Trystin Brooks

Bridging the Gap

My name is Trystin Brooks, and I am currently a senior at Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School. My lifetime professional goal is to become a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. Nursing is one of the many fields that lack diversity. African Americans have the highest infant and maternal mortality rates. Throughout my career, I want to positively impact how African Americans are treated in the healthcare field. Medical treatment is just one of the many disparities faced by minorities and many have no idea how drastically different the level of care is that they receive. As a twin, born to a seventeen-year-old single mother on government insurance at the time of my birth, this really resonates with me.

My mother stereotypically fit the description of someone who many medical professionals would have decided deserved minimal medical care. She had no money, no strong educational background, and she was extremely young and high-risk. Thankfully, while in the hospital for eight weeks prior to our birth, my mother received great care that allowed my sister and me to be born prematurely but extremely healthy. My own personal story draws me closer to this field and specialization and I am looking forward to dedicating my life to helping to minimize the gap felt by those minorities impacted.  I want to be at the forefront and be able to advocate for what’s best for sick babies and families that are diverse in nature to ensure that everyone receives equitable care.

I currently work fifteen to twenty hours a week while balancing schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and community service organizations.  I am currently ranked number 6 in my class and will graduate with 24 college credits. As an overall high scholar, I have worked extremely hard to get here.  Being a twin with a deceased father, my mother will be sending two children to college this fall on her own. We have a younger set of twin siblings as well, but our mother continues to push us toward our dreams and goals. I am applying for scholarships to assist my mother with the financial burden of our college education. I am going out of state, so the cost of attendance for my school is 30k for tuition, room, and board.

The receipt of this scholarship will assist me in being able to accomplish my dream and to make a difference in the world of premature birth and birth health for all. Attending school at North Carolina A&T State University will allow me to further my leadership and be an active positive part of the community initiatives to serve the Greensboro community and make a positive impact. I plan to volunteer in local clinics and hospitals during my time there in the lower income areas to further promote health education and be a positive advocate for healthy birth experiences for the patients that I will interact with. I further plan to start a nonprofit while in college that focuses on teen mothers and ensuring they have the best resources during their pregnancies to further negative the high risk of premature birth rates that they often are faced with. By considering me for this scholarship, you are minimizing the financial gap currently faced and sowing a seed into my dreams.   I thank you for your consideration, this is a life changer for my long-term dreams.