going to utilize these skills I was learning during a pandemic . But I did .”
Outside of the ER , Nia keeps a busy schedule . As Miss Philadelphia 2017 , Nia has a love for pageants and the Miss Philadelphia organization . She ’ s currently serving on the Executive Board for their Prince and Princess mentorship program . She ’ s an E-Board member for Alpha Kappa Alpha , the first historically black sorority , and works as a dance instructor in the community . And the cherry on top ? She also started an allinclusive activewear line called ExitoFit .
All these activities help Nia decompress from the stresses of being a nurse during a global pandemic , but how does she do it all ?
“ Honestly , just tea and eating right , with sleep from time to time ,” she laughs .
Why I Decided to Become a Nurse
“ I came to a point where I was just like , ‘ I kinda don ' t want to do the physician thing . I don ' t want to do the research thing .’ And I thought back to my little sister .
My sister and I are 10 years apart and she was born premature . And to be honest , it didn ' t seem like she was going to make it . I honestly didn ' t even want to go to the hospital . She was in the NICU , hooked up to two tubes and the incubator , and it was kind of scary at 10 years old , but I had to go one day because my parents didn ' t have a babysitter .
It was a nurse who came out to me and said , ‘ Hey , I know that this is scary . I know that this is different , but your sister needs you . She needs her sister to pour into her and to believe in her and to help her continue her fight .’
And after that , she just started gaining weight and doing better because I started coming all the time . Honestly , if it wasn ' t for that nurse talking to me , I don ' t know how the outcome would have gone , but she truly changed my life . And now my sister is my life . She ' s my world and she ' s doing fine . That nurse made me believe and that nurse helped educate me . And I want to be that nurse to someone else .”
Nia Andrews was recognized as a frontline hero by 6ABC to thank her for her work during the Covid-19 pandemic .
4 TODAY