For Dr. N’Dea Irvin-Choy, breaking boundaries and re-defining stereotypical norms has been anything but new throughout her life. A biomedical engineer turned flourishing influencer and now avid tennis enthusiast, she has continuously challenged herself to push past the limits of conventional expectations, inspiring others to do the same.

Upbringing & Education

N’Dea’s roots lie on the East Coast, where she grew up in Pennsauken, a suburban town in southern New Jersey. From a young age, her passion for both learning and physical activity was more than apparent, in large part due to her family. Inspired by her older brothers, with whom she shared a close bond as they looked after her while their parents worked, N’Dea developed a deep love for sports and staying active.

“I was a true nerd and loved going to the bookstores when I received gift cards for my birthday and Christmas, but I also really loved being active by playing outside in the rain, shine and snow,” N’Dea shared. “My parents worked the night shift at the United States Postal Service, so they would sleep during the day, which meant my older brothers were in charge of watching me in the daytime. Since they wanted to play outside with their friends, I was typically brought along to play and was introduced to sports through watching them or “playing for fun” alongside the boys.” 

Throughout her youth, N’Dea pursued various sports, starting out running track and as a cheerleader before moving on to field hockey and lacrosse in high school. It was in college that her passions truly flourished, blending her love for learning and sports at Rowan University as a member of the school’s field hockey team while also pursuing a degree in biomedical engineering. N’Dea’s talent was evident both on the field and in the classroom, where she garnered numerous accolades throughout her four years. Here, she earned the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-American Academic honors in 2014 and 2015, was named New Jersey All-Conference All-Academic Honorable Mention in 2016, and was recognized as a Rowan Scholar Athlete from 2014 to 2017. Graduating in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, N’Dea continued her academic journey at the University of Delaware, where she pursued graduate studies. At Delaware, she remained highly involved on campus and in the community, participating in groups such as the ‘Women in Engineering Graduate Chapter’ and the ‘Biomedical Engineering Society Graduate Chapter,’ while also receiving several awards including the Biomedical Engineering Chair Fellowship in 2018, University of Delaware Scholar’s Award in both 2019 and 2020, and Minority White Coat Foundation Scholarship in 2020.

For many students, university is used as a time to explore potential career paths, and for N’Dea, that was no different, though her journey took an unexpected turn. After earning her PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a focus on Drug Delivery in 2023, she realized that the traditional career path in that field no longer resonated with her. While in graduate school, N’Dea began sharing her experiences on social media, offering a glimpse into her life, her studies, and her travels. This sparked a passion for content creation, leading her to a new, more fulfilling career path, one that she may never have discovered had she not pursued biomedical engineering in the first place.

“I originally pursued biomedical engineering because I wanted to perform experiments in a lab to develop breast cancer treatments, but after experiencing burnout and deep depression, I decided I needed to leave the field and pursue a different career path,” N’Dea stated. “While I was in graduate school, I coincidentally started posting content, as a creative outlet outside of my job. After interviewing for multiple positions in tech and in consulting and not liking any of the options, I decided to give content creation a chance as my full-time career. I promised myself I would give entrepreneurship six months, and if it didn’t pan out, I would start to look for another job. Three months later, my platforms increased exponentially and I decided to continue pursuing influencing as a career path.” 

Transition from Engineer to Travel Influencer

In 2023, armed with newfound success in the content creation space, N’Dea made the bold decision to leave Delaware and relocate to Los Angeles. This move marked the beginning of her full-time career as an influencer, where she has primarily focused on creating content regarding and promoting travel. As her following has grown over the last two years, N’Dea leveraged her platform to share travel tips, hacks, and destination insights, hoping to inspire people of all ages to explore the world. N’Dea’s journey has taken her to numerous countries, often as a guest of various companies for brand partnerships, allowing her to experience different cultures and create meaningful content. Through her posts, she reshapes the travel industry, offering a fresh perspective as a woman of color breaking into a traditionally exclusive space. Aiming to not only display the joys of traveling to her followers, but also to help create ways for them to share in the same experiences as her, N’Dea has begun hosting trips for her followers. Notably, she organized two highly successful and sold-out Black Ski Trips, inviting her audience to join her on these unforgettable travel experiences. In addition to these trips, she maintains an email list for her upcoming events, giving followers the chance to sign up for future adventures.

