Our ongoing story starts with people from around the world, converging here at UMKC. Get to know our people and you’ll know what UMKC is all about.
可可Ndipagbor '21
学术计划: Pre-licensure BSN, 护理与健康研究学院
家乡: 加州长滩
可可Ndipagbor describes herself as fearless and resilient, and it’s easy to see why. After earning a bachelor’s degree in global health from the University of Southern California, she could have stayed close to home and pursued a master’s in public health. 而不是, she moved to a new city halfway across the country and distinguished herself as a leader in her class at the 护理与健康研究学院, becoming president of the Student Nursing Association chapter at UMKC.
She will return to the Los Angeles area in the fall, where a fulltime job as an intensive care nurse waits for her. To help finance nursing school, Ndipagbor applied for every scholarship UMKC had to offer. She landed a few, but one was especially meaningful: the LGBTQIA Leadership Scholarship.
What did you get from being an LGBTQIA Scholar?
The scholarship provided a chance to exemplify queer leadership. It was the first time that being Out and Proud funded part of my education. I also wanted to show queer UMKC students of color that they belong here. I joined the LGBTQIA Health District Alliance because I do believe that showing my pride will validate my patients and peers that I am here for them.
LGBTQIA issues are important because I love who I am and the community I represent, and I aim to create a space where we can feel safe. 我弟弟是变性人, and I have had to step up big time to ensure his safety in a world that shows him otherwise. I want to uplift and empower queer youth because many of us grew up in families where the blasphemy of our existence prevented us from receiving the love and support we deserved.
The LGBTQIA community is underrepresented in the world of health care, and I want to be a part of a generation of providers that changes that. I intend to use my experience here in Kansas City to grow and thrive.
你为什么选择护理?
我这辈子都在关心别人, and being able to do that as my profession brings me joy. I also love teaching people how to advocate for their health.
I wanted to diversify my education and my choices, 太, and there are so many paths to pursue in nursing. 我对麻醉感兴趣, and I knew UMKC had a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist program, which could bring me back here in a few years.
"The LGBTQIA community is underrepresented in the world of health care, and I want to be a part of a generation of providers that changes that." —
你在密苏里大学堪萨斯分校学到了什么?
我知道我是无所畏惧的. I moved across the country to a place that I had never visited or known. 我每天冒着雨坐公共汽车, 寒冷或下雪, and I worked 50 hours a week and still came up short financially. 但我没有停下来. I could not quit after coming so far, and I would do it all over again.
你最欣赏UMKC的什么?
I admire the dedication that many professors and administrators have for students. Once they found out that I was in KC alone, they opened their hearts and became my support system. 它让我继续前进.
What is the best advice you received from a professor?
总有更多的东西需要学习. Study to become a better nurse, not to pass a test. Always go with your gut, even if it goes against the grain.
Anything you will miss about Kansas City and UMKC?
我会怀念那里低廉的生活成本, the clean streets and the nice Kansas Citians I encounter every day. I will miss the friends and family I made while at UMKC.