Growing up, De’Lacy’s parents didn’t have many resources and as a result, they weren't able to  attend college. While her mother worked as an entrepreneur operating her own daycare business, her father worked as a plant supervisor for thirty years. Their hard work set an example that De’Lacy wanted to follow. It wasn’t long before an interest in medicine and language would spark. 

“I became interested in obstetrics and gynecology very early. I loved to watch labor and delivery shows!  It was crazy to me that women have the power to give life to another person-- another soul. That meant a lot to me. I was able to see a few live births doing medical shadowing and I knew it was what I wanted to do," she said. 

While De’Lacy understands the importance of language and culture as it relates to effective and efficient healthcare, her interest in pursuing Spanish as her second major wasn’t always part of the plan.

“While at Xavier I met Professor Moore, who recently retired after decades of teaching Spanish. She inspired me to double major in Spanish and study abroad in Peru for 2 months,” she said, “Taking all those classes and then being forced to speak the language in Peru made me feel fully immersed in the culture and it improved my proficiency,” said De'Lacy.

De’Lacy realizes that the current state of emergency in our country that has resulted in people of color being affected by COVID-19 at a much higher rate than any other race, stems from a lack of diversity in health care among a multitude of other issues. 

"As a doctor, it’s very important to me to focus on black and brown communities. Speaking Spanish will really help me better communicate with and treat patients, which is something that many doctors can’t do.” she said.

During her final semester at Xavier, her passion for medicine and helping others extended all the way to the front lines during the initial COVID-19 outbreak. She served as a medical scribe working alongside doctors for hours dealing with patients, handling lab work, and other documentation necessary to facilitate the hospital’s processes. 

“Just after Mardi Gras people were coming in very sick but the flu tests were negative. There were so many people who had pneumonia and needed to be intubated. Some of the patients I saw, didn’t even make it. I saw more people die during COVID than I have ever seen. There were so many people. I don’t know how I didn’t get it but I’m blessed,” said De’Lacy.

Life after graduation for the young graduate includes plans to pursue a Master’s of Biological Science with a concentration in health sciences. From there she plans to attend medical school and pursue her dream of working as an OBGYN.

“I don’t like big schools so Xavier was perfect for me. I’m a first-generation college graduate so I didn’t know who to talk to but they were there for me and I was able to make the right connections. I know Xavier has prepared me for my next steps,” she said. 

De’Lacy has a bit of advice for incoming students:

“Don’t let the times prevent you from socializing. They’re so many ways to communicate with people and socialize. Use social media to figure out people’s major and interests that way when all this blows over you already have those connections.”