They told her she didn’t belong in the operating room. That a Black woman couldn’t possibly have the steady hands, the sharp mind, or the endurance to stand for hours over a child’s open skull, piecing together what illness and injury had tried to take away. But Alexa Canady didn’t ask for permission to change the world—she simply did it.
Before she ever donned scrubs, Alexa faced moments when she doubted herself so deeply she almost walked away from it all. She once called it a “confidence crisis,” but in truth, it was the crushing weight of being the only Black woman in rooms filled with people who thought she couldn’t measure up. Yet instead of letting that fear consume her, she chose to stay, study harder, and trust that her mind and hands were enough.
And they were. When she became the first Black female neurosurgeon in the United States, she stepped into an even harsher spotlight, performing delicate, life-saving surgeries on children, many under the age of ten. She became a lifeline for terrified parents and young patients who didn’t even realize the odds were stacked against them. She was known for her skill, but also for her kindness—taking the time to reassure her young patients with warmth, earning their trust before and after surgeries that often gave them a chance at a life they might have otherwise lost.
Alexa didn’t just open doors for herself; she blew them off their hinges for every woman and every Black student who would come after her, quietly proving that excellence isn’t defined by others’ assumptions. Her story isn’t just about breaking barriers—it’s about choosing to stay in the fight, even when your confidence wavers, because the world needs the gifts only you can give.