My plan for the future it to pursue a career as a nurse in the short term, and my long-term goal is to become a nurse practitioner. I want to pursue a career in nursing because in late 2019 my father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. My father-in-law was a physician's assistant, however, prior to this, he was a firefighter and he also did some contract work in the Middle East. The doctors believed that it was either his work as a firefighter or his work in the Middle East that caused the cancer. When my father-in-law was on hospice care, he was at home. My husband and I moved in with my father and mother-in-law to be there, and it was at this time that two other people re-affirmed my decision to become a nurse. My mother-in-law is a nurse. Watching her care for her husband made me want to develop skills to care for my loved ones in their times of need, and to also care for other people’s loved ones during their times of need. The other person who reaffirmed my decision to become a nurse was the hospice nurse who worked with my father-in-law in our home during the last few weeks of his life. The passion this woman had for her job was inspiring to say the least. She remained stoic, caring, and compassionate in a career that had to be so taxing and heartbreaking. This woman went to patients’ homes and her job was to assist them and care for them as they died. I can’t imagine the toll that must take on someone, to go to work every day and watch people during their last days on Earth. Not only did this amazing woman care for my father-in-law, but in her own way, she also cared for his family as they watched him deteriorate day after day. And when my father-in-law passed away, we all thought our time with her was over. I thought my time being inspired by her was over. But I was wrong. Her job was over, she has fulfilled her duty (and then some), but instead of moving on with her life after he had passed, this nurse took time out of her very limited free time and came to my father-in-law’s funeral to say goodbye and to support his family. It was then that I realized, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to care for people on their worst days, I wanted to do my part to make a difference in the lives of patients and in the lives of their families. I wanted to make a positive change in this world. This scholarship will help me pursue my dreams of becoming a nurse and eventually a nurse practitioner. This scholarship will help me make a difference in the lives of patients. It will help me pursue a career where I can make a positive difference in the lives of those around me and in my community as a whole.

Being a twenty-seven-year-old adult going back to school and taking the majority of my courses online, makes me a non-traditional student. I am currently in an accelerated nursing program for students who have earned one bachelor's degree and are earning their nursing degree next. The first time that I went to school, I was a traditional student. I went straight to college out of high school to earn my first bachelor's degree. Now, I am a non-traditional student because I am an adult who is going back to school, and in order to take all of the prerequisites for nursing school, I took all but one of those classes online. I was taking my prerequisite courses during COVID-19 when all classes were forced to go online due to the pandemic. So, every prerequisite course that I took, except for one, was taken online. Traditionally, students take classes on campus in person with their classmates and their professor. However, due to the pandemic, I was forced to take all of my courses online after going back to school as an adult after taking some time off of school. Going back to school after some time off as an adult student over the age of twenty-five was hard enough, but learning how to take courses online that required a lab, was incredibly difficult. Science labs were not meant to be taught online, so learning how to navigate a course that should be taught in person was not only difficult, but it made for a very non-traditional school process. There are two things that drive me to do more. One reason that I decided to go back to school was for the betterment of my family. I wanted to be able to make more money than I was earning with my first degree in human services. I wanted a job where I could better support my family and that is why I decided to go back to school as a non-traditional student. Another thing that has driven me to do more and go back to school is because I want to make a difference in people's lives. I chose my first degree in a social work field because I wanted to make a difference, however, I found that without a master's degree in my field, it was really hard to make any significant change. That is another reason I decided to go back to school, because I wanted to work in a field where I could make a real impact on people's lives. The things that have driven me to do more have driven me to go back to school even though I was a non-traditional adult student who went back to school after some time off, and even though I also had to take most of my courses online. However, even though being a non-traditional student has not been easy, I would not trade it for anything. It has helped me grow, it will be better for my family, and it will allow me to make a difference.

I have spent the past nine years of my life earning two different degrees. The first degree was in human services which is in the social work field. I chose to pursue this degree because when I was eleven years old, my family became a foster family and eventually adopted six girls. Many of my foster siblings and adopted siblings came from homes where they witnessed domestic violence. And one of my adopted sisters was a domestic violence perpetrator in my home growing up. It was because of my siblings who experienced domestic violence and because I had witnessed the domestic violence that one of my sisters caused, that I decided to go into a field where I could work with people who had also experienced domestic violence and work to help them and raise awareness about domestic violence. I am currently in school to become a nurse. I decided to switch careers because I feel as though I am not able to help as many people with the degree I currently have. I have worked at a children's hospital for the past three years on the behavioral health floor, and I have also been given the opportunity to work on the medical floors as well. Through my work on the medical floors I have witnessed a few children who were victims of domestic violence. I have sat with them and helped them through their journey and have also been a part of rounds with the psych and social work team in order to advocate for them and find the best ways to advocate for them. I also have worked with multiple behavioral health patients who have personally been the victim of domestic violence or have witnessed domestic violence in their home. A good amount of my behavioral health patients have dealt with domestic violence at some point in their lives, and I have worked endlessly to help them through their feelings and advocate for them. I have taken courses that teach healthcare staff how to spot signs of domestic violence and who to contact for help when you see those signs. I have been taught the proper way to advocate for victims of domestic violence and how to raise awareness about it. I hope to be able to continue to advocate for victims of domestic violence and to raise awareness about it in my future career. It is because of my siblings and my patients that I have decided to pursue a career in nursing. One of the most important jobs that a nurse has is to advocate for their patients. I want to have a career where I can help those who have experienced domestic violence and continue to raise awareness about it so that we can lower the rates of domestic violence in our communities, and I believe that a career as a nurse will allow me to do this. My actions will help impact the lives of others. By raising awareness for domestic violence, I will increase the amount of people who can support victims, I can help mobilize people into actions, and I can help others see the signs of domestic abuse so that more people can recognize the signs and find help for victims. I hope that my actions will lower the rate of domestic violence and help those who have experienced domestic violence in their lives find the help that they need.

My favorite song from Taylor Swift's '1989' album is "Shake It Off". I have many reasons why this song is my favorite. This song is all about hearing the negative words that other people say about you and not letting it affect the way that you view yourself. It's about not letting the opinions of others make you feel less than. I think that is an amazing message for people of all ages. The song begins with Taylor Swift making a list of pessimistic things about herself, how she stays out too late, she isn't smart, she goes out on too many dates, but she can't seem to keep them around. The next sentence of the song says "At least that's what people say". This implies that these are not things that she believes about herself, but rather it is what other people say about her. The next part of the song is the most powerful. It is Taylor talking about how she does not allow these words and opinions that people have about her, keep her down. She keeps going no matter what people say about her. She tells herself it's going to be alright. She then goes on to sing about a list of positive things she knows about herself, how she has music in her mind telling her things will be okay, how she is quick on her feet and she doesn't miss a beat. She sings that these are the things that her critics do not see. The chorus of the song comes next and it is Taylor singing about how there will always be players and haters, but no matter what they say, you just have to shake it off. Shake off what your haters say, what your critics say, because you know that your self-worth is not defined by what other people think or say about you. This song is a lesson for real life. There will always be people in your life who aim to tear you down and make you feel worthless or not enough. It can be easy to listen to those people and let them chip away at your self-worth. But Taylor reminds us in her song "Shake It Off", that your self-worth should not be defined by what other people say about you. Your self-worth should be defined by what you know about yourself in your heart. So, when people have negative things to say about you, just shake it off.

