JULIA | mother | nurse
You’d know why I wasn’t exactly prepared for the rigorous course load, nor seasoned in health-related matters. If you’d known me before my son splintered his arm bone in a playground accident, you’d raise your eyebrows in awe. You see, I’d spent two decades doing anything but promoting healthy lifestyles. I was a bar owner, a true entrepreneur...despite the fact that my formal education ended in ninth grade. I was making an adequate living. I was well-liked by my regular customers. And I was miserable. It was all wrong. Day after day, I’d watch men and women quench self- destructive habits...and I’d come home and feed my children with the proceeds. I had morally outgrown the business. I wanted out. So I sold the bar and hoped that enrolling at a nearby college would help me decide my next move.
That’s when a benign tumor in my son’s arm turned a low-impact playground fall into a serious injury. Once the trauma of sirens and surgeries had subsided, I noticed how much the nurses had carried me through the ordeal. They were knowledgeable and skillful and empathetic…all wrapped into a package of therapeutic care. And I thought, I want to be that kind of support for someone. That was four years ago, and I’ve never second-guessed my decision. In a few months, I’ll graduate with my Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing.
Nursing school has been hard, and it should be. There is no room for error. Every day, I hold life in my hands, and I take that responsibility very seriously.I also take seriously my job as a mother, which is why Health Careers Foundation has been a blessing to me. For 14 years, I have single-handedly raised my two children. Teenagers need their mother around, and I love being with them. I’ve been a good role model. I’ve shown by example the value of education – a lesson I failed to recognize as a child. But I could never have embarked on this journey if I’d had to juggle work into the equation. I am immensely grateful that there are people who want to help me help people.
So what’s next? I’d like to serve up something healthy for a change. Perhaps a job with a school district. Perhaps something entrepreneurial. Whatever I do, I’ll promote healthy decisions and wholesome behaviors, no matter whom I’m with or where they’ve been. Because it’s never too late to change. I know that with all my heart.
