Together, leadership and science can shape our future through solving complex problems, pioneering innovation, and helping guide technological advacement and ethical applications of new technologies. Since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated by the body's movement. I have autism (level 1); motor planning, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, coordination, and balance have always been challenging for me. Simple activities such as riding a bike and handwriting require a lot of effort and practice for me. Through therapy, I learned that I had to break down each component of the movement into separate parts to understand how to complete the task. This experience of needing to pay attention to each detail to complete a movement sparked my interest in studying kinesiology. Understanding biomechanics is essential for helping amputees, motor-coordination disorders, and even sports medicine as a whole. I am headed to Kansas State University in the Fall of 2026, and I have decided to double major in kinesiology and nursing. I believe that having in-depth knowledge of how the body works will be a tremendous asset to my nursing career. Additionally, I am interested in minoring in cognitive neuroscience. I want to understand how the body and mind work together and apply that to nursing. Additionally, because of my own neurodivergent journey, I would like to understand the "why" behind being wired so differently from my peers, and I think that this can help me as I relate to patients and families alike. Leadership allows opportunities to influence the future by providing vision and direction. I had the opportunity to serve as the captain of my high school cross-country team, and it was a big responsibility to set a positive example and instill a love for running for my teammates. Through that experience, I learned that leadership requires a number of core qualities including service, self-sacrifice, and integrity as well as practical skills such as problem-solving, clear communication, motivation, and adaptability. Nursing appeals to me as a career field, because it allows me the opportunity to have deep human connections, problem-solving opportunities, encourages teamwork, and even drives positive changes in the healthcare setting. Science and leadership working together can change the face of how we understand the world. I choose to be a part of the healthcare system to discover something greater about ourselves and our bodies.

Since the age of seven, I have been interested in the medical field. My best friend, Liam, was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. Upon Liam's initial diagnosis, they discovered a tumor the size of a honeydew melon on his adrenal gland; how could a tumor so large be found inside someone so small? Over the course of thirteen months, he underwent thirteen rounds of chemo, twenty-six rounds of radiation, seven surgeries, two clinical trials, and a failed stem cell transplant. He was transferred to the PICU, and I remember visiting him in his small, quiet room. He was no longer the little boy who played outside and watched "Curious George." He was there, in a medically-induced coma, surrounded by the hum of machines that were helping to keep him alive. I wanted to understand the myriad of machines that made strange noises and the role of each line that was connected to him. A nurse came in to check on something, and I asked her everything I could about all the machines. She met my curiosity with kindness, and she encouraged me to talk to him. I remember I held his hand and watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest; I told him I loved him and thanked him for being my friend. Liam was sent home from the PICU on hospice; he died five days later, surrounded by family. I was left heartbroken. My early experience in the hospital with Liam, as well as my own personal health journey during childhood, sparked my interest in nursing. As a career path, I would like to be a pediatric nurse and work with patients like Liam. I want to provide comfort, care, and support to children and their families. I believe my desire to make a difference in the lives of my patients, my passion for health care, and my love for children are the perfect combination to be a pediatric nurse. I also believe that being a pediatric nurse will help me to honor Liam's legacy. I am planning to double major in nursing and kinesiology and minor in cognitive neuroscience. I want to understand how the mind and body work together to be something so incredibly detailed and wonderful. The sub-specialities within nursing that interest me the most are oncology, gastroenterology, NICU, and the post-anesthesia care unit. I hope to impact my nursing specialty by being a strong advocate for children, especially those who can not speak for themselves. I would like to educate and empower families about the disease process or condition their children may have and provide good emotional support. Additionally, I would like to pursue advanced certifications, become a mentor to new nurses, and join professional organizations to help further my evidenced-based understanding of medicine which can influence the care I provide. I am diligent, driven, and passionate about nursing. I want to help my patients overcome illness and thrive by providing hope and encouragement to embrace their futures. I believe that I can be a beacon of hope for families in their darkest hour.

When I was seven, my best friend, Liam, was diagnosed with stage IV Neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer. Upon his initial diagnosis, they discovered a tumor the size of a honey dew melon on his adrenal gland. How could someone so small have such a large mass hiding inside? Liam underwent thirteen rounds of chemo, twenty-six rounds of radiation, seven surgeries, two clinical trials, and a failed stem cell transplant. It was a grueling thirteen month treatment course, and he ended up in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). When we went to visit him, I remember being led back into his small, quiet room. He was no longer the little boy who played outside and watched "Curious George." He was there, in a medically-induced coma, surrounded by machines that were keeping him alive. I watched in curious fascination as the machines beeped and clicked, struggling to understand the job of each of the various lines connected to him. A little while later, a nurse came in to check on something, and I asked her everything I could about all the machines and how they were helping Liam. She met my curiosity with kindness, and she encouraged me to talk to him. I remember I held his hand and watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest; I told him I loved him, and I thanked him for being my friend. Liam was sent home from the PICU on hospice; he died at home, five days later. I was left heartbroken. My interest in medicine was sparked by this childhood experience with cancer and the PICU. It made me curious to learn more about medicine; the more I learned, the more I fell in love with the field. I am planning to pursue a career as a pediatric nurse, so I can help other kids like Liam. I am attending Kansas State University in the Fall of 2026, and I will be pursuing their Pathway to Nursing program; it allows scholars to pursue two bachelor of science degrees. I plan to double major in nursing and kinesiology and minor in cognitive neuroscience. My hope is to gain a better understanding of the mind-body connection and apply it to nursing. My outlook on life will be forever impacted by this experience. I think about Liam every day, and I miss my friend dearly. Liam loved baseball, bubbles, coins, Yancy songs, and the color brown. He had his Make-A-Wish experience at the Rangers ball park, and he got to run the bases. He had so much more life ahead of him, but it was tragically cut short. I am reminded daily to choose joy, seize every moment, and to live life to the fullest - just like Liam did.