The thing that excites me the most about college is learning new things that I can utilize in both my personal life and in my professional life. I am working toward my second degree right now and there was so much that I learned while going to college for that first degree that I use every single day of my life. College expands your horizons, it teaches you new ways of thinking, it allows you to interact with people of different backgrounds that you may not have had the opportunity to interact with if it weren't for college, finally, college offers a diverse range of different perspectives that is hard to find anywhere else. I learned many different skills that helped me maintain a healthy mind, body, and soul. The first thing that helps me maintain a healthy mind and soul is allowing myself to open up to my close friends and family when something is causing my wellness to plummet. I used to bottle my emotions and keep them inside until I would be bursting with anxiety, depression, anger, and other negative emotions. Now, I am able to speak about what I am feeling before it causes a negative impact on my well-being. Another way that I maintain a healthy body is through exercise. I run on my elliptical, lift weights, and do other exercises. However, my absolute favorite form of exercise and my favorite way to keep my body healthy is going for walks. I love to put headphones on and listen to audiobooks while I walk through my neighborhood. I usually walk for about an hour. I find that listening to a book while I move my body and enjoy nature makes my mind and body feel so good, both while I am walking and the whole day afterward. Other ways that I maintain a healthy mind and soul is by doing some of my favorite relaxing activities which are reading, creative writing, knitting, and creating art. It is important to have hobbies that are relaxing in life, especially when you have a career and you are a student. Reading and writing both allow me to travel to other worlds and have adventures. And knitting and making art allows me to create something new out of a small amount of materials which always gives me a sense of accomplishment. Learning ways to maintain my personal wellness amidst the challenges that I face in school has allowed me to succeed more as a student. Some challenges that I have faced as a student include depression, anxiety, weight gain, and flare-ups of my obsessive-compulsive disorder. Finding ways to maintain a healthy mind, body, and soul has allowed me to keep my depression managed. I have found ways to calm myself when anxiety becomes too much and ways to cope with obsessive-compulsive disorder. I have begun eating for the health of my body rather than eating when stressed and I have begun to exercise more. All of this has caused a boost in my grades, my mental wellness, and my emotional well-being. All of which have helped me to succeed as a student. I have been able to exceed my own expectations as a student because I have learned to maintain a healthy mind, body, and soul.

I try to make sure that I take some time out of every day to manage my personal wellness while I attend college. I am working toward my second degree and I can say that I have learned the importance of managing personal wellness the hard way. During my first year of college, I was so focused on earning great grades and participating in numerous extracurricular activities, that I completely neglected my personal wellness, especially during the first semester. A lot of people have so much fun during their first year of college and it is one of the best years of their lives, however, because I did not understand the importance of maintaining my personal wellness, it was one of the worst years of my life. I became depressed and very anxious during that first year. After my first year of college, I learned many different skills that helped me maintain my personal wellness. The first thing that helps me maintain my personal wellness is allowing myself to open up to my close friends and family when something is causing my wellness to plummet. I used to bottle my emotions and keep them inside until I would be bursting with anxiety, depression, anger, and other negative emotions. Now, I am able to speak about what I am feeling before it causes a negative impact on my well-being. Another way that I maintain my personal wellness is through exercise. I run on my elliptical, lift weights, and do other exercises. However, my absolute favorite form of exercise and my favorite way to keep my body healthy is going for walks. I love to put headphones on and listen to audiobooks while I walk through my neighborhood. I usually walk for about an hour. I find that listening to a book while I move my body and enjoy nature makes my mind and body feel so good, both while I am walking and the whole day afterward. Other ways that I maintain my personal wellness is by doing some of my favorite relaxing activities which are reading, creative writing, knitting, and creating art. It is important to have hobbies that are relaxing in life, especially when you have a career and you are a student. Reading and writing both allow me to travel to other worlds and have adventures. And knitting and making art allows me to create something new out of a small amount of materials which always gives me a sense of accomplishment. Learning ways to maintain my personal wellness has allowed me to succeed more as a student. My depression has been managed, and I have found ways to calm myself when anxiety becomes too much. All of this has caused a boost in my grades, my mental wellness, and my emotional well-being. All of which have helped me to succeed as a student. I have been able to exceed my own expectations as a student because I have learned to manage my personal wellness.

I plan to make a positive impact on this world through a career in nursing. I currently have my degree in Human Services and have spent five years working with youth in the mental health field. I worked in a residential home for at-risk youth for a year and a half, and I worked at a children's hospital on the behavioral health floor for five years. Working with kids in the mental health field can be very exhausting. I have gotten four concussions and a plethora of bites, bruises, scratches, hair torn out, etc. However, working with children in this field is also incredibly rewarding. I have been given the opportunity to work with kids on their lowest days, helping them through it, and then watching them as they grow and learn to cope and have better days. I have been able to make a positive impact on the world in this field, however, this field does not allow me to make as much of a positive impact as I want. While I was working in the residential home, and while I was working in the hospital, I worked with nurses. These nurses were able to make a huge positive impact on our residents and patients. After working with these nurses, I decided to go back to school for nursing. I completed all of my prerequisites for nursing school and I applied to a second-degree accelerated nursing program. I have always wanted a career where I could make a positive difference, but I have struggled to find it in the past. I believe that a career in nursing is the right path for me to make a difference. The nursing specialties that I believe I can make the most difference in are obstetrics, psych nursing, and research. Obstetrics nurses care for women during their pregnancy, labor, birth, and also help with a multitude of other reproductive health issues. In the medical field, women's health issues are often overlooked or minimized. I believe that being an obstetrics nurse would allow me to be an advocate for women in healthcare. Research nurses work with patients during clinical trials and record and manage data in order to find new and better ways to provide patient care and even work to find ways to cure diseases. Being able to help find cures for diseases and better ways to care for patients, would be incredibly fulfilling. There are so many diseases out there without cures that are detrimental to people's health, and that are even killing people. Being a part of clinical trials that could alleviate diseases or even cure them, would be amazing and fulfilling. Psych nurses care for patients with psychiatric disorders including mental illness, eating disorders, addiction, substance abuse and more. I have already spent five years of my life working in the psych field and I have been able to make a difference in the lives of multiple different people. However, I have not felt like the positions I have held have allowed me to make as much of a difference as I would like. I believe that being a nurse for psych patients would allow me to have a bigger impact in the lives of patients. A career in nursing will allow me to make a positive impact on the world.

