"As you pursue your dreams of higher education, describe what changes you would like to see in the CF community. What steps would you take to initiate these changes?"

I am an educator. I spend my days helping to mold young minds into empathetic, skilled, kind world-class citizens. A well-known fact of me that my students would share is that I don’t like excuses. Excuses only get in the way of what we can become. We can always strive to be better people. I feel this message radiates strongly in my hopes for the CF community. There are countless pharmaceutical studies that I have been fortunate to participate in with some of these drugs going back to the drawing board, while others have made the trajectory towards approval by the FDA. However, some of these drugs currently on the market are inaccessible to our patients. It is critical that if we are making these drugs that our patients have adequate access to them. We cannot stop this momentum until everyone with cystic fibrosis has been given a chance. I work with special needs students who persevere and push through some of life’s toughest adversities. My job is to help my students to find and use their voice. My pursuit of a master’s degree in education administration will allow me to use my talents on a larger platform. Similar to education, we need to keep using our voices to propel the CF community further. I am a proud advocate for cystic fibrosis and I will continue to use my voice to bring change, hope, and optimism.