I decided to do nursing when my little sister got hit by a car in 2017 and I saw how many different facets of her recovery was affected by the medical doctors and staffing team who brought her back to full functioning. Nursing called me. As a level 8 gymnast I believe in young people and their natural preservation of themselves and their bones. My sister is also a gymnast and being nursed back into her sport was so critical to her mental health as well as her physical restoration of her body. I would love to do orthopedic nursing or something in the way of restoration of limbs after being affected by cancer. I am really interested in testing the waters and exploring the different aspects of nursing fields. What I do know is the world of nursing is at my feet and I will leave my footprint on the field with my talents. I have a talent of relating to young people. I currently am a gymnastic coach to help fund my education while enduring this rigorous nursing program at Temple University. I believe with all that I will be learning at Temple University I will continue to change young people’s lives like that of my sister. I want to continue to promote growth in young African American girls and boys to promote healthy living and healthy sports progression. I want to raise the level of awareness for increasing self-esteem and motivating young people to reach their maximum potential. It has not been easy growing up as a minority. In most of my arenas, inclusive of part-time jobs, school, and athletic teams, I definitely did not look like everyone else around me. It was always challenging the very first day of any task, because I had to always dig deep for that voice within myself to speak loud about who I really was. It is so important to have diversity in the workplace because it allows for equitable learning across the board. It allows for the consumers who are being served, if they look like me, to feel more at home. During my senior year of high school I worked at a gymnastics place and I taught gymnastics. I was one if the only African-American coaches there. Additionally there were not many kids who I taught who looked like me either. There was one African American girl there who would come to practice and feel very discouraged about learning the various skills. In gymnastics many girls have a very slender physique. This young lady, similar to myself had curves and was very muscular and had to learn how to handle her weight differently on the apparatus to get the skill. I encouraged her every practice to not give up and utilize her upper body strength to master the skills on bars. I informed her that her her body mass was her strength and not her weakness and there would come a day when she would be # 1 on bars because of her strength. By the end of the season she had mastered her pull over and her cast on bars and felt so good about herself. It is important to open up the diversity in the workplace because each person brings his/her own individuality and cultural values. Broad diversity provides opportunities for growth in business and success as a whole on the part of the employee and the consumer. Me, looking like one of the gymnasts provided motivation to that gymnast and caused her to want to keep coming back day after day. I am looking forward to be on the cutting edge of science and I intend to further my education as much as possible in the field of nursing and hope to continue to seek funding to follow every step if my dreams

I am a granddaughter of West Indian immigrants. I learned at an early age that I would have to work very hard to become someone who makes a difference in my community. Coming from a generation of strong African-American women motivated me to strive high, work hard, and stop at nothing to be a strong African-American woman myself. When reflecting on a challenge that I had to overcome, I think back on my career as a gymnast. I was not always the typical idea of what a gymnast was supposed to look like. I had a bigger body build and had lots of muscle and power. When I was first looking for a gym to start my training, my mother took me to many gyms. No one wanted me because of the color of my skin and the build of my frame. I remember going into this Russian gymnastic school and being in amazement at the gym and wanting so much to be a gymnast there. After the first class, the head coach told my mother that I was not what they were looking for. My mother looked at me and then at the head coach and told him we would be back the next day. I remember for the next 2 weeks after that day going back every day and finally, on the 14 th day, the coach looked me in the eye and said "I don't know who is worse, you or your mother. You can stay but don't think you are going to compete for me. You can practice here, but you will never compete". I looked at my mother as we walked out of the doors that day and my mom said to me, "Don't worry Angelica, we have one foot in the door, 14 days ago, he would not even let you in. You did it one day at a time, that is all it is". I worked every day so hard and I remember competition was approaching, and the head coach still would not let me compete. My mother ended up finding another gym that would let me compete and I remember competing against my head coach's gym. I hit the beam that day and did an amazing routine and remember beating some of the girls on my head coach's team that day and capturing the gold medal in my flight. I walked into the gym on the Monday following the competition with my medal around my neck, grinning from ear to ear and holding my head up high. No one could have taken that moment from me. At the end of practice that day, the coach called me over and said, "So you are competing for other gyms?". I said to him, "But you did not want me to compete for you, and I wanted to compete, so I had to find someone who would allow me to compete". He said to me, "so you want to compete for me?" I told him, "Of course!!". I walked out that day as an official team member of a gym that did not want me because I looked a certain way and made a believer out of them. I went on to compete for that gym for many years to come, being a trailblazer in my own lane in the sport of gymnastics.

I decided to do nursing when my little sister got hit by a car in 2017 and I saw how many different facets of her recovery was affected by the medical doctors and staffing team who brought her back to full functioning. Nursing called me. As a level 8 gymnast I believe in young people and their natural preservation of themselves and their bones. My sister is also a gymnast and being nursed back into her sport was so critical to her mental health as well as her physical restoration of her body. I would love to do orthopedic nursing or something in the way of restoration of limbs after being affected by cancer. I am really interested in testing the waters and exploring the different aspects of nursing fields. What I do know is the world of nursing is at my feet and I will leave my footprint on the field with my talents. I have a talent of relating to young people. I currently am a gymnastic coach to help fund my education while enduring this rigorous nursing program at Temple University. I believe with all that I will be learning at Temple University I will continue to change young people’s lives like that of my sister. I want to continue to promote growth in young African American girls and boys to promote healthy living and healthy sports progression. I want to raise the level of awareness for increasing self-esteem and motivating young people to reach their maximum potential. It has not been easy growing up as a minority. In most of my arenas, inclusive of part-time jobs, school, and athletic teams, I definitely did not look like everyone else around me. It was always challenging the very first day of any task, because I had to always dig deep for that voice within myself to speak loud about who I really was. It is so important to have diversity in the workplace because it allows for equitable learning across the board. It allows for the consumers who are being served, if they look like me, to feel more at home. During my senior year of high school I worked at a gymnastics place and I taught gymnastics. I was one if the only African-American coaches there. Additionally there were not many kids who I taught who looked like me either. There was one African American girl there who would come to practice and feel very discouraged about learning the various skills. In gymnastics many girls have a very slender physique. This young lady, similar to myself had curves and was very muscular and had to learn how to handle her weight differently on the apparatus to get the skill. I encouraged her every practice to not give up and utilize her upper body strength to master the skills on bars. I informed her that her her body mass was her strength and not her weakness and there would come a day when she would be # 1 on bars because of her strength. By the end of the season she had mastered her pull over and her cast on bars and felt so good about herself. It is important to open up the diversity in the workplace because each person brings his/her own individuality and cultural values. Broad diversity provides opportunities for growth in business and success as a whole on the part of the employee and the consumer. Me, looking like one of the gymnasts provided motivation to that gymnast and caused her to want to keep coming back day after day.

