“I Am African & I Can” is a women’s empowerment blog highlighting stories of Black women’s struggles and successes.

Up until the age of 8, Isatu Bella Jalloh, BSN, RN, BC, ED did not attend school in Sierra Leone due to her father’s belief that girls should not be enrolled into school. If it were not for her mother’s bravery and taking a bold stance, she would not be a nurse today.

Because Isatu’s mother was never given the opportunity to go to school, her dream was to make sure that her daughter went to school. So much so that she was willing to end her marriage if her husband did not enroll her daughter into school. Luckily, her father agreed to send her to school when he realized that her mother was ready to sacrifice her marriage for her daughters to have a shot at an education.

At the age of 9, Istau and her family had to flee from her native country Sierra Leone because of the civil war and then settled in neighboring country Guinea, Conakry. She remembers her family telling her stories of how horrifying the war was. One story she never forgot was of a newlywed couple who got on their motorcycle and attempted to escape when the rebels shot both.

Once Isatu settled in Guinea, she had to learn French and was placed one grade behind because of the language barrier. Although she had to adapt to a new environment, she felt safer being in a war-free zone and was surrounded by many relatives who showered her with love.

After getting married, she and her husband moved to the United States. Once children came into the picture, she felt that the energy required to raise them and being undocumented would make going to college out of reach. However, with her supportive husband by her side and his constant reminder that she was capable, Istatu decided to go to college once she became documented.

Her son was asthmatic, which meant that he often fell ill. Luckily, she enrolled in a college that was situated across the street from her house. Living in close proximity to her school gave her the flexibility and chance to quickly rush home whenever the babysitter needed her there to assist her child.

After earning her Associate’s in Biology, Isatu took the nursing entrance exam, but unfortunately scored 90 (just a few points below the average score of 115 out of 265). At first, she thought that she was a failure, but was able to convince herself to give it another try. After taking a break and spending some time in Europe, she was prepared for a strong comeback. Her dream was to become a nurse. When she thought of giving up, she remembered that her mother fought for her to go to school, so one setback was not going to stop her.

When Isatu began preparing for the Board exam, she was 5 months pregnant with her daughter and did not want to deal with the anxiety that came with sitting in an examination room for 4 hours. She decided to wait until she gave birth. Two weeks after giving birth, she took the Board exam and passed! She was also given an opportunity to work as a lab technician at her school and made a good impression.

Shortly after, she went back to get her Bachelor's in nursing. By 2016, her manager referred her, and that is how she got her foot in Medical Surgical Nursing.

Isatu has been working in the Emergency Room (ER) for 5 months now. Thus far, she has cared for many patients who had been shot or experienced other forms of trauma. Although at first her wish was to work in labor and delivery, she says that she is happy where she is now. As an extrovert who is full of energy, she realized that working in the labor unit would have been “too boring” while awaiting hours for the arrival of a baby. She needed to work in an environment that kept her on her toes.

Latoya D’Abreau, Istau’s friend quotes the late Dr. Maya Angelou, “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” Latoya expressed, “Isatu Jalloh gave rise to that quote by Maya Angelou about resilience. She is a woman that strives to be proactive every day despite her situations. Her greatest trait is that she realized that her life doesn’t have to stay stagnant, she actively changed her circumstances and never made them reduce who she is as a person. To me she is the definition of resilience and well-deserved success.”

Recently, the ER nurse became an ambassador for Cherokee Uniforms, a well-known brand that sells medical apparel. As a hijabi, she loves and appreciates the brand for being inclusive. By taking on this role, she hopes that other Muslims can feel represented and inspired to chase their dreams.

Each day, as Istau goes into work, her goal is to make a difference in at least one person's life. She is proud of the journey she is embarked on and continues to be grateful to her mother for having stood up for her so that she could be educated and her husband for being a wonderful cheerleader. Isatu’s success story teaches us that the road to success may have curves, but if we maintain a positive attitude and adjust to every curve, we will surely reach our destination.