From Hospital Janitor to Doctor

For ten years, Shay Taylor cleaned rooms and offices at Yale New Haven Hospital, walking the same halls she’ll soon walk as a doctor.

Her journey wasn't a lifelong dream with a perfect roadmap to becoming a doctor. It began when she watched her mother struggle to be heard by the medical system, and realized how some people don’t receive the compassion, advocacy, and representation they deserve.

Shay's path wasn't easy. She grew up rarely seeing Black doctors, applied to medical school more than once, and faced struggles during her training that might have caused others to give up. But she kept going.

And now, she’s returning to the very hospital where she once worked as a janitor, this time as a physician. Shay reminds us of what determination, community, and belief in yourself can make possible.