From an early age, food has always been challenging for me. Most people enjoy food, but it has always been scary to me. Frequently, I would eat, food would get stuck in my throat, and then I would throw up. These feeding difficulties resulted in many medical appointments. In 2015, I was assessed by a gastroenterologist and had a esophagogastrodudenoscopy (EGD). Through this procedure, we discovered that I have Eosinophilic Esophogitis (EoE) and Celiac Disease. With EoE, the immune system over reacts to a food and causes a build up of white blood cells in the esophagus lining, which explained my bad reaction. Something I was eating was triggering the problem. On the occasion that I was able to successfully keep the food down, my villi in my small intestines were damaged, so I was not able to absorb nutrients from these foods. The mystery was solved! The next step was starting on a gluten-free diet and following a six-food elimination challenge. As a family, we embraced all of these restrictions. It was challenging, but we found a way to make meals and snacks that I could safely have. I learned how to be creative in the kitchen and familiar with how my body was supposed to work. I was hospitalized for almost a month as part of an intensive feeding therapy program to help me work on skills to address my dysphagia and sensory challenges around food. I had an NG-tube placed for formula to help me gain weight, and it resulted in refeeding syndrome. It took a bit to stabilize my labs, but we started to make progress. I gained weight while I was there and even discovered a few foods that I liked --bacon. I continued outpatient feeding therapy for several years to help continue on with the progress I was making. A few years ago, I had an anaphylactic reaction while out at a restaurant, and we discovered that I am severely allergic to dairy, peanuts, and tree nuts. Even the slightest exposure to any of these allergens can cause an anaphylactic reaction. I now carry an epi-pen with me wherever I go. Since the age of seven, I have been interested in medicine. My mom is a dietitian, and her expertise in nutrition, label reading, and food has helped with the management of my food allergies. Our common interest in medicine and food allergies has brought us closer together. I want to be a pediatric nurse, like the ones who helped me when I was inpatient or the ones who have helped me in the emergency room, just making sure I was always okay. I am headed to Kansas State University in the Fall of 2026, and I plan to major in nursing and kinesiology and minoring in cognitive neuroscience. I want to understand the body and the brain's interaction and be able to apply that to nursing. When people hear about my food allergies and challenges with food, it seems to evoke pity from them. It often makes social situations awkward because so many events and celebrations revolve around food. I have learned how to manage my food allergies and keep myself safe. I have become a food allergy advocate at my school and in my community. I provide education on label reading, allergy-friendly products, and create food allergy awareness. Every aspect of my life is impacted by food. I hope that my experience as a patient will help me to be a more empathetic clinician, because I know how scary and out of control things can feel!

Since the age of seven, I have wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. My best friend, Liam, was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma, an extremely aggressive form of childhood cancer. Upon his initial diagnosis, his prognosis was not good, but his family would stop at nothing to try and help him survive. Liam underwent thirteen rounds of chemo, twenty-six rounds of radiation, seven surgeries, two clinical trials, and a failed stem cell transplant. It had been a grueling thirteen month treatment course, and he ended up in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). I went to visit him, and I remember being led back into his small, quiet room. He was no longer the little boy who played outside and watched "Curious George." He was there, in a medically-induced coma, surrounded by machines that kept him alive. Every hum, beep, and drip from a machine had a job. They each flashed and made various noises, and I wanted to understand how they were helping keep Liam alive. A little while later, a nurse came in to check on something, and I asked her everything I could about all the machines. She met my curiosity with kindness and answered each question I posed. She encouraged me to talk to Liam. I remember I held his hand and watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest; I told him I loved him, and I was thankful he was my friend. Liam was sent home from the PICU on hospice, and he died at home, five days later, surrounded by family. I was heartbroken. This childhood experience within the hospital walls made me realize that I wanted to save others from the pain that I was feeling. It created a curiosity about medicine, and it encouraged me to learn more about the field. As a result, I fell in love with it, and it ultimately sparked an interest for me to pursue a career as a pediatric nurse. I will attend Kansas State University in the Fall of 2026, and I plan to pursue their Pathway to Nursing program. This program provides the opportunity to earn two bachelor of science degrees; I plan to study nursing and kinesiology and minor in cognitive neuroscience. I want to understand how the body and mind work together and apply that to nursing. In addition to clinic experience, I also hope to have the opportunity to pursue research through the College of Health and Human Sciences at Kansas State University. I hope to make a difference someday in someone's life and maybe even alter their career trajectory based on our interaction. I want to work specifically with kids like Liam; all kids deserve a chance at a normal life. As a pediatric nurse, I want to stand as a beacon of hope for parents in their darkest hour or be an encouragement to a young girl who is curious about all of the medical machines and how they are helping her friend who is in a medical crisis. As Jane Goodall said, "what you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." I hope to make a difference in the lives of my pediatric patients and their families by embodying empathy, kindness, compassion, and encouragement as I perform my nursing tasks. I believe that as a nurse, I will have the opportunity to help heal the mind, soul, heart, and body of my patients. Although patients and families may forget my name, they will always remember how I made them feel.

My first exposure to tennis was on a hot July morning, the summer before my freshman year of high school. I was invited to tennis summer camp as a way to prepare for the high school tennis season. However, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. You see, hand eye coordination has always been a challenge for me. I actually spent a number of my elementary school years in occupational therapy and physical therapy to work on balance, fine motor skills and gross motor skills, as well as coordination. Now, as a high schooler trying a new sport, I was a bit anxious as I had never held a tennis racket or chased a little yellow ball across a tennis court before. When I arrived to the tennis courts that day, I heard the squeak of sneakers on the concrete and noticed the smell of rubber and chemicals as they wafted through the air as the ball carts were wheeled around the court. I was mesmerized. The coach demonstrated a variety of drills for us to try. Everyone else seemed to catch on easily, but I felt more lost than on the first day of school. The coach could tell I was nervous, so she came over and showed me how to hit the ball with the forehand technique. Then, I attempted this and hit it perfectly low, cross-court. The coach called it a lucky shot, then gave me another, once again across the court in the alley. She offered me a spot on the team after that - calling me a natural. Coach set me up with simple matches against other people, I loved it, and I was thirsty for more. I found my sport, and I was excited to pursue it. I am headed to the state tennis tournament in the spring, and I cannot wait! I would not trade these three amazing seasons for the world. I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the Varsity tennis team! Tennis has taught me a number of invaluable life lessons. Through a constant cycle of points, games, and matches, I believe that tennis has taught me discipline, adaptability, and resilience. Additionally, I believe that tennis has helped me improve my mental toughness by gaining skills on how to handle high pressure situations and how to control my emotions. Tennis has also taught me perseverance, because I learned to never give up after a mistake. I also believe that tennis has also encouraged me to take more personal responsibility, because I can control my actions and performance. Additionally, tennis has taught me leadership. Now as a high school senior, I have had the opportunity to help the middle schoolers who are part of our school team. I have been able to help them with basic tennis skills and teaching them the rules of the game. This has reinforced my interest in kinesiology; I can study body mechanics to prevent injury or even use this knowledge to improve my skills. I am headed to Kansas State University in the Fall of 2026, and I have decided to double major in kinesiology and nursing with a minor in cognitive neuroscience. I want to understand how the body and mind work together and apply that to nursing. Tennis is a sport that I plan to continue to play throughout my lifetime. In college, I plan to participate in intramural tennis, and I can continue to play it into adulthood. Tennis is a metaphor for life's challenges, emphasizing focus, learning from errors, and practicing consistent effort.

