Being a black woman in America is an ongoing struggle within the healthcare system. Time after time, black women are often overlooked, degraded, failed, and looked down upon in many areas. However, healthcare should be the one area in which skin color is only a factor when determining the root of the physiological or psychological problem. In contrast, this is not the case in America, let alone in the state of Georgia. Black women are at an increased risk for cardiovascular problems, lupus, cervical cancer, etc. Women in my family have also been overlooked by a multitude of healthcare professionals, ultimately causing them to start from the beginning, even though their health should be the top priority. Healthcare workers are often hesitant to listen to the requests of patients, such as getting extra tests or blood work, even if the patient raises great concern for their health. Therefore, when black women go to seek help it is often too late, or the disease has already progressed far more than what is hoped, leading to a majority of healthcare professionals not giving the best possible treatment. I envision leveraging my BSN degree to help black women in the face of systemic challenges and disparities. I plan to do so by continuing my education in the hopes of becoming a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner. I hope to implement care in local women's health care clinics while being an advocate no matter the advancement in condition. My plan is to be an advocate by taking the extra step for my patients and making the difficult decisions that other healthcare professionals may be hesitant to make. With me being a young black woman, I understand firsthand the systemic and racial disparities that are constantly being handed to black women. I have a deep passion that lives within me to provide the best possible care to anyone who seeks my help. The ongoing fight for social justice and equity will be one that I will continue to take a stand in, more so by being a part of the healthcare community. To elaborate more on my plan to partake in the fight, I plan to build and create my own women's health care clinic where I live in Georgia. Doing so will aid in establishing trust and rapport with any woman who enters my clinic. Most importantly, it will ensure a sense of comfort with other black women or women of color who seek my care because it will allow them to see that I understand their struggle. Furthermore, I understand the racial issues, microaggressions, and degrading nature of humans against black women trying to seek care. Health care is something that should be a basic human right no matter who has fallen ill. Therefore, it is inhumane for an individual to give someone less than what is in their scope of practice based on skin color and gender. To conclude, it would be a great honor and appreciation to receive the generosity of the Michele L. Durant Scholarship. Being granted the funds will aid in furthering not only my education but also in making a change in women's health care among black women. I deeply desire to be the change for my sisters, so they can grow up in a healthcare system that will not fail them.

I am a young, hopeful, and determined young woman aspiring for change within my healthcare community. This August will make my third semester in nursing school where I will then graduate with a BSN degree the following spring. I then plan on obtaining an MSN degree to become a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner so I can be the advocate that black women in my community need. I believe that I should be selected for the Mark Green Memorial Scholarship because I will be the change that black women particularly need. Black women are at an increased risk for cardiovascular problems, lupus, gynecological issues, etc. However, when these women go to seek care, they are often undermined or seen as blowing their health out of proportion. This leads to black women having shorter life expectancies or it causes them to stop seeking care because no one will advocate for them. Therefore, I plan to make a positive impact in my community by having my own Women's Health Care Clinic while establishing trust with those who enter for my care. Establishing trust and letting my patients know that I will go the extra mile, will allow me to give the best care possible. No matter how small the concern may be, I plan to always take the matter seriously and put my patients first. Women in my family have been overlooked by those in healthcare leading them with little to no answers. With the matter of them being black, most signs and symptoms that appear often differentiate from women who are not of color. Therefore, because I have seen firsthand what it looks like to be overlooked, I know that I can begin to break the cycle in the healthcare system. Healthcare professionals are often hesitant to make difficult decisions and truly advocate for their patients. While it can be understood in certain circumstances, in those situations, I would explain everything step by step to my patient and let her know every option or outcome possible. To take the matter further, I plan to let my patients know that when entering my care, I will not judge them on the decisions that are made, no matter how I may feel. This is because it will always be about the patient and never about how I feel. It would be an honor to receive the Mark Green Memorial Scholarship. The first step in creating change is for me to be the change I want to see. Receiving the scholarship will allow me to continue my education and take the first step toward making a difference.