My name is Abby and I am 27 years old. I have six adopted sisters, one biological sister, two half-brothers, and two step-brothers. I have been married for three and a half years. I enjoy reading, writing, hockey, traveling, and spending time with family and friends and my cat. My dad is in the air force, and my stepdad is an army veteran. I have my degree in Human Services and have spent five years working with youth in the mental health field. I worked in a residential home for at-risk youth for a year and a half, and I worked at a children's hospital on the behavioral health floor for five years. Working with kids in the mental health field can be very exhausting. I have gotten four concussions and a plethora of bites, bruises, scratches, hair torn out, etc. However, working with children in this field is also incredibly rewarding. I have been given the opportunity to work with kids on their lowest days, helping them through it, and then watching them as they grow and learn to cope and have better days. I have been able to make a positive impact on the world in this field, however, this field does not allow me to make as much of a positive impact as I want. While I was working in the residential home, and while I was working in the hospital, I worked with nurses. These nurses were able to make a huge positive impact on our residents and patients. After working with these nurses, I decided to go back to school for nursing. I completed all of my prerequisites for nursing school and I applied to a second-degree accelerated nursing program. I have always wanted a career where I could make a positive difference, but I have struggled to find it in the past. I believe that a career in nursing is the right path for me to make a difference. The nursing specialties that I believe I can make the most difference in are obstetrics, psych nursing, and research. Obstetrics nurses care for women during their pregnancy, labor, birth, and also help with a multitude of other reproductive health issues. In the medical field, women's health issues are often overlooked or minimized. I believe that being an obstetrics nurse would allow me to be an advocate for women in healthcare. Research nurses work with patients during clinical trials and record and manage data in order to find new and better ways to provide patient care and even work to find ways to cure diseases. Being able to help find cures for diseases and better ways to care for patients, would be incredibly fulfilling. There are so many diseases out there without cures that are detrimental to people's health, and that are even killing people. Being a part of clinical trials that could alleviate diseases or even cure them, would be amazing and fulfilling. Psych nurses care for patients with psychiatric disorders including mental illness, eating disorders, addiction, substance abuse and more. I have already spent five years of my life working in the psych field and I have been able to make a difference in the lives of multiple different people. However, I have not felt like the positions I have held have allowed me to make as much of a difference as I would like. I believe that being a nurse for psych patients would allow me to have a bigger impact in the lives of patients. A career in nursing will allow me to make a positive impact on the world.

An important social issue that I am working to address is depression in hospice patients. Patients who are in hospice care often exhibit depression, loneliness, and even suicidal thoughts. This is something that some people may think is expected when someone is in end-of-life care and knows that their time here on earth is coming to a close. Depression in the hospice patient population leads to a decreased quality of life, more negative physical symptoms, and an increase in suicidal thoughts or a desire to pass away more quickly. I have been given the opportunity to volunteer with The Care Team which is a hospice company in Michigan. As a Care Team volunteer, my job is to write to and create art for three hospice patients each week. Many times, the hospice patients that I volunteer for have Alzheimer’s, dementia, vision loss, a history of strokes, or other ailments that affect their ability to understand what I am writing, or prevent them from being able to respond to my mail. Because of this, I do not expect my patients to respond to me, and in the mail I send, I always send bright artwork so if they are unable to read or understand my letters, they have something that they can look at and make them smile. While most of the patients I volunteer for are unable to write back, I did receive a response from one of my patient’s daughters that let me know that my work, especially my artwork, was making a difference. This woman wrote to me and said that her mother’s hands no longer worked correctly after her most recent stroke so she wanted to write to me for her mother. She said that her mother was in her mid-nineties and was passing away and that each time she received mail from me, her face lit up and she became joyful. Being able to bring joy to someone in hospice care and make them smile and help reduce the symptoms of depression is how I am addressing a social issue in my community. Having the opportunity to put a smile on the face of someone who is facing such a difficult time in their life is the most rewarding feeling. And knowing that I am putting even a dent into the depression of these patients makes all of the time I spend creating art and writing to these patients worth it. I am so excited that I found a company that allows me to volunteer and make address the social issue of depression in hospice patients.

My name is Abby and I am 27 years old. I have six adopted sisters, one biological sister, two half-brothers, and two step-brothers. I have been married for three and a half years. I enjoy reading, writing, hockey, traveling, and spending time with family and friends and my cat. My dad is in the air force, and my stepdad is an army veteran. I have my degree in Human Services and have spent five years working with youth in the mental health field. I worked in a residential home for at-risk youth for a year and a half, and I worked at a children's hospital on the behavioral health floor for five years. Working with kids in the mental health field can be very exhausting. I have gotten four concussions and a plethora of bites, bruises, scratches, hair torn out, etc. However, working with children in this field is also incredibly rewarding. I have been given the opportunity to work with kids on their lowest days, helping them through it, and then watching them as they grow and learn to cope and have better days. I have been able to make a positive impact on the world in this field, however, this field does not allow me to make as much of a positive impact as I want. While I was working in the residential home, and while I was working in the hospital, I worked with nurses. These nurses were able to make a huge positive impact on our residents and patients. After working with these nurses, I decided to go back to school for nursing. I completed all of my prerequisites for nursing school and I applied to a second-degree accelerated nursing program. I have always wanted a career where I could make a positive difference, but I have struggled to find it in the past. I believe that a career in nursing is the right path for me to make a difference. The nursing specialties that I believe I can make the most difference in are obstetrics, psych nursing, and research. Obstetrics nurses care for women during their pregnancy, labor, birth, and also help with a multitude of other reproductive health issues. In the medical field, women's health issues are often overlooked or minimized. I believe that being an obstetrics nurse would allow me to be an advocate for women in healthcare. Research nurses work with patients during clinical trials and record and manage data in order to find new and better ways to provide patient care and even work to find ways to cure diseases. Being able to help find cures for diseases and better ways to care for patients, would be incredibly fulfilling. There are so many diseases out there without cures that are detrimental to people's health, and that are even killing people. Being a part of clinical trials that could alleviate diseases or even cure them, would be amazing and fulfilling. Psych nurses care for patients with psychiatric disorders including mental illness, eating disorders, addiction, substance abuse and more. I have already spent five years of my life working in the psych field and I have been able to make a difference in the lives of multiple different people. However, I have not felt like the positions I have held have allowed me to make as much of a difference as I would like. I believe that being a nurse for psych patients would allow me to have a bigger impact in the lives of patients. A career in nursing will allow me to make a positive impact on the world.

