Today we’d like to introduce you to Leonora Muhammad.
Hi Leonora, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey into nursing really started with my mom. She always dreamed of becoming a nurse and even started nursing school, but life had other plans and she wasn’t able to finish. As a little girl, I would flip through her handwritten nursing notes, not really knowing what all the medical terms meant, but feeling the weight of their importance. Those notes lit a spark in me and they planted the dream of becoming a nurse and, one day, creating what is now SiiN Institute.
I became a Licensed Practical Nurse in 2003 and later earned my Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2015. A big part of my career has been in correctional healthcare, which many people don’t think about, but it’s where I learned how powerful compassion and leadership can be. Those years showed me that healthcare isn’t just about treatment, it’s about justice and giving people dignity, even in the hardest places.
My passion for service has always gone beyond my own career. I’m a lifetime member of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) and have served as a national officer and local leader with the Black Nurses Association of Greater St. Louis. Through this work, I’ve been able to mentor nurses, award scholarships, and create spaces where underrepresented nurses can see their value and thrive.
That commitment also extends internationally. I’ve had the privilege of training international students who come to the U.S. to become Registered Nurses, helping them transition into practice and succeed in a new healthcare system. I’ve also traveled abroad to both learn from and contribute to healthcare efforts in other countries, because I believe nursing is a global calling.
Most recently, I founded the SiiN Institute (Sparking Interest in Nursing). To me, SiiN is both my mom’s dream and mine brought to life. It’s more than a school, it’s a place to train and inspire future healthcare workers through CNA programs, youth health camps, and community initiatives.
When I look back, the common thread in my story has always been service, whether to incarcerated individuals, international nurses, community members, or the next generation of healthcare workers. It all started with my mom’s unfinished notes, and today that inspiration is carrying forward into an institute that will help write new stories for so many others.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s definitely not been a smooth road. Nursing school itself was a challenge. It demands so much focus, discipline, and resilience just to make it through. Later, as I worked my way up in leadership, I realized that even when you’re passionate about making change, other stakeholders don’t always share the same priorities. Sometimes decisions are driven by budgets or short-term gains instead of what’s best for patients and staff, and that can be frustrating. Nurses give so much, yet we don’t always get the respect or influence we deserve in those spaces.
I’ve also faced the challenge of trying to guide nursing students in a very different world than the one I came up in. The nursing shortage, the pace of technology, and the pressures students face today are unlike anything we dealt with years ago. It requires us to not just teach clinical skills, but also prepare them to adapt, innovate, and think differently.
For me, the push has always been about making the road a little smoother for the ones coming behind me. I don’t want the next generation of nurses to have to fight as hard just to be heard or make an impact. My hope is that instead of banging on doors to get in, they’re walking right through, bringing fresh, innovative ideas and new ways of looking at problems that have challenged healthcare for decades. The world we once knew doesn’t exist anymore, and the quicker we accept that, the better we can get at solving some of the real issues in healthcare today.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
SiiN Institute—short for Sparking Interest in Nursing, is really about lighting that spark in people who want to make a difference in healthcare. Yes, we start with our Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program (coming soon), but it doesn’t stop there. We host youth healthcare camps, offer professional development, and create leadership training that helps people see nursing as more than a job. It’s a career path filled with purpose and possibility. We also open our doors to the community by renting out space for small business meetings, conferences, skills labs, and educational classes, because we believe in lifting up others who are working to strengthen healthcare in their own way.
What makes SiiN unique is that we go beyond teaching skills. We’re focused on sparking passion and purpose and preparing caregivers who are not only clinically competent, but also innovative, adaptable, and compassionate enough to meet the challenges of a healthcare world that’s changing every day.
Alongside the Institute, we have the SiiN Love Foundation, our 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Through the Foundation, we fund scholarships that cover partial or full tuition for students entering CNA programs and provide advancement grants for those continuing on to LPN or RN degrees. We also take pride in offering wraparound support like helping with things like books, scrubs, exam fees, transportation, mentorship, and coaching, because we know those “extras” can often be the barriers that keep someone from finishing.
Another part of our mission is sponsoring nursing mission trips, both here in the U.S. and abroad, so students can serve vulnerable communities and gain a broader understanding of healthcare globally. At the same time, we’re committed to uplifting justice-impacted and economically disadvantaged communities, including children of the incarcerated, so they have a better start in life and a vision for what’s possible. At its core, the Foundation is about opening doors, removing barriers, and widening perspectives so every student knows they belong in this profession.
What I’m most proud of is that SiiN blends legacy and innovation. It’s rooted in the inspiration that first drew me to nursing through my mom’s unfinished dream, and it’s built on the belief that we can prepare the next generation to do more, give more, and change more. For me, SiiN isn’t just a school, it’s a movement to spark interest, ignite purpose, and create lasting change in healthcare and the community.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t really see my journey as luck, good or bad. For me, it’s been about commitment to the mission and staying focused on doing the right thing. My path has always been guided by a desire to help those in need, whether that’s patients, students, or communities. That commitment has opened doors and carried me through challenges. I consider it less “luck” and more of a blessing to be able to serve, to build something that matters, and to pour back into others the way so many poured into me.
My “why” comes from seeing myself in the faces of the next generation. Whenever I see young girls, boys, or students in scrubs, whether it’s at the hospital, the grocery store, or in the community, I stop and speak to them. I was that young girl from North St. Louis City who wasn’t supposed to “make it out,” and I know how easy it is to get discouraged. Too many of these young people, even other people are told they’re not smart enough. Too many carry the weight of someone else’s trauma that becomes their ceiling. Too many hear “that’s too hard” louder than “you can do this.” In hospitals, homes, and correctional facilities too much potential is dismissed before it even has the chance to grow. And far too often, no one ever shows them what’s truly possible.
I want to build skills, spark confidence, and empower those who were once overlooked. For me, that’s not luck. That’s purpose. That’s the blessing that drives everything I do.
Pricing:
- Small Classroom Area-Up to 14 $50 per hour
- Large Conference Room Area-Up to 14 $75
- Large Training Room (Conference Table seats 14-16 +) with Classroom Table seats 14) $100
- Use of Entire Facility Half Day (4hr) $350 ncludes Small Refrigerator Use, AV Equipment (TV, Wi-Fi, Smartboard), Warming Mat for food
- Use of Entire Facility Full Day (8hr) $650 Includes Small Refrigerator Use, AV Equipment (TV, Wi-Fi, Smartboard), Warming Mat for food
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.siininstitute.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siininstitute/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/siininstitute
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/siin-institute/
- Youtube: @siininstitute2020
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/siin-institute-saint-louis?osq=SiiN+Institute
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@siininstitute
