WGU Alumni Podcast
WGU’s alumni network now has more than 350,000 graduates living in all 50 states. The WGU alumni podcast highlights the incredible work that our alumni are doing in their local communities. We also share benefits, perks, resources and partner information to help our graduates stay engaged and get the most out of the alumni community.
WGU Alumni Podcast
Empowering Healthcare Leader and Trailblazing Nurse at Cedars-Sinai (Ebony Gray)
Meet Ebony Gray, a WGU graduate and former president of WGU's Student Nurses Association, share her experiences. From her 13-year tenure at Cedars-Sinai to her leadership roles, Ebony's journey exemplifies the tenacity required to succeed in the dynamic field of healthcare.
Takeaways:
- How Ebony navigated the challenges of nursing with determination
- Why the Julie Aiken Hansen scholarship was more than just financial aid
- The influence of historical figures and personal mentors led to her to career success
Welcome to the WGU Alumni Podcast. Here you'll learn more about our alumni network, the amazing things our graduates are accomplishing, and you'll find ways to make the most of being a part of this ever-expanding WGU community.
Speaker 2:Hey everybody, welcome back to the WGU Alumni Podcast. It's Jeff Burton and Robert Sullivan back with you, hi, robert.
Speaker 3:Glad to be back, as always, Jeff, and taking more credit than I should. This is the Jeff Burton Show about our WGU alumni, and I get to be here to hear all the great news.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no, no, no. Thank you, robert, glad to have you and, again, these are super fun. We've got another fantastic graduate that we're highlighting today and that is the one and only Ebony Gray, and I think you're going to love her story. Works at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, has been in the medical field, the nursing field for I think almost 15 years that you'll hear and she's very active both as a mom, as a nurse, and she actually served as the president of WGU's Student Nurses Association as well.
Speaker 3:And just, I love to hear about our alumni because all of them I'm like how in the world do you get that much done? Right, they're going back to school, they're leaders in their community and their homes. And Ebony, just like so many of our alums, takes on this additional leadership role of starting and being the president of a student group. Right, and that's pretty awesome. And also, Jeff, I'd love to kind of put in a little plug here, because one of the things you and I are working on is we know there's some great student communities and we're going to try to grow the alumni communities and we're even in talks with Ebony about how do we translate what she did in the Nurses Student Association to an alumni group and we're going to see that all across the country and in different professions. And Ebony is just a great example of what our alums are already doing.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, so definitely stay tuned for more information on that. It's exciting stuff. We're exploring that and building that as we speak. Keep your eye out for emails that come your way. There's also the LinkedIn group that I think we've highlighted in the past WGU alumni. It's a closed group, but I think there's 55, 60,000 individuals and they're very active. So if you're not a member of that and you'd like to be, search up WGU alumni in LinkedIn and we'd love to have you join and really lend your voice to the conversation that's happening there. So a lot of good stuff happening.
Speaker 3:Robert A lot, yeah, and one of our groups is actually active right now outside of LinkedIn, which is an enormous group and very active and posts every minute, almost it feels like. But we also have alumni ambassadors. So if you're sitting there thinking, hey, there's not a group yet for me to join, like a nurse's group or an IT group, but I'd like to do more, you can go to the alumni page.
Speaker 2:Wguedu slash alumni.
Speaker 3:Slash alumni and, right there on, get involved or stay involved. You can sign up to be an ambassador and there's a lot of things that will be in contact with you, including future groups.
Speaker 2:Definitely stay engaged and get involved. We'd love to have you there. What do you say? We throw this over to Ebony's interview now.
Speaker 3:Yeah, let's hear about how she stayed involved.
Speaker 2:Southern California native. Ebony Gray is a mother of two children, president of WGU's Student Nurses Association, a registered nurse and a recent WGU graduate. Ebony has been employed in the medical field for the last 13 years and is currently a registered nurse and flow manager at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Welcome to the podcast, ebony.
Speaker 4:Hi Jeff. Thank you so much for having me. This is a great thing for me to do.
Speaker 2:Well, we're thrilled that you'd give us some time and it's our pleasure to speak to you and we're excited to hear a little bit about your journey, both at WGU, and also kind of catch up with you and hear the great things that you're doing.
Speaker 4:Yeah, thank you, I appreciate it. I'm so excited, I don't even know where to start. But you can go ahead and lead to it and we'll get to it.
Speaker 2:I'm so excited, I don't even know where to start, but you can go ahead and lead to it and we'll get to it. You got it. I'm excited for you to share your story with our growing alumni audience. So, ebony, as you know, we're a national university with students across the entire country, and so one of the first questions that we always love to ask our guests is what is your favorite thing about your hometown? So let's be honest Los Angeles, california, is probably the best place to be from. So tell me what your favorite thing about home is for you.
