballet buns on tightly coiled hair, and serving in visible leadership roles as a teaching assistant and a dance instructor. I then applied and was selected to be a national ambassador for the non-profit organization Brown Girls Do Ballet, which allowed me to expand my reach of representation and promote racial diversity, body positivity, and inclusion for young dancers throughout the country. My proudest moments are when young dancers approach me after a performance and tell me that I look like them, or that my hair is curly like theirs, or they like my brown tights and pointe shoes. These experiences help me to realize that my resilience over the years is reaping amazing rewards, by inspiring the next generation of black dancers.