Academic Enrichment- Interview Summary

As my dream is to become a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner who practices internationally, for my interview I met with Jaci Holland who is a certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner in Columbus, Ohio. However, Jaci has transitioned to a new role as she now works for OSU’s Wexner Medical Center as the Program Manager of the Diversity Enhancement Program for The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center for the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. Jaci served as a pioneer in the field as one of the first certified women’s health nurse practitioners in Columbus as she was originally an RN.

The beauty of nursing is that the possibilities and pathways are endless! Jaci transitioned from a clinical practitioner to an ambassador for cancer prevention: she understands the value of education and treating the root of the cause rather than dealing with medical issues once the symptoms have manifested. Meeting with a WHNP so equally passionate about human rights and dedicated to her field of work was very inspiring.

About Me

Hello! My name is Sabs Jamal-Eddine and I am a second year double majoring in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, BA, and Nursing, BSN as I aspire pursue my masters degree to serve as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. I am from Cincinnati, Ohio and I graduated from Sycamore High School class of 2014 Summa Cum Laude with 31 credit hours, a cumulative GPA of 4.27, and ranked in the top 6% of my class.

My three greatest passions:

  • Decolonized Human Rights for all living beings, inspected through both a feminist and a health-focused lens
  • Social Change on a community-based and international scale
  • Art as a means of advanced self-expression and as a catalyst for progressing toward a state of societal equality

Deconstruct sexism, racism, classism, ageism, ableism, eurocentrism, homophobia, and xenophobia. You will see that at the root of every breach in human rights dwells a lack of education, an imbalance of power as a side effect of our thirst to control others, or a combination of the two. I value education so intensely because it is immune to the abusive, lethal nature of power: the beauty of education is that once you learn something, no one can ever take it away from you. Education is metaphysical, it is indestructible, and it is empowering.

My WGSS academics have reinforced me with the foundation and ability to contribute to scholarly discussions on oppression, prejudice, and violations of human rights. For example, my Modern Arabic Literature in Translation course initiated my journey of excavating Middle Eastern women writers’ works. The authors reveal the vicious cycle of oppression which one can only escape through education and its subsequent economic independence. Upon incorporating these concepts into my Women’s Leadership course, my professor, the late Dr. Patricia Cunningham, recruited me to work for her team within The Ohio State University’s Department of Social Change. She was extremely impressed by my ideas which I voiced during class discussions and she disclosed that I was the most quoted student within my peers’ assignments. Working as a Site Leader through this opportunity I designed and currently implement a detailed curriculum utilizing art as a means of expression, engagement, and relaxation for human trafficking survivors in Columbus. Further extending beyond academics, I have traveled to Washington, D.C. annually to lobby for Women’s Reproductive Justice. I am part of Ladies of Leadership, a student organization for Women of Color, through which I serve as a mentor for a first-year student. I am a member of OSU’s Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Honor Society. I love to sing and play ukulele, draw, write and perform spoken word poetry, and create and cook recipes.

Creativity, innovation, and a thirst for education comprise the core of my being. Having dissected my diversified experiences, I am conscious of the instilled perspectives which accompany being raised in two separate households by parents of utterly distinct cultures. My mind is incessantly flowing with ideas and methods of how to apply my creativity towards achieving equality for all human beings. Having personally experienced certain oppressions, I am aware of the stress endured by the oppressed having to educate their own oppressors. I am also cognizant of my privilege and my ability to attain human rights for those who have had their voices stolen.

Since childhood, I have embodied an irrepressible work ethic and a vivacious willpower. I am a leader. I am a problem-solver. I am resilient. I value constructive criticism and challenge. Nursing has equipped me with team-based, organizational, and communication skills, self-confidence, adaptability, and the ability to work under pressure. Through balancing my Women’s Leadership, Arabic Literature in Translation, Women, Sex, and Power, and U.S. Women Writers courses, I have been acquiring the tools necessary for critical analysis and application. I have a ravenous appetite to delve deeper than the superficial and an inclination to question the logic which I am fed. Above all, I have a deeply rooted yearning to learn, to develop, and to grow as an intellectual individual.