I believe that my mental health is important because when I was ten years old I began to struggle greatly with my mental health and it was only after I was able to gain control over my mental health with help of medication and coping skills, that I learned just how important mental health was. When I was ten, I was living with undiagnosed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). My mental health was so bad that began having panic attacks. I would get intrusive thoughts, a symptom of OCD, I thought that these thoughts made me evil or bad and it would get to the point that if I couldn't tell a parent my thoughts to alleviate the guilt, I would have a panic attack. I also developed a phobia of germs. I would wash my hands dozens and dozens of times a day to the point that my hands would bleed and my mom would listen for the water running in the bathroom and go in there and try to stop me from washing them because my hands were bloody. So I began putting soap on my hands and not rinsing it off so I wouldn't get caught washing them. I also struggled with picking my skin to the point of bleeding and then picking the scabs off once the wound began to heal. It was a compulsion that I could not control. To this day I still have scars from picking my skin when I was a child. Another aspect of my mental health that caused panic attacks was the fear of my mom dying. Every time she left the house, I would be terrified that she would die in a car accident. It got to the point that if I couldn't go wherever my mom was going I would have uncontrollable anxiety and panic attacks. I would also think that if I didn't do certain "rituals" something bad would happen to a loved one. A lot of the "rituals" involved counting. Another "ritual" I did was having to tell my mom every single intrusive thought that went through my head, which was really difficult on her. To help me with all of this, my mom got me into an inpatient program at a local psychiatric facility. It took two separate stays and a multitude of medication changes and counseling, but eventually, my OCD, MDD, and GAD got to the point where it was something that I could live with without it being debilitating. To this day I still struggle with mental illness, however, it is so much better than when I was a kid. In fact, I've worked in a hospital for three years, something I never would have thought possible back then with my fear of germs. In fact, I am now going to school to become a nurse and work with people with the illness I was once so terrified of. If I had not gotten control over my mental health, my career at the hospital and future career as a nurse would not be possible. I would not be able to function as I do now without getting my mental health under control. I maintain my mental wellness by taking medication, utilizing coping skills, and going to my support system when I am struggling. Some coping skills that have really helped me are reading, writing, going for a walk, spending time with my cat, my husband, my friends, or my mom, and talking things out when it becomes too much inside my own head.

I want to pursue a career in nursing because in late 2019 my father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. My father-in-law was a physician's assistant, however, prior to this, he was a firefighter and he also did some contract work in the Middle East. The doctors believed that it was either his work as a firefighter or his work in the Middle East that caused the cancer. When my father-in-law was in hospice care, he was at home. My husband and I moved in with him and my mother-in-law to be there, and it was at this time that an amazing hospice nurse helped me decide to pursue nursing. This nurse worked with my father-in-law in our home during the last few weeks of his life. The passion she had for her job was inspiring to say the least. She remained stoic, caring, and compassionate in a career that had to be so taxing and heartbreaking. This woman went to patients’ homes and her job was to assist them and care for them as they died. Not only did this amazing woman care for my father-in-law, but she also cared for his family as we watched him deteriorate day after day. And when my father-in-law passed away, we all thought our time with her was over. But we were wrong. Her job was over, she has fulfilled her duty (and then some), but instead of moving on with her life after he had passed, she took time out of her life and came to my father-in-law’s funeral to say goodbye and to support his family. It was then that I realized, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to care for people on their worst days, I wanted to do my part to make a difference in the lives of patients and in the lives of their families. I wanted to make a positive change in this world. My goals for a successful career include continuing education. I do not want to just get my RN degree and quit learning. I want to continue to learn even after receiving my license. I also want to spend time training with RNs in different nursing specialties to see which specialty I can make the best impact in. I also want to find some good mentors in the nursing industry that I can turn to when things get tough, so they can help remind me of why I went into the field in the first place. A personal accomplishment I have made to help me pursue my goal is getting a degree in Human Services which taught me classes on ethics, cultures, diversity, and social work. This degree prepared me to be a nurse. I have also taken all the prerequisites needed and applied for a second-degree accelerated nursing program. I also have medical experience. I worked at a children's hospital for three years as a tech and gained a lot of hands-on patient experience, especially with behavioral patients because my role was in behavioral health, but I was cross-trained as a nurse tech and got to help with medical patients as well. My current job is staffing nurses and nurse techs at two different hospitals. To prepare for this role, I shadowed the hospital supervisors at those hospitals for two months. This gave me amazing insight into how a hospital runs. All of which have prepared me for a career in nursing.

My name is Abby and I am 27 years old. I have my bachelor's degree in human services and have taken all of the prerequisites necessary to apply for a second-degree accelerated nursing program that I just applied to. I have worked in a residential home for at risk youth, worked in the hospital as a behavioral tech, and I now work with the hospital supervisors to staff my local hospitals. All of which has prepared me for the next step in my journey. I have six adoptive sisters and spent much of my childhood with foster siblings as well. My parents decided to begin fostering when I was ten, they are amazingly generous and giving people. I have been married for three and a half years, and I have a flamepoint siamese cat named Ginny. The nursing specialties I am most interested in are obsterics, perianesthesia, research, or psych nursing. I am so excited to begin my clinical rotations to find the specialty that I am the most passionate about and that I can make the biggest positive impact in. Obstetrics nurses care for women during their pregnancy, labor, birth, and also help with a multitude of other reproductive health issues. In the medical field, women's health issues, especially women's reproductive health problems are often overlooked or minimized. I believe that being an obstetrics nurse would allow me to be an advocate for women in healthcare. Perianesthesia nurses work with patients who are either about to go into surgery or patients who are recovering from anesthesia. I think that I would get fulfillment from this job as either a pre-op nurse or a post-op nurse. Many times patients who are about to have surgery are incredibly nervous to undergo the surgery. Having already worked in the mental health field, I am incredibly skilled in helping people cope and calm down, and I believe I would be an asset to patients who are afraid. On the other side, patients who are coming out of surgery can be afraid and in pain, and I believe that it would be fulfilling to help calm them down and offer treatment to alleviate pain and make patients feel better. Research nurses work with patients during clinical trials and record and manage data in order to find new and better ways to provide patient care and even work to find ways to cure diseases. Being able to help find cures for diseases and better ways to care for patients, would be incredibly fulfilling. There are so many diseases out there without cures that are detrimental to people's health, and that are even killing people. Being a part of clinical trials that could alleviate diseases or even cure them, would be amazing and fulfilling. Finally, psych nurses care for patients with psychiatric disorders including mental illness, eating disorders, addiction, substance abuse and more. I have already spent five years of my life working in the psych field and I have been able to make a small difference in the lives of multiple different people. However, I have not felt like the positions I have held have allowed me to make a large difference, but I believe psych nursing would. Being able to help people going through psych problems is so fulfilling, and I believe that being a nurse for psych patients would allow me to have a bigger impact in the lives of patients.

