It is my dream to become a pediatrician. This means that I will be studying biology in the fall so that I can earn a bachelor's degree and apply to medical school. I plan to attend Gustavus Adolphus College for two years as I should already have my AA degree from St. Cloud State this May. I always knew I wanted to help people. Both the fields of Education and Medicine interested me. Recently I have learned of personal medical conditions that have confirmed for me not only my interest in the medical field but that I wanted to work with kids to help them receive, understand, and treat diagnoses early in life. I was in a car crash in June. I spent the night in the hospital and remember none of it. I was released home, but I left the hospital with new information. I was shocked to find out that I only have one kidney. My second kidney never developed. This could lead to issues with childbirth and blood pressure later in my life. Roughly a year before this, I was diagnosed with scoliosis. I was fifteen. There is no treatment, outside of surgery, for someone who has stopped growing. So, later in life I will develop back problems and then must have a surgery that will keep me from the activities, such as tennis, in which I love to participate. If my condition had been caught earlier, a brace would have been able to correct it. This means twice my doctors have missed important medical conditions that I will have to live with for the rest of my life. Situations like these are why I want to be a doctor. Do not misunderstand me, I have the utmost respect for doctors and all employees in the medical field, I look up to them. The work they do is tremendous and they can not possibly catch everything. These experiences have clarified for me my professional goal of becoming a pediatrician. My hope is that one day I can be a pediatrician in order to help kids discover and understand their diagnosis early in life, so they are properly cared for. I have been pursuing this in two ways. First, I have been volunteering at my local hospital on Saturday mornings. This has given me an opportunity to learn what a medical work setting looks like. Second, I have begun a service project where I raise money for children's cancer research and Minnesota Children's Hospitals. This scholarship would help me pursue my education goals so that I can continue to have a positive impact on pediatric healthcare.

Tennis is a lot of things to me. It is my sport, it is a chance to socialize, it is an opportunity to discipline myself. I never played sports through middle school and never expected to pick one up. I was so behind the rest of my peers athletically, and I didn’t want to hold a team back. Then, in 9th grade, a friend requested I join the tennis team with them. I went to the first practice and I can’t remember returning a single ball over the net. I almost didn’t go back the second day. My mom had to talk me into it, after all she had already paid to fee. The second practice was better. I talked to my coach and found out what I was doing wrong. It was hard for me to except not being great right when I started. But this is what tennis taught me: do not give up just because something is hard. I have now played three seasons with my schools junior varsity tennis team, and I’m still not the best. However, I can feel and see my improvement and tennis is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things I have ever decided to do. I have learned about making friends, healthy habits, and perseverance. Some of my closest friends play tennis with me. I have become close with my teammates in a completely unique way, even compared to other sports. Other teams win and loose as a team, and while we have the overall win or loss I have learned to celebrate each individual victory and provide encouragement to anyone who may have lost. I have learned an emotional intelligence around celebrating victory at the same time as encouraging growth. As previously stated, I have learned a lot about health and habits. I’ll never forget the match I forgot to bring water. I learned pretty quickly how important it was to stay hydrated. After that I started thinking more about my habits. I had to make sure I was consuming the proper nutrients to keep my body strong and ready for a match. Health became a conscious choice as opposed to a passive one. I have looked into nutrition and apply what I have learned even in the off season. Finally, I have learned to keep going, keep trying, keep growing. In the past I have not been receptive to activities I don’t immediately do well in. It was hard for me to get past that block with tennis and realize I don’t need to be the best to be a good player. I have learned a lot of technical skills over the past couple years that have shown my improvement. I win matches now and even had a winning season last fall. I have seen myself improve in ways that would have been impossible if I had given up on day one. I have applied this lesson to my work, to my schooling, and to my relationships. All of this considered, I know I have a bright future ahead of me. I have friends and teammates who support me and understand how to make relationships, I know how to take care of myself, and I know I will never just give up. I believe with these lessons and values in hand I will be able to do anything, including concurring Medical School and building the circle of people I want in my life.