I knew I wanted to be a nurse from day one. The people in my life, the struggle for equality, and the appeal of the work itself have all made an impact on my decision. I grew up surrounded by nurses of all kinds. And every single one of them has inspired me to become a nurse. They are not only work-driven and great at what they do, but they are some of the best people in my life. My mom was a nurse in the PICU; now she works in the outpatient clinic. Aunts from the NICU, grandparents from general, and family friends from the ER; I’ve heard endless stories that have slowly built my dream into something that I can finally reach for. And I strive to be even half the people that they are today. Nursing as a profession is extremely versatile. You can do anything in nursing. You can work in any specialty, you can travel the world, or you can move up to higher ranks such as a nurse practitioner. It’s also a rather exciting job. All jobs have their highs and lows, and I’m aware that nursing will too. But I’m also looking forward to how exciting nursing is. Each day will be different; with something new every day it’s difficult to get bored. Things in the medical world are also usually fast-paced, never a dull moment. I was also taught to look to the future and to always be prepared. I’m looking forward to both college and the responsibilities I will have after. Any job in nursing comes with stable pay, enough to support not only myself but my future family. I have a big family with tons of little cousins, so I know I’ll want kids someday. Nursing will allow me to provide them with everything that they need and more. Nurses also receive excellent benefits. Vacation time is extremely important to me, as I love to travel, so paid leave is a must. Retirement benefits are also so important in today's economy. This career will set anyone up for a successful future. Throughout my life, the major issue of equality has always stood out to me. I was raised by a woman who never let anyone shut her down, “girls can do anything boys can do,” she used to say to me. It would be such an honor to work in a woman-dominated field, to surround myself with other bold women, struggling to find a place in this world. It’s my dream to make a difference in other people’s lives. I want to change the world, one person at a time, and I believe nursing is where I can do that.

I knew I wanted to be a nurse from day one. The people in my life, the struggle for equality, and the appeal of the work itself have all made an impact on my decision. I grew up surrounded by nurses of all kinds. And every single one of them has inspired me to become a nurse. They are not only work-driven and great at what they do, but they are some of the best people in my life. My mom was a nurse in the PICU; now she works in the outpatient clinic. Aunts from the NICU, grandparents from general, and family friends from the ER; I’ve heard endless stories that have slowly built my dream into something that I can finally reach for. And I strive to be even half the people that they are today. Nursing as a profession is extremely versatile. You can do anything in nursing. You can work in any specialty, you can travel the world, or you can move up to higher ranks such as a nurse practitioner. It’s also a rather exciting job. All jobs have their highs and lows, and I’m aware that nursing will too. But I’m also looking forward to how exciting nursing is. Each day will be different; with something new every day it’s difficult to get bored. Things in the medical world are also usually fast-paced, never a dull moment. I was also taught to look to the future and to always be prepared. I’m looking forward to both college and the responsibilities I will have after. Any job in nursing comes with stable pay, enough to support not only myself but my future family. I have a big family with tons of little cousins, so I know I’ll want kids someday. Nursing will allow me to provide them with everything that they need and more. Nurses also receive excellent benefits. Vacation time is extremely important to me, as I love to travel, so paid leave is a must. Retirement benefits are also so important in today's economy. This career will set anyone up for a successful future. Throughout my life, the major issue of equality has always stood out to me. I was raised by a woman who never let anyone shut her down, “girls can do anything boys can do,” she used to say to me. It would be such an honor to work in a woman-dominated field, to surround myself with other bold women, struggling to find a place in this world. It’s my dream to make a difference in other people’s lives. I want to change the world, one person at a time, and I believe nursing is where I can do that.

