How did you discover your passion for what you do, and what opportunities have helped shape your career?

My grandmother and aunt were nurses. I knew, fairly early on, that I wanted to help people and have a deep sense of giving in life. I truly evolved my passion for nursing when I went down to Haiti after the earthquake to help with a cholera outbreak that was occurring. I realized a very deep sense of purpose and being connected to nursing and things really fell into place from there. After that mission trip, I started giving the gifts that God gave me, nursing and medical care, back to the community in any way that I could.

Reflecting back on 2020, how did you adapt to so many aspects of life moving virtual?

We really had to adapt in the hospital. Although I was onsite at the hospital, we did have to adapt all education and training to remain safe and comply with guidance from the hospital command team and CDC. We also had to create innovative ways to reach staff and update on COVID, while also maintaining current education. Much of hospital training is hands-on, so that was challenging. We also had a significant increase in nurse needs in the fall, so much onboarding and training needed to be done, while still maintaining safety of the patients and staff.