'Sun in a rainstorm'

Loraya Poindexter has dreamed of going into the medical profession since she was in elementary school.

She knew she wanted to help people and thought she may want to be a pediatrician, but it was through Baptist Health’s Tipping the Scale program that she realized nursing was a better fit and where her heart was guiding her.

Tipping the Scale: Connecting Students to Careers is Baptist Health's youth and mentoring program designed to inspire, prepare and connect high school students interested in careers in health care.

“Nurses spend so much time with patients and their families, and they advocate for them every day. That close connection is what inspired me to pursue nursing,” Loraya said.

After three years in the program, she’s now working as an emergency department technician at Baptist Medical Center Nassau while continuing to pursue her nursing degree. Her role includes providing direct care to patients and assisting nurses while helping the department with additional tasks.

Loraya said she’s a social butterfly and enjoys helping patients by being “a sun in a rainstorm; just a little bit of brightness in their rough day.”

Mentors to rely on

Loraya wouldn’t be where she is today, she said, without the Tipping the Scale program.

“This program made me into who I am,” she said. “I’m able to afford college through the help of Tipping the Scale. I currently have a job because of Tipping the Scale. I’m so appreciative of the opportunity to be in the program, and I’m so glad I had so many mentors guiding me from a child to now a young adult and who I can still rely on.”

Avalee Delay, director of Development for the Baptist Health Foundation, became Loraya’s mentor starting in early 2024 and knew her through the program three years prior. She’s grateful for the opportunity to be in Loraya’s life and have helped her navigate some of life’s biggest milestones, from applying to college and graduating high school to starting her freshman year.

“After meeting Loraya and learning about her goals, strengths and aspirations, I realized that what she needed wasn't someone with all the answers; she needed someone in her corner,” Delay said. “Mentoring has been incredibly rewarding because you often see potential in the students long before they see it in themselves. Watching Loraya grow, pursue and achieve her goals is a privilege. It reminds me in both my professional and personal life that sometimes the most meaningful and supportive role you can play is believing in someone and helping them to recognize their own potential.”

Through the program, Loraya was also a summer intern for three years before joining the emergency department team.

“She's always been able to gracefully balance her focus and drive with maturity and thoughtfulness that you wouldn't always expect of a high school student,” Delay said. “She's been side by side with those care team members through some heavy situations, and when I would check on her during her shift to see if she needed a break, she would just say that the tough days really solidified that she was in the right role and this is where she wanted to be. I'm so happy she's back on campus and to get to see her more regularly again!”

Loraya is grateful for the connection she’s had with Delay and is also excited to see her more. She said Delay always finds a way to help or if she doesn’t have the answer, points her in the right direction of someone who does.

“She’s definitely a listening ear, but not only that, she's an advocate,” she said. “I very much appreciate her.”

Bright future awaits

Loraya is looking forward to what her future holds. Her immediate goal is to complete her bachelor’s degree in the next two to three years with her nursing license and become a pediatric nurse. An only child until she was 7, she often played a protective role around younger children and after her two younger siblings were born, “that caring and nurturing side only grew stronger.”

Delay has no doubt that Loraya has a bright future ahead.

“Watching her grow from a high school student to a member of our team has been incredibly rewarding,” Delay said. “She has a compassionate heart, a strong work ethic, and a genuine desire to care for others, and I have no doubt she'll make an excellent nurse. If you ask Loraya about her long-term goals, she'll tell you she wants to be a hospital president. Knowing her determination and the way she approaches every opportunity, I know she will be.”

To learn more about the work Baptist Health does in the community and investing in the future generation, go to BaptistJax.com/Community.