Being a black woman in America is an ongoing struggle within the healthcare system. Time after time, black women are often overlooked, degraded, failed, and looked down upon in many areas. However, healthcare should be the one area in which skin color is only a factor when determining the root of the physiological or psychological problem. In contrast, this is not the case in America, let alone in the state of Georgia. Black women are at an increased risk for cardiovascular problems, lupus, cervical cancer, etc. Women in my family have also been overlooked by a multitude of healthcare professionals, ultimately causing them to start from the beginning, even though their health should be the top priority. Healthcare workers are often hesitant to listen to the requests of patients, such as getting extra tests or blood work, even if the patient raises great concern for their health. Therefore, when black women go to seek help it is often too late, or the disease has already progressed far more than what is hoped, leading to a majority of healthcare professionals not giving the best possible treatment. I envision leveraging my BSN degree to help black women in the face of systemic challenges and disparities. I plan to do so by continuing my education in the hopes of becoming a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner. I hope to implement care in local women's health care clinics while being an advocate no matter the advancement in condition. My plan is to be an advocate by taking the extra step for my patients and making the difficult decisions that other healthcare professionals may be hesitant to make. With me being a young black woman, I understand firsthand the systemic and racial disparities that are constantly being handed to black women. I have a deep passion that lives within me to provide the best possible care to anyone who seeks my help. The ongoing fight for social justice and equity will be one that I will continue to take a stand in, more so by being a part of the healthcare community. To elaborate more on my plan to partake in the fight, I plan to build and create my own women's health care clinic where I live in Georgia. Doing so will aid in establishing trust and rapport with any woman who enters my clinic. Most importantly, it will ensure a sense of comfort with other black women or women of color who seek my care, because it allows them to see that I understand their struggle. Furthermore, I understand the racial issues, microaggressions, and degrading nature of humans against black women trying to seek care. Health care is something that should be a basic human right no matter who has fallen ill. Therefore, it is inhumane for an individual to give someone less than what is in their scope of practice based on skin color and gender. To conclude, it would be a great honor and appreciation to receive the generosity of the Rosa A. Wilson Scholarship. Being granted the funds will aid in furthering not only my education but also in making a change in women's health care among black women. I deeply desire to be the change for my sisters, so they can grow up in a healthcare system that will not fail them.

I have a striking passion to pursue women's health to instill a positive change within my career choice and the world. My mother having her premature labor inspired me to pursue taking on nursing because I know I can be the safe place for my patient when she is enduring a worrisome time, whether it be with her pregnancy, aftercare, or a general check-up. I will be the change that women's healthcare needs moving forward because my inspiration stems from a special place. If my sisters decide to have children in the future I know I can be one of the people they count on whether it be a major or minor concern, because I know how the health care field can be to women at times. I plan to make a positive impact on the world through nursing by being the person my patients can count on no matter the circumstance. My aspirations will substantially assist me in doing so because I am an extremely hard-working and motivated student. I aspire to be the change the healthcare field needs so women across the world will not feel as though their options are limited and that I am on their side. My goals for my area of nursing are to first obtain my Bachelor's degree for my career, and then to start working in either a women's clinic or a hospital. After my career is instilled, my main goal to send the message to women, whether they are with child, or not is that their body is in their hands. No one else has the obligation nor the right to take control of their body or tell them what they need to do with their body. I have a strong hope that my passion and loving spirit will allow my patients to open up to me and allow me to give them options regardless if those options are looked down upon. At the end of the day, it is about the woman and what is best for her. Pursuing this further, one of the main goals that I am firmly ardent about is taking a step towards changing the abortion laws in my state. If that goes well, then I will take it a step further and attempt to change abortion laws in multiple states. It will be my responsibility that my patients leave in the healthiest conditions after being in my care, even if that means terminating the pregnancy. Women are often looked down upon when considering abortion, and while I know that I can not change the outlook people have on pregnancy termination, I know that I can do what is best for my patient. With my strong determined mindset, I feel in my heart that I can help change the face of medicine regarding women's health. So many young women are in horrifying predicaments because they do not have the support, nor the options to receive what they need. I will be their support system, and advocate for women across the world.

Suffering from depression is one of the most difficult challenges I have faced in my life. For four years I kept my overwhelming thoughts of suicide to myself in worry that I would be burdening my parents. My despair seemed to be never-ending resulting in my self-harming. Doing this, created a way for me to release my emotions because it was a quick solution to my internal pain. The depression formed a thought process in my mind where I truly believed that I was worthless and a waste of space. My everyday life was affected making it complicated for me to focus on school, and it also made me more sensitive to conflict. For example, when I was faced with a minor disagreement with my friends or family, afterward I felt a strong sadness believing that it was all my fault. It got to the point where I felt like if I were to end my life then it would make their everyone's life easier. Self- harming was a secret I kept to myself alongside with my suicidal ideation. I would inflict pain on myself through the use of cutting my arms with a sharp object, then covering them with large bandaids. On the night of October 29th, 2020 my siblings and I spent the night at my grandmother's house and she asked if I could help her in the kitchen to take out the trash. Before coming to her house I slit my left arm, causing long red cuts to appear up and down my arm however, I did not cover them. My grandmother saw the cuts and in a horrified state, she called my mother who later helped me enter therapy. Starting therapy was one of the best decisions I could have ever made, because of how much it helped me learn about myself. My therapist at the time helped me understand that even though I have depression, I manage it and I manage it well. The illness itself helped me learn that I am not my thoughts and that I am in control of my thinking. I have a mood disorder but I am not the disorder, nor does it define who I am. As far as school goes, I am much more focused and driven than I have ever been because I know that I have people in my life that love me unconditionally and that I can do whatever I put my mind to. My education is my main priority in my life, and even though I have depression, it is now under control and I can finally love who I am and be the best version of myself.

