Tasia’s vision extends beyond personal achievement to addressing healthcare disparities in underserved communities.

Tasia West is a dedicated nurse and mother of three pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing at the University of Michigan. Born and raised in Detroit, Tasia endured stereotypes unfairly associated with growing up in her underserved community, but she flouted these stereotypes to pursue her education and build a distinguished career in nursing.

Tasia first became a mother at 17 while still in high school. Rather than allowing her pregnancy to derail her ambitions, she used it as motivation to prove that circumstances don’t define potential. She successfully graduated from high school, earned her associate’s degree from Wayne County Community College in 2010, and completed her bachelor’s in nursing from the UM-Flint in 2014.

In her master’s program, Tasia maintains an A-level GPA while caring for her two younger children living at home. She demonstrates exceptional time management skills, often studying late into the night after fulfilling her daytime responsibilities as a mother and healthcare professional.

Professionally, Tasia has built extensive expertise in clinical performance monitoring and care coordination. She currently works as a nursing performance monitor and auditor at Centene Corporation. Her career spans over a decade in various nursing roles, from acute inpatient rehabilitation to Medicare appeals review, consistently earning recognition for her clinical judgment and leadership abilities.

Tasia’s vision extends beyond personal achievement to addressing healthcare disparities in underserved communities, such as the one in which she grew up. She plans to leverage her master’s degree to provide culturally sensitive care, promote health literacy, and advocate for policy changes that improve healthcare access. Her commitment to serving vulnerable communities, combined with her proven track record of persistence, positions her to make a meaningful impact in healthcare delivery and patient advocacy.

CEW+ is inspired by Tasia’s commitment to healthcare excellence and names her a Margaret Dow Towsley Scholar.