Community Health Ambassador Scholarship for Nursing Students

All my life, I struggled with who I am. In school I felt invisible, I wasn’t athletic, I couldn’t stick to a hobby nor did I have a “passion” for anything. I have always excelled academically, but I never knew my niche. Throughout childhood, my Grandpa suffered from multiple strokes. His first stroke occurred when I was six years old, and it permanently paralyzed the right side of his body. The moment I was able to see him in recovery, my first instinct was to place a Disney princess bandaid on his now paralyzed leg. He gave me a crooked smile, took me in his arms and warmly uttered, “You are my nurse.” His words deposited in my heart and made itself at home. Five years later, he had another stroke that worsened his paralysis, and gave him aphasia which affected his ability to speak. I was now eleven, and my family and I were devastated at his regression. My heart broke at the sight of my grandpa who was once full of life, who spent everyday fixing things around the house, who preached every Sunday ,was now bound to a wheelchair and disabled. But one thing my grandpa taught me was to always have faith and understand that this is all temporary, so in due time, serve others, love one another, and do the right thing. My heart yearned to help him and others in need of healing, so that’s what I did. With zeal, I gave him his medicine, checked his vitals with my nursing supplies kit I got for Christmas, changed his clothes, and kept him company whenever my grandma was working 12 hour shifts at the hospital. I took my interest further and began doing research on his health conditions which led me to discern my growing passion for nursing. This became a part of our daily morning routine, and it felt so natural and endearing to me. Just as he did when I was six, he gave me a crooked smile, pulled me onto his lap and proudly exclaimed to the rest of my family with a slurred yet strong voice, “She is my nurse!” Those words that deposited in my heart at six years old came leaping to the surface and made me realize—this is my passion… I am meant to be a nurse. It is in my nature to serve others; it makes my heart full. Now that I know my purpose, I will walk in my calling through nursing. I am a junior nursing student at Kennesaw State University, and I aspire to obtain my DNP to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. I hope to contribute to my community by not only taking care of my patients, but also working on the administrative side down the line to positively impact the healthcare field by using my platform to dismantle the corrupt, harmful ethics rooted within the system and build up healthy, integrous morals to repair the damage that has occurred to both patients and nurses. I have been through many different phases and inconsistent changes in my life, but the one thing that has never changed is my assignment on this earth, which is to give others hope through healing them and sharing the good news that they are here for a purpose. My grandpa lived a life full of love for others and left a beautiful mark on this earth. As I pursue my journey to become a Family Nurse Practitioner, I will carry the lessons, love, and compassion he placed in my heart and strive to keep his legacy alive.