Speaker 4:Oh, my goodness. So we all know that California is known for the great weather. It's mostly sunny and clear all the time and I'm literally 10 minutes from the beach. So who can you know, who can, who can get anything better than that? So my family's close? You know I enjoy the laid back vibes of being in LA. It's just the best.
Speaker 2:It really is. I agree and we we just had a commencement down there not too long ago and so many, many from our team were down in Southern California and I agree, like everybody is just so kind, so nice. You said vibe, laid-back vibe, and you nailed it Like you definitely feel that in Southern California.
Speaker 4:Yeah, definitely I've thought about moving other places, but it's been like nah, it's nothing like it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, nothing like that Now born and raised in la born and raised yeah well, specifically I was from compton but born and raised la.
Speaker 4:For many people that you know, la is just a big area, it's big region, but specifically, yeah, from compton okay, well, very, very cool.
Speaker 2:And yeah, I hate to say it, but if you moved to anywhere else in the country, it probably would be downhill. So it'd be like, yeah, let's just stay in LA.
Speaker 4:I mean, the thought's still there, but home will always be LA for me.
Speaker 2:I love that. All right to start the interview. How did you find WGU in the first place?
Speaker 4:Okay, good question. So I found WGU through my coworker at my current job. At that time, I believe this school was like the only school that offered online learning to my knowledge, and so I did like a deep dive and I knew this was a school for me because I had children and I was working full time and I couldn't commit to like being at a brick and mortar school. I just couldn't, the timeframes just didn't work for me, so it just didn't fit my lifestyle. So I needed something that was really going to work outside of quote unquote, like normal business hours in a sense. You know, as a parent, we're, you know, doing a lot. We have to have that flexibility to kind of study on the go. So to me, like when I found WGU, that was like heaven sent. Wgu was like the perfect opportunity for me.
Speaker 2:I love hearing that and love that it worked so well for your schedule and that flexibility that you mentioned.
Speaker 4:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2:Now you just completed your degree program and I understand that you were in Southern California. You stayed right in your own backyard and joined us at commencement in Anaheim. That was back in March. What was that experience like for you walking at that commencement in Anaheim?
Speaker 4:That was. It was unforgettable. It was, if I could, unforgettably amazing is what I always say. Like every time I think about it. It just puts a smile on my face. To be able to celebrate, like my accomplishments with my friends and my family who were able to just take a short drive down to Anaheim, like that was the best. I couldn't ask for more. Also, being able to, like hear the president of WGU just mention me was amazing. So shout out to the president.
Speaker 2:That's cool.
Speaker 4:Right. And then also hearing from our guest speaker, jose Hernandez, like he had a compelling testimony. His story was great, like I'm becoming like an astronaut. It was just very inspiring and relatable and like it just moved me to continue to be great. Let's see what else. It was in my birthday month, and so that was special all around. And then also the fact that it was on March 16th. March 16th is a special day. Back in 2021, in March, that's when I actually started the WGU program and I created a vision board, and in that vision board it said follow your dreams. And then I had, like, the WGU degree, and then I also had like I took a picture of myself in my RN scrubs where I was currently working at, where I was currently working at, and so I took a screenshot on 316, at 316 PM, and I graduated on 316.
Speaker 2:That was like full circle moment. Oh, that is so cool.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that was like a very full circle moment. Also, just to kind of delve in a little bit more, the scripture in the Bible of John 316, it holds a deeper message too and it was just like the sacrifice that God and Jesus did for us to live and be obedient in God's word. So that illuminated for me to continue, for me to just walk in my purpose and do what God has instilled me to do and serve and be like the best registered nurse I could be.
Speaker 2:I'm getting chills as you're telling that story and just that experience. What a special day indeed, and knowing kind of the significance of it for you and the symbolism that you mentioned, that's really cool.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it was amazing. That's why I said that's one day that I will never forget.
Speaker 2:That's why I said that's one day that I will never forget. That's great. Now I love that you're striving to be the best RN that you can be, and I want to ask you when did you decide that you wanted to work in the medical field?
Speaker 4:maybe in my adolescent age, by like eight or nine, I would always watch shows like Trauma, life in the ER and Operation on TLC. I was always like intrigued and interested in surgery, plastic surgery. So I planned to become a plastic surgeon. I wanted to make people feel better about themselves, so that was kind of the route I wanted to go. And it was just like one day I was working in retail.
Speaker 4:As I got older I was working in retail and I witnessed a customer like seize in front of me and I knew how to like keep her safe, because you know, from watching all the medical shows and from there everyone kept mentioning how I should be a nurse and how I have such like a nurturing and healing spirit. So I decided to change my course and just kind of go the nursing route and I'm actually grateful for that experience and you know being open and you know hearing what people were saying their messages. And so I went back to school, I obtained my degree as a medical assistant and then for the past 13 years I've just been working in like the different specialties of cardiology, family medicine, obgyn, pediatrics, just to kind of name a couple, at some really great hospitals like Cedars-Sinai and UCLA and, like my, knowledge and skills have just grown from there. So that's how it all started.
