Devon Locust
CRNA, MS, CCRN-CMC-CSC, LCRT
(Graduate of Wayne State University NAP)
I was not raised in a nuclear family, I came from a broken home in inner city Detroit. As a child, I experienced hardships and poverty early, as my parents were plagued by consuming drug and alcohol addictions. I was shuffled around foster homes, and it may have seemed that I’d become another statistic, but the good Lord had a different plan for me. Key influential people were placed in my life’s path that taught me the importance of hard work, dedication, and faith. This truly changed the trajectory of my life journey. Dr. Wallena Gould was one of those individuals. While I was still in nursing school in 2008, our paths crossed and she invited me, a perfect stranger, into her home as if I were family. It was there that I was introduced to this thing called the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program. Now, 5 years later, I’m finally a CRNA. It’s a dream come true! The entire program, and so many of the people involved in it have been instrumental in my success. Thank God for Dr. Gould, and thank God for the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Program.