I have had numerous family members who have had cancer. Both of my grandmothers had breast cancer, my grandfather had lung cancer that metastasized to his brain, and my aunt had throat cancer. However, it was my father-in-law passing away from brain cancer that had the biggest impact on my life. My father-in-law worked in the Middle East, he was a firefighter, and he was a physician's assistant. The doctors believed that it was either the contract work that he did in the Middle East, or his work as a firefighter that caused his brain cancer. My father-in-law passed quickly after the cancer was found, and it affected nearly every aspect of my life. It changed my beliefs, my relationships, and my career aspirations. My belief in the importance of family and friends was strengthened tenfold. When my father-in-law was home on hospice care, he was surrounded by family and friends. Not only was he being supported as he passed away, but his family was being supported by one another during that awful process as well. Without being able to lean on one another, I don't think we would have been able to make it through that time. I can't express how hard it was during that time, but I also became closer to my in-laws. There was so much love and support in that room. My belief in the power of a family's love and support was strengthened so much during this tough time. My father-in-law's cancer affected my relationships as well. I became much closer to all of my in-laws and our relationship was strengthened greatly. My relationship with my husband however was what was affected the most. My husband took the death of his father very hard. For the first year and a half after my father-in-law died, my husband had an incredibly hard time. Our relationship became strained for awhile and it was really hard, however, we stuck it out and we leaned on each other through the hard times, and our relationship deepened. We went through something that most people don't have to go through until they are much older, my husband and I were in our twenties when my father-in-law died and it happened quite quickly. But we held onto each other and came out stronger. Finally, my father-in-law's cancer affected my career aspirations. Prior to my father-in-law being diagnosed with cancer, I received my Bachelor's degree in human services. However, after my father-in-law's diagnosis, my career aspiration changed and I decided that I wanted to work in the healthcare field like he did. His ambition and love for healthcare is what motivated me to pursue healthcare and make a difference in the lives of patients like he did. My father-in-law's hospice nurse also influenced my decision to become a nurse. The passion this woman had for her job was inspiring to say the least. She remained stoic, caring, and compassionate in a career that had to be so taxing and heartbreaking. This woman went to patients’ homes and her job was to assist them and care from them as they died. I can’t imagine the toll that must take on someone, to go to work every day and watch people during their last days on Earth. Even after my father-in-law passed away, his nurse made a difference in our lives. This nurse took time out of her very limited free time and came to my father-in-law’s funeral to say goodbye and to support his family. I want to make a difference in the lives of patients like my father-in-law and like his nurse.

I am exploring a career in nursing. I am not quite sure what nursing specialty I want to pursue, but I am greatly looking forward to exploring all of the possible specialties during my clinicals in college. Some nursing specialties that I am interested in and excited to explore are obstetrics, perianesthesia, research, and psych nursing. I believe that a career in nursing will bring me fulfillment because my goal in life is to make a difference, and I have explored multiple careers, and I believe that nursing is a career in which I can make a positive difference in the lives of people. I have explored social work and human services, and have even had careers in these fields. I have been able to make a small difference in these fields, however, in these fields there are a lot of limits to what I can do. Nursing is a field in which I believe I can make the biggest impact. When it comes to the specific specialties I want to explore, I also have different reasons to believe that each individual specialty will bring me different types of fulfillment. Obstetrics nurses care for women during their pregnancy, labor, birth, and also help with a multitude of other reproductive health issues. In the medical field, women's health issues, especially women's reproductive health problems are often overlooked or minimized. I believe that being an obstetrics nurse would allow me to be an advocate for women in healthcare. Perianesthesia nurses work with patients who are either about to go into surgery or patients who are recovering from anesthesia. I think that I would get fulfillment from this job as either a pre-op nurse or a post-op nurse. Many times patients who are about to have surgery are incredibly nervous to undergo the surgery. Having already worked in the mental health field, I am incredibly skilled in helping people cope and calm down, and I believe I would be an asset to patients who are afraid. On the other side, patients who are coming out of surgery can be afraid and in pain, and I believe that it would be fulfilling to help calm them down and offer treatment to alleviate pain and make patients feel better. Research nurses work with patients during clinical trials and record and manage data in order to find new and better ways to provide patient care and even work to find ways to cure diseases. Being able to help find cures for diseases and better ways to care for patients, would be incredibly fulfilling. There are so many diseases out there without cures that are detrimental to people's health, and that are even killing people. Being a part of clinical trials that could alleviate diseases or even cure them, would be amazing and fulfilling. Finally, psych nurses care for patients with psychiatric disorders including mental illness, eating disorders, addiction, substance abuse and more. I have already spent five years of my life working in the psych field and I have been able to make a small difference in the lives of multiple different people. However, I have not felt like the positions I have held have allowed me to make a large difference, but I believe psych nursing would. Being able to help people going through psych problems is so fulfilling, and I believe that being a nurse for psych patients would I allow me to have a bigger impact in the lives of patients.

Volunteering has greatly altered my mindset. It has made me a more kind, compassionate, and caring person. It has also opened my eyes and allowed me to see the world from the eyes of the people and communities that I serve. People who only view the world from their own point of view and don't want to learn from others have a very limited worldview. Volunteering is something that warms my heart and brings me joy. There is nothing like seeing the face of someone that you have helped and knowing that you have made a difference in their lives. I believe that the person who is doing the volunteering gets even more out of the experience than the person who you are volunteering for. I have done a lot of volunteering in my lifetime, and all of the volunteering that I have done has changed my mindset. I was given the opportunity to travel to Pittsburgh and repair the home of an elderly woman. When we began work on her home, her wall had a hole so large that you could see all the way outside and her roof had numerous holes. We were able to fix the home's issues so that it was liveable again. This opportunity showed me that when people work together for a cause, you can accomplish very difficult goals, and can bring joy to people while doing it. I was also given the opportunity to travel to Colorado to work with a team to reconstruct social trails to prevent erosion in state parks, assist the community through forest fire restoration, and install heavy log erosion barriers to ensure the safety of those living in potentially dangerous environments. I spent a week doing this work and came back to camp dripping with sweat at the end of every day. This opportunity altered my mindset on hard work. I was often tempted to view hard work as something I "had" to do, something that I did not want to do. Hard work was not enjoyable. However, after this opportunity, I was shown that if have a good mission that you are working for, even hard physical labor can be enjoyable if you are doing it for the right reason. I have also spent a lot of time over the years volunteering with children in numerous different volunteer positions. All of these positions have taught me the importance of kids having good role models to look up to and it reminds me to always be a good influence because you never know who is watching and who needs someone to look up to. I currently volunteer for a company where I write letters to or create art for three different hospice patients a week. This has changed my mindset in that it has shown me the power of joy and positivity. Those who have a positive outlook tend to be happier and even live longer than those who don't. I need this scholarship because just prior to COVID, my husband lost his job and his father passed away. I was the only one working for over a year while also going to school. I was picking up extra shifts and working overtime almost every week to help with the staffing shortage and to bring in money for my family. While my husband is working again and we are able to pay our bills, there is not much money left for school. I need this scholarship to help pay for my degree in nursing so that I can pursue a career where I can make a difference.

