Just as my nursing career is in its infancy, so is my philosophy regarding it. As a nurse who is yet to practice outside of clinicals, I can only aspire to use critical thinking to conform  to the ethical  principles of  accountability, fidelity, justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence,  autonomy and veracity. I will aspire to keep and open mind and be nonjudgmental towards my colleagues and patients.  Long before I ever heard of Madeleine Leininger and her theory of Transcultural Nursing, being a native of this  virtual Tower of Babel which is New York gave me an awareness of  how different people can be and yet how we here in this city are the richer for it. People who would be obliged to be at each other’s throats in their countries of origin are friends and colleagues here and don’t give it a thought. I believe that this is due to our common goal of working hard to become the best versions of ourselves we can be, and we understand viscerally that the extreme pluralism extant here allows us the freedom to mix and match those beliefs, values and customs which allow us to do that.  When I start to work I hope to carry this notion forward and share strengths with my interdisciplinary colleagues in order to deliver the best patient-centered care of which we are capable.