From free clinic patient to now provider, Monique Prince seeks to ensure a healthier future for vulnerable populations as a family nurse practitioner, researcher and educator.
“Growing up in low-income housing, under the veil of poverty, I have a unique perspective of the plight of those who are less fortunate and it allows me to understand their predicament and the unique barriers they must overcome,” says Monique Prince, who graduates this week from UCF with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.
When Prince was 8, she contracted a serious illness from a tick bite and received care at a free clinic. “While I do not remember much about the visit, I do remember the provider,” she says.
Prince says the provider took time to explain to her mother what to do to manage her symptoms and when to go to a hospital. He even stayed late to give Prince a liter of fluid before they left. “He was the epitome of servant provider, and I just hope that one day, I can be an inspiration to someone like that.”
As a first-generation college graduate who is the oldest of five siblings and mom to a six-year-old son, Prince is already an inspiration to many.
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