She was inspired by her great-grandmother to attend nursing school and was the first African-American nursing student to live in the student nurses’ home. At that time, Louisville General Hospital was the teaching and research hospital for the UofL Medical School.

, Ponder spent her career working to meet the health care needs of the underserved in collaboration with Sloane, who was a physician. She served as the head nurse of recovery and the Intensive Care Unit at the Louisville General Hospital from 1957-1958, and went on to serve as the head nurse at the Louisville and Jefferson County Health Department form 1959-1965.Ìý

Ponder helped to establish and served as the Director of Nurses at the Park-DuValle Community Health Center. She assisted in establishing the first emergency transportation service at Park-DuValle, which later expanded to the city of Louisville. This evolved into what is today the Louisville EMS Service.Ìý

Ponder currently serves as a nursing consultant to various health organizations. She is listed in theÌýProfiles of Contemporary Black Achievers of KentuckyÌýand theÌýNotable Kentucky African AmericanÌý»å²¹³Ù²¹²ú²¹²õ±ð.

In 1987, Ponder was recognized as an Adopted Alumna and is now a Ìý