About Black Girl White Coat
Black Girl White Coat is a social media initiative aimed at providing motivation, mentorship, scholarship, and representation for aspiring healthcare professionals who identify as a member of a race/ethnic group traditionally underrepresented in healthcare.
Having dreams of becoming successful in this field can be tough when you have difficulty finding peers and mentors who look like you in the spaces you wish to one day occupy. There are unique challenges we face as minorities, and unfortunately, in this day and age it seems as though the obstacles are not going anywhere. With this being said, BGWC has been established to be a source of hope and inspiration as well as a source of guidance for those in need.
Never hesitate to reach out for a helping hand, for advice, for answers to your wildest questions and concerns, or simply to say hi!
About the founder: Sandra Coker
Hey y’all!
My name is Sandra, and I am a native-Houstonian now training in Chicago as an emergency medicine resident physician. I’m a proud alumna of Baylor University, where I earned my bachelor of science in psychology, and McGovern Medical School. When I’m not working in the hospital or thinking of new ideas for BGWC, I enjoy all things NBA, watching docu-series on Netflix, spending time in nature, and perfecting my cooking skills. Those latter two hobbies are new post-quarantine, but I’m definitely happy to have my parents off my back about not being able to cook our native Nigerian dishes.
As you will probably see through my YouTube vlogs, Instagram and Twitter posts, I am Christian faith-based in all that I do, I have an immense passion for all things H-town, and a genuine desire to help my black and brown brothers and sisters pursue their dreams in the healthcare field.
Join the BGWC movement by following us on Instagram and Twitter and subscribing to the channel on YouTube. Lastly, BGWC is funded by your generous donations. You have an opportunity to support our efforts by clicking on the donate button/menu tab.
Treasurer: Christle Nwora
Christle Nwora is an Urban Health Internal Medicine – Pediatrics Resident Physician at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland. She attended McGovern Medical School and earned a Bachelor of Arts in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin.Du
ring her undergraduate career, Christle worked with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund on the University of Texas vs Fisher II Supreme Court Case and served as a NAACP LDF Youth Delegate at the National Urban League Civil Rights Summit in New York. In her final year at UT Austin, she was honored with the Heman Sweatt Student Legacy Award and selected as the Texas Parents Outstanding Student of the Year.
In medical school, she served as the National Chair for the Organization of Student Representatives with the AAMC and the Student National Medical Association Region III Health Policy and Legislative Liaison. She was awarded the Karff Chair Award for Best Humanities Project, the National Medical Forum Alumni Council Scholarship, inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society and chosen as an Aspen Ideas Scholar. Dr. Nwora was chosen by her peers as the Gold Headed Cane recipient and recognized at commencement.
She is interested in the intersections in how medical education can better serve students and communities by focusing intentionally on diversity, inclusion and health equity.
Secretary: Jazmyn Shaw
Jazmyn Shaw is 4th year medical student at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She grew up on the south side of Phoenix, Arizona. Born to a drug addicted mother, and having to grow up extremely early, she knows how hard it can be to overcome the circumstances life has given each of us. She is a firm believer in paying it forward and helping others like herself achieve their wildest dreams. Jazmyn is passionate about Black Girl White Coat because the mission of the organization is personal to her. “I would not be where she is today without the help of those before me who advocated for me and pushed me to continue chasing my dreams.”
Jazmyn lives in Clinton, Mississippi with her husband and two beautiful children, Aubri and AJ. Prior to beginning medical school, Jazmyn completed her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and began working as an emergency room nurse. She continues to care for some of Mississippi’s sickest patients as an RN in the only Level 1 Trauma Center in the state of Mississippi while in medical school. She is the recipient of the Barksdale Scholarship which afforded her a full ride scholarship to medical school, and she hopes to be able to use this opportunity to help others financially when she becomes a physician.
Jazmyn is pursuing a career in emergency medicine. She loves this specialty for many reasons, but one of the biggest is the ability to never close the doors on anyone and the fact that EM physicians care for people in their most vulnerable and darkest moments. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Emergency Medicine Residents Association (EMRA) and is also Chair of the EMRA Medical Student Council.
Administrative Assistant: Tina Corbin
Hello! My name is Tina, and I am from the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. I am currently a pre-medical student at Ashworth College, pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Healthcare Management.
By day, I work as an Ophthalmic Technician to an ophthalmologist, and by night, I am the mama to a feisty one-year-old. Just kidding – I’m her mama 24/7. In my spare time, I love reading, frequenting the beach (which is now off-limits, thanks COVID), and bingeing Netflix series.
I’ve been following Black Girl White Coat pretty much since it was founded, but recently joined as an Administrative Assistant, an opportunity that I am incredibly grateful for. As someone who often witnesses the difference that physical appearance can have on life experiences and opportunities, I feel compelled to amplify and acknowledge the voices that may go unheard or overlooked. I am so incredibly proud of all we have accomplished thus far, and I am excited for all that is to come.
