I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was 30! My first aspiration was to be an airline stewardess, then a French teacher and, finally, an interpreter. In college, I had a change of heart, deciding I wanted a career in the helping field. As a result, I became a social worker.

By 30, I realized — after eight years of processing public welfare applications — that a desk job was no longer meaningful to me. I wanted a career that would impact people directly in more personal ways, so I pursued an associate degree in nursing. The nursing profession demands so much of you: time management, analytical thinking, and emotional sensitivity (and now, more high-tech skills). Nursing requires your mind and your hands as well as your heart!

Shortly before graduation in 1984, I was inspired by an experienced pediatric nurse at Montgomery General (now MedStar) to go into pediatrics, which I practiced for 40 years. In pediatrics, you care for the entire family. Often, parents need more support and reassurance than their children do. Pediatric patients can be funny and will often surprise you.

Nothing is more fulfilling than seeing former patients return with gratitude — excited about the next step in their lives — as did one young man on his way to graduation and another teen dressed for her prom. Although I retired from Children’s National Medical Center in D.C. in 2018, I’m often reminded of Children’s motto, “Only in pediatrics can you save a lifetime.”

Two years into retirement, the COVID pandemic arrived. As a Community Health Specialist at Howard County General, I began immunizing the hospital staff as soon as the RNA vaccines arrived. Today, I teach courses in infant care and child safety, and take expectant parents on virtual tours of the hospital’s maternity department. I feel truly blessed to still have this opportunity to continue the profession I love.