My life has been split between living in rural South Carolina and in crime-ridden Newark, New Jersey. In both, I have had firsthand experience on what health care looks like when there are a lack of resources and for marginalized communities. I have lost very important family members like my mom and grandpa, suddenly, to things that could have easily been treated by something as simple as education and early screenings. I vowed to not let that happen to others. For me, being the change, I wanted to see in health care delivery is why I decided to pursue a career in nursing.

I was born in Romania and moved to the United States in 1998, when my family won the Visa Lottery. My father jokingly applied for the visa with no intentions of being chosen, so winning was a shock to my entire family.

I was interested in pursuing nursing as my mom is a nurse midwife, and I grew up hearing about her experiences and visiting the clinic where she worked. I have always loved medicine and working with vulnerable populations, so nursing was a perfect fit. My mom was also diagnosed with cancer when I was a senior in high school, so I spent a lot of time in the hospital during this time and was exposed to the nurse-patient relationship. These experiences showed me the significant impact a nurse can make on a person’s life.

I am from Raleigh and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Neuroscience from East Carolina University in 2012.

The caring culture embedded in nursing drew my attention. When I was an undergraduate student, I got fascinated by the various skills nurses have, even beyond clinical settings. I still believe that nurses do not only provide care to an individual but also empower the individual to engage in their own health behaviors.

I started my journey in life in the heart of Miami, where I was raised in a proud, hardworking Dominican-American family. Like many immigrant families, we did not have adequate access to health care nor did we understand the value of preventative care. At 16, I was not excelling in the traditional high school environment, and, with my mother’s support, I enrolled in a high school completion program. During this time, my family relocated to Charlotte, and it was at Central Piedmont Community College that I found my way into nursing.

I was born in Manila, Philippines, and spent my formative years serving the underprivileged with my family at a rural vocational school and later in the inner city. After a severe encounter with Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever at age 3 with frequent finger pricks for blood tests, I announced I would become a “poke doctor,” so I could help others as I had been helped by the compassionate Filipino nurses who cared for me.

I was hospitalized when I was 19. Being young and still determining what career I wanted to pursue, I decided to attend nursing school after the care I received from one of my nurses. Her empathy and sincerity for my situation demonstrated how compassion could be employed in a career. I wanted to provide the same level of service to our community that she had shown to me.