I was seven years old when my best friend, Liam, was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. Although the prognosis was not good upon his initial diagnosis, his family would stop at nothing to help him survive. Liam underwent thirteen rounds of chemo, twenty-six rounds of radiation, seven surgeries, two clinical trials, and a failed stem cell transplant. It was a grueling thirteen month battle. During the latter part of his treatment course, he was transferred to the PICU. I remember being led back to visit him in his small, quiet room. He was no longer the little boy who played outside and watched "Curious George." He was here, in a medically-induced coma, surrounded by machines that kept him alive. My eyes followed along every line to each machine. I heard a variety of beeps and hums and watched the flashing lights. I curiously observed each machine, and it sparked a lot of questions. I did not know what the specific role of each machine was, but I knew that they were sustaining him. A little while later, a nurse came in to check on something, and I asked her everything I could about all the machines. She met my curiosity with kindness and answered the myriad of questions I posed. Then, she smiled and encouraged me to talk to Liam. I remember I held his hand and watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest; I told him I loved him, and I was glad he was my friend. He was sent home from the PICU on hospice; he died at home, five days later in his sleep. I was left heartbroken. Through my experience and exposure to childhood cancer at an early age, it actually sparked an interest in the field of medicine, and the more I learned and studied, the deeper I fell in love with it. As a way to honor Liam's legacy, I feel called to pursue a career in pediatric nursing. I believe that my own experiences will provide a deeper empathy for my patients and their families, and I hope that I can help save others from the pain that I was feeling. I am excited to attend Kansas State University in the Fall of 2026 where I will pursue their Pathway to Nursing Program that is designed for scholars to earn two bachelors degrees. I will be studying nursing and kinesiology. I also plan to minor in cognitive neuroscience. I want to understand how the mind and body work together and apply that to nursing. I am interested in pursuing pediatric nursing, because it is an opportunity to make a lasting impact on a vulnerable population. Pediatric nursing would allow me to help children heal, work with their families, and even advocate for these young patients who need a voice. Additionally, a pediatric healthcare setting encourages collaboration, optimism, and even tries to create a fun environment that caters to the specific needs and interests of kids. Bringing joy to people is one of my favorite things to do, and if it is possible to be an encouragement during a difficult time, I would do that. I am disciplined and driven, and I believe that I am called to be a pediatric nurse where I can be a beacon of hope during the difficult times for both patients and families.

I was seven years old when my best friend, Liam, was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. Upon his initial diagnosis, the prognosis was not good, but Liam's family would stop at nothing to try and help him survive. He underwent thirteen rounds of chemo, twenty-six rounds of radiation, seven surgeries, two clinical trials, and a failed stem cell transplant. It was a grueling thirteen month battle. During the course of his treatment, he took a turn for the worse, and he was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and I was able to go and visit him there. I remember being led back into his small, quiet room. He was no longer the little boy who played outside and watched "Curious George." He was there, in a medically induced-coma, surrounded by machines that kept him alive. I watched each machine as they hummed and beeped. I wanted to know what each of these machines was doing as I saw every wave, heart beat, breath taken, and charted. Shortly after my arrival to Liam's room, a nurse came in to check on something, and I asked her everything I could about all the machines and how each of them was helping him. She encouraged me to talk to him. I remember I reached out and held his hand and watched the gentle rising of his chest; I quietly talked to him and told him how much I loved him, and I was glad he was my friend. Liam was sent home from the PICU on hospice, and died at home five days later, surrounded by family. I was heartbroken by his passing. Through this experience and loss, I discovered that I wanted to save kids like Liam, so that no one else would ever have to feel that pain of loss like I felt. No parent would have to attend their child's funeral when there was so much more ahead for them. I want to save them all. My childhood exposure to experiences in a hospital sparked my interest in medicine and spurred my desire to pursue nursing as a career field. I know now, death is a part of life. If I could prevent it, I would -- especially when it comes to kids. As I head to college in the Fall of 2026, I plan to pursue the Pathway to Nursing Program at Kansas State University where I will earn two bachelor's of science degrees -- one in nursing and the other in kinesiology; I plan to minor in cognitive neuroscience. I want to understand how the body and mind work together and apply that to nursing. My family and I have been active participants in The Blast, an annual community fundraiser event for Neuroblastoma research for several years; this event is sponsored by one of our local children's hospitals in the area. As a pediatric nurse, I plan to continue to be part of the community efforts like this as well as other community events to help the public and raise awareness for various disease processes. I want to continue being there for families in the future. I hope to change the face of healthcare someday with my BSN. My vision is to invest in patients and families, so I can help save all the other kids out there like Liam and allow them to continue to have the childhood they deserve. As a nurse, I want to stand as a beacon of hope for my patients, being the light for them, and their families, during their darkest hour.

I was seven years old when my best friend, Liam, was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent thirteen rounds of chemo, twenty-six rounds of radiation, seven surgeries, two clinical trials, and a failed bone marrow transplant. During his treatment course, he was transferred to the PICU, and I got to visit him there. He was surrounded by multiple machines that had wires hanging off every part of his frail, gray body. I was mesmerized by it all. Every line, wave, beep, and hum had a purpose, making a melody to sustain his life. I had no understanding of what they did, but I knew it was important. A flurry of questions raced through me. A nurse walked in soon after our arrival, and I pounced on my chance to ask a myriad of questions. She patiently explained to me every detail of what they did and that was when I fell in love with medicine. Liam was sent home on hospice, and he died five days later at home, surrounded by the family who loved him. I realized that I wanted to save people from the pain I felt. I would go to any length to help others, and I threw myself into studying all that I could. I stumbled upon the Pathway to Nursing Program at Kansas State while touring my parents' alma mater. This program allows scholars to pursue two bachelors degrees, and I have chosen to pursue nursing and kinesiology. I also plan to minor in cognitive neuroscience. My goal is to understand how the body and mind work together and apply that to nursing. My first experience with the "human touch" and a patient was with Liam. I remember being in the PICU, holding his hand and whispering, "I love you, you are going to make it through this." Maybe he heard me, maybe he did not; to this day I will never know. I would like to be a pediatric nurse to help honor Liam's legacy. As a healthcare provider, I want to demonstrate the “human touch” to my patients. To me, the human touch is making a connection, offering empathy, and showing kindness. My role as a nurse will be to show my patients that they are valued, understood, and cared for. Additionally, I believe that human touch is showing genuine concern for both their physical and emotional well-being. This can be literal physical contact like a comforting hand on a shoulder or even a hug. I believe that the human touch offers an element of warmth and humanity to these difficult situations, and it makes each encounter more meaningful. I would love to be able to be that quiet whisper in the darkness, begging each child to come back to their parents, friends, or loved ones. I want to be able to individualize my care and strengths towards the needs of each patient and family. The human touch is essential to the healing process. As Kansas State's College of Health and Human Science's motto says, "In a world focused on things, we focus on people." When it comes to caring for others, being people oriented is key. Being able to make a small -- or large -- impact on someone everyday would be incredibly rewarding, and I believe that I’m being called to fulfill this role!

