As an only child growing up in Decatur, Georgia, LaTrenda Dumas watched her mom go to her job as a nurse every day, and beamed with pride. She knew from an early age that she would follow in her footsteps and pursue a career in healthcare.
“I saw her compassion and drive to help people,” Dumas said. “As I got older, I developed that same trait of being a leader: people coming to me for advice and guidance. And I decided I would love to continue to make a difference in the world through healthcare.”
So that’s exactly what she did.
Not every door opened easily or immediately, but Dumas has followed her north star of making a mark in healthcare despite every obstacle. After earning her B.S. in biology at Georgia State, Dumas felt compelled to pursue a physician assistant (PA) degree. However, she was not accepted into PA school. Dumas pivoted and earned a second B.S. at Augusta State University in clinical laboratory science, gaining the skills necessary to become a medical technologist. It wasn’t her end goal, but because most PAs spend much of their time reading lab results, she figured having that experience would make her more marketable.
But Dumas’ second round of applications to PA school did not result in admittance. She opted to switch gears and explore the business side of healthcare. At the time, in 2019, she was working as a laboratory supervisor. The role tested and grew her leadership and management skills, but she still needed to catapult into the next phase of her career. That’s why Robinson’s M.S. in Health Administration program caught her eye.
“I wanted the confidence to say ‘I’m going to be the next director or CEO. I’m going to inspire the next generation of leaders,” she said.
During graduate school, Dumas was not only a non-traditional student with years of experience under her belt but also mother to a one-year-old son. She held down a trifecta of responsibilities: “full-time motherhood, full-time school, and full-time work.”
Dumas appreciated that most of her professors were active practitioners in the healthcare industry, and that she was able to build new skills like public speaking. One of the most daunting parts of the program was a finance and data analysis course she dreaded taking, but the class ended up being critical. Dumas performs data analysis every day as part of her current position as a revenue cycle project consultant for Wellstar Health System.
“To this day, a financial or data analysis is one of my favorite things to do,” she said.
Dumas finished her master’s in 2020. She is a first-generation college graduate and the only person in her family to earn a master’s degree. She is proud of what she's accomplished.