Moya Allen: A sense of purpose
YEARS before Moya Allen migrated to the United States, she dreamt of a career in the health sector. Between menial jobs, her goal of becoming a registered nurse was steadfastly achieved. Last December, Allen earned a doctor of nursing practice degree from the University of Miami.
The 31-year-old Holy Childhood High School past student considers it her greatest achievement to date.
“From an early age, my attraction to the medical field, particularly nursing, was deeply personal and rooted in admiration for an extraordinary individual in my life. My interest was inspired by a remarkable woman who adopted my mother and me into her family. She became the grandmother I never had—warm, graceful, patient, and kind. She was a nurse, and I thought that by becoming a nurse, I could be just like her,” Allen disclosed. “While my early motivation was rooted in wanting to be like her, as I grew older, I came to appreciate the profound responsibility and impact of nursing, solidifying my passion for caregiving and helping others.”
Realising that career goal was not easy. From Stony Hill in St Andrew, Allen is the first child for Tricia Chung, a teenage mother who struggled to give her a sound education.
Through guidance from teachers at Holy Childhood, Allen graduated from that St Andrew school in 2010. After two years in sixth form, she moved to South Florida and found work as a server with Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant.
Allen entered the medical field as a licensed practical nurse, then qualified as a registered nurse. Three years after beginning studies at the University of Miami, she was presented with her degree in a ceremony attended by her mother and Debrica Barmes, her friend from Holy Childhood.
Given little chance of succeeding in her community, Allen credits her years at that all-girls school for building a sense of purpose.
“Holy Childhood High School had a profound and lasting impact on my life. The school’s motto, ‘After the battle, the reward’, became a guiding principle I continue to live by. It instilled in me the importance of perseverance, resilience, and hard work, essential in my personal and professional life,” she said.
