Sebrina Taylor – Shining Star Award Winner 2015
Night Of A Thousand Stars was a smashing success! Thank you to all who attended, all of our sponsors, and especially Honorary Chair Andrew Rannells and Event Chair Vic Richards. Over 500 of you shined that night, helping raise over $90,000 for Nebraska AIDS Project.
We want to highlight and introduce you to one particular Shining Star from that evening. Every year, Nebraska AIDS Project recognizes a community member who has gone above and beyond in the fight against HIV and AIDS in our community. This year’s Shining Star Award winner is Sebrina Taylor.
Sebrina has recently retired from her role as the phlebotomist at the UNMC Specialty Care Center HIV Clinic and has worked with HIV positive patients for over 20 years. She had an important and powerful role in the lives of every HIV patient at UNMC. She approached each patient with dignity and compassion helping lead to many success stories. Her approach set the standard for fighting HIV stigma in our community by directly affirming the humanity of every patient she worked with. Her chair would more or less serve as a counselor’s chair. Patients would share with Sebrina because they knew they could trust in her.
Sebrina is very active in the Omaha area and has been instrumental in leading the fight against HIV in the African American community and the local faith community.
Sebrina had powerful words for all those in attendance at Night Of A Thousand Stars:
“First I would like to give thanks to God – without him I wouldn’t be here today.
I would like to thank NAP for being there for the community and honoring me with this award.
I would like to thank my family and friends, Mount Calvary Community Church, and the HIV team at UNMC for always supporting me.
Now I’ve gotten all that out of the way this is why am here – I’m talking to the patients now and their families.
I thank YOU for letting me in your life. Without you I wouldn’t have learned about love. I wouldn’t have learned about being myself. Without you I would not have learned about the pain – without you I would not have learned about stigma. Without you I would have never learned about how to put on make up. Without you I wouldn’t learn how to laugh so much. Without you I wouldn’t have learned to listen.
This award means nothing without you, so thanks again. If I could break it into pieces, you all would get one.”
Congratulations Sebrina! Thank you for all you have done for our community – you are a beacon of light leading the way! Thank you for being a mentor and friend to all of us at NAP!