We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Germyah Heart. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Germyah below.
Germyah, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
Growing up in an underserved community builds character, strength, and perseverance. I have two ambitious, hard-working parents that have instilled core values and beliefs in my siblings and me. I did not have much growing up, but I had faith in Allah. I knew that my steps were ordered. Changing my environment and winning was at the forefront of my mind. Being from the Northside of Milwaukee is not your typical upbringing. You have to survive gun violence, crime, and segregation. I lost so many of my friends and family at a young age due to the violence in Milwaukee. With those things in mind, I motivated myself to get on my feet and grind until my situation improved. I was tired for many nights. I worked two jobs, danced, and went to school. But I was so determined to make it out of poverty that I made those sacrifices. To be a champ, you have to take a chance. I will rather be the one doing the handouts than the person with their hand out. So I stay busy! I am always on the go. My work ethic comes from never wanting to have to depend on others and to be able to look back and say, “I made it. I overcame adversity”. My work ethic is to motivate the youth that is similar to me, from similar backgrounds, that they can do it too!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
The youth is the future. Currently, I am heavily involved in youth development. I enjoy volunteering at schools and local organizations. This summer, I worked with Morehouse School of Medicine’s Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) Academy. HCOP Academy focuses on recruiting students who are economically and educationally disadvantaged in high school and college. The students have an interest in healthcare and medicine. As an HCOP staff member, I worked alongside other health professionals to provide students with lectures, mentoring services, professional development, and other educational experiences.
Connecting with the youth is extremely important to me. My objective is to be the example to youth that I wish I had as a young child. I grew up in poverty, so I can empathize with students who are economically and educationally disadvantaged. That is what makes my work effective; it builds the passion and drive behind my work with the youth. I have a lot in store, each day I am working. Late nights, long nights. It is all coming together.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Adaptivity, professionalism, and dedication. This journey is not easy; if it were easy everyone would do it. Adaptivity is first. You have to be able to adapt to new environments and changes. With new innovations in medicine and technology, things are always changing. You have to be able to adapt or you will get lost in this industry. It’s also important to note that not all environments will be “ideal” or “traditional”. For example, doing community engagement work will not always be in a nice neighborhood. You may need to go to a rural area or underserved community. Are you built for it?
I am very big on professionalism. No matter the relationships I develop with others, I remain professional. Never mix business and pleasure. We all have a job. Professionalism comes with privacy at times too! Meaning, you have to limit what you put out to the public. Be yourself, always. However, once you wear many hats and are representing prestigious organizations and companies, you have an image to maintain. Your name and image is all that you have!
Dedication is a given. Hard work and dedication will get you far on your journey. When you are dedicated to a goal, you are more likely to accomplish it. I’m a firm believer in input=output. What you put in will reflect in your outcomes.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Having a work-life balance is essential in the healthcare industry. Often, I find myself overwhelmed because the work gets challenging. The production and behind the scene work is always intense. Staying up late at night to finalize program details, meetings, and last-minute touches is all apart of the work. To address feeling overwhelmed, I suggest having a healthy outlet. Which may look differently for each person. I’d recommend going to work out or doing a physical activity of choice, reading, writing, traveling, or simply resting. Sometimes our bodies just need a day to reset and relax. The biggest misconception people have is the “no days off” ideology; when in fact we need rest. Do not neglect your body when it rejects constant labor and work; REST!
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