I am a granddaughter of West Indian immigrants. I learned at an early age that I would have to work very hard to become someone who makes a difference in my community. Coming from a generation of strong African-American women motivated me to strive high, work hard, and stop at nothing to be a strong African-American woman myself. I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as HE has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of the swim as well. What started as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school became such a meaningful learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and my desire to help people. I chose to do nursing for this very reason. I want to make a difference in every person that I com in contact with. I want to make my legacy of hard work known and have people know who I am by me imparting my love for the profession of nursing on them. When I bring my sense of compassion and knowledge of science to my clinical interaction with patients, I would have begun to do my job. As a BSN student at Temple University I am learning so much on how to make my dreams come true. Right now I am doing my clinical rotation in a local school. If I begin to tell you what a need there is for these young people from getting their correct shots to getting their asthma pump appropriately registered. There is so much ground to cover. I want to continue to learn everything I can to effectively make my impact on this world . By the age of 21, I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic. Watching the summer Olympics a few years ago made me realize how important it is to have a one-stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training every day for so many hours. With all that has alI feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real-time is vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with a specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. By providing healthy resources for our young people, keeping them busy, teaching them dedication, and commitment, and amid all success.

I am a granddaughter of West Indian immigrants. I learned at an early age that I would have to work very hard to become someone who makes a difference in my community. Coming from a generation of strong African-American women motivated me to strive high, work hard, and stop at nothing to be a strong African-American woman myself. I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as HE has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of the swim as well. What started as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school became such a meaningful learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and my desire to help people. I chose to do nursing for this very reason. I want to make a difference in every person that I com in contact with. I want to make my legacy of hard work known and have people know who I am by me imparting my love for the profession of nursing on them. When I bring my sense of compassion and knowledge of science to my clinical interaction with patients, I would have begun to do my job. As a BSN student at Temple University I am learning so much on how to make my dreams come true. Right now I am doing my clinical rotation in a local school. If I begin to tell you what a need there is for these young people from getting their correct shots to getting their asthma pump appropriately registered. There is so much ground to cover. I want to continue to learn everything I can to effectively make my impact on this world . By the age of 21, I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic. Watching the summer Olympics a few years ago made me realize how important it is to have a one-stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training every day for so many hours. With all that has alI feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real-time is vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with a specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. By providing healthy resources for our young people, keeping them busy, teaching them dedication, and commitment, and amid all success.

I am a granddaughter of West Indian immigrants. I learned at an early age that I would have to work very hard to become someone who makes a difference in my community. Coming from a generation of strong African-American women motivated me to strive high, work hard, and stop at nothing to be a strong African-American woman myself. I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as HE has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of the swim as well. What started as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school became such a meaningful learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and my desire to help people. I chose to do nursing for this very reason. I want to make a difference in every person that I com in contact with. I want to make my legacy of hard work known and have people know who I am by me imparting my love for the profession of nursing on them. When I bring my sense of compassion and knowledge of science to my clinical interaction with patients, I would have begun to do my job. As a BSN student at Temple University I am learning so much on how to make my dreams come true. Right now I am doing my clinical rotation in a local school. If I begin to tell you what a need there is for these young people from getting their correct shots to getting their asthma pump appropriately registered. There is so much ground to cover. I want to continue to learn everything I can to effectively make my impact on this world . By the age of 21, I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic. Watching the summer Olympics a few years ago made me realize how important it is to have a one-stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training every day for so many hours. With all that has alI feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real-time is vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with a specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. By providing healthy resources for our young people, keeping them busy, teaching them dedication, and commitment, and amid all success.

I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as he has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her own unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of swim as well. What started out as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school, became such a meaningfully learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and desire to help people. I am recently a direct admit into the Temple University BSN program which is a highly selective program. I am blessed that I found them and they chose me. This will mark the beginning of my journey to making a difference one person at a time while simultaneously financially securing a life for myself. By the age of 21 I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic. Watching the last summer Olympics made me realize how important it is to have a one stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training everyday for so many hours. With all that has also transpired with the USA gymnastics board, as a lifetime gymnast, I feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real time us vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. I believe this will be an amazing financial endeavor that will serve our communities, by providing healthy resources for our young people, keep them busy, teach them dedication, commitment, and in the mist of all success. This is the plan for my future and in the midst of reaching for my dreams I will help others reach theirs.

I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as he has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her own unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of swim as well. What started out as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school, became such a meaningfully learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and desire to help people. I am recently a direct admit into the Temple University BSN program which is a highly selective program. I am blessed that I found them and they chose me. This will mark the beginning of my journey to making a difference one person at a time while simultaneously financially securing a life for myself. By the age of 21 I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic. Watching the summer Olympics last summer made me realize how important it is to have a one stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training everyday for so many hours. With all that has also transpired with the USA gymnastics board, as a lifetime gymnast, I feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real time us vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. I believe this will be an amazing financial endeavor that will serve our communities, by providing healthy resources for our young people, keep them busy, teach them dedication, commitment, and in the mist of all success. This is the plan for my future and in the midst of reaching for my dreams I will help others reach theirs.

