There are several reasons that I enrolled in my current program. The first reason was that it has always been a goal of mine to pursue higher education, and the timing for going back to school felt right. The biggest motivation to set the goal of becoming a nurse practitioner was the broader scope of practice, the larger skill set, and the greater ability to help others that a nurse does not have. Another reason I want to become a nurse practitioner is because I hope to bring the knowledge I have now and share that with other advance practice providers. Currently I am working as a nurse in the greater Metro-Detroit area. I have seen first hand how hard it can be to access necessary medical care or to find providers that you trust. This can be especially hard for those living with chronic illness. Many specialists have waiting lists that can be months to years long leaving patients with limited access to the care that they need. Therefore, becoming a nurse practitioner with a focus on subspecialties would allow to easier access to necessary care. Through my career and life experiences, I have gathered a lot of knowledge about certain conditions that are prevalent within the pediatric population. For example, type 1 diabetes can impact both children and adults, but incidence of diagnosis is more commonly in childhood. I hope to use the knowledge that I have about this condition as well as others can continue to grow and that I would be able to share this knowledge with others and improve patient outcomes. With the sharing of knowledge, more providers will be able to be educated on conditions they may not commonly see, and it will prevent negative patient outcomes. Working while pursuing my graduate degree has been difficult. I work full-time as a nurse and I am enrolled in full-time credit hours. Therefore, my time is spread very thin. Thankfully, I am able to still set aside time to let myself rest and recuperate from each week, but finding the motivation to study and complete tasks can be difficult. For example, while others may get to spend the entire day or two leading up to exams studying, my time is spent divided into working and finding time to study when I have down-time. Additionally, most days after working for 8-9 hours most would want to do things for themselves and relax before the next work day, but there are days that I have to complete homework assignments or complete exams rather than relax after working. All in all, working while pursuing my graduate degree may be difficult, but it allows me to fine tune my time management skills. As a nurse and future nurse practitioner, it is essential to be strong in time management, and without working and going to school, I wouldn't be able to thrive in my future.

Since I was in middle school, I have had an appreciation for musical theater. The first musical I ever saw on tour was Wicked. I knew the story of the Wizard of Oz, but to see the backstory of Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West intrigued me. I fell in love with the characters, the story, and the music from the production. At the time, I didn't understand the underlying meaning behind the musical such as the political undertones, but I understood the story of friendship for Glinda and Elphaba. The story of their friendship showed me what true friendships should look like. Both Glinda and Elphaba didn't always see eye to eye or fully understand each other, but they wanted nothing but the other to be happy and to reach their goals. I deeply related to Glinda's character as she was the bright, bubbly, pink-loving, girly-girl who finds a new best friend in someone she least expected. This alone provided me with joy and hopefulness. As I have grown older, I have grown to understand the underlying topics present within Wicked's story. For example, there are undertones of discrimination. Not only does Elphaba face discrimination for her skin tone, the animals are discriminated against and forced out of their jobs. Elphaba's determination to do what is right despite the circumstances before her, gives me inspiration to do the same. It reminds me that even though I may be different that doesn't mean I cannot do what I put my mind to. Her determination also shows that people can change. Glinda and her close friends are known to be very surface level people and Glinda especially is not comfortable with Elphaba at first. However, once Elphaba helps her get into magical studies, after Glinda helped her sister, Glinda realized that she had been mean to Elphaba and begins to change her behavior and feelings towards Elphaba. I've grown to relate to Elphaba because she doesn't let what other people think about her alter her course of action for herself. Following her initial meeting with the Wizard, she realized that he was the person behind the "bad" things happening in Oz (animals being kicked out of their jobs, losing the ability to speak) and she knew that she didn't need his help anymore to help the animals or others around her. By the time, the song "No Good Deed" occurs within the musical, she decides that she will just accept the title of Wicked even though she is the one aiming to do good for others. Overall, I find great comfort in both Elphaba and Glinda's characters and being able to relate to them. Therefore, I have and always will be a fan of Wicked.

If I had been asked 10 years ago what my career plans were, the answer would not have been to be a pediatric nurse practitioner with a focus in endocrinology. However, life has a way of changing and pushing us into our passions. In 2016, just days before I started my senior year of high school, my world turned upside down as I was given a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that results in the pancreatic beta cells being attacked by the immune system, and those that are diagnosed are required to be on lifelong insulin treatment. Prior to my diagnosis, I loved helping others and trying to support the people I surrounded myself with. I also had a fear of blood and needles, but that quickly faded. Therefore, I was led to my chosen field of interest, was inspired to make an impact, and pushed me to reach my goals. Coming from personal experience, I know just how difficult it can be to navigate life while managing a chronic illness. Many adolescents, teens, and young adults face burnout and risk their health due to the level of overwhelm and lack of support. My desire is to continue to work with those living with type 1 diabetes and give them a positive role model to look up to. I also hope that continuing to work with this population allows me to create a safe space for them to open up about their struggles with their condition. My final goal with continuing my education would be to advance my skill set and knowledge to provide better care to my patients and potentially minimizes delays in care. There are very few trusted providers for patients with pediatric endocrine conditions, which could lead to long waitlists and longer response times from providers. Becoming an advance care provider, would allow me to better support the endocrinologists I currently work with, not only lightening their work load, but also quicken the process for patients to get care that they may need. Overall, I have always strived to not let my diagnosis be seen as a negative event within my life, and I have used it to push me to do great things and help those around me. I want to continue my education so that I can continue to show my patients that they too can do hard things, and diabetes does not have to hold them back from their goals.