The Fuld Leadership Program
Fuld Fellowships
Becky Carbley
Biographical Sketch
Reflections on the Fuld Fellowship
Social Responsibility and Access to Health Care: The Problem of Non- and Under Insured
Biographical Sketch
Becky Carbley grew up in Clearwater, Florida where she became personally aware of disparity and its impact at a very young age. As one of four children in a single-parent, economically disadvantaged home, Becky learned quickly the importance of achieving scholastic excellence, developing leadership skills, and showing empathy for those who despite hard work are left with needs.
Becky began volunteering at the age of 12, helping people with physical and mental disabilities ride horses through the Kiwanis Horses and Handicapped Program. At 13 she began volunteering in a local library children’s department and was active in her church youth group’s outreach activities. Throughout high school she continued working with the Horses and Handicapped Program and volunteered with the Equestrian Special Olympics. In response to her outstanding community service work she was asked to serve as the student delegate to the Largo Chamber of Commerce Community Development Board.
Her seven-year experience with the Horses and Handicapped Program helped spark Becky’s interest in understanding biology and health and she left Clearwater to attend Stetson University in Deland, FL. There she became the first member of her family to graduate from college, earning a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors in Biology and a minor in Spanish. At Stetson Becky held several service leadership positions while volunteering with literacy programs serving at-risk youth, a local children’s center, Habitat for Humanity, local food drives, environmental projects and the ER among others.
Following graduation from Stetson, Becky joined a cancer research team at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, where she also earned a Master’s of Science degree in Biotechnology while continuing her involvement in community service. It was during her time at Hopkins that Becky first noticed and appreciated the valuable one-on-one relationship nurses have with their patients and realized the unique caring that nurses’ offer underserved populations.
Becky moved to Atlanta to take a position as a Biologist with the CDC. She continued her community service by volunteering as an ESL teacher with an Iraqi refugee, with Meals-on-Wheels, Hands-on-Atlanta activities, and MedShare International. When she discovered the Fuld Fellowship at Emory’s School of Nursing, she knew that it could uniquely equip her to pursue her passion – to improve access to health care, reduce health disparities, and increase preventative health initiatives at the local and international level.
During her first year at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Becky has been actively involved in several student organizations including Emory Student Nurses Association (ESNA), Emory International Student Nurses Association (EISNA), Georgia Association of Nursing Students (GANS), National Association of Nursing Students (NSNA), and Health Students Taking Action Together (Health- STAT). She was elected to the state board of directors for GANS as the Community Service Director, which allowed her to organize a number of community health and outreach events statewide. She also served on an HIV/AIDS planning committee for Health- STAT and was selected to join the Emory Mortar Board, a scholarship, leadership, and community service organization at Emory. She will serve as the ESNA-EISNA liaison during the upcoming year and hopes to continue her involvements at the state and national level.
Becky continued her community involvemen t by volunteering for Project Open Hand’s Meals-on-Wheels program regularly throughout the year, volunteering at MedShare International, volunteering for the Georgia Cancer Study, and volunteering to help with the Global Health Partners Conference.
Through her participation in the Migrant Farm Worker Family Health Program over the summer, Becky had the opportunity to develop a significantly greater understanding of the barriers to health, as well as unique strengths, found in that population. The experience reinforced the ideas of social justice and advocacy for those who lack political force, while also reinforcing Becky’s commitment to promoting the health and humane care of people considered less fortunate.
Upon graduation, Becky’s life will continue to touch underserved populations as a Family Nurse Practitioner through community health nursing, especially serving refugees, immigrants, and urban communities.
Reflections on the Fellowship
The Spirit of the Fuld Fellowship
Although I have only finished one year of my nursing education as a Fuld Fellow, I am constantly amazed by the opportunities that it has brought me to fulfill my personal and professional goals. While I have long known my life’s desire was to help others who are less fortunate and to strive for social justice, I have not always understood what path would allow me to make the greatest impact. Discovering nursing and the Fellowship has given my future the direction and practical tools that will make it possible for me to not only touch the lives of others on a daily basis, but also to effect change through leadership and scholarship.
Over the past year, I have grown professionally through the leadership opportunities available as a result of the Fellowship and Emory University. I have also enjoyed the new scholastic challenges and learning about professional nursing. However, the nursing skills and nursing diagnoses are not the most formative aspects of my gratitude for the Fellowship. Mostly, the fellowship has brought me into the company of others who have challenged me to open my mind to a new analysis of the world, of leadership, and of social responsibility. Perhaps you could say that the spirit of the Fuld Fellows was the most unexpected benefit. It is a privilege to be among the other Fellows and to share in their inspiration and vision of a more equitable level of health for all people.
My experiences so far working among vulnerable populations, like homeless women in Atlanta and migrant farm workers in rural South Georgia, have helped me to see first hand the impact that a group of health care providers can have on marginalized communities. The past year has reinforced my desire to become a leader in the field and to push for excellence in patient care and health promotion worldwide. The Fellowship has been instrumental in my path so far and I am excited to see where it will lead me over the next couple of years.
|