My name is Abby and I am 27 years old. I have my bachelor's degree in human services and have taken all of the prerequisites necessary to apply for a second-degree accelerated nursing program that I just applied to. I have worked in the hospital as a tech for 3 years and I now work with the hospital supervisors to staff my local hospitals. All of which has prepared me for the next step in my journed. I want to pursue a career as a nurse because in late 2019 my father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. My father-in-law was a physician's assistant, however, prior to this, he was a firefighter and he also did some contract work in the Middle East. The doctors believed that it was either his work as a firefighter or his work in the Middle East that caused the cancer. When my father-in-law was on hospice care, he was at home. My husband and I moved in with my father and mother-in-law to be there, and it was at this time that two other people re-affirmed my decision to become a nurse. My mother-in-law is a nurse. Watching her care for her husband made me want to develop skills to care for my loved ones in their times of need, and to also care for other people’s loved ones during their times of need. The other person who reaffirmed my decision to become a nurse was the hospice nurse who worked with my father-in-law in our home during the last few weeks of his life. The passion this woman had for her job was inspiring to say the least. She remained stoic, caring, and compassionate in a career that had to be so taxing and heartbreaking. This woman went to patients’ homes and her job was to assist them and care for them as they died. I can’t imagine the toll that must take on someone, to go to work every day and watch people during their last days on Earth. Not only did this amazing woman care for my father-in-law, but in her own way, she also cared for his family as they watched him deteriorate day after day. And when my father-in-law passed away, we all thought our time with her was over. I thought my time being inspired by her was over. But I was wrong. Her job was over, she has fulfilled her duty (and then some), but instead of moving on with her life after he had passed, this nurse took time out of her very limited free time and came to my father-in-law’s funeral to say goodbye and to support his family. It was then that I realized, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to care for people on their worst days, I wanted to do my part to make a difference in the lives of patients and in the lives of their families. I wanted to make a positive change in this world. The nursing specialties I am most interested in are labor and delivery, psych nursing, research, or perioperative nursing. I am so excited to begin my clinical rotations to find the specialty that I am the most passionate about and that I can do the most good in.

I want to pursue in the medical field as a career as a nurse because in late 2019 my father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. My father-in-law was a physician's assistant, however, prior to this, he was a firefighter and he also did some contract work in the Middle East. The doctors believed that it was either his work as a firefighter or his work in the Middle East that caused the cancer. When my father-in-law was on hospice care, he was at home. My husband and I moved in with my father and mother-in-law to be there, and it was at this time that two other people re-affirmed my decision to become a nurse. My mother-in-law is a nurse. Watching her care for her husband made me want to develop skills to care for my loved ones in their times of need, and to also care for other people’s loved ones during their times of need. The other person who reaffirmed my decision to become a nurse was the hospice nurse who worked with my father-in-law in our home during the last few weeks of his life. The passion this woman had for her job was inspiring to say the least. She remained stoic, caring, and compassionate in a career that had to be so taxing and heartbreaking. This woman went to patients’ homes and her job was to assist them and care for them as they died. I can’t imagine the toll that must take on someone, to go to work every day and watch people during their last days on Earth. Not only did this amazing woman care for my father-in-law, but in her own way, she also cared for his family as they watched him deteriorate day after day. And when my father-in-law passed away, we all thought our time with her was over. I thought my time being inspired by her was over. But I was wrong. Her job was over, she has fulfilled her duty (and then some), but instead of moving on with her life after he had passed, this nurse took time out of her very limited free time and came to my father-in-law’s funeral to say goodbye and to support his family. It was then that I realized, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to care for people on their worst days, I wanted to do my part to make a difference in the lives of patients and in the lives of their families. I wanted to make a positive change in this world.

When I was ten years old I began to struggle greatly with my mental health. I did not know it at the time, but I was living with undiagnosed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). My mental health was so bad that began having panic attacks. I would get intrusive thoughts, a symptom of OCD, I thought that these thoughts made me evil or bad and it would get to the point that if I couldn't tell a parent my thoughts to alleviate the guilt, I would have a panic attack. I also developed a phobia of germs. I would wash my hands dozens and dozens of times a day to the point that my hands would bleed and my mom would listen for the water running in the bathroom and go in there and try to stop me from washing them because my hands were bloody. So I began putting soap on my hands and not rinsing it off so I wouldn't get caught washing them. The strange thing about my fear of germs was that I wasn't afraid of getting sick, I was afraid that if I got sick I would spread it to someone else. It got to the point that when we learned about different illnesses in health class in school, I would think I had those illnesses and I would be terrified that I would spread them to my family. And some of these were illnesses that I could not possibly have because I had not been sexually active or used needles for example. I also struggled with picking my skin to the point of bleeding and then picking the scabs off once the wound began to heal. It was a compulsion that I could not control. To this day I still have scars from picking my skin when I was a child. Another aspect of my mental health that caused panic attacks was the fear of my mom dying. Every time she left the house, I would be terrified that she would die in a car accident. It got to the point that if I couldn't go wherever my mom was going I would have uncontrollable anxiety and panic attacks. I would also think that if I didn't do certain "rituals" something bad would happen to a loved one. A lot of the "rituals" involved counting, especially counting in threes. Another "ritual" I did was having to tell my mom every single intrusive thought that went through my head. To help with this, my mom got me a tape recorder so I could tell my "confessions" to the tape recorder instead of "confessing" my thoughts to my mom every few minutes. To help me with all of this, my mom got me into an inpatient program at a local psychiatric facility. It took two separate stays and a multitude of medication changes and counseling, but eventually, my OCD, MDD, and GAD got to the point where it was something that I could live with without it being debilitating. And it was the mental health industry that helped me with this. To this day I still struggle with mental illness, however, it is so much better than when I was a kid. In fact, I've worked in a hospital for three years, something I never would have thought possible back then with my fear of germs. In fact, I am now going to school to become a nurse and work with people with the illness I was once so terrified of.

I want to pursue a career as a nurse because in late 2019 my father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. My father-in-law was a physician's assistant, however, prior to this, he was a firefighter and he also did some contract work in the Middle East. The doctors believed that it was either his work as a firefighter or his work in the Middle East that caused the cancer. When my father-in-law was on hospice care, he was at home. My husband and I moved in with my father and mother-in-law to be there, and it was at this time that two other people re-affirmed my decision to become a nurse. My mother-in-law is a nurse. Watching her care for her husband made me want to develop skills to care for my loved ones in their times of need, and to also care for other people’s loved ones during their times of need. The other person who reaffirmed my decision to become a nurse was the hospice nurse who worked with my father-in-law in our home during the last few weeks of his life. The passion this woman had for her job was inspiring to say the least. She remained stoic, caring, and compassionate in a career that had to be so taxing and heartbreaking. This woman went to patients’ homes and her job was to assist them and care for them as they died. I can’t imagine the toll that must take on someone, to go to work every day and watch people during their last days on Earth. Not only did this amazing woman care for my father-in-law, but in her own way, she also cared for his family as they watched him deteriorate day after day. And when my father-in-law passed away, we all thought our time with her was over. I thought my time being inspired by her was over. But I was wrong. Her job was over, she has fulfilled her duty (and then some), but instead of moving on with her life after he had passed, this nurse took time out of her very limited free time and came to my father-in-law’s funeral to say goodbye and to support his family. It was then that I realized, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to care for people on their worst days, I wanted to do my part to make a difference in the lives of patients and in the lives of their families. I wanted to make a positive change in this world.

