Tell us about your military service. What did you do? Where did you serve? What do you value the most about your
military service?
I am proud to have served four years as an active duty Army medic at Fort Campbell, KY. I am currently serving three years as an Army reservist with 7229th Medical Support Unit in Nashville, TN. I have participated in two Joint Readiness Training Center pre-deployment rotations where I had to perform emergency and evacuation care. I deployed once in support of Operation European Assure, Deter, and Reinforce to Romania, Bulgaria, and Germany in efforts to support NATO. During this time I was the first line of care for an entire infantry company. I practiced evacuation procedures and prepared for prolonged patient field care in large scale combat operations. The leadership and medical skills I have gained is what I value most about my military service.
What are your thoughts on mentoring other students while at Vanderbilt? As a role model, what values do you want to
share?
I am looking forward to mentoring and sharing my experiences with other students while at Vanderbilt. I believe that sharing my medical expertise, my leadership skills, and personal lessons learned will open the eyes of my fellow Vanderbilt students to the depth of military service. I intend on sharing all of this with grace and compassion. Furthermore, I am certain that while sharing my experiences, I will also learn from the experiences of other students. Mentoring will include learning lessons from others and that is what will truly deepen the military-civilian connection.
While at Vanderbilt, what will be the focus of your studies and how do you plan to use this knowledge in your future
career?
I am thrilled to have been accepted into Vanderbilt’s MSN Program, with a dual specialty of Midwifery and Family Nurse Practitioner. I fully intend to utilize my skills to give back to my community. It has been a long time dream of mine to have the medical background needed in order to help underserved and underprivileged communities. My goal is to help those who cannot afford treatment, medications, or basic medical supplies. I believe it is important for these populations to be represented by someone who shares their backgrounds and struggles. Therefore, I plan to work within Spanish-speaking communities. Furthermore, I have witnessed firsthand the medical difficulties that our service members face. I plan to commission as a medical officer in the Army so that I may also continue to treat service members.
What would you tell other veterans about the Bass Military Scholars Program?
Being a Bass Military Scholar has allowed me to develop camaraderie with other veterans. Throughout this program I will participate in leadership and mentorship activities within the Vanderbilt community and the broader Nashville community to better connect civilians with the true meaning of the U.S. military. I get to be a part of a community where veterans meet and discuss how to apply different military training into everyday life. I am looking forward to building my leadership skills and being exposed to various opportunities where I can impact and help others.