My dad went to jail when I was seven years old. I can’t emphasize enough how strong my mom was to raise me and my two siblings while my dad was locked away for those 20 years. My siblings and I were always under mom’s watch: no parties, no drinking, no sleepovers, no driving, period. She was strict because she felt that she had to be. How else would she protect us from falling prey to the circumstances that led to my father’s incarceration? As the eldest, I became an alternate parent. I changed diapers and looked after my siblings when mom worked as a nurse. My mom worked hard, so we never wanted for much, which I was always grateful for. My social life was limited, but I did get involved in basketball, golf, track and other team sports. However, it was ultimately tennis that gave me the opportunity to really shine as an individual and I was hooked for life.
Mom used to take us to visit dad every weekend, starting when I was seven years old. It was a full day ordeal for a two-hour visitation. We’d be up by the crack of dawn to get ready, hitting the road for a three-hour drive to the prison. We didn’t want to get there in the afternoon because by then there would already be a long wait. It was a hostile, dirty environment, and on your way in they patted you down almost too well. I always felt very uncomfortable going there. With a 30-year sentence, a part of me felt like dad was never going to get out, especially after he was denied parole on multiple occasions. The weekly visits slowly turned into letters. As a result, I never put the second on my name.
Now that he’s out, it’s been a bit awkward dealing with my name change, especially when mail comes. But more than anything, our family is grateful for the chance to rebuild our relationships and have a father in our lives. It has been a big adjustment for dad to get used to things we all take for granted like motion activated sensors, cell phones, email, and YouTube (he really loves YouTube). He used to be a DJ and I love music as well, so we have bonded a lot catching up on music from the 80’s. His self-esteem took a real hit because of how hard it was for him to find a permanent job over the last 3 years. However, he recently took a temporary position at the fire department, and he’s excited to be contributing to society. He loves working around the home and has also worked hard to rekindle his relationship with my mom. We are all just really grateful to be able to make up for lost time.
With my mom feeling that she needed to protect me and my siblings from being incarcerated like my dad, my social life was limited growing up. However, I did get involved in basketball, golf, track and other team sports. It was ultimately tennis that gave me the opportunity to really shine as an individual, and I was quickly hooked for life. After graduating from high school, I worked as a tennis instructor at the Dominion Country Club while I got my bachelor’s degree. After graduating in 2015, I worked as a high school tennis coach for three years at Antonian High School. As a coach, I focused on enjoyment and tried to provide the kind of experience I always wished for back in my playing days. The parents and kids really appreciated that effort and seemed to thrive in that environment.
During my last year at Antonian, one of my students tragically passed away following a car accident. He had been such a phenomenal student and athlete. Though he was battling Crohn’s disease at the time, he seldomly let it affect him negatively. He strongly believed that the cure was right around the corner, and he was always looking forward to his life ahead. His death made me appreciate the fragility of life. Ultimately, this experience served as a strong call for me to investigate a career in healthcare.
In pursuit of that call, I joined the accelerated nursing tract here at UTHSCSA. Having grown up so sheltered and in predominantly white areas, I had always been the only black student in my classes, but at UTHSCSA, for the first time in my life, I had the chance to work with other successful black people, which was very exciting. In time, several of us decided to start a student organization, which grew into the Black Student Nurses Association (BSNA). As the outgoing president, it’s been great to watch the organization take off and grow to the point of having 30 active members. We are involved in community service and often network with other organizations to make a difference in our community.
Through the opportunities in BSNA I’ve unearthed a real passion for working in mental health. I really enjoyed my psych rotation and it has been fulfilling to work with Dr. Cavazos here at the HSC practicing Street medicine and delivering healthcare to homeless people. It’s taught me real humility, and it has been eye opening to see that most of those affected by homelessness are just normal people like you and me who have often had bad luck and fallen on bad times.
Despite all of the great experiences I’ve had with BSNA, I’d be remiss to say it’s all been smooth sailing. I was recently the victim of discrimination while shadowing a nurse manager. While we were discussing the hiring process and my resume, he mentioned how being president of BSNA could potentially “pigeon-hole” me, which was surprising to me since being president of BSNA was the first time I had taken on a leadership role in a group made up predominantly of black people. I did not take this role on the basis of race but rather to befriend, support and network with other black students while making a difference in my community. To make matters worse, he went on to say that black people weren’t usually ideal as nurses because of our reluctance to be humble and wipe people’s behinds. At first, I was too scared to say anything for fear of retaliation. The words played over and over in my head and kept stinging more and more. I finally brought the issue to the attention of our administration. I didn’t have the intention of going after his job or anything, but I wanted him to be made fully aware of how his words could affect others and how it could make them feel, and that was enough for me to reclaim my peace.
BSNA recently gave me a chance to be involved at the White Coats for Black Lives movement on campus. In the wake of Geroge Floyd’s death, I had the opportunity to give a speech, which was one of the most defining moments of my life thus far. Regardless of what some people may think of my resume, I will continue to be grateful for my experiences with BSNA, and I look forward to continuing to serve in my community as I prepare to graduate and go to work as a nurse.
About Rajah Greer:
I am now working at Laurel Ridge Treatment Center as a Mental Health Worker until I take my NCLEX in October. Then I will be working as a mental health nurse for a year and then I plan on going back to UT Health to enroll in the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner program. Ultimately, I would love to have my own private practice. I still have a passion for tennis and teaching lessons, so I plan on teaching cardio clinics and lessons when I can. I also keep telling myself that one day, I will try out for the Voice (I would go with Kelly Clarkson or Jennifer Hudson, or John Legend – if they turn around).
Story: John Kouam, Photos: Claire Schenken, Rajah Greer
Watch Rajah’s BLM Speech (@31:00)