During my junior year of high school, I was diagnosed with Asperger's (Level I Autism) and ADHD. On this magical journey of neurodivergence, I have repeatedly been bullied, felt isolated and alone, and have dealt with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. As tough as parts of this journey have been, I actually would not change a thing about it. Being an Aspie gives me a certain sense of the world around me that other people never really notice. I can hear clocks tick in a different room, observe the smallest change in my environment, recall random facts with my phenomenal memory, and I "read people.” I see their true motives and intentions faster than most people do. I am detail oriented, and I come up with a variety of tools that have helped me be successful. I was in elementary school when I was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder. I spent three years in occupational therapy, two years in speech therapy (for feeding therapy), and eleven months in physical therapy. I worked on a variety of skills from feeding and handwriting to balance and coordination. In high school, I have had the opportunity to thrive by taking a variety of honors courses and dual credit classes and have maintained a 4+ GPA. I am an active member of the National Honors Society completing over three hundred hours of community service. I am an athlete; I have been part of Varsity cross country (XC) for four years; I was even captain for a season! Additionally, I have run Varsity track and played Varsity tennis. I won several awards for being industirious. All of the trials I have experienced through the years have made me stronger, and I believe that I can achieve anything I set my mind to! Since the age of seven, I have wanted to work in medicine. It all started, because my best friend, Liam, was diagnosed with stage IV Neuroblastoma. He had a rigorous treatment course, but near the end, when he was dying, he was transferred to the PICU, and I got to visit him. I saw he was attached to machines that made noises and lit up; each performing a specific task to help him. I was captivated by every wave, line, beep, and hiss. When a nurse came in to check his vitals, I asked her every question I could about all of the machines -- just trying to understand how they were helping Liam. As I talked to the nurse, I remember thinking that was what I wanted to do someday. Liam was sent home from the PICU on hospice, and he passed away at home, five days later, surrounded by family and friends. I was heartbroken and threw myself into studying all that I could, and I fell in love with it. I plan to attend Kansas State University in the Fall of 2026 and will double major in nursing and kinesiology and minor in cognitive neuroscience. I am wired a little differently, and I want to understand why; I think this will also improve my understanding of the brain and body connection and would be helpful in the medical field. Ultimately, I would like to be a pediatric nurse, so I can honor Liam’s legacy; I miss him a lot. As a pediatric nurse, I want to offer hope, kindness, empathy, reassurance, and encouragement to patients and parents on their toughest days. It takes a very special type of person to do that, and I believe that I happen to be one of them!

My name is Amelia Parks, and I am a runner. During high school, I ran Varsity cross country for six years. (I attend a K-12 school, and I started in 7th grade!) I was Captain of the team for one year, and I have served as a stretch leader for multiple years. I also ran as part of the Varsity track team where I competed in the 1600 m and 800 m. Additionally, I played on the Varsity tennis team for three years. Running taught me perseverance, dedication, and steadfast endurance doing something you love. In addition to running, I'm also a volunteer. As a part of the National Honor Society, I have accumulated over three hundred hours of community service. Additionally, I served in student government for two years. I also was a member of Team 8626 First Tech Challenge (FTC) (robotics) for two years, and I have continued to serve as a volunteer at regional robotics meets. I am also a scholar. I have earned thirty-one hours of college credit by participating in the dual credit program and taking additional college courses on my own. I have made the Senior Vice Provost List for maintaining a GPA above a 3.5 on all of my college courses. Also, through Dallas College, I am a member of Sigma Alpha Pi, a leadership honor society also known as the National Society of Leadership and Success. I will graduate in the top twenty in my class of one hundred and twenty scholars. Outside of school, I play the violin. I play both classically and as a competitive fiddler. I have been taking lessons since my sophomore year in high school. I also enjoy drawing, and I am a published author. My second book will be published in February of 2026. I love watching old sitcoms and spending time with my family as well. Since the age of seven, I have wanted to be a nurse. My childhood best friend, Liam, had cancer, and his treatment course was intense. Ultimately, he ended up in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) as part of his medical journey, and I was able to visit him. I was captivated by all the machines he was hooked up to, and I wanted to understand what each of them did. When the nurse walked in, I took my chance and asked as many questions as I could. She greeted my curiosity with kindness, and I fell in love with medicine as a whole. The night after we visited him in the PICU, Liam was sent home on hospice. He died five days later, and I was heartbroken. In my grief, I learned as much as I could about medicine. I am going to Kansas State University in the fall to be a second generation wildcat. I am double majoring in nursing and kinesiology; I also plan to earn a minor in cognitive neuroscience. My goal is to understand how the body and mind work together and apply the concepts to nursing. I want to be a beacon of hope to families who are in their darkest times. I could not save my best friend, but I hope to save someone else's child so that they do not have to experience that loss. Maybe I can pay it forward like the PICU nurse did for me and inspire someone else to make a difference in people's lives. My parents always taught me to "love God, serve people," with nursing I hope to embody that philosophy!

My PTSD started after an unfortunate incident at Smoothie King. I have a severe dairy allergy, and I ordered a beverage with oat milk, but unfortunately, we found out later, that someone prepared it with whole milk instead. As I was driving home alone, I started having difficulty breathing, and then began to experience anaphylactic shock while I was still a few miles from home. I took a couple of benadryl to help counteract the symptoms, but I knew that I needed my epi pen. I was panicked, so I drove home as quickly as I could, white-knuckling the steering wheel. When I got into the house, I was babbling half-sentences and the color had drained from my face. My mom stabbed me with my epi pen, grabbed her purse, and we drove to the emergency room as quickly as we could. En route to the hospital, I needed a second dose of epinephrine due to the biphasic reaction that I was experiencing. Biphasic means that it is a rebounding reaction within minutes to hours of the first one and/or the first round of epinephrine was wearing off. We were pushing eighty down the interstate, and I had to administer the epi pen myself. I remember jamming the pen into my leg, drawing blood, screaming "I can't do this! I can't do this!" This was truly one of the worst days of my life. During the time in the ER, they administered a variety of medications and continued to monitor me. Ultimately, I was admitted for further observation, because they were concerned for another rebound reaction. Due to this horrible experience, I became depressed. I stopped sleeping. The insomnia was killing me. If I did sleep, I had terrible nightmares, and I would wake up feeling scared. Two weeks after this anaphylactic event, I contracted bronchitis, a common complication, and I was prescribed amoxicillin. Shortly after starting this medication, I developed a rash and had difficulty breathing; it was then that we discovered that I was allergic to amoxicillin. I stopped making jokes and laughing, because it would cause coughing fits that would take me to my knees. I was so stressed out between trying to hide these rashes and managing my intense course load that my hair started to fall out. I was overwhelmed and depressed. I tried talking to the school counselor, but I did not feel like I was being heard. So, I confided in one of my teachers and shared the struggles I was experiencing. The teacher encouraged me to seek counseling to work through all of the mental struggles I was having from this experience. I was skeptical at first due to the stigma that often surrounds mental health. However, I knew that I needed help. This was not sustainable. So, I have met with a psychologist, and I am continuing to work through these mental health issues that have arisen - PTSD, anxiety, depression. I am thankful for the therapy that I have received to help me battle these challenges, thoughts, and experiences. Being vulnerable and talking about it over and over again has been hard. I would like to become a nurse like the ones in the emergency room who helped stabilize me during my anaphylactic event. I would also like to earn a minor in cognitive neuroscience to understand better why my brain is now wired like it is. I believe that all of my experiences have given me a better understanding of mental health issues, and it will ultimately help me to encourage others to seek mental health help.