I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as he has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her own unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of swim as well. What started out as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school, became such a meaningfully learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and desire to help people. I am recently a direct admit into the Temple University BSN program which is a highly selective program. I am blessed that I found them and they chose me. This will mark the beginning of my journey to making a difference one person at a time while simultaneously financially securing a life for myself. By the age of 21 I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic. Watching the summer Olympics last summer made me realize how important it is to have a one stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training everyday for so many hours. With all that has also transpired with the USA gymnastics board, as a lifetime gymnast, I feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real time us vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. I believe this will be an amazing financial endeavor that will serve our communities, young people who look like me, by providing healthy resources and keeping them busy, teach them dedication, commitment, and in the mist of all success. This is the plan for my future and in the midst of reaching for my dreams I will help others reach theirs.

I am a granddaughter of West Indian immigrants. I learned at an early age that I would have to work very hard to become someone who makes a difference in my community. Coming from a generation of strong African-American women motivated me to strive high, work hard, and stop at nothing to be a strong African-American woman myself. When reflecting on a challenge that I had to overcome, I think back on my career as a gymnast. I was not always the typical idea of what a gymnast was supposed to look like. I had a bigger body build and had lots of muscle and power. When I was first looking for a gym to start my training, my mother took me to many gyms. No one wanted me because of the color of my skin and the build of my frame. I remember going into this Russian gymnastic school and being in amazement at the gym and wanting so much to be a gymnast there. After the first class, the head coach told my mother that I was not what they were looking for. My mother looked at me and then at the head coach and told him we would be back the next day. I remember for the next 2 weeks after that day going back every day and finally, on the 14 th day, the coach looked me in the eye and said "I don't know who is worse, you or your mother. You can stay but don't think you are going to compete for me. You can practice here, but you will never compete". I looked at my mother as we walked out of the doors that day and my mom said to me, "Don't worry Angelica, we have one foot in the door, 14 days ago, he would not even let you in. You did it one day at a time, that is all it is". I worked every day so hard and I remember competition was approaching, and the head coach still would not let me compete. My mother ended up finding another gym that would let me compete and I remember competing against my head coach's gym. I hit the beam that day and did an amazing routine and remember beating some of the girls on my head coach's team that day and capturing the gold medal in my flight. I walked into the gym on the Monday following the competition with my medal around my neck, grinning from ear to ear and holding my head up high. No one could have taken that moment from me. At the end of practice that day, the coach called me over and said, "So you are competing for other gyms?". I said to him, "But you did not want me to compete for you, and I wanted to compete, so I had to find someone who would allow me to compete". He said to me, "so you want to compete for me?" I told him, "Of course!!". I walked out that day as an official team member of a gym that did not want me because I looked a certain way and made a believer out of them. I went on to compete for that gym for many years to come, being a trailblazer in my own lane in the sport of gymnastics.

I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as he has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her own unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of swim as well. What started out as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school, became such a meaningfully learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and desire to help people. I am recently a direct admit into the Temple University BSN program which is a highly selective program. I am blessed that I found them and they chose me. This will mark the beginning of my journey to making a difference one person at a time while simultaneously financially securing a life for myself. By the age of 21 I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic. Watching the summer Olympics last summer made me realize how important it is to have a one stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training everyday for so many hours. With all that has also transpired with the USA gymnastics board, as a lifetime gymnast, I feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real time us vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. I believe this will be an amazing financial endeavor that will serve our communities, by providing healthy resources for our young people, keep them busy, teach them dedication, commitment, and in the mist of all success. This is the plan for my future and in the midst of reaching for my dreams I will help others reach theirs.

I am a granddaughter of West Indian immigrants. I learned at an early age that I would have to work very hard to become someone who makes a difference in my community. Coming from a generation of strong African-American women motivated me to strive high, work hard, and stop at nothing to be a strong African-American woman myself. When reflecting on a challenge that I had to overcome, I think back on my career as a gymnast. I was not always the typical idea of what a gymnast was supposed to look like. I had a bigger body build and had lots of muscle and power. When I was first looking for a gym to start my training, my mother took me to many gyms. No one wanted me because of the color of my skin and the build of my frame. I remember going into this Russian gymnastic school and being in amazement at the gym and wanting so much to be a gymnast there. After the first class, the head coach told my mother that I was not what they were looking for. My mother looked at me and then at the head coach and told him we would be back the next day. I remember for the next 2 weeks after that day going back every day and finally, on the 14 th day, the coach looked me in the eye and said "I don't know who is worse, you or your mother. You can stay but don't think you are going to compete for me. You can practice here, but you will never compete". I looked at my mother as we walked out of the doors that day and my mom said to me, "Don't worry Angelica, we have one foot in the door, 14 days ago, he would not even let you in. You did it one day at a time, that is all it is". I worked every day so hard and I remember competition was approaching, and the head coach still would not let me compete. My mother ended up finding another gym that would let me compete and I remember competing against my head coach's gym. I hit the beam that day and did an amazing routine and remember beating some of the girls on my head coach's team that day and capturing the gold medal in my flight. I walked into the gym on the Monday following the competition with my medal around my neck, grinning from ear to ear and holding my head up high. No one could have taken that moment from me. At the end of practice that day, the coach called me over and said, "So you are competing for other gyms?". I said to him, "But you did not want me to compete for you, and I wanted to compete, so I had to find someone who would allow me to compete". He said to me, "so you want to compete for me?" I told him, "Of course!!". I walked out that day as an official team member of a gym that did not want me because I looked a certain way and made a believer out of them. I went on to compete for that gym for many years to come, being a trailblazer in my own lane in the sport of gymnastics.

