Growing up, as I was getting ready for school, Grandma always told me “B.A.B.” Which was our shorthand for “Be a blessing”. Everyday she urged me to find a way to be a blessing to those around me, no matter how big or small the blessing may be. Still as an adult, I try my best to be a blessing. Being a blessing is what pushed me to get into a field that I felt like I could truly help people. I am passionate about giving. If I am able to, I will. Whether it be time or services, there is always a way to help those in need. I have been working in healthcare as certified nursing assistant for the past four years. I have worked in both skilled nursing settings and in hospitals. In both capacities I have encountered some phenomenal nurses. In my opinion, being a nurse means to be able to put yourself aside to ensure the needs of the ones entrusted in your care are taken care of. Being a nurse means being an advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. Being a nurse means being a shoulder for a patient who is alone in a hospital to cry on. Being a nurse means asking the uncomfortable questions that will help a patient in the long run. Being a nurse means adapting. Being a nurse means making the tough calls. Being a nurse means asking for help. Being a nurse means educating and guiding when the opportunity allows. Being a nurse is all these things and more. I joke that I’m a “jack of all trades” but truthfully as a nurse assistant, I feel as though that is accurate. I am surrounded by nurses that possess all those qualities. Being surrounded by such incredible people pushes me to want to strive to possess those qualities as well. I have watched a single nurse be able to redirect and calm down a previously combative patient. I have seen effective encouragement and support for sobriety from nurses towards decades long intravenous drug users. I have seen compassion extended where it felt like there was no compassion to give. Being a nurse means to work with care and attention. Being a nurse means to understand how important what you do is. Being a nurse means working with love. Being a nurse is not easy work but it is important and crucial work.

Addiction is a scary disease. It’s all consuming. It affects everyone involved, the individual suffering from the addiction, and the loved ones suffering from the addict. Whiskey, wine or a 40, rain or shine, he was drinking. I never got to know my father for the man he truly was until it felt too late. The damage had been done. My first solid memory was staying with my dad for the summer. I was so excited to see my siblings and my cousins who I’d gone months without seeing. It was summer time in Sonoma County, of course the sun is beating down on us. I ran inside my dad’s home to get a drink of water. “Water’s shut off, have some of this.” My father handed me his “tallboy”. I was appalled by the taste but ridiculously thirsty. I choked back each gulp and went back outside. As the years passed, I stopped going to see my dad as often. He was always so angry. I didn’t enjoy being around him. I finally got the chance to live with him as a preteen. Little did I know the world I would be exposed to. I never knew what it looked like to have someone choose alcohol over preparing an adequate meal. I never knew that alcohol could transform someone I idolized as a child into a raging and belligerent monster. During his lucid and sober moments he never failed to push me to do well in school and encourage me to participate in extracurriculars. But during his drunk moments I’d never been hurt emotionally and physically like I had. That was life living with an addict. I was eventually able to make my exit and moved back in with my mother. It wasn’t until years later I learned that my father was sick. He was a victim to his past and let his vices get the best of him. I briefly remember times of him attempting to put the bottle down, swearing he would do better, but falling back into the same routine. Except he was only now physically harming himself. Through the years, myself and my siblings have encouraged him to get help, more than we could provide, and he finally did. On his journey through sobriety I have seen the changes occur that I never thought possible. I have been able to truly meet my father and learn about the man, and the family, I came from. Seeing his struggle has encouraged me to learn about addiction and what it can do to the brain and the body. This has pushed me to pursue a career in nursing and be able to help those who can’t help themselves just yet. Substance abuse is not easy to battle, but even harder solo. I plan to help as many people as I can, not have to battle it alone.

Be a blessing Representation matters. In the workforce, in your doctors’ office, in schools, on billboards, representation matters in all capacities. Growing up, as I was getting ready for school, Grandma always told me “B.A.B.” Which was our shorthand for “Be a blessing”. Everyday she urged me to find a way to be a blessing to those around me, no matter how big or small the blessing may be. I grew up in a predominantly Caucasian community in Boise, Idaho. I never had a black teacher or doctor, or even a nurse until I relocated to Florida with my family. I didn’t feel like I would fit into any of these fields, my whole life I stuck out like a sore thumb. I never wanted to pursue a career that I would continue to do. Pursuing a career in health sciences, I wasn’t quite sure what scope I wanted to focus on. All of my work experience had been in customer service and in-home caregiving, who did I think I was pursuing a career in nursing? When I was working as a CNA on a contract I worked with some phenomenal travel nurses on a Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. This was my first time being surrounded by black nurses. I absorbed information like a sponge. The knowledge they held and blessed me with in my short time there made me want to, in turn, be the same inspiration for others doubting themselves. I now live in Volusia County. Volusia County is an extremely medically underserved community in Florida. I have been a certified nurse assistant for about 4 years now and work on a neuroscience unit. The brain is a fascinating organ. So delicate and intricate, yet so powerful. I have learned a plethora about strokes and traumatic brain injuries, and seen the miracles performed in our hospital. Working in neuroscience has given me the drive and opportunity to strive to be a blessing for those I interact with. And in turn, the nurses I work with, all coming from different walks of life, have continued to encourage me to further my career in the medical field and to B.A.B. As a nurse, I look forward to being able to encourage the youth around me to push towards their goals, regardless of how scary or out of place it may feel. I look forward to being able to continue to contribute to the community of healthcare professionals working tirelessly to provide care for our locals. We all deserve access to representation and adequate care.

