MEET EMMA

My name is Emma and my goal is to become a licensed Physical Therapist so I can help people with physical disabilities. This goal stems from a painful accident I experienced at seven years old when my back was broken in a motorcycle accident. At the time, my mother had already passed away, and my father was struggling to care for my siblings and me. The medical services required to help me heal was another cost he could not afford, so he gave me to Danita's Children Center. He believed this would give me a better chance at life. The missionaries at Danita’s tried to help me, but there were no specialists who knew how to help with my back. 

While growing up at Danita's, I decided to become an occupational therapist after I developed an easy bond with the children with disabilities living at the orphanage. I trained under the staff and eventually became an employee in the special needs home. I then led weekly recreational group therapy sessions with the children. I’ll never forget how happy they were every time I walked into the house. My dream became to see therapy available to every child in Haiti because I saw how much more I could have helped them if I had been a fully-trained occupational therapist! 

After graduating from high school on the campus of the orphanage, I attended a year and a half of university in the capital of Haiti, Port Au Prince. Due to the political crisis that caused severe security and safety concerns, I had to drop out of college and return to the orphanage, and with that, lose my college credits. It was then that I realized the only way I could become an occupational therapist was to study abroad. 

In May 2021, I had the opportunity to come to the US and attend Norwalk Community College in Connecticut, where I am currently proving myself to be a successful college student. My greatest challenge now is full financial support to continue my college studies. I know what it’s like to need therapy but not have access to it so I want to become part of the solution for others. And with your help, my dream can become a reality!