Kamilah Rouse with
Mysti and Alex

“I think the injuries I had helped me make the decision. It was time to take care of the kids, reorder my life and get on with my education.”

It’s always good to have some ‘glory days’ you can look back on. And when Kamilah Rouse hit the road with her dance company for a couple of years, she was at the top of her game. “We traveled all over the country doing modern, jazz and ballet for hotel shows. It was really cool, and I thought that I’d found my ideal career.” But careers can hinge on a delicate balance. And luck.

“At first I dislocated my knee, and then I was in a car accident. So I pretty much had to leave the world of dancing and get back to SMC. It was time to resituate myself, careerwise, and find some new direction.” And through the help of SMC’s EOP&S office and the Women’s Center, Kamilah is well on her way in a surprising new direction. “I’ve always wanted to become a midwife,” she says. “I am so determined to do this, even though I feel like I’m behind a little. I know I’m going to go through a tough nursing program to get my bachelors,” she continues. “But I love kids a lot and being involved in the process of delivering new life is my dream.”

Kamilah’s love for children shines like a beacon when she’s trundling around SMC with her own kids. “They ride to school with me on the bus in the early morning,” she says. “And I’ve gotten a lot of really good advice from people at SMC about how to manage their schedule and mine. I’ve found programs here that are so helpful to me. And the teachers are so encouraging,” she continues. “It was hard, at first, coming back to school. But I’m looking very positively at this new career for myself, and I feel strongly that all that’s happened has been for a very good reason.”

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