Be a blessing Representation matters. In the workforce, in your doctors’ office, in schools, on billboards, representation matters in all capacities. Growing up, as I was getting ready for school, Grandma always told me “B.A.B.” Which was our shorthand for “Be a blessing”. Everyday she urged me to find a way to be a blessing to those around me, no matter how big or small the blessing may be. I grew up in a predominantly Caucasian community in Boise, Idaho. I never had a black teacher or doctor, or even a nurse until I relocated to Florida with my family. I didn’t feel like I would fit into any of these fields, my whole life I stuck out like a sore thumb. I never wanted to pursue a career that I would continue to do. Pursuing a career in health sciences, I wasn’t quite sure what scope I wanted to focus on. All of my work experience had been in customer service and in-home caregiving, who did I think I was pursuing a career in nursing? When I was working as a CNA on a contract I worked with some phenomenal travel nurses on a Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. This was my first time being surrounded by black nurses. I absorbed information like a sponge. The knowledge they held and blessed me with in my short time there made me want to, in turn, be the same inspiration for others doubting themselves. I now live in Volusia County. Volusia County is an extremely medically underserved community in Florida. I have been a certified nurse assistant for about 4 years now and work on a neuroscience unit. The brain is a fascinating organ. So delicate and intricate, yet so powerful. I have learned a plethora about strokes and traumatic brain injuries, and seen the miracles performed in our hospital. Working in neuroscience has given me the drive and opportunity to strive to be a blessing for those I interact with. And in turn, the nurses I work with, all coming from different walks of life, have continued to encourage me to further my career in the medical field and to B.A.B. As a nurse, I look forward to being able to encourage the youth around me to push towards their goals, regardless of how scary or out of place it may feel. I look forward to being able to continue to contribute to the community of healthcare professionals working tirelessly to provide care for our locals. We all deserve access to representation and adequate care.

“BAB” That’s what my grandma would tell me every morning before I left for school. BAB is short for Be A Blessing. Her intent was to encourage me to try and bring a smile to someone’s face at least once a day, because you never truly know what someone else is going through. From a young age I have strived to live up to that acronym. When I graduated high school I wasn’t sure how to achieve that. How can I be a blessing? I have always had a passion for helping people. From volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club to helping out at our local soup kitchen, I love helping others. One of the biggest rewards is putting a smile on someone’s face. I was blessed with the opportunity to enter into healthcare first by being a direct support professional, then becoming a caregiver and later on a certified nurse assistant. I feel that my compassion and eagerness to learn go hand in hand with me wanting to further my nursing career. I absolutely love being a certified nurse assistant. I moved across the country to be closer to family and currently work on the neuroscience floor of our local hospital. I was never quite sure what scope of nursing I wanted to work under until experienced neuroscience. Being able to watch the monumental changes for the better a majority of our patients experience is a privilege. Seeing the good and the bad has pushed me to focus on neuroscience when the time comes. As time passes I am getting closer to beginning my nursing program and I am thrilled to further my career and in turn, hopefully, I am able to continue to be a blessing. I am currently just two weeks shy of beginning the remaining two prerequisites I need for my local Licensed Practical Nurse program. Once I graduate that I plan to bridge to RN, then bridge to BSN and then eventually work towards my Masters. I am surrounded by so many motivational nurses who have conducted similar career journeys themselves. I know it won’t be easy but I am most certainly up for the challenge. Although there are plenty of difficult aspects of nursing, healthcare in general, I truly believe that there is so much good that can be done that it outshines the “negative” aspects that we may experience. I am excited for the new opportunities to come.

“BAB” That’s what my grandma would tell me every morning before I left for school. BAB is short for Be A Blessing. Her intent was to encourage me to try and bring a smile to someone’s face at least once a day, because you never truly know what someone else is going through. From a young age I have strived to live up to that acronym. When I graduated high school I wasn’t sure how to achieve that. How can I be a blessing? I have always had a passion for helping people. From volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club to helping out at our local soup kitchen, I love helping others. One of the biggest rewards is putting a smile on someone’s face. I was blessed with the opportunity to enter into healthcare first by being a direct support professional, then becoming a caregiver and later on a certified nurse assistant. I feel that my compassion and eagerness to learn go hand in hand with me wanting to further my nursing career. I absolutely love being a certified nurse assistant. I moved across the country to be closer to family and currently work on the neuroscience floor of our local hospital. I was never quite sure what scope of nursing I wanted to work under until experienced neuroscience. Being able to watch the monumental changes for the better a majority of our patients experience is a privilege. Seeing the good and the bad has pushed me to focus on neuroscience when the time comes. As time passes I am getting closer to beginning my nursing program and I am thrilled to further my career and in turn, hopefully, I am able to continue to be a blessing. I am currently just two weeks shy of beginning the remaining two prerequisites I need for my local Licensed Practical Nurse program. Once I graduate that I plan to bridge to RN, then bridge to BSN and then eventually work towards my Masters. I am surrounded by so many motivational nurses who have conducted similar career journeys themselves. I know it won’t be easy but I am most certainly up for the challenge. Although there are plenty of difficult aspects of nursing, healthcare in general, I truly believe that there is so much good that can be done that it outshines the “negative” aspects that we may experience. I am excited for the new opportunities to come.