My junior year, I had a brush with death from an anaphylactic reaction to dairy. While being transported to the hospital, two epi pens were administered while hurdling down the highway to the hospital. I was so weak that my mom had to carry me in. We were met at the entrance with a wheelchair, and I was quickly wheeled to triage. I remember tilting backwards slightly and seeing this rainbow -- the most vivid colors I had ever seen before right in front of my eyes. As my blood pressure plummeted, I thought Jesus was going to offer me His hand and take me home to heaven. My mind started to wander, and I started thinking about how I had gotten into this situation that landed me in the ER. Then, the Lord brought to mind the beauty of life and reminded me that it all starts with cells. Have you ever thought about how beautifully complex cells are? After all, these little guys are the most basic units of life and hold everything that makes us humans. There are millions of atoms and molecules to form nucleotides, amino acids, and sugars necessary for life. There are chemical reactions happening so fast that we can barely comprehend. All of these pieces -- DNA, protein, and other forms of synthesis work together to give us energy. They work together to give us movement, breakdown food, flush waste, and more. It is all fascinating, and I'm thankful for God's creation and all of its intricacies. Surprisingly, when I took a college level biology class, it actually cemented my faith in Jesus Christ. These cells cannot simply be factors of evolution. They -- each individual cell -- were made by God himself. Each nucleotide pairing to make the shape of our nose or color of our eyes. While science and faith seem to be at odds with each other constantly, what if they could be combined to help understand the human body better? After that fateful trip to the ER, the trajectory of my career plans was forever changed. I went from wanting to be an occupational therapist to becoming a pediatric nurse. I believe Jesus allowed that situation to happen to help me realize His plan for me. Every nurse we encountered through that ER visit and hospitalization demonstrated kindness, empathy, reassurance, and care. I learned first hand that nurses help by reducing anxiety, building trust, and easing pain. I want that to be my role, too. So, in the fall of 2026, I am attending Kansas State University and will pursue their Pathway to Nursing Program. I will earn two bachelors degrees -- nursing and kinesiology and a minor in cognitive neuroscience. I am interested to learn more about the brain and body connection and incorporate that into nursing. I want a deeper understanding of the complexities of human movement as well as the psychological components of things. I think God can show me the mysteries of humanity through nursing. I also want to know why my body seems to be wired inside out and backwards. God does not make mistakes, so I know my wiring is just right for who He has made me to be. I'm trying to fulfill His purpose for my life. I believe the Lord can use all of my experiences as a patient to help me minister to others. I believe that He will give me opportunities to share my faith in the healthcare setting through my role as a nurse.

I struggled with undiagnosed depression for a long time. My best friend, Liam, died from cancer when I was seven. After thirteen rounds of chemo, twenty-six rounds of radiation, seven surgeries, two clinical trials, and a failed stem cell transplant, he ended up in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) as part of his journey. One of the last times I saw him, I was captivated by all of the machines that I saw him hooked up to, and I ended up asking the nurse a lot of questions. The nurse met my curiosity with kindness, and I realized that becoming a nurse is what I wanted to do. Liam was sent home from the PICU on hospice, and he died five days later, surrounded by his family. After he diet, I became withdrawn, sad, and lost. I thought God betrayed me. I threw myself into learning everything I could about medicine. I thought -- maybe since I could not save Liam, I could learn and help save someone else. I was fascinated and fell in love with medicine. So, that is what I am going to do in college -- become a nurse! At Kansas State University, there is the Pathway to Nursing program which allows me to pursue two bachelor's degrees. I am planning to earn my bachelor's in nursing and kinesiology. I also plan to earn a minor in cognitive neuroscience -- one of my favorite things that I have learned about in my pursuit of knowledge. I want to be able to understand how the body and mind work together and apply it to nursing. I would like to help kids like Liam not be scared and stand as a beacon of hope in their parents' darkest hour. I have multiple severe food allergies. After an accidental ingestion resulting in an anaphylactic reaction back in 2024, I was hospitalized. It left me weak, and as a complication, I got bronchitis which took more out of my body. I ended up being prescribed amoxicillin and experienced anaphylaxis with that medication. These events, a long with others in my medical journey, resulted in post traumatic stress disorder. I got depressed again, afraid of what had happened would happen again. I had trouble sleeping from nightmares that did not make sense. My grades were suffering -- going from As to Cs in less than two weeks. After a brief stint in therapy, I have since recovered. My own mind was capable of making me afraid of life itself. I have to be diligent to stay present and in the moment. I try to look on the bright side of things. After the incident, I lost a lot of friends, but I learned who the real ones are. My family and I now are advocates for food allergies to help others stay safe. I want to educate and empower people using my own personal experience to add to the education. That incident taught me so many things about myself -- what I believe about in life, philosophy, and everything in between. Everything happens for a reason, and hopefully soon I can understand why. I believe my own experiences as a patient in my own health journey will help me to be a better nurse and advocate for my patients.

