Julia Miranda

From my earliest memories, I knew that, above all, I wanted to help people. I decided I could do that by becoming a nurse. My first attempt at college was not successful, so I went back home and worked different jobs until I made up my mind to join the Navy. There, I became a hospital corpsman and served out my four years. I moved to New York City and got married. I worked as a home health aide until I had my first child. After we moved to South Florida, I used the GI Bill to go to nursing school. I worked as a registered nurse for over seventeen years, in spite of my chronic pain and fatigue. Finally, I was granted disability and now was afforded a chance to breathe. I decided to return to school and enroll in some fun courses. One of my first classes was ceramics; I was hooked! Now I am allowed the freedom to work on what I love and express myself in the way I want. My work schedule is self-set and fluid, so I am still able to honor my early goal of helping people, also.