I've grown up surrounded by nurses. As a kid, it seemed almost stereotypical to me for a girl to want to be a nurse. We all want to be just like our moms, right? It was because of this that I spent years saying that I wanted to be a veterinarian or an artist, anything that would make me different. I wanted to stand out and be the brightest one in the room. But I've realized that it’s okay to blend in. It’s okay not to be recognized by the many because, at the end of the day, all that matters is the few. The few whose lives you can change. My inspiration comes from the dozens of nurses in my life. I've gotten the opportunity to learn about so many different specialties from women who experience them firsthand. These women are not only work-driven and great at what they do, but they're some of the best people in my life. I've heard endless stories that have slowly built my dream into something I can finally reach for. I can't wait to embark on my next life journey, and I can only hope to be even half the people that they are today. Throughout my life, the major issue of equality has always stood out to me. I was raised by a woman who never let anyone shut her down. I was constantly reminded that I could do anything that I wanted and that girls could do anything boys could do. It would be such an honor to work in a woman-dominated field, to surround myself with bold women, struggling to find a place in this world. It is my dream to make a difference in other people's lives. I want to change the world one person at a time. I believe nursing is where I can do that. I strive to be a neonatal ICU nurse. Knowing that I directly impacted a baby’s quality of life would be such an honor. Watching miracle babies grow and progress; to get to live when they didn't stand a chance would be such an honor. But it’s not only the babies who need help but the parents as well. Half of the job is supporting families throughout this difficult time in their lives. Not knowing if your baby is going to thrive is so emotionally draining. Helping them get to those milestones without losing hope is a task in itself. The feeling of accomplishment after attaining all of that and getting to watch them take their little ones home would be enough motivation to work harder. I’m aware that working in the NICU is one of the most competitive nursing careers and I can't wait to step up to the challenge.

I knew I wanted to be a nurse from day one. The people in my life, the struggle for equality, and the appeal of the work itself have all made an impact on my decision. I grew up surrounded by nurses of all kinds. And every single one of them has inspired me to become a nurse. They are not only work-driven and great at what they do, but they are some of the best people in my life. My mom was a nurse in the PICU; now she works in the outpatient clinic. Aunts from the NICU, grandparents from general, and family friends from the ER; I’ve heard endless stories that have slowly built my dream into something that I can finally reach for. And I strive to be even half the people that they are today. Nursing as a profession is extremely versatile. You can do anything in nursing. You can work in any specialty, you can travel the world, or you can move up to higher ranks such as a nurse practitioner. It’s also a rather exciting job. All jobs have their highs and lows, and I’m aware that nursing will too. But I’m also looking forward to how exciting nursing is. Each day will be different; with something new every day it’s difficult to get bored. Things in the medical world are also usually fast-paced, never a dull moment. I was also taught to look to the future and to always be prepared. I’m looking forward to both college and the responsibilities I will have after. Any job in nursing comes with stable pay, enough to support not only myself but my future family. I have a big family with tons of little cousins, so I know I’ll want kids someday. Nursing will allow me to provide them with everything that they need and more. Nurses also receive excellent benefits. Vacation time is extremely important to me, as I love to travel, so paid leave is a must. Retirement benefits are also so important in today's economy. This career will set anyone up for a successful future. Throughout my life, the major issue of equality has always stood out to me. I was raised by a woman who never let anyone shut her down, “girls can do anything boys can do,” she used to say to me. It would be such an honor to work in a woman-dominated field, to surround myself with other bold women, struggling to find a place in this world. It’s my dream to make a difference in other people’s lives. I want to change the world, one person at a time, and I believe nursing is where I can do that.

The important books are the ones that have you getting lost in the pages…the ones where you let yourself fall into the story. I feel that in my short time here, I’ve lived a thousand lives and learnt hundreds of lessons along the paths of these authors. One book I loved, in particular, is called Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. It’s a boarding school meets Hunger Games meets How To Train Your Dragon. The main character is a headstrong girl named Violet who is struggling to live up to her mother’s expectations and follow in her sibling’s footsteps. Compared to them she is tiny, frail, and wasn’t raised as a warrior year. Nobody believes she will even make it through the entrance of the dragon war college, let alone live to see a career. Yet she perseveres, forming lifelong bonds with not one, but two dragons and finding trust within a boy who she had always been told was an enemy. “Don’t judge a book by its cover” was a strong circular theme in this read. I have yet to read the second of the series but after the cliffhanger I was left on I wait on the edge of my seat. Another novel I loved was Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. A dystopian novel surrounding a girl who is not able to experience human touch. After an accident, she is placed into solitary confinement, so scared of hurting someone again that even after she is released, she finds herself closed off. The focus of this novel is a strong female main character who turns her weaknesses into strengths, despite how others see her. Her touch is deadly…but not for him. He wants her to open up to him, but she can’t possibly love the one person keeping her away from the world, can she? I’ve read the entire 12 or so book series, but the first one is by far the best. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover was one of my previous reads. It portrays domestic violence and how hard it can really be to leave. The main character realizes her worth and leaves for both her and her daughters sake. This is only towards the end though, the beginning is all sunshine and rainbows. Flower shop owner meet surgeon who sweeps her off her feet. Good things are not always as good as they may seem.