My name is Amelia Parks. I am a classically trained violinist and competitive fiddler. I love to draw and read. I have even published a couple of books! I love learning about medicine, philosophy, and science as a whole. I am also a blood donor. During my high school career, I ran Varsity cross country and track for six years (my school is a K-12, and I started in 7th grade) and, I played on the Varsity tennis team for three years. I participated in student government and First Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics for two years. I also am a part of my high school's dual credit program, and because of my good grades, I was asked to become a member of the Dallas College chapter of Sigma Alpha Pi. I made the Senior Vice Provost List for Dallas College my junior year. I have over three hundred hours of community service in our chapter of the National Honors Society. I will graduate high school with honors. With the National Honors Society, I did a number of service projects. I helped with childcare for teacher's kids the week before school started. This was my favorite service project to participate in every year, and it was the most hours I earned for a single project. I also did the flag team and volunteered at Robotics events. I helped run morning announcements my sophomore year. Growing up I was always told to "love God and serve people." It is a lifestyle I hope to continue to be dedicated to. Next fall, I will be attending Kansas State University doing their Pathway to Nursing Program. Through this program, I will be pursuing my bachelor's in nursing as well as kinesiology. Additionally, I plan to earn my minor in cognitive neuroscience. My goal is to understand how the body and mind work together and apply that to nursing. I am excited to be a part of the second generation of wildcats in my family. It is a little scary to be moving so far away, but I am excited for the new adventure and a fresh start. I want to be a pediatric nurse and help kids who need it most. If I started a charity, I would have an organization using donations to offset medical costs for low-income families. For some that cannot afford insurance, a ten thousand dollar hospital stay means less food on the table or the inability to pay for rent or utilities. Doing this would bless an impoverished family and allow them to be less stressed as a result. We would work with the hospital billing department and insurance companies (if they happen to be involved), to bless them by reducing up to half the cost of their child's medical stay. The volunteers would help collect funds for these families across the country. We could also bless these families by giving them food or any other resources that they may need. If there are other siblings, we would give them reduced cost or free childcare. Working in the medical field would be a dream come true. A future charity to help those I would work with would bless so many people, and I would be honored to serve my community in this way!

I am Amelia Parks. I am a classically trained violinist, a published author, an artist, and a student. I love to read, watch medical shows, and learn about anything I can. I have run on the Varsity cross country and track teams for six years (my school is a K-12, and I started in the 7th grade), and I played Varsity tennis for three years. I am a member of Sigma Alpha Pi (honor society) through Dallas College dual credit program, and I am also a member of the National Honors Society. During my high school career, I participated in student government and First Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics. I have overcome much adversity during my life, and I hope to be a beacon of hope and inspire others. Since the age of seven, I have wanted to go into the field of medicine. Growing up, my best friend, Liam, had cancer, and through his course of treatment, he ended up in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and I had the opportunity to visit him. During that visit, I was captivated by all the machines, waves, lines, and drips that were connected to him. I asked the nurse a lot of questions about what was happening with each machine and how each of them were helping sustain my best friend. Shortly after my visit with Liam in the PICU, he was sent home on hospice; five days later, he passed away, and I was heartbroken. Could anything good come out of this tragic loss? Two weeks after Liam's death, I embarked on my own medical journey in the hospital. I was admitted to an inpatient feeding program to help address my struggle to gain weight and grow as a result of my diagnosis of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) and Celiac disease earlier that year. I had been eating, but I had not been absorbing nutrients due to these diagnoses. An NG-tube was placed, so I could start to receive enteral nutrition overnight to help my body to recover and grow again. This resulted in refeeding syndrome; with my labs going wild, it added an extra element of complication to my treatment course -- to replete my levels and stabilize me. I remember my mom crying some nights in the hospital, and my dad was worried about insurance costs. In twenty-five days, I gained close to four kilos (eight pounds!) and spent the following three years in feeding therapy. Food continues to be a scary subject despite my time in feeding therapy. At the age of thirteen, I was diagnosed with multiple severe food allergies. I am anaphylactically allergic to dairy, peanuts, and tree nuts. I am a food allergy advocate - doing presentations and educating others. Due to accidental ingestion of dairy my junior year of high school, I ended up hospitalized, and I now have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This snowballed into depression, and I sought therapy to deal with the traumatic medical experiences. With all my experience being the patient, I realized that I want to be the caregiver now. I am headed to Kansas State University in the Fall of 2026, and I am pursuing the Pathway to Nursing program. This program allows me to pursue two bachelors degrees, so I will be studying Kinesiology and nursing. I also plan to earn a minor in cognitive neuroscience. I want to learn how the body and mind work together and apply that to nursing. I want to help take care of kids like Liam. Nurses are the heartbeat of healthcare, and I want to pay it forward and help others.

I wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl. My best friend when I was a little girl was named Liam, and he had cancer. He underwent thirteen rounds of chemo, twenty six of radiation, two clinical trials, seven surgeries, and one failed stem cell transplant. There was a day, he took a turn for the worst, and he was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Cook Children's hospital. My parents and I rushed over to visit when we heard the news. My sister and I got to go and visit him. Forever en grained in my seven-year-old memory is Liam, laying dilapidated under all these wires and monitors. I was captivated by ever beep, drip, and whir that I could hear. All these lines and waves meant something, and I wanted to know what they meant! A nurse walked in shortly afterwards, and I started to ask questions about everything in sight. She met my curiosity and answered all of my questions about the machines. She encouraged me to talk to Liam even though it looked like he was sleeping. He was going deaf from losing the hair in his ear, so I don't know if he actually heard me. I tried anyway though, I told him I loved him and that someday I would honor him with this. My little Liam helped me find my calling in life. After that night in the PICU, they sent him home on hospice, and he died five days later surrounded by his family. He passed peacefully in his sleep, and I was devastated. Grief manifests in many ways, I threw myself into learning all that I could about the human body and all things medically related. The more I learned, the more it solidified itself into being my future. I want to be a pediatric nurse! My commitment has brought me to a new state of the art dual degree program. I will be headed to Kansas State University in the fall of 2026, and I will be pursuing the Pathway to Nursing program which allows me to pursue a bachelor's degree of my choice through Kansas State and a nursing degree from Wichita State University. My degree of choice is kinesiology with a minor in cognitive neuroscience. I want to understand how the body and mind work together and apply that to nursing. I want to care for kids just like the nurse cared for Liam. She wanted to make sure that I told my best friend I loved him one more time; her kindness and compassion was helpful during a very dark time. I was always told "love God, serve people," and I want to do just that! Serving people is my passion -- to make people feel better ease their minds during uncertain times. I believe that I can positively impact the world around me through nursing. I hope to make kids smile and to be a beacon of hope for parents in their darkest hour. Children are special, they hold our future, and my job as a pediatric nurse is to help make sure they get one!

