Everyone’s journey is unique in its own way and you must learn to embrace YOUR journey. Being a non-traditional student has shaped my career and has pushed me beyond the limitations that I had set for myself. I was the first person in my family to graduate from high school and college. I am currently pursuing a Masters degree at Yale University. This would not have been possible if it wasn't for my family’s unwavering support and love. My father moved from Chicago to Detroit by himself at the age of 13 and my mother had her first child at 16 years old.  I never faulted my parents for not obtaining an education because they made the best decisions based on the options they had. My 3 older brothers did not graduate high school, but they have always held me accountable for my actions. They ensured that I stayed on the right path by not allowing our environment to weigh in on my decision-making. I am proud to say that I have become the first person in my family to graduate from high school and college. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing while being a student-athlete. Unfortunately, I graduated during the COVID-19 pandemic and was not able to pursue my dreams of playing football due to the world being shut down. Instead, I utilized my nursing degree and decided to work in the intensive care unit to help fight against the pandemic. The ICU has shaped the foundation for my nursing career. It has taught me that you can do everything in your power, but there is no guarantee of an outcome going in your favor. Most importantly, it has taught me life skills such as leadership, patience, persistence, and advocate for those that are in need.  In hindsight, the pandemic has ultimately worked in my favor. It has allowed me to develop nursing skills and find my true passion besides floor nursing. Being a non-traditional student I feel that I am prepared to pursue my goal of becoming a Psych Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Upon graduating, I aim to make a change in underserved communities by developing a non-profit organization that will contribute to helping individuals who are suffering from trauma and/or substance abuse. For the past 4 years, I have been gaining experience as a nurse and working with some of the best physicians/practitioners in the area. The knowledge and experience that I’ve gained will directly translate into my studies as well as my career upon graduating.  Since graduating from college this has inspired both of my parents to earn their General Education Diploma (GED) and I could not be more proud of them. Other than making an impact on my community and other underserved communities. I want to be a pioneer for my family and create a new standard for the next generation, with hopes of them surpassing my success and creating an abundance of opportunities for our lineage.

I have reached a point where I can no longer ignore my calling as a nurse. I now understand that things that are meant to be will enter your life with little to no confusion. At a young age I discovered my talent for playing football, that same childhood dream eventually came to fruition after many years of discipline and dedication. Right when I began to live out my childhood dream as a professional athlete that very dream was cut short due to an injury. During my undergraduate years, I was fortunate enough to excel on the field and in the classroom. I was able to earn my bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Charleston because I felt that my purpose was greater than football. I was recently realigned with my passion for nursing. After working in the intensive care unit during the pandemic as a new graduate within 2 years I experienced burnout early in my career. My experience in the ICU has taught me that healthcare professionals often overlook patients with mental health disorders. Patients who displayed clinical signs of mental health disorders were usually ignored or sedated. Yes, sedation keeps the patient safe throughout the shift, but it does not treat the underlying problem. Unfortunately, patients' conditions were dismissed because of the lack of awareness from healthcare providers. This contributed to my passion for mental health nursing and it gave me the courage to advocate for patients that were not able to advocate for themselves. I would like to become and create resources within underserved minority communities by fighting against health disparities. I aim to help change the stigma mental health has in underserved communities. Society mistakenly associates vulnerability with weakness. This way of thinking is unrealistic and must be deconditioned from our minds to make a change. It was not until I left my hometown that I realized how damaged and misled the city of Detroit, Michigan has become. This is primarily due to poor coping strategies adopted from the previous generation along with not having resources within the environment. Sadly, many people within the community of Detroit have decided to cope with their mental health disorders by relying on substances with the belief that it would be a solution for their problems. Unfortunately, others expressed their feelings with aggression resulting in violence. These decisions have altered the community of Detroit for the worse and at this moment there are not many resources available to address these concerns. I am eager to wholeheartedly pursue my Master's degree as a Psych Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at Yale University. Upon earning my degree I would love to pour back into my community by creating a non-profit organization that will help the youth develop a better understanding of their mental health. I plan on doing so by implementing coping strategies and also educating patients on the proper ways of processing and identifying their emotions. Detroit will require a lot more work than I will be able to provide. As long as I can contribute and do my part then I will be grateful for the opportunity. Saving one child out of thousands will mean the world to me because not only will it give hope to this current generation, but I anticipate that the same child will lead by example and influence others. I have high hopes of breaking multigenerational trauma with the expectations of bettering the current generation as well as generations to come.