I am a granddaughter of West Indian immigrants. I learned at an early age that I would have to work very hard to become someone who makes a difference in my community. Coming from a generation of strong African-American women motivated me to strive high, work hard, and stop at nothing to be a strong African-American woman myself. I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as HE has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of the swim as well. What started as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school became such a meaningful learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and my desire to help people. I am recently direct admit into the Temple University BSN program which is a highly selective program. I am blessed that I found them and they chose me. This will mark the beginning of my journey to making a difference one person at a time while simultaneously financially securing a life for myself. By the age of 21, I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic. Watching the summer Olympics last summer made me realize how important it is to have a one-stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training every day for so many hours. With all that has also transpired with the USA gymnastics board, as a lifetime gymnast, I feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real-time is vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with a specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. I believe this will be an amazing financial endeavor that will serve our communities, by providing healthy resources for our young people, keeping them busy, teaching them dedication, and commitment, and amid all success. This is the plan for my future and in the midst of reaching for my dreams, I will help others reach theirs. I am your ambassador for change. Invest in me and I will invest in those who follow.

I am a granddaughter of West Indian immigrants. I learned at an early age that I would have to work very hard to become someone who makes a difference in my community. Coming from a generation of strong African-American women motivated me to strive high, work hard, and stop at nothing to be a strong African-American woman myself. I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as HE has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of the swim as well. What started as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school became such a meaningful learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and my desire to help people. I am recently direct admit into the Temple University BSN program which is a highly selective program. I am blessed that I found them and they chose me. This will mark the beginning of my journey to making a difference one person at a time while simultaneously financially securing a life for myself. By the age of 21, I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic. Watching the summer Olympics last summer made me realize how important it is to have a one-stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training every day for so many hours. With all that has also transpired with the USA gymnastics board, as a lifetime gymnast, I feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real-time is vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with a specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. I believe this will be an amazing financial endeavor that will serve our communities, by providing healthy resources for our young people, keeping them busy, teaching them dedication, and commitment, and amid all success. This is the plan for my future and in the midst of reaching for my dreams, I will help others reach theirs. I am your ambassador for change. Invest in me and I will invest in those who follow.

I am a granddaughter of West Indian immigrants. I learned at an early age that I would have to work very hard to become someone who makes a difference in my community. Coming from a generation of strong African-American women motivated me to strive high, work hard, and stop at nothing to be a strong African-American woman myself. When reflecting on a challenge that I had to overcome, I think back on my career as a gymnast. I was not always the typical idea of what a gymnast was supposed to like. I had a bigger body build and had lots of muscle and power. when I was first looking for a gym to start my training, my mother took me to many gyms. No one wanted me because of the color of my skin and the build of my frame. I remember going into this Russian gymnastic school and being in amazement at the gym and wanting so much to be a gymnast there. After the first class, the head coach told my mother that I was not what they were looking for. My mother looked at me and then at the head coach and told him we would be back the next day. I remember for the next 2 weeks after that day going back every day and finally, on the 14 th day, the coach looked me in the eye and said "I don't know who is worse, you or your mother. You can stay but don't think you are going to compete for me. You can practice here, but you will never compete". I looked at my mother as we walked out of the doors that day and my mom said to me, "Don't worry Angelica, we have one foot in the door, 14 days ago, he would not even let you in. You did it one day at a time, that is all it is". I worked every day so hard and I remember competition was approaching, and the head coach still would not let me compete. My mother ended up finding another gym that would let me compete and I remember competing against my head coach's gym. I hit the beam that day and did an amazing routine and remember beating some of the girls on my head coach's team that day and capturing the gold medal in my flight. I walked into the gym on the Monday following the competition with my medal around my neck, grinning from ear to ear and holding my head up high. No one could have taken that moment from me. At the end of practice that day, the coach called me over and said, "So you are competing for other gyms?". I said to him, "But you did not want me to compete for you, and I wanted to compete, so I had to find someone who would allow me to compete". He said to me, "so you want to compete for me?" I told him, "Of course!!". I walked out that day as an official team member of a gym that did not want me because I looked a certain way and made a believer out of them. I went on to compete for that gym for many years to come, being a trailblazer in my own lane in the sport of gymnastics.

I am a granddaughter of West Indian immigrants. I learned at an early age that I would have to work very hard to become someone who makes a difference in my community. Coming from a generation of strong African-American women motivated me to strive high, work hard, and stop at nothing to be a strong African-American woman myself. I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as HE has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of the swim as well. What started as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school became such a meaningful learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and my desire to help people. I am recently direct admit into the Temple University BSN program which is a highly selective program. I am blessed that I found them and they chose me. This will mark the beginning of my journey to making a difference one person at a time while simultaneously financially securing a life for myself. By the age of 21, I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic. Watching the summer Olympics last summer made me realize how important it is to have a one-stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training every day for so many hours. With all that has also transpired with the USA gymnastics board, as a lifetime gymnast, I feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real-time is vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with a specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. By providing healthy resources for our young people, keeping them busy, teaching them dedication, and commitment, and amid all success. When reflecting on a challenge that I had to overcome, I think back on my career as a gymnast. I was not always the typical idea of what a gymnast was supposed to like. I had a bigger body build and had lots of muscle and power. when I was first looking for a gym to start my training, my mother took me to many gyms. No one wanted me because of the color of my skin and the build of my frame. I remember going into this Russian gymnastic school and being in amazement at the gym and wanting so much to be a gymnast there. After the first class, the head coach told my mother that I was not what they were looking for. My mother looked at me and then at the head coach and told him we would be back the next day. I remember for the next 2 weeks after that day going back every day and finally, on the 14 th day, the coach looked me in the eye and said "I don't know who is worse, you or your mother. You can stay but don't think you are going to compete for me. You can practice here, but you will never compete". I looked at my mother as we walked out of the doors that day and my mom said to me, "Don't worry Angelica, we have one foot in the door, 14 days ago, he would not even let you in. You did it one day at a time, that is all it is". I worked every day so hard and I remember competition was approaching, and the head coach still would not let me compete. My mother ended up finding another gym that would let me compete and I remember competing against my head coach's gym. I hit the beam that day and did an amazing routine and remember beating some of the girls on my head coach's team that day and capturing the gold medal in my flight. I walked into the gym on the Monday following the competition with my medal around my neck, grinning from ear to ear and holding my head up high. No one could have taken that moment from me. At the end of practice that day, the coach called me over and said, "So you are competing for other gyms?". I said to him, "But you did not want me to compete for you, and I wanted to compete, so I had to find someone who would allow me to compete". He said to me, "so you want to compete for me?" I told him, "Of course!!". I walked out that day as an official team member of a gym that did not want me because I looked a certain way and made a believer out of them. I went on to compete for that gym for many years to come, being a trailblazer in my own lane in the sport of gymnastics.

