At the age of just twelve, I became involved in a campaign that focused on vaccination and prevention of filariasis, which was becoming an epidemic in my city. However living in Haiti, where Voodoo is considered by most to be legitimate medical treatment, hindered my ability to learn all that I starved for. At times, education and my dream of becoming a nurse, seemed like an unattainable goal. Finally, our family moved to the U.S. and my hopes were renewed.
Our struggles did not end here, as my mother was considered just a low skill immigrant with no education and little command of the English language in the eyes of employers. We persevered like we always do. Soon, I was the first person in my family to graduate high school and pursue higher education. My dream of being able to make a difference continued to drive me through every hurdle. It also became clear that the U.S. was not immune to these challenges. Here too, there were families with unmet medical