Where did you serve and what did you do?

I was a Fire Control Technician Second Class (Submarines). I served on the USS Rhode Island (SSBN-740B) Ballistic Missile Submarine based out of Kings Bay, Georgia from 2005-2010. In my short five years in the Navy I earned two Navy Achievement Medals, two Commanding Officers Commendations, and Bluejacket Sailor of the Year.

How are you Still Serving?

I am the co-founder and director of the Lander Free Medical Clinic where we provide free medical care for our low income and uninsured neighbors. As a masters prepared nurse leader, I found that there were hundreds of people in our town and thousands of people in our county who were falling through the cracks of the health care system and could not afford health insurance. I was seeing patients in the hospital who were having their limbs amputated because they couldn’t afford their insulin and who were having heart attacks because they couldn’t afford their blood pressure medications. We are saving the lives of our neighbors by connecting volunteer physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants with low income uninsured patients. Through the contributions of generous foundations and individual donors we are able to provide our patients free medications, laboratory testing, advanced imaging, specialist referrals, and social services. We have served over 150 patients since our founding November 2021 and we are adding more every week.

Why do you do it?

Serving others is my calling in life. It is what led me at the age of 17 to raise my right hand and swear an oath to defend our country, and it is what continues to get me out of bed every morning. I enjoy using my leadership skills to raise funding, recruit volunteers, manage patients, and rally our community to help our neighbors most in need.