I Am (Student) Midwife. Hear Me Roar.

A lot has happened since my last post. Essentially, my life has gone in an entirely different direction: a total 180.

First off, I’m no longer going to nursing school in Chicago; instead I’m staying in CA and going to a school a little over an hour away from my hometown. “Why?” you ask. There’s a complicated answer to that….what it comes down to really is the plethora of opportunities I have at this school here:
1. Chicago is COLD and this California girl was not ready for that. This, however, was not a major contributing factor; I was mature and based my decision on more important things. Read on…
2. The director of the midwifery portion of my nursing program is my mentor and current boss. She fought for me to get into the program now and I know she’ll provide me with a ton of networking opportunities that I couldn’t have gotten elsewhere.
3. Money. As I’ve posted about before, this is a major concern for me right now. Chicago’s program (just tuition and fees) is about 3X as expensive as the local program I’m attending under the “in-state” tuition rate. Furthermore, I found out that I qualify for university grants here and that was such an unexpected blessing!
4. A long time family friend is going to law school very close to my nursing school and her mom offered to help us out majorly with our rent at an apartment. This was what got me. The first time moving out of my house, trying to navigate the scary world of rent, utilities, bills and she’s willing to help with that…I’m in! We moved in a little over 2 weeks ago now and I’m in love.

So, in short, BEST DECISION EVER. It has definitely been the hardest decision I’ve made so far in my life since it potentially moves my life on a different path than I was planning on but I’m really excited. I’ve always been taught to walk through the door that God opens because it’s not a coincidence and too many things fell in line with the nursing program in CA for me to mistake this as anything other than the plan of the Big Guy up there.

I hope to post more and keep up to date throughout this busy process. School starts in 2 weeks so wish me luck!

HMHB. Ps139:13

I got in!!!! I’m moving to Chicago in January!!!! I finally found out in the middle of last week and I am soooo excited :-)

It was a bit overwhelming and emotional at first, thinking of being so far from my family and the upcoming responsibilities of finding scholarships, grants, loans, etc. But, when I finally calmed myself down I began to think, and appreciate the blessing I had just been given: in a application process with 41 other candidates, I was selected to occupy 1 of the program’s 10 spots. Wow.

When that really sank in, everything else became secondary. God has opened this wonderful door for a reason and all I’ve got to do is to continue to do my part, step out on faith and He’ll do the rest.

I’M GOING TO CHICAGO Y’ALL!!!

HMHB. Ps139:13.

So, this is the week by the end of which I am supposed to hear from my first choice school.  I swear, every email I get on my iPhone makes me jump in anticipation.  It’s crazy to think that in any second, the trajectory of my life could drastically change.  Of course, it it’s a YES YOU’RE IN, it’s a change that I will welcome gladly.  If it’s a NO TRY AGAIN LATER, then it’s a different change that I am not as excited about.  I just need to remember that they’re both changes, and with the right attitude, change is a good thing. Still, it’s crazy for me to think that within the next 48 hours, the next 1.5 years (at least) of my “life plan” will be determined. Tick tock tick tock tick tock…

HMHB. Ps139:13.

Nobody likes the grad school application process. Nobody. I don’t know what the worst part is but here’s what I’ve broken it down to…

A. The Preparation, which includes several things: the search for the right programs to apply to, the completion of pre-requisite courses, the perfecting of goal statements, the grueling task of taking some sort of standardized academic test, the payment of application fees, the list goes on…

B. The Interview(s). So far, I’ve only had one of these and it’s been over the phone. Stress-ful, but good because it means you’ve made it to the next round!

C. The Rejection. I’ve got one of these so far and it didn’t feel too good.

D. The Acceptance(s). Still waiting on one (preferably several) of these…

E. The Search for Scholarship Money $$$. In my case, I will need to apply to several scholarship programs in hopes of funding my expensive dream to become a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner.  I have already built a database of several scholarships and as soon as I get accepted into a school (I find out at the end of this month from my top choice!), I will apply to all of the scholarships I can.

F. The Move.  For me, this is a big deal because I have always lived very close to my family. I got my undergrad degree from a university that was 20 minutes from home so I’ve never officially “moved out” yet.  Moving to a different state is going to be an adjustment for both me, and my family.  It’s a change I’m excited to make though.

Please send me good thoughts and prayers as I go through this application process…I’ll sure need them!

HMHB. Ps139:13.

Hi Everyone!  My name’s Gianna and I’m new to the tumblr community.  I’ve been really inspired by the tumblrs I’ve been following so far & it really got me thinking if I have enough to say to start writing my own posts.  Eventually, I realized that I have plenty to say so I decided to start this blog.  Here are my main reasons:

1. Admittedly, I watch too much tv and wanted to focus my (limited) free time on other, more productive things.  The two things I’ve chosen are: reading, and keeping up with the blogger world through tumblr.

2. I subscribed to the blog of another girl on another blogging site.  She had a similar story to mine; she was an African-American graduate nursing student studying nurse-midwifery and I found it be a huge motivation for me.  Her journey into nursing is now complete and, as a result, her blog is now done.  I wanted to start one for others out there who may, like I did, need to read someone else’s story in order to be encouraged to stay motivated.

3. I have an insatiable passion for nurse-midwifery, women’s healthcare and the importance of natural childbirth.  It’s like I’m bursting at the seams and I need to get it all out! Although I have the most loving, supportive foundation, including the best family, boyfriend and friends that a girl could ever ask for, I am sure they’re starting to get tired of all my speeches about water birth, breastfeeding, birth centers, etc.  This blog will be my avenue to productively share my energy and my zeal in a way that is informative to others.

I am really excited about embarking on this project.  It’s very different from anything I’ve done before (I was never even really able to keep an active diary as a young girl), but I am excited to embark on this journey.

Healthy Mommies. Healthy Babies. Psalm139:13.