Speaker 2:I love it. I love that it's been a transition.
Speaker 4:It's been a journey for you and I'm curious, what would you say is the best thing about being a nurse? The best thing about being a nurse? So there's been so many great things about being a nurse that I haven't even experienced and or explored quite yet so far, but I'd say so far. The connection that I've been able to build with patients, that connection of trust, being able to advocate for your patients, like the sense of gratitude I get when I feel like they're heard and they feel they're heard and supported, it's top notch, it's top tier.
Speaker 2:I love that Ebony. What would you say is the best career advice that you've received?
Speaker 4:That's a great question. I would say the best career advice that I've received so far. I say put the work in to get to where you want to be and keep an open mind.
Speaker 2:I think that's very fitting in nursing right In medicine.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But I also think that really applies to all different career fields, like I just think, yeah, you put in the work right, what you reap, you sow, you put in the work and it'll help you be successful in whatever you do.
Speaker 4:Definitely, because the keys, those are like keys that you can just unlock doors to opportunities. Once you gather all the tools, tools, what can you not do?
Speaker 2:yeah, yeah, very, very true. Now, that's great career advice that you've shared, and I'm curious stay with me on this question if you could go back into your career and provide words of encouragement or wisdom to a younger ebony, say, I don't know, 15 years ago or so, just as you were getting started in the medical field, what words of encouragement would you give to your young self?
Speaker 4:Young Ebony, I would say advocate for yourself. I think that's a big one. I've learned now as an older Ebony, older and wiser Ebony advocating for yourself is a big thing. Next would be give yourself grace, because you know life is all about. You're going to make mistakes, but those mistakes are just lessons that you learn. So I think giving yourself grace and knowing that these are just opportunities for you to become better is big.
Speaker 4:And lastly I say be proud and celebrate every milestone you know you put in the work. Celebrate it so you can keep that motivation to keep going.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that's key and I love that you celebrated here in March, as you mentioned at commencement. That's outstanding.
Speaker 4:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2:You got to do the work, you got to put in the work, like you said, but you also got to pause and take time to celebrate Wise words. Now I understand, on your journey to completing your degree, that you earned the Julie Aiken Hanson scholarship from WGU. What did this scholarship mean? Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 4:Well, first I'd like to say thank you, julie, for presenting the opportunity to receive this scholarship opportunity to receive this scholarship. It took some time. I actually applied to like maybe over 30 scholarships and I was turned down for like almost every yeah, about every single one. And then I actually spoke with Dr Kimberly Ellis We've been talking for a little bit and she's one that has been helping me stay strong and you know, through my journey with nursing school and she convinced me to apply to some more scholarships and that one was available.
Speaker 4:So when I received that scholarship, like it was a big relief. When, I mean, I was shocked that I got it because I just did what I was supposed to do, but the fact that I did what I was supposed to do, it came at the right time and that was very uplifting, knowing that I was listening to who I was supposed to listen to, and it helped me. I did what I was told and it helped me. It literally took off a lot of stress because at that moment I was down to my credit cards at that time. So, yeah, like I said, I just want to thank Julie once again for providing that opportunity.
Speaker 2:That's great, all right, I kind of want to look forward now and talk a little bit about your career aspirations. Where do you see yourself in, say, 10 years?
Speaker 4:10 years. It sounds far but it's really not, so I definitely had to think about that. In 10 years, I would say I want to do some international nurse like traveling as a nurse. I do see myself, not just in the US but all over the world some global work working with incredible medical professionals, you know, spreading my lights as much as I can and also acquiring so much knowledge and being in the presence of just great medical professionals and people. I also I've been thinking about doing like a holistic medical community, but that's going to come after I get my nurse practitioner's license, because I do want to teach.
Speaker 4:I do want to teach nursing students. I mean, I feel like that was I got to give back as well and I enjoy teaching. I enjoy teaching. So why not be able to teach students as well as, in my medical community, teach patients on how to live a good quality of life and sustain a good quality of life. That's important to me to provide that knowledge and see them through and be their support when they're need, when they fall, and let them know it's okay. But yeah, that's kind of where I'm at for 10 years right now.
Speaker 2:That's great. Well, we want to keep in touch. We want to have you come back and report on that.
Speaker 4:I would love to.
Speaker 2:That'd be great. Now, I know you're big into leadership and and and I'm curious, who is a leader that you admire?
