Shaquita Brandy is a recent nursing program graduate. Amazingly, the very program she completed was pioneered by her own mother, Dr. Dorothy Miller.
According to WRAL, Dorothy Miller gave birth to her daughter, Shaquita Brandy, as a teenager. Miller’s circumstances motivated her educational goals. The young mother went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science in nursing. She continued her studies and eventually earning a doctoral degree.
Dr. Miller’s accomplishments led to her pioneering a nursing program at Saint Andrew’s University. And in May, her daughter became the first graduate of the very legacy she built.
About Dorothy Miller
Miller grew up in Pinetops, NC, where resources were scarce for her and her family. However, her mother always encouraged her to pursue her aspirations. Her mother continued to support and encourage Miller when she became pregnant at 15.
“Her goal for me was to not stop school,” Miller said about her mother. “I had my child on a Friday, and my mother made sure I was in school that next Monday.”
Miller knew that education changed the trajectory of her life. Thus, she wanted to empower other aspiring nursing students by creating an academic path at the university.
Miller currently serves as the department chair of health sciences at the university. She utilizes her multiple degrees in a bid for NC’s Board of Nursing. Never forgetting humble beginnings, Miller wants to address the disparities regarding health care in rural towns like the one she grew up in. Furthermore, she wants to keep quality nurses within those same areas.
“What some people saw as a mistake, having a child so young, to me was a catalyst. I think that if I hadn’t been given the opportunity to have that child, I wouldn’t have accomplished what I did. By having her, it pushed me to do something outside of me so that I could have a better future for her.”