Tell us about the moment when you knew you wanted to be a nurse ? I was 13 years old, sitting at my kitchen table with my laptop, when I stumbled across the words "Nurse Practitioner" for the first time. I had been researching healthcare careers for weeks because my teachers kept telling me I should consider medicine. My test scores were high, and I genuinely loved STEM subjects, but something about becoming a doctor didn't feel quite right. Then I read those two words, and everything clicked. But to truly understand that moment, I have to take you back further; back to all the times I sat in dingy waiting rooms with my mom, watching her scramble for money we didn't have. Back to the medical runaround of being tested at one place and treated at another. Back to coming home exhausted and irritated from what should have been a simple doctor's visit. Even as a little kid, I taught myself to take care of my own injuries because the headache of going to the doctor just wasn't worth it. I hated hospitals. I hated everything about the healthcare system. Yet somehow, that hatred is exactly what made me fall in love with nursing. When I discovered that Nurse Practitioners could open their own clinics, something ignited inside me. It wasn't just about the career it was about the possibility of creating something different, something better. I started imagining clinics that weren't like the ones my mom and I had suffered through. I envisioned places with in-house pharmacies and labs, so patients wouldn't have to run all over town just to get basic care. I pictured healthcare professionals of every concentration working under one roof, eliminating the medical runaround that had exhausted us so many times. Most importantly, I imagined accepting all forms of insurance, because even if coverage wasn't complete, at least it would lighten the financial burden on families like mine. That moment at my kitchen table wasn't just about choosing a career path. It was about realizing I could be part of the solution to a problem I had lived through. I could create holistic care centers that offer natural remedies first and really work through all options with patients. I could build a practice where healthcare professionals genuinely care about their patients and their wellbeing, especially in impoverished communities that are so often overlooked and underserved. I know this dream sounds idealistic. People have told me it sounds like some childish utopia. But I've never been able to shake the image of that little girl sitting in those waiting rooms, watching her mom worry about money while being in pain. I've never forgotten how it felt to know that something as basic as healthcare was nearly impossible to access. And I've never stopped believing that there has to be a simpler way, something both time and cost efficient. Now, as a freshman nursing major at Howard University, I'm already halfway there. I'm not just dreaming anymore; I'm building the foundation. I'm also minoring in Korean language because I plan to study holistic medicine in Korea, where it's so widespread and deeply integrated into healthcare. I want to bring that knowledge back to the communities that need it most, communities like the one I grew up in. The moment I knew I wanted to be a nurse wasn't a sudden flash of inspiration. It was the culmination of every frustrating hospital visit, every time my mom had to choose between treatment and bills, every injury I learned to treat myself. It was born from struggle and solidified by hope. When I read about Nurse Practitioners that day at 13, I didn't just see a career. I saw a way to transform pain into purpose, to turn my hatred for a broken system into love for what healthcare could be. That's the moment I knew. And that's the mission I'm still chasing today.

Beautiful Black faces of all hues beamed with joy as they floated down the steps to the meeting room for NAACP induction. We all talked amongst ourselves about what unit we hoped to get. My friend Reese and I wanted to get Juvenile Justice; we could work firsthand with the kids in detention centers. The current NAACP members herded all of us into a crowded room and made us partner up as they handed everybody a little blue envelope. Reese and I glanced at each other excitedly, whispering about how nervous we were; Juvenile Justice was the most popular unit to apply to. As we walked to the west ballroom, Naesoj, NAACP's president, hyped us up and took videos. When we finally made it to the ballroom and were seated, everybody was trying to sneak a peek into their envelopes. Many people gave speeches during the induction, inspiring us to be active and make a change. Naesoj ended the speeches with a call to action. "Fired up!" she exclaimed. "Ready to work!" roared from the crowd. Then we all tore into our envelopes. Reese and I looked at the same time and immediately screamed, "JUVENILE JUSTICE!" In that moment, surrounded by my peers who were just as passionate about justice and change, I knew I had found my place. This event was probably the best day of my first semester at the illustrious Howard University.

My “Pie in the Sky” is becoming a Nurse Practitioner and opening a chain of holistic clinics in impoverished neighborhoods. Growing up, I hated when my mom or I had to go to the doctor. I hated it because it meant scrambling for money we didn't have or being put through the medical runaround of being tested at one place and treated at another. By the end of what should have been a quick and easy doctor's trip, we were both irritated and exhausted. I learned to take care of myself because whatever injury I had endured was not worth the headache of going to a doctor's office. Even as a little kid, I knew there had to be a simpler way to do this—something both time and cost efficient. Around middle school, my teachers started encouraging me to become a health professional. My test scores were always very high, and I genuinely enjoyed and understood STEM materials very well. I started looking into different healthcare jobs when I stumbled across Nurse Practitioners. I learned it's a step below a doctor, and with this degree, you can open your own clinics. This immediately lit a fire within me, a flame that illuminated my new goal. I began looking into which HBCUs have the best nursing programs. That's when I came across Howard University. At just 13, I was determined to become a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinics. But these wouldn't be just any old clinics. I want them to have an in-house pharmacy and lab. Furthermore, I would employ healthcare professionals of every concentration, so no one would be subject to the medical runaround. Most importantly, I would accept all forms of insurance. All insurances may not be able to cover the full service, but at least that lightens the financial burden on the patient. My clinics would be holistic care centers, offering natural remedies first and really working through all options with our patients. I understand this dream sounds like some childish utopia, but I am determined to create this future where people in impoverished communities have access to good healthcare—healthcare professionals who genuinely care about them and their wellbeing. I'm already halfway there to creating my holistic clinics. I'm currently a freshman nursing major at the illustrious Howard University. I'm also a Korean language minor. I plan to move to Korea and study holistic medicine since it's so widespread in Asia. This international experience will allow me to bring back knowledge and practices that can truly serve the communities that need it most, just like the one I grew up in.

My hatred for hospitals is what inspired my love for healthcare and nursing. Growing up, I hated when my mom or I had to go to the doctor. I hated it because it meant scrambling for money we didn't have or being put through the medical runaround of being tested at one place and treated at another. By the end of what should have been a quick and easy doctor's trip, we were both irritated and exhausted. I learned to take care of myself because whatever injury I had endured was not worth the headache of going to a doctor's office. Even as a little kid, I knew there had to be a simpler way to do this; something both time and cost efficient. Around middle school, my teachers started encouraging me to become a health professional. My test scores were always very high, and I genuinely enjoyed and understood STEM materials very well. I started looking into different healthcare jobs when I stumbled across Nurse Practitioners. I learned it's a step below a doctor, and with this degree, you can open your own clinics. This immediately lit a fire within me, a flame that illuminated my new goal. I began looking into which HBCUs have the best nursing programs. That's when I came across Howard University. At just 13, I was determined to become a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinics. But these wouldn't be just any old clinics. I want them to have an in-house pharmacy and lab. Furthermore, I would employ healthcare professionals of every concentration, so no one would be subject to the medical runaround. Most importantly, I would accept all forms of insurance. All insurances may not be able to cover the full service, but at least that lightens the financial burden on the patient. My clinics would be holistic care centers, offering natural remedies first and really working through all options with our patients. I understand this dream sounds like some childish utopia, but I am determined to create this future where people in impoverished communities have access to good healthcare; and healthcare professionals who genuinely care about them and their wellbeing. I'm already halfway there to creating my holistic clinics. I'm currently a freshman nursing major at the illustrious Howard University. I'm also a Korean language minor. I plan to move to Korea and study holistic medicine since it's so widespread in Asia. This international experience will allow me to bring back knowledge and practices that can truly serve the communities that need it most, just like the one I grew up in.