From a young age, I have found adversary as a blessing rather than a curse. At the age of 8 years old, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness and at the age of 18, I was diagnosed with another major chronic illness. These diagnoses were very life-changing, yet they molded me into the person I am today. Being raised by my single mother who worked as a receptionist, I was exposed to the inequities of accessibility to therapy options often due to costs. Several instances occurred where the pharmacies were reluctant to provide my insulin if my insurance decided not to cover the costs. Uninsured insulin can cost approximately $1500/month which adds up as persons with diabetes need this drug 24/7/365. Therefore, through my K-12 years and beyond, I began my disabilities advocacy journey. Through this journey, I have worked with key stakeholders in the diabetes/disabilities community such as the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Link, etc. In 2021, I was appointed by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper to the North Carolina Statewide Independent Living Council (NC SILC). NC SILC allows persons with a disability in NC to live independently with directions to the right resources. Many inquire why I remain busy and decide to focus on the portion of my life that affects my health daily. Activity is the superpower that allows me to overcome the obstacles my disability holds. It is my opportunity to remember I am not alone and that I need to continue to speak for the voices who remain unheard. I vividly remember instances when my classmates would be disgusted by my insulin injections or boldly tell me I wouldn't live past 25. I remember the stares and ignorant questions my peers and I would receive just for wearing life-saving devices attached to our bodies. Mostly, I remember the stigma that persons with disabilities were outcasts and that we couldn't do the same things healthy people could enjoy. With these memories and feelings, I set out to fight the stigma and create a new voice image of the disability community that the public would not only hear but listen to and watch. As an undergraduate student, I set the pace by majoring in Clinical Research to focus on type 1 diabetes management and the college patient's transition. While completing my studies, I was also very active on campus by serving as Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc Pi Nu chapter president for 2 years, co-founding Dubs 4 Diabetes: A Chapter of the College Diabetes Network, co-founding UNCW's award-winning spoken word and poetry troupe Rhyme N Reason, amongst many other involvements. As a graduate student, I continued to embark on diabetes research and majored in Clinical Research and Product Development. I will present my capstone board to NC legislatures at the end of May to represent UNCW and higher education. While a graduate student, I served as the inaugural chartering president of the Theta Epsilon chapter of Delta Alpha Pi, an honor society for high-achieving students with disabilities while serving as Secretary of NC SILC. I aspired to expose my students to the world of disability support, advocacy and rights at all levels. Currently, I aspire to attain my Doctor of Health Science degree from Campbell University to focus on rural health and increasing diversity, equity and inclusion of clinical research trials, especially for lesser-known disabilities. I then aspire to work at an agency such as the National Institute of Health to increase visibility at a larger scale while part-time educating underrepresented students on research and their impact on therapy change for disabilities.

As an African American female raised by a working poor single mother, I never thought STEAM would be for me. I've always loved art but STEM was not my strong suit as I have been reminded by my instructors multiple times. However, if not for my mother and advisor who encouraged me to keep going and look into the field of research, I may never have found my major of clinical research. Clinicall researchers are the catalyst for drug and product development for consumers. As a person who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis at a young age, my curiosity spiked as I inquired about drug development timelines and adverse reactions. As a high school student, I attended Isaac Bear Early College High School which allowed me to complete ninth and tenth grade as a high school freshman, eleventh and twelfth grade as a high school sophomore and enroll as a college freshman full time as a high school junior at the age of 16. When I graduated high school, I accumulated enough credits to be considered a college sophomore at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. This allowed me to complete my bachelor's degree at the age of 20 and my masters at the age of 23. In addition to graduating with an abundance of credits, I noticed that I was only 1 of 4 African Americans out of 55 total students to graduate and the only African American to graduate with honors. With this realization, I have made it a mission to recruit and educate students of color interested in STEM at an early age. I feel that I can impact the world by amplifying the voice of the unheard and promoting education. I want my community to understand the great strides and impacts they have on the future of drug research if they would participate. Historically the female and BIPOC communities have been underrepresented in clinical trials due to years of oppression and mistrust. However, if we not only increase patient awareness but also increase study investigator representation, we will be able to recruit more patients as research has shown trust increases for patients who have providers they can relate to. Therefore, I want to ensure the incoming generation of researchers is not only able to conduct research but to connect with patients and the community. In addition to education, I aspire to obtain my Doctor of Health Science and work in the policy realm to lower diabetes therapy prices and promote patient advocacy in clinical trials.

From a young age, I have found adversary as a blessing rather than a curse. At the age of 8 years old, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and at the age of 18, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. These diagnoses were very life-changing, yet they molded me into the person I am today. Being raised by my single mother who worked as a receptionist, I was exposed to the inequities of accessibility to therapy options often due to costs. Several instances occurred where the pharmacies were reluctant to provide my insulin if my insurance decided not to cover the costs. Uninsured insulin can cost approximately $1500/month which adds up as persons with diabetes need this drug 24/7/365. Therefore, through my K-12 years and beyond, I began my diabetes and disabilities journey. Through this journey, I have worked with key stakeholders in the diabetes/disabilities community such as the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Link, etc. In 2021, I was appointed by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper to the North Carolina Statewide Independent Living a (NC SILC). NC SILC allows persons with a disability in NC to live independently with directions to the right resources. Many inquire why I remain busy and decide to focus on the portion of my life that affects my health daily. Activity is the superpower that allows me to overcome the obstacles my disability holds. It is my opportunity to remember I am not alone and that I need to continue to speak for the voices who remain unheard. I vividly remember instances when my classmates would be disgusted by my insulin injections or boldly tell me I wouldn't live past 25. I remember the stares and ignorant questions my peers and I would receive just for wearing life-saving devices attached to our bodies. Mostly, I remember the stigma that persons with disabilities and diabetes were outcasts and that we couldn't do the same things healthy people could enjoy. With these memories and feelings, I set out to fight the stigma and create a new voice image of the disability community that the public would not only hear but listen to and watch. As an undergraduate student, I set the pace by majoring in Clinical Research to focus on type 1 diabetes management and the college patient's transition. While completing my studies, I was also very active on campus by serving as Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc Pi Nu chapter president for 2 years, co-founding Dubs 4 Diabetes: A Chapter of the College Diabetes Network, co-founding UNCW's award-winning spoken word and poetry troupe Rhyme N Reason, amongst many other involvements. As a graduate student, I continued to embark on diabetes research and majored in Clinical Research and Product Development. I will present my capstone board to NC legislatures at the end of May to represent UNCW and higher education. While a graduate student, I served as the inaugural chartering president of the Theta Epsilon chapter of Delta Alpha Pi, an honor society for high-achieving students with disabilities while serving as Secretary of NC SILC. I aspired to expose my students to the world of disability support, advocacy and rights at all levels. Currently, I aspire to attain my Doctor of Health Science degree from Campbell University to focus on rural health and increasing diversity, equity and inclusion of clinical research trials, especially for lesser-known disabilities. I then aspire to work at an agency such as the National Institute of Health to increase visibility at a larger scale while part-time educating underrepresented students on research and their impact on therapy change for disabilities.

My future self is a strong, dedicated Christian who demonstrates advocacy for the diabetes and disabilities communities through research, arts and policy.