I have reached a point where I can no longer ignore my calling as a nurse. I now understand that things that are meant to be will enter your life with little to no confusion. At a young age I discovered my talent for playing football, that same childhood dream eventually came to fruition after many years of discipline and dedication. Right when I began to live out my childhood dream as a professional athlete that very dream was cut short due to an injury. During my undergraduate years, I was fortunate enough to excel on the field and in the classroom. I was able to earn my bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Charleston because I felt that my purpose was greater than football. I was recently realigned with my passion for nursing. After working in the intensive care unit during the pandemic as a new graduate within 2 years I experienced burnout early in my career. My experience in the ICU has taught me that healthcare professionals often overlook patients with mental health disorders. Patients who displayed clinical signs of mental health disorders were usually ignored or sedated. Yes, sedation keeps the patient safe throughout the shift, but it does not treat the underlying problem. Unfortunately, patients' conditions were dismissed because of the lack of awareness from healthcare providers. This contributed to my passion for mental health nursing and it gave me the courage to advocate for patients that were not able to advocate for themselves. I would like to become and create resources within underserved minority communities by fighting against health disparities. I aim to help change the stigma mental health has in underserved communities. Society mistakenly associates vulnerability with weakness. This way of thinking is unrealistic and must be deconditioned from our minds to make a change. It was not until I left my hometown that I realized how damaged and misled the city of Detroit, Michigan has become. This is primarily due to poor coping strategies adopted from the previous generation along with not having resources within the environment. Sadly, many people within the community of Detroit have decided to cope with their mental health disorders by relying on substances with the belief that it would be a solution for their problems. Unfortunately, others expressed their feelings with aggression resulting in violence. These decisions have altered the community of Detroit for the worse and at this moment there are not many resources available to address these concerns. I am eager to wholeheartedly pursue my Master's degree as a Psych Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at Yale University. Upon earning my degree I would love to pour back into my community by creating a non-profit organization that will help the youth develop a better understanding of their mental health. I plan on doing so by implementing coping strategies and also educating patients on the proper ways of processing and identifying their emotions. Detroit will require a lot more work than I will be able to provide. As long as I can contribute and do my part then I will be grateful for the opportunity. Saving one child out of thousands will mean the world to me because not only will it give hope to this current generation, but I anticipate that the same child will lead by example and influence others. I have high hopes of breaking multigenerational trauma with the expectations of bettering the current generation as well as generations to come.

I have reached a point where I can no longer ignore my calling as a nurse. I now understand that things that are meant to be will enter your life with little to no confusion. At a young age I discovered my talent for playing football, that same childhood dream eventually came to fruition after many years of discipline and dedication. Right when I began to live out my childhood dream as a professional athlete that very dream was cut short due to an injury. During my undergraduate years, I was fortunate enough to excel on the field and in the classroom. I was able to earn my bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Charleston because I felt that my purpose was greater than football. I was recently realigned with my passion for nursing. After working in the intensive care unit during the pandemic as a new graduate within 2 years I experienced burnout early in my career. My experience in the ICU has taught me that healthcare professionals often overlook patients with mental health disorders. Patients who displayed clinical signs of mental health disorders were usually ignored or sedated. Yes, sedation keeps the patient safe throughout the shift, but it does not treat the underlying problem. Unfortunately, patients' conditions were dismissed because of the lack of awareness from healthcare providers. This contributed to my passion for mental health nursing and it gave me the courage to advocate for patients that were not able to advocate for themselves. I would like to become and create resources within underserved minority communities by fighting against health disparities. I aim to help change the stigma mental health has in underserved communities. Society mistakenly associates vulnerability with weakness. This way of thinking is unrealistic and must be deconditioned from our minds to make a change. It was not until I left my hometown that I realized how damaged and misled the city of Detroit, Michigan has become. This is primarily due to poor coping strategies adopted from the previous generation along with not having resources within the environment. Sadly, many people within the community of Detroit have decided to cope with their mental health disorders by relying on substances with the belief that it would be a solution for their problems. Unfortunately, others expressed their feelings with aggression resulting in violence. These decisions have altered the community of Detroit for the worse and at this moment there are not many resources available to address these concerns. I am eager to wholeheartedly pursue my Master's degree as a Psych Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at Yale University. Upon earning my degree I would love to pour back into my community by creating a non-profit organization that will help the youth develop a better understanding of their mental health. I plan on doing so by implementing coping strategies and also educating patients on the proper ways of processing and identifying their emotions. Detroit will require a lot more work than I will be able to provide. As long as I can contribute and do my part then I will be grateful for the opportunity. Saving one child out of thousands will mean the world to me because not only will it give hope to this current generation, but I anticipate that the same child will lead by example and influence others. I have high hopes of breaking multigenerational trauma with the expectations of bettering the current generation as well as generations to come.

