ARMStaffing Spotlight – Soraya Abraham
Soraya A. is an inspiration to us all with her incredible comeback story on her way to becoming an ARMStaffing Travel Nurse. What started in Saint Lucia turned into an assignment in North Carolina, and it was all because Soraya’s unwavering dedication to overcoming with a sprinkling of help from those who supported Soraya along the way.
Soraya’s journey began when her native country of Saint Lucia made a deal with Cuba, allowing foreign students to study nursing in Cuba.
“I got a scholarship [and] I studied in Cuba for six years. That’s why I’m fluent in Spanish. I studied in Cuba for six years and all of our books; everything was in Spanish.”
From there, Soraya began nursing in Bermuda where she worked for several years. While in Bermuda, Soraya met a man from the United States and quickly decided that she should move there. Unfortunately, Soraya’s journey in the United States had a rocky start.
Soraya survived a tumultuous domestic abuse situation and was forced to leave everything she owned behind and start anew. Alone and in a foreign country, she struggled to find help until she received the aid of a ‘safe haven’ organization that set her up with resources including housing, legal representation, and the support she needed in securing documentation to work in the US.
“I think I did six and a half months in a homeless shelter,” she said. “They helped me with my immigration paperwork. And the lawyer, they were working together with the Mosaic Family services.”
Thankful to have this support by her side, she was able to start over. Soraya worked as a housekeeper to get back on her feet. She studied for months before completing her NCLEX, which she took and passed with flying colors in only an hour. Finally, Soraya was one step closer to working as a nurse again, but in the US. Shortly thereafter, Soraya got her driver’s license, her nursing license, AND her work permit, allowing her to finally get her nursing career restarted.
She soon decided to jump into the world of travel nursing to find the best position possible. She had been looking for assignments outside of Florida where she resided, and that’s when she came across ARMStaffing.
Taking the Leap into Travel Nursing
During her search for something new, Soraya met her recruiter Brianna and enjoyed Bree’s positive and uplifting attitude. Right then and there she knew travel nursing was the right move to make.
“I’m happy that I met Brianna. She’s a very positive person.”
Since Soraya has started her first travel assignment with ARMStaffing, Soraya was able to rent a 2 bed 2 bath apartment, and prides herself on her new 2023 Lexus she can now afford. Currently, Soraya is on assignment in Wilmington, North Carolina and is loving every minute.
“Everywhere I go, they say I’m an excellent nurse, so that’s wonderful.”
Making a Difference
Soraya is thriving now and tells her story to people struggling around her to show that anything is possible with hard work, and a little bit of support. “I am a positive person. I speak positive.” She said, “When I see people down and as I tell my story [I] try to encourage them. You must never give up, what you’ve been through, it’s just a fence and you really do come out on top.”
We celebrate the fact that we had a small part in Soraya’s journey in overcoming adversity and can personally say that everyone here is so glad to see her come out on the other side stronger and more resilient. Cheers to Soraya!
All About You
Here comes the lightning round – All of Soraya’s favorites.
Movie: Forrest Gump
Book: Poetry books
Color: Red, pink & black
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