As I sit here in my dorm room, and I reflect on my formative years, I realize that I have been part of a team for most of my life. I started gymnastics at the age of 5 along with being a part of my very first cheer team in kindergarten at SaintTheresa's School. There is no I in TEAM, and this has shaped my values, my virtues, and my very being of existence. All the memories, successes, the disappointments, came with a level of support that is irreplaceable. As I fast forward to who I have become today, I can not begin to tell you how impactful athletics has been in my life. It has taught me how to be my "best" person as an individual, and how to be a "friend", a "teammate", and most of all a "leader". It has taught me how when I fall, how to brush myself off and try again, and how when someone else e is down, how to stand tall and lift them up. How I show up every day in my life defines my journey to success. In my senior year of high school, as captain of the cheer team, after being out due to CoVID for more than a year, I lead a very new team to qualifiers for nationals. Unfortunately, after working so hard, the school administration decided that we couldn't go because of the lack of gym time associated with CoVID policies, I still fought by starting a petition and getting signatures of people all around the world who wanted to see us go to nationals. Although we lost the fight to go to nationals., the team looked up to me for standing up for something so important. The takeaway for me in this situation was that no matter what strength and determination build the foundation which carries you for each challenge in life. When I was applying for colleges, I wanted to focus on my goals. I know I wanted to be in the medical profession and researched all the different titles within the profession and picked a profession that mirrored my attributes and characteristics. I applied and received admittance into Temple University's direct admit BSN program which only accepts 100 freshmen each year. Yes, that's right I am one of those students. First, I pray every day that God grants me the wisdom to showcase my talents and move vigorously through this program. I am always looking for my "TEAM". Being a part of athletics for practically all my life helps me to gravitate toward powerful entities in my community that propel me forward into new endeavors and through new doors that open for me. When these doors open for me it paves the way for my success and my future. It has helped me be a biggerer part of something so special and that is an African- Latina with big goals and big dreams. whose making changes along my way. I will always have that impact of athletics in my shadow guiding me in my decisions and my successes. By the age of 21 I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my clinic. I am your ambassador for change. Invest in me and I will invest in those who follow.

I decided to do nursing when my little sister got hit by a car in 2017 and I saw how many different facets of her recovery was affected by the medical doctors and staffing team who brought her back to full functioning. Nursing called me. As a level 8 gymnast I believe in young people and their natural preservation of themselves and their bones. My sister is also a gymnast and being nursed back into her sport was so critical to her mental health as well as her physical restoration of her body. I would love to do orthopedic nursing or something in the way of restoration of limbs after being affected by cancer. I am really interested in testing the waters and exploring the different aspects of nursing fields. What I do know is the world of nursing is at my feet and I will leave my footprint on the field with my talents. I have a talent of relating to young people. I currently am a gymnastic coach to help fund my education while enduring this rigorous nursing program at Temple University. I believe with all that I will be learning at Temple University I will continue to change young people’s lives like that of my sister. I want to continue to promote growth in young African American girls and boys to promote healthy living and healthy sports progression. I want to raise the level of awareness for increasing self-esteem and motivating young people to reach their maximum potential. It has not been easy growing up as a minority. In most of my arenas, inclusive of part-time jobs, school, and athletic teams, I definitely did not look like everyone else around me. It was always challenging the very first day of any task, because I had to always dig deep for that voice within myself to speak loud about who I really was. It is so important to have diversity in the workplace because it allows for equitable learning across the board. It allows for the consumers who are being served, if they look like me, to feel more at home. During my senior year of high school I worked at a gymnastics place and I taught gymnastics. I was one if the only African-American coaches there. Additionally there were not many kids who I taught who looked like me either. There was one African American girl there who would come to practice and feel very discouraged about learning the various skills. In gymnastics many girls have a very slender physique. This young lady, similar to myself had curves and was very muscular and had to learn how to handle her weight differently on the apparatus to get the skill. I encouraged her every practice to not give up and utilize her upper body strength to master the skills on bars. I informed her that her her body mass was her strength and not her weakness and there would come a day when she would be # 1 on bars because of her strength. By the end of the season she had mastered her pull over and her cast on bars and felt so good about herself. It is important to open up the diversity in the workplace because each person brings his/her own individuality and cultural values. Broad diversity provides opportunities for growth in business and success as a whole on the part of the employee and the consumer. Me, looking like one of the gymnasts provided motivation to that gymnast and caused her to want to keep coming back day after day.