The nursing field is one that heavily involves using STEM because, without it, it will be near impossible to figure out what medicine the patient needs. My mother having her premature labor inspired me to pursue this degree because I know I can be the safe place for my patient when she is enduring a worrisome time, whether it be with her pregnancy, aftercare, or a general check-up. I will be the change that women's healthcare needs moving forward because my inspiration stems from a special place. If my sisters decide to have children in the future I know I can be one of the people they count on whether it be a major or minor concern, because I know how the health care field can be to women at times. I am a loving and compassionate person, with a love for problem-solving and for what STEM has to offer. My goals for my area of nursing are to first obtain my Bachelor's degree for my career, and then to start working in either a women's clinic or a hospital. After my career is instilled, my main goal to send the message to women, whether they are with child, or not is that their body is in their hands. No one else has the obligation nor the right to take control of their body or tell them what they need to do with their body. I have a strong hope that my desire for using STEM will create a positive change in the nursing field, to provide more patient solutions using science and math. At the end of the day, it is about the woman and what is best for her. Pursuing this further, one of the main goals that I am firmly ardent about is taking a step towards changing the abortion laws in my state. If that goes well, then I will take it a step further and attempt to change abortion laws in multiple states. It will be my responsibility that my patients leave in the healthiest conditions after being in my care, even if that means terminating the pregnancy. Women are often looked down upon when considering abortion, and while I know that I can not change the outlook people have on pregnancy termination, I know that I can do what is best for my patient. With my strong determined mindset, I feel in my heart that I can help change the face of medicine regarding women's health. So many young women are in horrifying predicaments because they do not have the support, nor the options to receive what they need. I will be their support system, and advocate for them and I know STEM will help me do that.

On May 11th, 2016 my mother experienced premature labor with my now seven-year-old brother. That morning my mom was rushed to the hospital accompanied by my dad, due to pains in her stomach. My grandmother was present to watch over me, and my two little sisters at home not letting us see her concerning worry. I was only eleven years old at the time, so I did know too much about what was going on except that my mother was in the hospital and would possibly be having my brother early. My father updated my grandmother throughout the day informing her about my mother's labor so our nerves were under control. I can vaguely remember my grandmother displaying a look of excitement with the news that my brother had just been born and that he and my mother were both in good condition, despite him being born a few months early. Ever since then, I have had a striking passion to pursue women's health to instill a positive change within my career field. I have recently graduated from high school and I am now pursuing a degree in the nursing area. My mother having her premature labor inspired me to pursue this degree because I know I can be the safe place for my patient when she is enduring a worrisome time, whether it be with her pregnancy, aftercare, or a general check-up. I will be the change that women's healthcare needs moving forward because my inspiration stems from a special place. If my sisters decide to have children in the future I know I can be one of the people they count on whether it be a major or minor concern, because I know how the health care field can be to women at times. My goals for my area of nursing are to first obtain my Bachelor's degree for my career, and then to start working in either a women's clinic or a hospital. After my career is instilled, my main goal to send the message to women, whether they are with child, or not is that their body is in their hands. No one else has the obligation nor the right to take control of their body or tell them what they need to do with their body. I have a strong hope that my passion and loving spirit will allow my patients to open up to me and allow me to give them options regardless if those options are looked down upon. At the end of the day, it is about the woman and what is best for her. Pursuing this further, one of the main goals that I am firmly ardent about is taking a step towards changing the abortion laws in my state. If that goes well, then I will take it a step further and attempt to change abortion laws in multiple states. It will be my responsibility that my patients leave in the healthiest conditions after being in my care, even if that means terminating the pregnancy. Women are often looked down upon when considering abortion, and while I know that I can not change the outlook people have on pregnancy termination, I know that I can do what is best for my patient. With my strong determined mindset, I feel in my heart that I can help change the face of medicine regarding women's health. So many young women are in horrifying predicaments because they do not have the support, nor the options to receive what they need. I will be their support system, and advocate for them.