I want to pursue a career as a nurse because in late 2019 my father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. My father-in-law was a physician's assistant, however, prior to this, he was a firefighter and he also did some contract work in the Middle East. The doctors believed that it was either his work as a firefighter or his work in the Middle East that caused the cancer. When my father-in-law was on hospice care, he was at home. My husband and I moved in with my father and mother-in-law to be there, and it was at this time that two other people re-affirmed my decision to become a nurse. My mother-in-law is a nurse. Watching her care for her husband made me want to develop skills to care for my loved ones in their times of need, and to also care for other people’s loved ones during their times of need. The other person who reaffirmed my decision to become a nurse was the hospice nurse who worked with my father-in-law in our home during the last few weeks of his life. The passion this woman had for her job was inspiring to say the least. She remained stoic, caring, and compassionate in a career that had to be so taxing and heartbreaking. This woman went to patients’ homes and her job was to assist them and care for them as they died. I can’t imagine the toll that must take on someone, to go to work every day and watch people during their last days on Earth. Not only did this amazing woman care for my father-in-law, but in her own way, she also cared for his family as they watched him deteriorate day after day. And when my father-in-law passed away, we all thought our time with her was over. I thought my time being inspired by her was over. But I was wrong. Her job was over, she has fulfilled her duty (and then some), but instead of moving on with her life after he had passed, this nurse took time out of her very limited free time and came to my father-in-law’s funeral to say goodbye and to support his family. It was then that I realized, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to care for people on their worst days, I wanted to do my part to make a difference in the lives of patients and in the lives of their families. I wanted to make a positive change in this world.

I want to pursue a career as a nurse because in late 2019 my father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. My father-in-law was a physician's assistant, however, prior to this, he was a firefighter and he also did some contract work in the Middle East. The doctors believed that it was either his work as a firefighter or his work in the Middle East that caused the cancer. When my father-in-law was on hospice care, he was at home. My husband and I moved in with my father and mother-in-law to be there, and it was at this time that two other people re-affirmed my decision to become a nurse. My mother-in-law is a nurse. Watching her care for her husband made me want to develop skills to care for my loved ones in their times of need, and to also care for other people’s loved ones during their times of need. The other person who reaffirmed my decision to become a nurse was the hospice nurse who worked with my father-in-law in our home during the last few weeks of his life. The passion this woman had for her job was inspiring to say the least. She remained stoic, caring, and compassionate in a career that had to be so taxing and heartbreaking. This woman went to patients’ homes and her job was to assist them and care for them as they died. I can’t imagine the toll that must take on someone, to go to work every day and watch people during their last days on Earth. Not only did this amazing woman care for my father-in-law, but in her own way, she also cared for his family as they watched him deteriorate day after day. And when my father-in-law passed away, we all thought our time with her was over. I thought my time being inspired by her was over. But I was wrong. Her job was over, she has fulfilled her duty (and then some), but instead of moving on with her life after he had passed, this nurse took time out of her very limited free time and came to my father-in-law’s funeral to say goodbye and to support his family. It was then that I realized, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to care for people on their worst days, I wanted to do my part to make a difference in the lives of patients and in the lives of their families. I wanted to make a positive change in this world. I want to pursue pediatric nursing specifically because I have spent the past five years of my life working with at risk youth and I have developed a passion for helping kids. I think this passion stems from being a foster and adoptive sister growing up. When I was eleven years old, my mom and stepdad decided to begin doing foster care. We had a few sibling groups that were reunited with family, but we had six foster kids whose parents' rights were terminated and who my mom and stepdad adopted. Even though I was still kid when my family began fostering and adopting, I still developed a passion for helping other kids after seeing the emotional and mental toll that neglect and abuse and other factors had on children. So ever since I was kid, I have had a passion for helping other kids in whatever manner I could. And I believe that my purpose in life is to be a nurse, and therefore I want to pursue pediatric nursing.

I want to join the healthcare industry in late 2019 my father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. My father-in-law was a physician's assistant, however, prior to this, he was a firefighter and he also did some contract work in the Middle East. The doctors believed that it was either his work as a firefighter or his work in the Middle East that caused the cancer. When my father-in-law was on hospice care, he was at home. My husband and I moved in with my father and mother-in-law to be there, and it was at this time that two other people re-affirmed my decision to become a nurse. My mother-in-law is a nurse. Watching her care for her husband made me want to develop skills to care for my loved ones in their times of need, and to also care for other people’s loved ones during their times of need. The other person who reaffirmed my decision to become a nurse was the hospice nurse who worked with my father-in-law in our home during the last few weeks of his life. The passion this woman had for her job was inspiring to say the least. She remained stoic, caring, and compassionate in a career that had to be so taxing and heartbreaking. This woman went to patients’ homes and her job was to assist them and care for them as they died. I can’t imagine the toll that must take on someone, to go to work every day and watch people during their last days on Earth. Not only did this amazing woman care for my father-in-law, but in her own way, she also cared for his family as they watched him deteriorate day after day. And when my father-in-law passed away, we all thought our time with her was over. I thought my time being inspired by her was over. But I was wrong. Her job was over, she has fulfilled her duty (and then some), but instead of moving on with her life after he had passed, this nurse took time out of her very limited free time and came to my father-in-law’s funeral to say goodbye and to support his family. It was then that I realized, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to care for people on their worst days, I wanted to do my part to make a difference in the lives of patients and in the lives of their families. I wanted to make a positive change in this world.

My name is Abigail. I am almost 27 years old. I have my degree in Human Services and I worked in behavioral health for five years since graduating. I have seven sisters, six of which are adopted. My family began doing foster care when I was eleven years old and we had two different sets of siblings who lived with us who were reunited with family before we adopted the next two sibling groups after their parents' rights were terminated. Part of the reason I pursued behavioral health as a career was due to seeing the struggles my sisters went through. I wanted to be in a position to help people. I didn't know in what manner I wanted to be able to help people, I just knew that my calling was to go into a helping profession, and that was when I decided on Human Services. Then, a year and a half after graduating with my first bachelor's degree, I decided to go back to college to pursue a new degree. It had become clear to me that it would be incredibly difficult to make any real change with the degree that I had. I was deciding between pursuing my Masters degree in social work or working toward a completely new degree in nursing when something happened that help me make my decision. My father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. My father-in-law was a physician's assistant, however, prior to this, he was a firefighter and he also did some contract work in the Middle East. The doctors believed that it was either his work as a firefighter or his work in the Middle East that caused the cancer. When my father-in-law was on hospice care, he was at home. My husband and I moved in with my father and mother-in-law to be there, and it was at this time that an amazing hospice nurse affirmed my decision to become a nurse. The passion this woman had for her job was inspiring to say the least. She remained stoic, caring, and compassionate in a career that had to be so taxing and heartbreaking. This woman went to patients’ homes and her job was to assist them and care for them as they died. I can’t imagine the toll that must take on someone, to go to work every day and watch people during their last days on Earth. Not only did this amazing woman care for my father-in-law, but in her own way, she also cared for his family as they watched him deteriorate day after day. And when my father-in-law passed away, we all thought our time with her was over. I thought my time being inspired by her was over. But I was wrong. Her job was over, she has fulfilled her duty (and then some), but instead of moving on with her life after he had passed, this nurse took time out of her very limited free time and came to my father-in-law’s funeral to say goodbye and to support his family. It was then that I realized, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to care for people on their worst days, I wanted to do my part to make a difference in the lives of patients and in the lives of their families. I want to make a positive change in this world, and nursing seems like the field in which I can make that change.