Boldly and unapologetically me. I believe that describes me well. I have Asperger's (now called Level 1 Autism), so fitting in was never really my "thing." When people chose to wear short shorts and tiny crop tops, I picked out the same few slightly wrinkled t-shirts and well-loved jeans. I tend to be on the quiet side, so most of the time people do not bother me. I have my small group of friends who allow me to unironically be myself. Additionally, I have a very strict moral code that many people tend to greet with a love-hate relationship. During the middle of my junior year in my dual credit math class, there were a bunch of people choosing to cheat on the assignments as this was an online course and only a supervising proctor within the classroom. I was appalled. My rigid morals would never allow me to do that. I wanted to learn, and learn the information honestly. So, I pursued math tutoring to reinforce the concepts that I was struggling to understand; I felt more confident in my learning, and I wanted to illustrate my knowledge through the assignments and exams. When I returned to class the next day, a classmate made a comment about how she couldn't believe that individuals in our class were using ChatGPT to do the assignment, and I pointed out to her that she had done the same thing in that course as well as another class. She was speechless when I called her out, and I encouraged her to pursue academic excellence with integrity. Speaking up in that instance may be one of the bravest, boldest choices I could have made, I am proud of myself for passing the course with my integrity intact. Kindness in action. The week before school starts, I volunteer with my school at one of my favorite volunteer events of the year; our NHS partners with a local church to provide reduced cost childcare for the kids of teachers during teacher in-service. While some of the other volunteers sit back on their phones and watch from afar, I sit and color with the kids. I hang out and listen to those who want to talk; we play games together, and it allows me a chance to re-experience childhood happiness. Most of them think it is amazing that an older kid would actually want to spend time with them! One of the first years that I volunteered, a boy in our group who had just lost his father. He looked upset, and he was stand-offish with the other kids, so I sat down and talked with him. He said he was sad, so I asked him if I could help him. He told me that he had recently lost his father, and he was having a hard time. I sat and listened, and then I asked him to tell me about his favorite memory with his dad. From my own experience in processing loss, remembering my favorite moment with my best friend who died of cancer is one of the ways that helped me process the grief. I sat and listened as he told me about doing an activity with him. I told him if he ever wanted to talk, that I would listen. I think the whole world could benefit from more kindness and empathy toward others. We could also benefit from non-conformity. We all have wonderfully unique personalities and talents that we should be proud to be unapologetically ourselves. Our world needs a little more kindness, and I hope to continue to pay it forward!

My best friend had Stage IV neuroblastoma when we were kids. Liam always had the brightest smile -- even during chemo and through every stage of his treatment process. He went through thirteen rounds of chemo, twenty-six rounds of radiation, seven surgeries, two clinical trials, and even a failed stem cell transplant. It was a grueling thirteen month journey for my compatriot. One night in mid-September, he took a turn for the worse and was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) within Cook Children's Hospital, so we made our way up to the hospital to visit him. When we arrived to the PICU waiting room, we were greeted by Liam's dad (his mom was at his bedside, and visitors were limited). His dad looked so tried and aged from the stress of the treatments, hospitalizations, and roller coaster of emotions from the year. My sister and I got to go back by ourselves to visit him. I cannot forget how Liam looked in his hospital bed. So small. He was surrounded by all these monitors that measured everything -- heart rate, breath rate, and bodily fluids. I was captivated by these machines breathing life into my closest friend. Soon after we were situated in his room, a nurse walked in, and I started asking questions about each of the machines. I wanted to understand how each was helping Liam. What did each of them do? Where did each of his lines connect, and why did he need them? The nurse patiently answered all of my questions about the machines while we were there. She met my curiosity and was kind and compassionate to my friend who had endured so much. It was then that I decided that is what I wanted to do with my life -- to become a pediatric nurse who could help people, comfort people, and provide encouragement even through the darkest times of peoples' lives. Liam survived that night, and he was sent home on hospice. He died at home -- five days later; he was surrounded by his family. I was devastated by the loss of my closest friend. As a means to help me deal with my grief, I threw myself into learning all that I could about the field of nursing. I am going to Kansas State University in the fall of 2026, and I have chosen to do their Pathway to Nursing program. My plan is to double major in Kinesiology and Nursing and a minor in cognitive neuroscience. I want an understanding of how the mind and body work together, and then apply these fields all together within nursing. I want to work with kids like Liam. I want to make them smile on bad days. I want to help support families during their darkest hours during a tough diagnosis or treatment. I want to be the beacon of hope that they never had. I believe that my own experience within the medical field will help me be a phenomenal nurse. I truly believe that nurses are the heartbeat of healthcare. Both my empathy for others as well as my drive to succeed will help me achieve my goal to positively impact the world through my service in healthcare as a nurse.

I owe Children's Health in Dallas, Texas, my life. That is a gift that can never be fully repaid -- because all human life holds a value so high, a dollar amount could never be placed on it. I am grateful to my family, too, as they paid for the financial burden of that experience. No parent should ever need to go through that and watch their child nearly die. So, what exactly happened? Back in 2015, I was seven. I had complained to my mom that there was a "lump in my throat." I had been throwing up at every meal that had ever been given to me and had quit growing. My mom made several phone calls to get an appointment to have me evaluated. I met Dr. Nandini Channa, a gastroenterologist at Children's Health; she evaluated me, and she recommended that I have a esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) to see what was happening in my throat. So, they scheduled it for February 5; they put a camera down my throat, and they discovered that my esophagus was narrowing, and I had severe furrows. This was causing me to throw up, because the food was getting stuck in my throat. On that day, I was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), a rare disease that effects the white blood cells and the esophagus whereby the white blood cells mistakenly attack the esophagus when normal food is consumed and results in a narrowing on the esophagus - making it difficult to swallow. From there, I was placed on the six food elimination diet (NO milk, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish) as the standard was at the time. We had to adapt as a family to find food that I could eat. We bonded over recipes trying to find close equivalents to things that I had lost the ability to consume. Then, we had another EGD that showed signs of healing, then, gradually I began to add back in foods. In July 2015, was the last time I was able to consume dairy. I had another EGD in August 2015 that showed all of the white blood cells returning to create the same lines that were there earlier in the year; milk was one of the offending foods that was making it difficult to swallow. Additionally, at that EGD, we discovered that I also had Celiac Disease (CD), where the villi of the small intestines flatten, unable to absorb nutrients; it is an autoimmune response the the consumption of gluten. In September 20215, I was admitted for the intensive feeding program at Our Children's House at Children's Health, and I had a nasogastric tube placed to provide enteral nutrition to supplement my oral intake since my growth had been poor. Since my nutrition status and growth had been poor, they drew labs once the enteral feeds were started, and they discovered that I had refeeding syndrome. This is a life threatening metabolic disturbance that kills between 6-71% if it is not corrected/repleted in a safe and timely way. My time at Children's gave a life long fascination with medicine. Being diagnosed with an anaphylactic dairy allergy when I was thirteen really cemented it for me. To pay it forward, I want to be a nurse. My plan is to go to Kansas State University and major in kinesiology and nursing and minoring in cognitive neuroscience. I want to give kids their lives back like Children's did for me. Everyone deserves a chance to live fully, I got mine. I want the privilege to provide that gift to others.

