I have always possessed a strong desire to help people. During my junior year in high school, I wanted to be a healthcare physician. The desire to help people became stronger when I discovered the passing of my caretaker one year before I graduated high school in 2014. My caretaker had a stroke and went into a coma. I am familiar that most stroke victims lose function on one of their bodies. I was determined to help her gain the strength she needed when she awoke, but she never did. After her passing, a beautiful baby boy was born three months away from my graduation ceremony. I had the options of either sitting out for a year and graduating high school the following year or sitting out for a week and finishing high school in a few months. I attended Louisiana Tech University in 2015 after my son turned one year old. My major was chemistry, but I soon changed it to Kinesiology with a concentration in Sports medicine. During my time at the university, I took a hands-on approach to this career by volunteering to be a student athletic trainer for the Bulldogs football team. I later transferred to Grambling State University, where I graduated with the same degree. I volunteered at the Green Clinic- Outpatient Physical Therapy Center, witnessing physical therapists and assistants apply modalities, range of motion techniques, and evaluation on new clients. I observed the therapists and assisted clients with their exercises listed on the flow sheet for over 100+ hours. After gaining much-needed knowledge, I pursued an internship with Willis Knighton Heath and Fitness Center in Shreveport, LA 2020. I was hired three months later as an Exercise Specialist full-time. I also landed a job as a physical therapist technician to train under a physical therapist and a physical therapist assistant. I attend to pursue a career as a physical therapist assistant and work my way up the ladder to be a physical therapist. Timing is everything. The cost for physical therapy school is expensive and lengthy. While saving for this program, I plan to enroll in an Associate Degree Program for physical therapy assistant at Bossier Parish Community College. I will use this career path to gain additional knowledge in the healthcare field while training under a physical therapist. The assistant position increases my salary twice as much. With a better job opportunity, I will assist in paying for my education and my son's education in the future. Gaining further education will only improve my current situation in life. Having the opportunity to learn from highly intellectual individuals and passing that information on to my son is an honor. My main career end goal is to become a Doctor of physical therapy. My main life goal is to take care of my son and his future to come.

Self-care or self-love is a necessary quality a person should carry within themselves. Many brilliant people designed a plethora of programs and plans dedicated to finding a self-care routine. I practice self-care in more than one way. One way I practice self-care is by listening to and saying affirmations. I am learning to incorporate affirmations into my morning routines before work to boost my mental and physical state of mind. As I repeat the phrases, I also focus on controlling my breathing rate. Breathing in a controlled manner helps me to gain control over my thoughts and my surroundings. Another practice I like to do at home is light scented candles, refill my diffuser with essential oils, and play my favorite tunes on my surround sound speaker. I always set the tone for my day, whether I want to clean my space, cook a meal, or read a novel. I have a positive impact by practicing this self-care routine. It brings peace and tranquility to my daily life. Everyone can feel my calm and nurturing spirit who is constantly around me.

Most friendships begin in the childhood stage. Children find friends simply by interacting with one another in the classrooms or the playground. As we mature, we tend to gravitate towards people who share similar qualities we enjoy. A friendship is like gaining an entirely new persona into the family. We encounter a plethora of individuals daily and eventually converse with a few. Out of those few people we meet, bonds form. As time goes on, bonds and connections begin to grow into something beautiful. These bonds are similar to chemical bonds. We know two or more atoms draw near one another to achieve a result, a chemical bond. But to do so, the atoms have to either sacrifice an electron or share electrons to coexist. Any friendship or relationship requires a give and take action to work. Humans are creatures of habit and will gravitate to people with similar characteristics. Some friendships are inseparable, like sibling bonds; while others come and go throughout life, true friends stay for a lifetime.

"She was unstoppable, not because she did not have failure or doubts, but because she continued despite them." A self-taught author named Beau Taplin beautifully wrote this quote of inspiration. I resonate with his words because I come from a low social class that struggled to get everything I had. I learned from my grandmother what a hardworking, resilient, confident, intelligent, supportive, honest, and kindhearted woman embodied. I grew up without my biological father, but a higher power placed male role models in my path to guide me through the world. Many thought I would fail when I didn't have my parents to raise and care for me. I was set up for failure when I attended a grade c public school. I was set up for failure when I had a child right before I was supposed to graduate. But out of all of those odds, I overcame all of my obstacles. My grandmother and father raised me to be a loving and caring individual. She is the reason for my degree choice and why I chose to help others. Making myself aware of the social struggles that are happening in underrepresented communities stands strongest in my priorities. I am resilient because I am emotionally aware of others to a point where I can connect with them on their level. I love seeing individuals healed from their disparities and pains. I plan to use my doctorate in physical therapy to open a nonprofit outpatient clinic first in my hometown, Homer, Louisiana. After the success of my first clinic, I will open other clinics in nearby towns that do not have adequate access to healthcare and therapy. I strive to provide the things my community needs. Many adults in today's society need reliable daycare centers. Everyone does not have access to affordable daycare. I will take the time to include a daycare area within my clinics to assist the patients and parents with their young children and relieve them of worry. Many children will have the opportunity to learn and play educational games while the patient is treated. I believe we as people were placed on this world to provide a service to one another. It makes the world a better place to live.

Have you ever had a dream that felt so real but when you woke, you could still feel it? I have had dreams of the sorts plenty of times. Most times, I try my best to relive that dream by making it into a reality. For example, my main goal in life is to become a Physical Therapist. I am pursuing the dream by observing physical therapists in different clinical settings. I am currently a pt tech in a physical therapy clinic. I plan to gain as much knowledge and guidance as possible before attending PT school. My dream life would look something similar to my exposure from observing PT clinics but with a little skin. In my dream life, I see myself earning a Ph. D in physical therapy from the University of Texas Medical branch at Galveston. Once graduate and gather the proper funding for a building, I will opening an outpatient clinic for physical therapy and occupational therapy. My practice will be nonprofit to provide a public service to the less fortunate individuals. My dream clinic will have two floors which entails a floor for physical therapy and a floor for occupational therapy. I plan to have at least two PT doctors and two OT doctors to operate the floors as well as one PTA and one OTA for the doctors. If more people are needed, I will allow PT tech individuals and/or students to gain skills and experience for their further education. I love to help individuals grow and gain knowledge in the process. The best way for a client or patient to learn information is to teach them and test their understanding. I have big dreams and hopes for my future. One day my dream life will become my reality.