Black History Month
February 2023
By: SemegaChange
Meet 21 year old author, business owner and NYU student Djuly Fleurant, our feature for Black History Month! Djuly wrote her first memoir “And the Words from a Broken Girl” capturing the first 20 years of her life using her story to connect with individuals who feel they are unable to open up hence validating their experiences. She is also the CEO of her own clothing brand And the Brand LLC that encapsulates comfort and productivity. She is part of NYU’s Emerging Leaders Program, where she is focusing on mental health awareness and breaking the taboo for those in the community to promote childhood agency and overcoming generational trauma.
Born in Haiti, Djuly moved to the United States, specifically Connecticut, after the 2010 earthquake. Djuly notes that this earthquake played a significant role in her childhood as it was one of the reasons why she moved to Conneticut.
Djuly expressed that the impacts of the earthquake remind her of where she came from and pushes her forward to see what she can accomplish and help others who do not have as much resources.
This quality of Djuly to always help others was one I admired throughout our conversation. I noticed it grow with her throughout her childhood. She noted that at the age of 5 or 6, she aspired to become a nurse and even played make-believe by treating her own patients in her Hospital called “Djuly’s Hospital”. During middle school, she was inspired even more when she volunteered at a nursing home and enjoyed giving patients the best care possible.
When Djuly went home that night, she began to look into the different roles within a hospital and healthcare and the different ways she could help people. She fell in love with the idea of becoming a CEO of a hospital because she could allow communities to receive the best care possible. She notes that while many of those who hold this position may have aspirations of financial gain, her goal is to improve the healthcare system within America and in underserved communities, which is a main factor in why she chose to study public health - to help a broad population and help them receive care.
As a Global Public Health major with a concentration in Sociology, Djuly has been able to study and participate in a wide variety of classes and extracurriculars. She expressed that one of these extracurriculars was the Global Public Emerging Leaders Program. Through this program, Djuly has helped assess environments and built leadership goals by helping a specific population find ways to help and inform others in regards to public health. Djuly notes that she was able to increase professional skills and interpersonal skills and connect with peers and advisors. One meaningful experience that allowed her to do this was through a trip to Washington D.C., which played a huge role in her academics and professional outlooks and revamped her interests and made her inspired to pursue public health.
Djuly believes it is true that black women have a “double homicide” when it comes to pursuing professions within STEM. She has expressed that this has made it harder for her by creating doubt that her skills may not be good enough and that she will not be sufficient for her goals. She notes that there is a gender and racial disparity within the field of Public Health and specifically of those who dominate CEO positions in hospitals. She expressed that this can be intimidating to achieve her goals. However, this also motivates her to want them even more and to show that they are possible, and hopes to represent black women and show them this message.
When asked about what she enjoys most about being a black woman and advice she has for other black woman seeking to pursue STEM, Djuly said:
“I really like how empowering it feels, I am capable more than I tell myself and being a part of something bigger than ourselves is rewarding. Helping a bigger population that has nothing to do with you and not because it is personally beneficial but because it is selfless and service for others is what I enjoy. My advice for black women who are younger is go for it. If you are worried that your experiences aren’t good enough, that means you are the only one inhibiting yourself. What’s the worst that can happen? You can do it!”
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