I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as he has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her own unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of swim as well. What started out as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school, became such a meaningfully learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and desire to help people. I am recently a direct admit into the Temple University BSN program which is a highly selective program. I am blessed that I found them and they chose me. This will mark the beginning of my journey to making a difference in the field of minorities' health. By the age of 21 I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital (in low socio-economic areas), where minorities are affected by low economic stressors, such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and various minority plagued diseases. I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic and service kids and teach about building your self-esteem and loving yourself for who you are and encouraging sports while building self-esteem. Watching the summer Olympics last summer made me realize how important it is to have a one stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training everyday for so many hours. With all that has also transpired with the USA gymnastics board, as a lifetime gymnast, I feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real time us vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. I believe this will be an amazing financial endeavor that will serve our communities, by providing healthy resources for our young people, keep them busy, teach them dedication, commitment, and in the mist of all success. This is the plan for my future and in the midst of reaching for my dreams I will help others reach theirs. I am your ambassador for change. Invest in me and I will invest in those who follow.

One of the most impactful activities that took place last year was when The Gilda Foundation sponsored a walk out on the fight against cancer. I walked about 10 miles that day and remember the pain in my muscles from the walk radiating throughout my body. Everyone who walked had to put the name of someone dear to their heart on their number tag. I put the name of my aunt who is currently in stage 1 lymphoma. I remember feeling invigorated, because of all the pledges I had received and the money I had raised in her honor and for all of those lost along the way and those still fighting this most challenging disease. The fact that I was having an impact on cancer research was breath-taking. The fact that I could have changed someone’s trajectory of medical progression was unbelievable. My goals and aspirations are to be first, a nurse. I am not sure what field of nursing I will enter. Although I do find Cancer research and clinical trials fascinating, I also enjoy orthopedics and working with athletes who have suffered traumatic injuries. In 2017, my sister was hit by a car. As I fast forward to 4 years later, my sister had recuperated and was enjoying her life and was a promising gymnast. We quickly found out that the growth plate of her right knee was in fact arrested and she would have to undergo a leg lengthening surgery to even her out. She underwent major reconstructive surgery last September with a rod being inserted into her leg to help the leg grow and even out with her other leg. I wish I could have taken her pain away. There were so many emotions that could not be explained. This past year has taught me the fascination of medicine and how one person, one health professional, can change the trajectory of someone’s life. I can be that person. I can impact athletes' lives, by building them up again and helping them to get back on the horse if they have fallen off. The journey for my sister has been immensely challenging for all of us, but it has led me to my journey and my footprint in life. What has changed about me is that I have learned that life does not wait for anyone. It is so important to cease every moment and take advantage of every opportunity that presents at your feet and walk with your head up and take on every challenge put before you. I have done that. I think, just based on my ancestry filled with hard work and determination, coming from a family of immigrants, I have always pushed myself beyond measure, but every so often, as I reflect on this past year, it makes me want push that much harder. Through my journey this year of applying to college and getting into a very competitive nursing program, and seeing my sister deal with a very tumultuous event in her life, it kept me grounded in my faith and appreciation for God, and humble in my quest to live life and reach all my goals I have set for myself. I do not want to be in debt while pursuing my dreams. As much as possible, I want to be able to get an education and not owe thousands of dollars to get an education that I so much deserve.

I decided to do nursing when my little sister got hit by a car in 2017 and I saw how many different facets of her recovery was affected by the medical doctors and staffing team who brought her back to full functioning. Nursing called me. As a level 8 gymnast I believe in young people and their natural preservation of themselves and their bones. My sister is also a gymnast and being nursed back into her sport was so critical to her mental health as well as her physical restoration of her body. I would love to do orthopedic nursing or something in the way of restoration of limbs after being affected by cancer. I am really interested in testing the waters and exploring the different aspects of nursing fields. What I do know is the world of nursing is at my feet and I will leave my footprint on the field with my talents. I have a talent of relating to young people. I currently am a gymnastic coach to help fund my education while enduring this rigorous nursing program at Temple University. I believe with all that I will be learning at Temple University I will continue to change young people’s lives like that of my sister. I want to continue to promote growth in young African American girls and boys to promote healthy living and healthy sports progression. I want to raise the level of awareness for increasing self-esteem and motivating young people to reach their maximum potential. It has not been easy growing up as a minority. In most of my arenas, inclusive of part-time jobs, school, and athletic teams, I definitely did not look like everyone else around me. It was always challenging the very first day of any task, because I had to always dig deep for that voice within myself to speak loud about who I really was. It is so important to have diversity in the workplace because it allows for equitable learning across the board. It allows for the consumers who are being served, if they look like me, to feel more at home. During my senior year of high school I worked at a gymnastics place and I taught gymnastics. I was one if the only African-American coaches there. Additionally there were not many kids who I taught who looked like me either. There was one African American girl there who would come to practice and feel very discouraged about learning the various skills. In gymnastics many girls have a very slender physique. This young lady, similar to myself had curves and was very muscular and had to learn how to handle her weight differently on the apparatus to get the skill. I encouraged her every practice to not give up and utilize her upper body strength to master the skills on bars. I informed her that her her body mass was her strength and not her weakness and there would come a day when she would be # 1 on bars because of her strength. By the end of the season she had mastered her pull over and her cast on bars and felt so good about herself. It is important to open up the diversity in the workplace because each person brings his/her own individuality and cultural values. Broad diversity provides opportunities for growth in business and success as a whole on the part of the employee and the consumer. Me, looking like one of the gymnasts provided motivation to that gymnast and caused her to want to keep coming back day after day.

