2018-2019 College Track Annual Report CT_AnnualReport_2019 | Page 13

G
rowing up in New Orleans, I wanted nothing
more than to be like my grandmother, a
registered nurse. I spent my childhood following her
through the halls of Charity Hospital after school,
dreaming that I would one day walk those same halls
wearing her uniform.
When I told her my future plans, she told me to
look around the emergency room and count the
number of doctors I saw who looked like me.
There were no black female doctors in the entire
department. By pointing out the absence of black
women in the medical field, she unknowingly
decided my career path. I am currently enrolled
in medical school at Louisiana State University,
pursuing a career as a radiologist.
I have always been self-motivated and driven, but
for students from my community, that is not enough.
College Track provided the tools to not only get
into college, but also to graduate and pursue my
passion. They have been my champions for more
than ten years, inspiring me to be a leader.
College Track is so much more than a program;
it is really a family. They see us as more than just
students, which matters most when we encounter
challenges along our journey—even tragedy.
My father was a police officer, serving in my
hometown of New Orleans. The summer of my
freshman year at Howard University, he was killed
in the line of duty. My College Track family was
there for me. Staff that I was close to attended the
vigil and funeral, notified my school of the tragedy,
and persistently encouraged me to attend grief
counseling when they saw that I was struggling. They
checked on me constantly and held me accountable
for my personal and academic goals. With College
Track in my corner, I have been able to step into my
power and continue to strive toward greatness.
Looking back, it was a College Track trip to East
Africa that opened my eyes to global disparities in
healthcare and solidified my dream of becoming
a doctor. Serving at a clinic in Lira, Uganda, I saw
the lack of space and equipment in the facilities to
adequately serve the community. After waiting hours
to see the only doctor on staff, patients were turned
away and sent to a hospital miles away because the
clinic lacked the supplies to treat people properly.
I remember one of the nurses telling us that all
of the instruments they used were sent from the
United States after being deemed unfit for use by
Americans. I thought to myself, if these instruments
are not good enough to be used on American
patients, why are they being used on Ugandan
patients?
Seeing the state of the medical facilities throughout
the country and the inadequate access to healthcare
throughout the African diaspora helped me
understand my purpose—envision a meaningful
future and work to combat those inequities.
After medical school, I plan to return to my
hometown of New Orleans to fill the gap in the
medical field that I saw growing up, and to ensure
that young black girls have doctors and healthcare
professionals who look like them. I want to model
what it looks like to follow your passion.
Annual Report 2018–2019
13