Moktata iakwe! Kamolol Iroij ken iakwe im kojbarok eo An nan kojwoj kajojo. Eta in Celena Aguirre. Etan jino in Jiti Hesa im jema Romy Alvarez. Etan bubu in Nelur im jimma Jubwil Hesa. Etan jowi e ao ej Riluwut. I was born and raised on Majuro, Marshall Islands. I spent the first 5 years of my life on Lukwoj, Arno. As soon as I turned 5, I went to Majuro, even though it was hard for my grandparents to let me go, they knew that I had to go back to Majuro so I could attend school and “bukot ilju im joklaj eo ao” (literal translation – “to find my tomorrow” or “to find my future”).

I attended Majuro Delap SDA from Kindergarten through high school. Soon after I graduated high school, that following summer, I decided to attend Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas. I packed my one luggage with all my amimano (handicrafts) from family and friends, got on the plane and headed for Texas. It all went by so fast. I didn’t really have time to think about it- whether or not I wanted to go to college. It was just the next step after high school, I thought. Even if I didn’t want to go, my dad was going to make sure I did. For him it was not an option. He pushed me to do my best in school.

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but I was excited and scared. I thought I knew it all. I mean, I was a great student in high school after all. But reality hit and it wasn’t long before I knew that college meant business. It was nothing like high school. Yes, it was fun! But when it came to my classes, I had to work hard. I couldn’t just cram the night before a test. I was not used to it. I was used to school being so easy. I realized I had lots of learning to do. LOTS! I will not go into all the details but let’s just say I’ve had my share of college failures. I’ll be honest, there were classes I had to drop and retake to get a better grade in. The second time I took them, I did a lot better cause I put more effort. It took me awhile to figure out what course I wanted to take. I spent the first 2 years doing general studies and early education courses because I thought I was going to be a teacher. But later I realized, I wanted to be a nurse. At the same time I was afraid of nursing school. I heard that nursing students had no life. They stress, they cry, they fail, they quit, etc. It was true. That scared me. I didn’t want to be a failure and disappoint my family. Although sometimes, when I feel like I can’t do something, that’s when I do it just to challenge myself. I was up for the challenge and I knew that God was going to help me.

So, I got into nursing school in 2002. There were lots of sleepless nights, hundreds of pages to read, headaches, waking up at 4 am to study, plus I had to work! Over the summers, I took on full time jobs and luckily, I had relatives close by that I was able to stay with until school started again. Then it was back to lots of reading, tests, and clinicals. In the end, all of the effort and sacrifices were all worth it. It was not easy, but it was an experience that I would not change. It took me 1 year of pre-nursing and 2 years of nursing courses.

Long story short, I graduated with my Associates Degree in Nursing in May 2005. I passed the Florida state boards exam (NCLEX) in July 2005, and at the age of 24 I started my career as a registered nurse at Florida Hospital in Sebring, FL. It has now been 15 years! Today, I am a full time ICU RN at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital and currently enrolled at University of Illinois at Chicago for my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I hope to finish next year, Winter 2021. It has been tough juggling a family of 4 kids, a full-time job, and going back to school but I know if I set my mind to it, I will make it with God’s help.

My husband, Glenn is the pastor of Hinsdale Fil-Am SDA church. We live in Chicagoland. We have 4 kids (Micaella, Jacob, Madelyn, and Milana). Previously, we lived in Miami for 7 years and New Port Richey for 4 years. I pray and hope that one of these days, the Lord willing, the Lord will call us to the Marshall Islands to serve. But for now, we will go wherever the Lord leads us.

I share my simple story to encourage our young people and maybe the older ones as well, particularly in our Marshallese communities here in the U.S and back home. Don’t let fear get in the way of your goals. My oldest classmate right now is 64 years old! Goes to show that whatever you put your mind to, it can be done! Set a goal and go for it. But don’t go about it alone. Ask God for wisdom and guidance. He is my main source of strength. I would not have accomplished anything without Him. I always go back to this Bible promise in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”