- Local nurse Dr. Dominique Borden founded 'Touch of Life' to mentor young women in Bainbridge.
- The program offers workshops and certification courses in various medical fields.
- Watch the video to hear from a neighborhood girl with dreams of becoming a nurse.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Over the summer we talked about a mentorship program created to push neighborhood girls to beat the odds against them.
WTXL reporter AJ Douglas checked in to see how things are going and what's next when it comes to making sure underserved populations in this neighborhood have equal opportunities for success.
"I've always wanted to be a nurse because I have a strong desire to help people,” said Myasia Anderson.
16-year-old Anderson said she's confident that becoming a registered nurse in a labor and delivery unit to be exact, is her destiny.
"I just love helping people and that's my dream,” said Anderson.
U.S Census data shows that over 25% of people in Bainbridge are living in poverty.
Studies from the National Institutes of Health report that this can cause negative test scores and follow a child into adulthood ultimately contributing to lower wages and income.
People like Dr. Dominique Borden decided to break these negative statistics in their own way.
"This year we implemented a non-profit organization called Identity,” according to Dr. Dominique Borden, owner Touch of life LLC and founder of Identity.
Borden said she went from teen mom to earning a doctorate in nursing so she understands what it feels like to have the odds against you.
Identity is a non-profit organization created by Borden to mentor local young ladies.
She already operated Touch of Life LLC, which offers medical certification courses that range from CPR, IVF, and medical technician certifications.
"It's most definitely a blessing. Because growing up we didn't have a whole lot of mentorship in this community,” said Borden.
While most mentees have expressed an interest in the medical field others have shown other aspirations.
"I have some that want to be teachers. I have one that will be going to truck driving school. We have some [future] veterinarians,” said Borden.
Anderson is not a mentee with the Identity program just yet but she aims to connect in the future.
"I would really love that because it's going to show me [what to expect] when I do get into the healthcare field,” said Anderson.
Borden is currently looking for additional mentors.
Find out more about both organizations here.