Tennis, Wellness & Community

After moving to Los Angeles, N’Dea knew she wanted to stay involved in sports in some capacity, with it having been a central part of her life for as long as she could remember. With no field hockey options available on the West Coast, she decided to take up tennis, seeking a sport that would keep her physically active while also engaging her mentally. Despite the challenges of learning a new and complex sport, N’Dea has found joy in the game, embracing both the difficulties and the rewards it brings along the way.

“I originally joined tennis to become more consistently active and to have a competitive activity, but throughout the last few months, I have joined an incredible community of tennis enthusiasts who have largely contributed to my mental-well being,” said N’Dea. “I didn’t expect tennis to contribute to my mental health as much as it has, but through playing the sport, I have developed a mental wellness routine where I can let go of my worries and focus solely on the sport while I’m on the court.”

Similar to her mission of bringing people together through content, tennis has become a powerful way for N’Dea to create a new community and build meaningful connections in her new home. On the court, she has shared her tennis journey with her social media followers, documenting her learning process, progress, and key lessons along the way. Furthermore, she has attended and showcased the excitement of prestigious events like the BNP Paribas Open, with a goal of fostering a more inclusive and welcoming space within the tennis community for people of all races and ages.

“As a new tennis player in Los Angeles, it has been the easiest and best way for me to make new friends and also become active in my local community in non-tennis related events,” N’Dea added. “Through tennis, I have connected with people I wouldn’t have met through my everyday life and I love that this sport is allowing me to inspire others to connect with a diverse group of people.”

Milestones & New Chapters

Today at 29 years of age, N’Dea Boats a staggering following on social media, with 173,000 followers on Instagram and 435,000 followers on TikTok, where her videos have garnered over 22 million likes.

Just this past week, N’Dea further expanded her impressive list of achievements by launching ‘The Wanderer’s Journal,’ a travel journal designed to give fellow travelers a space to record their experiences and memories while on the road. Having personally used journaling as a way to express herself and reflect on her travels and life in general, N’Dea created this journal with the hope of offering others the same transformative power that journaling has had in her own life.

Principles & Tools for Success

As a minority navigating industries where she is often underrepresented, N’Dea has learned to rely on tools like journaling, meditation, and affirmations to help her overcome obstacles and stay focused during difficult times. These practices have become vital for her emotional and mental well-being, especially when faced with setbacks that come with pushing boundaries in these spaces. 

“When I was in college, my coach would tell us everyday ‘Your mind is your strongest muscle.’ This phrase has been etched in my brain and I am a strong believer that you can do anything you set your mind to,” N’Dea stated. “So, whenever I face challenges, I lean into meditation and speaking affirmations to re-focus my thoughts and push forward. I always create, whether it be content, trips, or simple posts, for the younger version of myself who needed a role model or a personal motivator, so whenever I feel like quitting, I think of my younger self.”

A living embodiment of empowerment in everything she does, N’Dea believes that true empowerment lies in the freedom to make choices based on what feels right for you, free from the influence of others’ expectations or judgments.

“Being empowered is being able to make decisions for yourself, regardless of others’ opinions of you or of what you should do,” N’Dea mentioned. “In my community, I work to inspire others to make the tough decisions that will ultimately lead them to their dream trips, careers, and/or life. Success is very subjective to the individual, but my version of success is having the luxury of time and the luxury of choice. One of the reasons I left my engineering career behind is because I wanted to have the freedom to choose who and where I wanted to work, and also have control over my time. Now that I have both in my new career as a travel influencer, I believe everything else is extra.”

Simple, yet impactful, N’Dea’s advice for women aiming to break into industries that may seem traditionally inaccessible or unwelcoming, such as travel, sports or tech, is both inspiring and practical.

“I would tell women to just start, even if you’re scared, worried, or cringe,” N’Dea shared. “Small actions towards your goals, whether it be having a fifteen-minute coffee meeting with someone in the industry, posting one video per day, or watching inspirational content to keep you going, will all compound over time and allow you to build a life you never once knew was available. So just start, and figure out the rest as you go.”