Speaker 4:That's a great question. So there's so many leaders that I admire. I would say, to start off since I'm thinking about off the top of my head, all the Black nurse trailblazers before me, just to give examples of like Mary Eliza Mahoney and Mary Seacole. They've definitely paved the way as trailblazers for me. I definitely always do my research and go back and get more motivation at looking at their story to keep me going and pay homage to them. So they're definitely the leaders as far as in nursing for me. Other leaders I'd say would be like Wangari Mathai and Dr Hadiyah Nicole Green. They have been the trailblazers on just making a difference. Mathai she definitely was the one to get a Nobel Peace Prize and I actually strive to get a Nobel Peace Prize as well and Dr Green she's one to push forward with continuing to find a cure for actually not finding a cure for cancer but using the laser to find a cure for cancer. So that's what she does.
Speaker 2:Now, ebony, you and I've talked a couple times now and I know a little bit about you, but from what I do know about you, I know that you're a natural born leader and people follow you. So I'm curious where did this come from? Have you always been a leader?
Speaker 4:Well, I appreciate you saying that and you know, hearing that that I'm a leader, it's definitely fulfilling. So thank you for saying that. I've actually been hearing a lot more so I've been able to receive it more. So once again, I just want to thank you for that, Thank you.
Speaker 4:So I would say honestly, my dad, he's the one that taught me from when I was little, he said, to always be a leader and not a follower, and that has stuck with me for life. I even teach my children that because I think that's important, because you know, it's something that is natural in me, even when he did say it. But before then it was kind of just, you know something on the surface level, but as I got older, I was the one to try things first. I was the one to teach things to people. Try things first. I was the one to teach things to people.
Speaker 4:I've always had that natural ability to, you know, do things first and to try new things. So I've always had an open mind. So I was never shy about putting myself out there to be in the forefront, to start things. So, and then, with that, I just excelled in school. You know, I was captain of my basketball team. I was the first girl and first drummer in my jazz band in high school and elementary. I was also president in my college. So as far as with community college, I was president of the MU Amegas chapter and then I also became president of the Student Nurses Association. So it's just always been within me.
Speaker 2:That's great. And how are you leading today? Talk a little bit more about that.
Speaker 4:So, as I mentioned, I did become the inaugural president of WGU Student Nurses Association, which is a chapter of the National Student Nurses Association, so that's been an honor that I was chosen amongst I don't know how many nursing students, but to be able to be the first, with a couple of my classmates cohorts, to set the tone to make things better for other nursing students and be able to march forward and just put ourselves out there, knowing that we have a lot of responsibility with being in nursing school, also having lives outside of it, being able to support others and show the community what we do has been a big thing for me. So I want to say thank you to my colleagues for us being innovators during the time of us being in nursing school. With having jobs and families outside of this, we've been able to step up and do what we need to do being an online school and coming together and serving our nursing students. So I definitely want to give them a shout out.
Speaker 2:Ebony, I love all that you've shared. I love how you're leading, how you're helping your peers and also those that will follow, including your children. I think you're an excellent role model there. I want to ask you to expound a little bit about the Student Nurses Association that you're leading. Tell us a little bit about what that looks like and some of the benefits to those members.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah. So the Student Nurses Association I am very proud of and excited to talk about, because this is an opportunity for us nursing students to come together and start our own chapter, which is part of the National Student Nurses Association, or concerns that are expressed within the nation as far as with you know policy or, if it's even within our school, how we can make our school better. As far as with academics, student support for nurses being within the community, you know it's a little bit harder since we are an online school. However, us being innovators, we've been able to provide events where we can come together if we're in certain states, you know, come together and be able to express, you know, our concerns and be a part of something bigger. You know, being nurses it's not just about patient care within the hospital, it's also being part of the community and doing what we need to do as nurses in the community. So being able to give that to our school and put our school on the map.
Speaker 4:As far as with being in the chapter, that's one thing that we're very proud of, and our advisors, Kawanda and Jamila. They've definitely been able to provide a good foundation for us and guide us on what to do, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes. This is my baby, you know, so it's very heartfelt as far as with being able to see the potential in it and I'm sticking with it and will always have my foot planted in WGU-SNA. So I'm very proud of it and I'm looking forward to what it's going to turn into.
Speaker 2:That's great, ebony. This has been such a great interview, great connecting with you here today. Love hearing your story, Thank you and all your accomplishments and you're welcome. And as we wrap the interview, I'd love to give you the final words, so any final thoughts that you have as we conclude.
Speaker 4:I deem myself as a trailblazer, and WGU is also that to me. They've created a way for continued success. I think WGU kind of gave me a preview to what my life will be Traveling as a nurse, meeting and networking with other medical professionals and making a difference in the world.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I love it. Ebony, thanks for the time, thanks for the great work and definitely keep in touch. We're proud to have you in our alumni ranks.
Speaker 4:Yes, thank you so much again. I definitely will continue to stay connected.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the WGU Alumni Podcast. To learn more about the WGU alumni community, visit wguedu backslash alumni. Thank you to our alumni, now 300,000 strong and growing WGU a new kind of you.