Creating DECA Academy was never something I originally planned for myself.
As a nursing student, I faced challenges not because of my ability, but because of financial hardships that forced me to learn differently. At times, I was missing lectures and had to teach myself material on my own, and build study methods to keep up.
During that time, I realized I had been limiting myself, believing I could only do one thing. But I’ve always dreamed bigger.
Before creating my interactive workbook, one of my goals was to write a book. I even started a romance novel, but I never finished it. It’s ironic that I ended up creating a book anyway, just not the one I expected.
After sharing my PIMPS and PAMPs study method online, it unexpectedly reached nursing students everywhere. That moment turned into my first interactive workbook and the beginning of Deka Academy.
I still remember one of my instructors telling me I was one of the smartest students she had taught. At the end of her note, she wrote, “I believe in you.” At the time, I didn’t fully understand why she said that—especially because I wasn’t always present in class and I wasn’t getting perfect grades. But she saw something I didn’t see yet: that I was still able to understand and retain the information on my own.
Now I understand exactly what she meant.
Deka Academy was built from that belief, and from my realization that you don’t have to choose just one path in life.