Stacie Bruillant '20 Recruiting Profile

I was born and raised in Haiti, which is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world. Though it is filled with so many strong people that could make huge differences, the country does not have the tools needed for improvement. I have seen and experienced a lot of struggle and hurt even before I was born into this world.  Coming from Haiti and being amongst my fellow people that had to live through things like the 2010 Earthquake, I know the magnitude of feeling helpless.This event left me feeling speechless and unable to eat for a week. Seeing people losing their limbs, homes, and family members was so devastating. What hurt the most was the fact that I felt so unable to make a difference for them or myself. However, that feeling of helplessness only motivates me to now assist everyone in my community as much as I can.   

Secondly, as if this tragedy was not enough, I found out that my own parents wanted to give up on me before I was born. Honestly, the feeling of being unwanted was really heavy on me; it felt like a huge block was on my shoulder. Since being told this, I often wonder about the fact that I was so close to not being here; then, I realized that everything happens for a reason. Thankfully, to aid my family in relieving their financial burden, my aunt decided to take me in and give me a better future. I have a passion to help others that is fueled by my experience of being the recipient of my aunt’s care and by my experience in the earthquake, but because of circumstances I cannot control I sometimes feel limited. However, this is something I am working on in order to be able to assist others effectively. 

 Even when I lived in Haiti, I always valued and prioritized my education and that value only became stronger once I moved to the U.S. because I knew I would have to work a lot harder, and I did. I was switched out of ESL classes after one school year and attended summer school by choice. I received a lot of help! I now aspire to become a Physical Therapist. I am motivated to go into this field because I would be able to help others overcome their paralysis, and, being an athlete myself who was recently injured, I completely understand the pain one can go through and would love to help them get better mentally and physically. 

For as long as I can remember, I have always taken pride in helping others because that is my passion. This is not only because it makes me feel great and fortunate to be able to help, but because I know the person I am helping is going to feel supported and appreciated. The fact that some people have too much and some do not have enough at all for me is a problem. They need us, just as I have needed help throughout my life; why don’t others reach out? A lot of people seem to forget about the less fortunate, but I refuse to. Achieving my goal will not be easy, but giving up is not an option. Life has made a true soldier out of me and I am willing to fight until I get what I need. My success is not going to be all about me; it is a shared success between my family, community and I. The circumstances I was born in and my aunt showing me such acts of kindness was not in vain; it is now my duty to pay forward the same kindness to the world.