I am a 2nd generation immigrant. Both of my grandparents migrated to the United States as adults. My grandmother came to the United States from the island of Jamaica with 23.00 in her pocket. She was a seamstress back in her country and came here and started cleaning houses. She earned 1.50 an hour. My mother grew up in the projects and a gourmet meal daily consisted of corned beef and rice and no questions asked. I am an extension of a long line of strong African American women who stopped at nothing until they made their dreams come true. My grandmother was committed to breaking the cycle and breaking ground in success. She bought her first house with $5,000.00 in credit cards and that is the home I have known since I was born. Growing up we were not rich with money but rich in heart and soul. I learned how to make a dollar stretch. My mom always walks with her coupons and if it is no sale we are not getting it. I realize that these little things are small in life but shape who I am and how I operate on a daily basis. When my sister got hit by a car and I watched her come back from a broken femur and stitches on her face and head, I realized what a fascination it was and that I wanted to be a part of that equation. I am determined and unstoppable. I do not take the average no for an answer and if I have worked for it I will make sure I will get it, whatever it is. All that I am is a result of my mom and grandmother who laid the foundation for my fight and my conquer and my success. I never took for granted that I would automatically get anything. I knew I had to work for everything especially the things that meant the world to me. I remember competing on the beam in gymnastics and fighting to stay on that beam, fighting for 5/10th ‘s of a point. After doing my dismount I would feel a rush if I did not fall off beam. I am proud of who I continue to become. I am an African American woman of substance and determination. My goal is to inspire others just like me to do the same. The challenges that my family endured made me learn the fight in me. It continues to inspire me for greatness.

I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as he has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her own unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of swim as well. What started out as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school, became such a meaningfully learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and desire to help people. I am recently a direct admit into the Temple University BSN program which is a highly selective program. I am blessed that I found them and they chose me. This will mark the beginning of my journey to making a difference one person at a time while simultaneously financially securing a life for myself. By the age of 21 I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic. Watching the summer Olympics last summer made me realize how important it is to have a one stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training everyday for so many hours. With all that has also transpired with the USA gymnastics board, as a lifetime gymnast, I feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real time us vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. I believe this will be an amazing financial endeavor that will serve our communities, by providing healthy resources for our young people, keep them busy, teach them dedication, commitment, and in the mist of all success. This is the plan for my future and in the midst of reaching for my dreams I will help others reach theirs. I am your ambassador for change. Invest in me and I will invest in those who follow.

I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as he has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her own unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of swim as well. What started out as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school, became such a meaningfully learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and desire to help people. I am recently a direct admit into the Temple University BSN program which is a highly selective program. I am blessed that I found them and they chose me. This will mark the beginning of my journey to making a difference one person at a time while simultaneously financially securing a life for myself. By the age of 21 I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic. Watching the summer Olympics last summer made me realize how important it is to have a one stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training everyday for so many hours. With all that has also transpired with the USA gymnastics board, as a lifetime gymnast, I feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real time us vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. I believe this will be an amazing financial endeavor that will serve our communities, by providing healthy resources for our young people, keep them busy, teach them dedication, commitment, and in the mist of all success. This is the plan for my future and in the midst of reaching for my dreams I will help others reach theirs. I am your ambassador for change. Invest in me and I will invest in those who follow.

I decided to do nursing when my little sister got hit by a car in 2017 and I saw how many different facets of her recovery was affected by the medical doctors and staffing team who brought her back to full functioning. Nursing called me. As a level 8 gymnast I believe in young people and their natural preservation of themselves and their bones. My sister is also a gymnast and being nursed back into her sport was so critical to her mental health as well as her physical restoration of her body. I would love to do orthopedic nursing or something in the way of restoration of limbs after being affected by cancer. I am really interested in testing the waters and exploring the different aspects of nursing fields. What I do know is the world of nursing is at my feet and I will leave my footprint on the field with my talents. I have a talent of relating to young people. I currently am a gymnastic coach to help fund my education while ensuring this rigorous nursing program at Temple University. I believe with all that I will be learning at Temple University I will continue to change young people’s lives like that of my sister. I want to continue to promote growth in young African American girls and boys to promote healthy living and healthy sports progression. I want to raise the level of awareness for increasing self-esteem and motivating young people to reach their maximum potential. It has not been easy growing up as a minority young person in a predominantly Caucasian sport. I constantly had to push the card. My success has pushed me to never give up and go after all that I can imagine to be mine. I envision having my own practice as a nurse practitioner and work with young people and orthopedic restorations.

My passion is to help people. I believe this is my calling and has been at a very early age. As I began looking at colleges it became even more apparent to me that I loved the field of nursing. As a result, I started to look at colleges that had Bachelor's of Nursing programs and who were D 1 schools. From there, my journey began. I was then accepted at Temple University who accepts only 100 BSN students nation wide and I was one of those. Up for the challenge, I accepted the spot and have begun my journey into being a nurse. Skies the limit, now as I embark on next steps to my future, I see how valuable I will be to my community. I intend to effectuate change with young people, stressing the importance of being healthy in both body and mind. It is so crucial to young people and their development to value who they are by educating themselves and feeding their bodies by healthy diet, and motivational actions like physical fitness. I am a level 9 gymnast and a D 1 competitive Cheerleader and want to impart my values and knowledge on my patients who will cross my path in life. I want to evoke change and leave a footprint of ideas and values on all whom I meet. I teach gymnastics as a job while I attend college. It is absolutely invigorating to teach everyday and take all that I will be learning as a nurse and combine this together to make drams come true. All of this has caused me to be determined in my goals, and to stop at nothing until I have succeeded. This has shaped who I am today and Who I continue to develop into. As I continue on my journeys nursing and gymnastics will be be my guidance. I hope to one day open my own training facility and offer mental health and training to young people along with healthy living and assist with their nutrition maintenance. This will also shape their future.