I was recently realigned with my passion for nursing. After working in the intensive care unit during the pandemic as a new graduate within 2 years I experienced burnout early in my career. My experience in the ICU has taught me that healthcare professionals often overlook patients with mental health disorders. Patients who displayed clinical signs of mental health disorders were usually ignored or sedated. Yes, sedation keeps the patient safe throughout the shift, but it does not treat the underlying problem. Unfortunately, patients' conditions were dismissed because of the lack of awareness from healthcare providers. This contributed to my passion for mental health nursing and it gave me the courage to advocate for patients that were not able to advocate for themselves. I would like to become and create resources within underserved minority communities by fighting against health disparities. I aim to help change the stigma mental health has in underserved communities. Society mistakenly associates vulnerability with weakness. This way of thinking is unrealistic and must be deconditioned from our minds to make a change. It was not until I left my hometown that I realized how damaged and misled the city of Detroit, Michigan has become. This is primarily due to poor coping strategies adopted from the previous generation along with not having resources within the environment. Sadly, many people within the community of Detroit have decided to cope with their mental health disorders by relying on substances with the belief that it would be a solution for their problems. Unfortunately, others expressed their feelings with aggression resulting in violence. These decisions have altered the community of Detroit for the worse and at this moment there are not many resources available to address these concerns. I am eager to wholeheartedly pursue my Master's degree as a Psych Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at Yale University. Upon earning my degree I would love to pour back into my community by creating a non-profit organization that will help the youth develop a better understanding of their mental health. I plan on doing so by implementing coping strategies and also educating patients on the proper ways of processing and identifying their emotions. I have high hopes of breaking multigenerational trauma with the expectations of bettering the current generation as well as generations to come.

I have reached a point where I can no longer ignore my calling as a nurse. I now understand that things that are meant to be will enter your life with little to no confusion. At a young age I discovered my talent for playing football, that same childhood dream eventually came to fruition after many years of discipline and dedication. Right when I began to live out my childhood dream as a professional athlete that very dream was cut short due to an injury. During my undergraduate years, I was fortunate enough to excel on the field and in the classroom. I was able to earn my bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Charleston because I felt that my purpose was greater than football. I was recently realigned with my passion for nursing. After working in the intensive care unit during the pandemic as a new graduate within 2 years I experienced burnout early in my career. My experience in the ICU has taught me that healthcare professionals often overlook patients with mental health disorders. Patients who displayed clinical signs of mental health disorders were usually ignored or sedated. Yes, sedation keeps the patient safe throughout the shift, but it does not treat the underlying problem. Unfortunately, patients' conditions were dismissed because of the lack of awareness from healthcare providers. This contributed to my passion for mental health nursing and it gave me the courage to advocate for patients that were not able to advocate for themselves. I would like to become and create resources within underserved minority communities by fighting against health disparities. I aim to help change the stigma mental health has in underserved communities. Society mistakenly associates vulnerability with weakness. This way of thinking is unrealistic and must be deconditioned from our minds to make a change. It was not until I left my hometown that I realized how damaged and misled the city of Detroit, Michigan has become. This is primarily due to poor coping strategies adopted from the previous generation along with not having resources within the environment. Sadly, many people within the community of Detroit have decided to cope with their mental health disorders by relying on substances with the belief that it would be a solution for their problems. Unfortunately, others expressed their feelings with aggression resulting in violence. These decisions have altered the community of Detroit for the worse and at this moment there are not many resources available to address these concerns.  I am eager to wholeheartedly pursue my Master's degree as a Psych Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at Yale University. Upon earning my degree I would love to pour back into my community by creating a non-profit organization that will help the youth develop a better understanding of their mental health. I plan on doing so by implementing coping strategies and also educating patients on the proper ways of processing and identifying their emotions. Detroit will require a lot more work than I will be able to provide. As long as I can contribute and do my part then I will be grateful for the opportunity. Saving one child out of thousands will mean the world to me because not only will it give hope to this current generation, but I anticipate that the same child will lead by example and influence others. I have high hopes of breaking multigenerational trauma with the expectations of bettering the current generation as well as generations to come.