When I was ten years old I began to struggle greatly with my mental health. I did not know it at the time, but I was living with undiagnosed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). My mental health was so bad that began having panic attacks. I would get intrusive thoughts, a symptom of OCD, I thought that these thoughts made me evil or bad and it would get to the point that if I couldn't tell a parent my thoughts to alleviate the guilt, I would have a panic attack. I also developed a phobia of germs. I would wash my hands dozens and dozens of times a day to the point that my hands would bleed and my mom would listen for the water running in the bathroom and go in there and try to stop me from washing them because my hands were bloody. So I began putting soap on my hands and not rinsing it off so I wouldn't get caught washing them. The strange thing about my fear of germs was that I wasn't afraid of getting sick, I was afraid that if I got sick I would spread it to someone else. It got to the point that when we learned about different illnesses in health class in school, I would think I had those illnesses and I would be terrified that I would spread them to my family. And some of these were illnesses that I could not possibly have because I had not been sexually active or used needles for example. I also struggled with picking my skin to the point of bleeding and then picking the scabs off once the wound began to heal. It was a compulsion that I could not control. To this day I still have scars from picking my skin when I was a child. Another aspect of my mental health that caused panic attacks was the fear of my mom dying. Every time she left the house, I would be terrified that she would die in a car accident. It got to the point that if I couldn't go wherever my mom was going I would have uncontrollable anxiety and panic attacks. I would also think that if I didn't do certain "rituals" something bad would happen to a loved one. A lot of the "rituals" involved counting, especially counting in threes. Another "ritual" I did was having to tell my mom every single intrusive thought that went through my head. To help with this, my mom got me a tape recorder so I could tell my "confessions" to the tape recorder instead of "confessing" my thoughts to my mom every few minutes. To help me with all of this, my mom got me into an inpatient program at a local psychiatric facility. It took two separate stays and a multitude of medication changes and counseling, but eventually, my OCD, MDD, and GAD got to the point where it was something that I could live with without it being debilitating. To this day I still struggle with mental illness, however, it is so much better than when I was a kid. In fact, I've worked in a hospital for three years, something I never would have thought possible back then with my fear of germs. In fact, I am now going to school to become a nurse and work with people with the illness I was once so terrified of.

I want to pursue a career as a nurse because in late 2019 my father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. My father-in-law was a physician's assistant, however, prior to this, he was a firefighter and he also did some contract work in the Middle East. The doctors believed that it was either his work as a firefighter or his work in the Middle East that caused the cancer. When my father-in-law was on hospice care, he was at home. My husband and I moved in with my father and mother-in-law to be there, and it was at this time that two other people re-affirmed my decision to become a nurse. My mother-in-law is a nurse. Watching her care for her husband made me want to develop skills to care for my loved ones in their times of need, and to also care for other people’s loved ones during their times of need. The other person who reaffirmed my decision to become a nurse was the hospice nurse who worked with my father-in-law in our home during the last few weeks of his life. The passion this woman had for her job was inspiring to say the least. She remained stoic, caring, and compassionate in a career that had to be so taxing and heartbreaking. This woman went to patients’ homes and her job was to assist them and care for them as they died. I can’t imagine the toll that must take on someone, to go to work every day and watch people during their last days on Earth. Not only did this amazing woman care for my father-in-law, but in her own way, she also cared for his family as they watched him deteriorate day after day. And when my father-in-law passed away, we all thought our time with her was over. I thought my time being inspired by her was over. But I was wrong. Her job was over, she has fulfilled her duty (and then some), but instead of moving on with her life after he had passed, this nurse took time out of her very limited free time and came to my father-in-law’s funeral to say goodbye and to support his family. It was then that I realized, I wanted to be like her. I wanted to care for people on their worst days, I wanted to do my part to make a difference in the lives of patients and in the lives of their families. I wanted to make a positive change in this world.

This scholarship will help me pay for my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and will also help me achieve my future goals. Without the help of scholarships, I will have an incredibly difficult time paying for college. My short-term goal is to get my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and become a Registered Nurse. After doing some research, the nursing specialties I have the most interest in so far are forensics, genetics, labor and delivery, research, obstetrics, perianesthesia, and psychiatric nursing. Without the help of scholarships like this one, I will be unable to achieve this goal. My long-term career goal is to receive my Master of Science in nursing and become a nurse practitioner. After doing some research, my current interests are in becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner, a nurse anesthetist, or a family nurse practitioner. Without the help of scholarships, I will be unable to earn my bachelor's degree and without that, I will be unable to fulfill my short-term goals, and without fulfilling those goals, I will be unable to fulfill my long-term goals. Part of the reason that I chose these goals for myself is because in late 2019, my father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. My father-in-law also worked in the medical field, however prior to choosing this, he was a firefighter and he went to the Middle East to do some contract work. The doctors believe that it was either his work as a firefighter or his work in the Middle East that caused the brain tumor that would eventually end his life. When my father-in-law was on hospice care, he was at home. My husband and I moved in with my father and mother-in-law to be there, and it was at this time that I met an amazing woman who affirmed my decision to become a nurse. This woman was the hospice nurse who worked with my father-in-law in our home during the last few weeks of his life. The passion this woman had for her job was inspiring to say the least. She remained stoic, caring, and compassionate in a career that had to be so taxing and heartbreaking. This woman went to patients’ homes and her job was to assist them and care for them as they died. I can’t imagine the toll that must take on someone, to go to work every day and watch people during their last days on Earth. Not only did this amazing woman care for my father-in-law, but in her own way, she also cared for his family as they watched him deteriorate day after day. And when my father-in-law passed away and her job was over, this nurse took time out of her very limited free time and came to my father-in-law’s funeral to say goodbye and to support his family. It was then that I realized, I wanted to be like her. I want to make a difference in people's lives as well. And this scholarship will help me do so.

My short-term goal is to get my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and become a Registered Nurse. I am not fully certain of what I want to specialize in yet. I am incredibly excited to begin clinical rotations so that I can experience all of the different nursing specialties and see which one I enjoy the most and which one I believe I could benefit the most people in. Without having gone through clinicals yet, I do have some specialties that I have researched, that I think I would really enjoy. The specialties I have the most interest in so far are forensics, genetics, obstetrics, perianesthesia, and psychiatric nursing. I am interested in forensics because I would love to be able to help victims of sexual abuse, violence, and assault. I am interested in genetics because I would love to work with people who have hereditary diseases and maybe even help with research to cure some of these diseases. I am interested in obstetrics because women are sometimes not listened to about their reproductive health, and I would love to be an advocate for them. Perianesthesia is interesting to me because it involves caring for people before and after surgeries. Finally, psychiatric nursing is something I am interested in pursuing because I already have my degree in human services, and I have experience working in residential homes for at-risk youth and I also have work in behavioral health at a children's hospital and it is something I already know I am passionate about. My long-term career goal is to receive my MSN and become a nurse practitioner. I do not know for sure yet what I want to specialize in. However, after some research, my current interests are in becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner, a nurse anesthetist.