We were all getting ready for my cousin’s sweet 16 party. Dots are slamming, showers are running, everyone brushing their teeth, hair dryers blowing, curling irons are rolling…. The bell rings… “Ma’am I think your daughter just got hit by a car” My mother says, “ Sir I think you are mistaken my kids are here in the house we are getting ready to go to a party”. “ No, ma’am your daughter is on the corner she just got hit by a car” My mother goes out barefoot to discover the neighbor holding my 7 year old sister in her hands laid out on the lawn. She had picked her up from the street and had her in her arms with all of her blood dripping from her face. The ambulance had been called and we all stood paralyzed surrounding my sister and the neighbor not wanting to move her at all. That was August 19, 2017 and I was 12 at the time and I remember it like it was yesterday. My sister had just gotten her training wheels off of her bike that day and snuck out of the house to get one last ride before we went to the party. She had her dress and everything on and no helmet. Shaking my head to myself and paralyzed in shock how one wrong decision can change the trajectory of your life. So I know you are probably on the edge of your seat to find out what happened next as I was that night. We rushed to the hospital in the ambulance and she was rushed into surgery. The car had hit her and tumbled over on the car and her face hit the windshield and her cheek was completely open so she needed over 100 stitches down the side of her cheek and her knee was completely shattered at the growth plat and she had to have stitches at the back of head and they had to immediately run CT’s to ensure no internal bleeding. That said, she pulled through that night. She was casted with a full leg cast to reset the knee and Plastic Surgery was called in to stitch up her face. That night we all were going over and over in our heads how could we have changed the events of that night. I thought to myself if I had only checked in on her and helped her with her hair I would have noticed she was gone. It happened so fast. The next week was intense. I was supposed to go away to gymnastics training camp and I did not go. I stayed with my sister at the children’s hospital for trauma for 3 days. I never left her side. She was in so much pain. She was swollen and I did not know how to fix her in real time. The only thing that I was able to do was be with her. I thought to myself that night when I saw all the moving parts that I could do this one day. I could be instrumental in saving a life, being part of the solution, or just helping someone who is in so much pain get through the night. Fast forward to 5 years later, as I embark on my journey to Temple University, as part of the exclusive 100 direct admit BSN students, I am excited about my choice to do nursing. I made this choice because of a very unfortunate sequence of events but I think nursing chose me as well at a very early age.

I plan to make a positive impact on the world through my career in nursing by taking one patient at a time and trying to make their day a little better. As a nurse the days are long and you meet so many people sick and in distress for one reason or another and my only hope is that I can make a difference by making them feel comfortable for even a moment. I started working with autistic kids helping them swim. This shaped the trajectory of my path to my career. To see their joy in getting a skill made me want to change people’s life. I believe in impacting people’s lives for they better. Taking temperatures, monitoring vitals, assisting in surgeries, being the calm before the storm motivates me to be better. So many people have anxiety about going to hospitals when they are really in pain. Knowing that I can be the catalyst that helps them through a very stressful moment is my destiny. Looking back on my early years of development I am the oldest of my 2 siblings. I remember always being looked at as the one who had to set the pace. I was my mom’s little helper. For my mom, I was her little helper but for me she was my idle. She worked a lot and I always saw her on the move but she never not showed up for me. She was at every competition and everything that meant anything to me. We had a structure and we were not rich but we always found things to do that were free and we were always involved in activities. We were rich at heart. It made me want to learn and gave me something to believe in. For that, I am eternally grateful to her. Now, as I embark on my new journeys, I take a little bit of her strength and motivation and it guides me through a clear path of decisions and choices. She is my HERO. There is something to be said about always showing up. I think her father did not always show up for her and she vowed that she would change what that looked like for me. Now that changes how I tackle every ounce of my life. She is a licensed clinical Social Worker and how she cares for people not only her family, how she gives of herself in and out if her home is amazing. I hope I can develop into a fraction of the person she is. If there is one thing I could change about the world it would be racism and rather all the ism’s. Growing up as an African-American female brought up by a strong African American female I often found myself in situations where I had to push to win and to come out on top. It was not always easy. For moments in time I had feelings of being discouraged and wanting to give up. In retrospect it did make me stronger but just wondering what the world would be like if everyone regardless of race, sex, or economic status were on equal footing. Would things go just a little smother? Would we be able to get just a little more accomplished? I think so. There is often so much energy placed on how you look rather then what are the talents that you actually bring to the table. So if I had to chose one thing it would be to take racism out if the equation to make All things equal.

I started working at the age of 14 at YMCA helping autistic children learn how to swim. I do not think I woke up one morning and said that is what I wanted to do, but I believe God put that opportunity in my path as he has done with many things in my life. I embraced the opportunity and there is something to be said about being wanted. The little girl who was one of my first students always asked for me every week and although she had her own unique way of being, I began to look forward to our hour of swim as well. What started out as a mere weekly paycheck, a little pocket money for me to be able to get around and buy a little lunch after school, became such a meaningfully learning experience for me. To this day, although I no longer work there, I carry that little young lady in my heart. I now teach gymnastics to little kids and have found my true calling of merging my talents of gymnastics and desire to help people. I am recently a direct admit into the Temple University BSN program which is a highly selective program. I am blessed that I found them and they chose me. This will mark the beginning of my journey to making a difference one person at a time while simultaneously financially securing a life for myself. By the age of 21 I will sit for my boards and begin working as a registered nurse. I intend to work for a city hospital like my mom and begin saving my money to open my own business. I will continue to seek funding for my continued education, as I intend my ultimate educational destination to be a Nurse Practitioner and open my own clinic. Watching the summer Olympics last summer made me realize how important it is to have a one stop shop for gymnasts and athletes who are training everyday for so many hours. With all that has also transpired with the USA gymnastics board, as a lifetime gymnast, I feel like having services for gymnasts and their families readily available in real time us vital to the progression of athletes. This is why I intend to have my own gym where gymnastics is taught and adjacent to the gym will be my pediatric clinic with specialization in orthopedics to treat injuries. Also on site will be the Clinic Psychiatrist and Psychologist who can assist the gymnasts with anything they need. I believe this will be an amazing financial endeavor that will serve our communities, by providing healthy resources for our young people, keep them busy, teach them dedication, commitment, and in the mist of all success. This is the plan for my future and in the midst of reaching for my dreams I will help others reach theirs. I am your ambassador for change. Invest in me and I will invest in those who follow.