Scholarship Essay
Express in 500 words your motivations for applying for the scholarship. Tell us why you deserve this grant and what your dreams, goals, and career plans will be if awarded.
After enrolling at the University of Texas at Austin, I encountered several wins and barriers that resulted in a deeper commitment to CRNA school. While I excelled in Anatomy and Microscopy, I struggled to find my place as a Black student, and thereafter as a Black male nurse. According to the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program, only 11% of registered CRNAs in America are minorities, with only 2% African-American. As a Black doctoral student in the Baylor Nurse Anesthesia program, my goal would be to address this disparity by collaborating with fellow students of color to create a support group to uplift each other. Additionally after my studies, I would work to help the next generation of Black nurses through recruitment, mentorship, and precepting. These disparities are urgent and unignorable, which is why I would use my platform as a Black doctoral student and graduate to bring better representation and equity into the CRNA profession.
Professionally, I intend to work at MD Anderson after graduation to devote my time and skills to patients battling one of the most complex and elusive diseases - cancer. During my time at the University of Texas at Austin, I was fortunate enough to be selected as a lab assistant at The Gore Lab. Our research laboratory concentrated on studies of lab rats inoculated with environmental endocrine disruptors (EDC) that were found in highly toxic pesticides. I partook in countless surgeries of lab rats where I saw a blatant correlation between cancer and EDCs. Seeing this sparked a flame within me - one that I promised myself I would continue once I had accomplished my goal of becoming a CRNA.
In short, my near and long-term professional goals are to help bring representation and excellence to as many people as I possibly can. I understand the prestige that comes with being a CRNA which is why I aim to utilize my degree to its full potential - whether that be cancer research, leading the next generation, or by simply providing empathy to those that need it most. By obtaining this scholarship, I will be one step closer to achieving my goals.
