Her Story
About Kristie
I was extremely close to my grandparents and great-grandparents, and just having that relationship with them is what drove me to wanting to be in long-term care and make a difference there. When I was young, my great-grandparents were put in a nursing home, and unfortunately the facility we had picked wasn't a great facility. She walked out of the front door, walked across four lanes of traffic and fell in a ditch and broke her hip. At that age, having to have hip replacement surgery, it's not a good thing, and unfortunately she developed a staph infection in the hospital and didn't recover. That's pretty much was the start of why I went into the healthcare field, specifically working with the elderly population. I myself was born with spina bifida, so I am in a wheelchair, and I really had to push myself that much harder to get my master's degree and get my license, because this world, they don't see past the nose on their face. They see the wheelchair coming and they don't see all the things that I accomplished on top of being in the wheelchair. Life has been very much a struggle pushing me back, but I kept climbing and kept clawing my way up to the top. Every interview I'd go on, I'd be turned down, and luckily I ended up being blessed enough to get this position here. Now I oversee the program for the entire state of Louisiana and license all the other administrators. It's kind of ironic that I was turned down by every nursing home in Louisiana to be an administrator in their buildings, but now I work at the board where I license all the administrators. I wanted to make a difference so bad, but God had such a bigger plan for me that I just didn't even realize, and now I'm making a difference on a way bigger scale than I ever thought that I would.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kristie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to never giving up on my dreams, even when doors kept slamming in my face. When I was faced with constant rejection, I just had that determination, and one day the door opened and I absolutely went through it. I haven't stopped and I haven't looked back. My great-grandparents pushed me to be the best version of me in spite of my disabilities, and I kept going and didn't let things stop me. Even though life has been very much a struggle pushing me back, I kept climbing and kept clawing my way up to the top. I always tell people that you may have bad days, but tomorrow may be brighter, tomorrow may be a better day. I wanted to make a difference so bad, but God had such a bigger plan for me that I just didn't even realize, and now I'm making a difference on a way bigger scale than I ever thought that I would.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Never give up on your dreams. You may have bad days, but tomorrow may be brighter, tomorrow may be a better day. When I was faced with the door slamming all the time constantly, one day I just had that determination, and one day the door opened and I absolutely went through it. I haven't stopped and I haven't looked back. Don't get me wrong, I do have some tough days, and I'm still dealing with challenges, but I'm not gonna let that crush my spirit. I still have so much to give and I still have people to inspire. You cannot let stuff like that bother you. I always try to instill in my administrators in training that our elderly population has so much to give and they have so much knowledge. I always want to say, why did you go into this field? Because if you tell me it's just a paycheck, you probably aren't the right fit. You have to have the heart. They deserve so much love and respect. Don't give up, you can do this. You might do it differently, but you can do it. It might take you longer, it might look funny, but you can do it.
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