Making up stories is something that is incredibly natural to us as humans. Think about all of the oral traditions and folk stories we have all heard throughout our lives. I have always been absolutely fascinated by them. I have loved to read since I was a little girl, and it engrossed me into new worlds. I loved learning about new people and fantastical places, because they were an easy escape out of the boring world. The summer before seventh grade, I was introduced to a book series written by a local fantasy writer and teacher, and I went and borrowed all of her books from the library. I read the four books within a week and a half -- four huge, 100,000 word books. Then, once the school year started, I got the chance to actually meet the writer -- Krissi Dallas. She was my English teacher that year! She was publishing her fifth one in October of 2020, and I was so excited to actually be a part of something bigger than myself. I went to her book signing, with all five of her books in my hands, and I listened to speaker panels. It was magical, and I thought, "If she can do it, so can I, too." So, that's the story of how I got into writing, and my first attempt at writing a story was so incredibly pathetic. I almost quit, but I just decided to wait. The experience of writing is fascinating, because you are working on something that will outlast you. In eighth grade, we were given an assignment to create a short story. So, I picked out one that my sister and I had played out with Legos some number of months earlier. You see, I had an advantage of coming up with a story -- I had an incredibly active imagination and a younger sister who would always ask "and, then what happens?" From that experience, I wrote "The Harmony of A Secret Romance." It was about three teen pop-star sisters and their young secret agent body guard. The bodyguard was supposed to protect the girls from their terrible parents, and the eldest sister begins to fall in love with him. The girls get kidnapped, but he comes and saves the day. It was a little cheesy, albeit my English teacher was frankly impressed that I had pumped out twenty-three pages (I divided chapters, so it wasn't actually that long). Then, I remember Ms. Dallas, and reminded myself that if she could do it, so could I. I had a blank canvas; anything I wanted to write was mine and mine alone. Writing has become my primary coping mechanism through high school. I actually published my first book called "Legends of the Blood Moon" right before my senior year started. I had a lot of fun writing a medical-romance-drama-thriller. I took ideas from TV, books, life experience, and wove it into something unforgettable. Now, frequently when I walk into a room someone shouts, "Amelia Parks! I didn't know you were a published author!" Writing a book has created something that will out last me, and it's own a piece of intellectual property. I plan on continuing to write through college as it gives me a creative outlet and has become a form of therapy for me. My next book comes out in February (It is called Love, Briefly). I have a couple of other ideas I would love to continue creating. After all, words create worlds. These worlds will inspire others, and I am proud to be a part of that.

My grandfather, Colonel David L. Pointer, was in the ARMY from 1975-2003; he served in the Field Artillery, then did the FLEP (Funded Legal Education Program) Program, and then became part of the JAG (Judge Advocate General) Corp for the United States Army. He grew up in a tragic household, his mother died before he turned fifteen, and as a result he was a terrible student. All his teachers pushed him towards trade schools, but he wanted to overcome his academic challenges and prove them wrong. So, he ultimately became an attorney for the US Army. My grandfather has taught me the true meaning of perseverance, hard-work, and dedication to the craft. The most important lesson he instilled in me from his experience was that education was one of the the most important things that you can get your hands on. It has made my life motto: Education is something that should be a lifetime pursuit. Growing up, I thought about this a lot, then after doing a lot of wrestling with the past, I realized I wanted to be a nurse. Since I was a little girl, I wanted to be involved in healthcare due to my own experiences. I have a rare esophageal condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) and that, combined with Celiac Disease, lead me to be malnourished. At the age of seven, I was hospitalized with re-feeding syndrome and spent twenty-five days in the hospital.. On top of that, I had undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome, which left me scared and alone (At the age of 17, I was finally diagnosed with Autism Level 1, and this has further pushed me to pursue my dreams of job in healthcare!) The doctors and nurse made me feel at home; they took care of me like I was their own child. That one month has made a lasting impact on my life, leading me to be eternally grateful that my whole world turned upside down when it came to food. Since I was discharged form the hospital, I have wanted to give back to the people who gave me the second chance to live. Even after ten years of my EoE in remission, I am still dealing with anaphylactic food allergies that require emergency room visits due to accidental exposure or ingestion. I want to show my patients that they have a person who understands what it is like to be in their situation. I want to make the hospital environment less scary for young children. My hope is to major in kinesiology and nursing and receive a minor in neuroscience. I desire to learn how the mind and body work together, understand how and why mine is different and apply this to the practice of medicine. My ideal future includes possibly going back for my masters to eventually become a nurse practitioner, so I can gain the extra experience to be able to learn something else, something in more detail! I am thankful for the opportunity to pursue higher education, and I am excited to fulfill my dream to become a pediatric nurse!

My name is Amelia Parks. I have wanted to be nurse since I was a little girl. I did not think I was going to be able to see the moment that I would graduate to achieve my dreams. You see, I have a rare condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) and combined with Celiac Disease lead me to be malnourished. At the age of seven, I was hospitalized due to re-feeding syndrome and spent twenty-five days in the hospital in 2015. On top of that, I had undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome, which left me scared and alone (I was later diagnosed with Autism Level 1/Asperger's syndrome at the age of 17, and I believe that this has impacted my desire to be a part of the healthcare team, too!). The doctors and nurses made me feel at home, they took care of me like I was their own child. That one month has made a lasting impact on my life, leading me to be eternally grateful that my whole world turned upside down when it came to food. Since I was discharged all of those year ago, I have wanted to give back to the people who gave me the second chance to live. Even after ten years of my EoE in remission, I am still dealing with anaphylactic food allergies that require emergency room visits due to accidental exposure or ingestion. I want to show my patients that they have a person who understands what it is like to be in their situation. I want to make the hospital environment less scary for young children. My hope is to major in kinesiology and nursing and receive a minor in neuroscience. I desire to learn how the mind and body work together, understand how and why mine is different and apply this to the practice of medicine. I have spent a long time trying to even look for mentors and role models who are neurodivergent and think like me. Watching shows like "The Good Doctor" made me realize, that there were not many neurodivergent healthcare providers out in the world -- let alone female ones. I am very fortunate to be considered "high-functioning." Being on the spectrum, long before I was diagnosed, I was dismissed a lot. I do not want that to happen to anyone anymore. Enough is enough, I want to change that across the field. People need to feel seen AND heard. My vision has already beginning to be a reality. I got accepted into Kansas State University last month. I will apply for their joint program with Wichita State's nursing program in the spring of my sophomore year. I want to be a role model to other neurodivergents. I believe that we can do anything we set our minds to! I desire to understand that mind and body connection and use my knowledge to help others. I am already pushing to make this dream come true and help my future patients like me go from striving to thriving.

I have wanted to be nurse since I was a little girl. I did not think I was going to be able to see the moment that I would graduate to achieve my dreams. You see, I have a rare condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis (pronounced eo-sin-o-fil-ick e-sofo-gi-tis; also known as EoE) and combined with Celiac Disease lead me to be malnourished. At the age of seven, I was hospitalized due to re-feeding syndrome and spent twenty-five days in the hospital in 2015. On top of that, at the time, I had undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome (Autism Level 1) which left me scared and alone (I was later diagnosed with Autism Level 1 at the age of 17, and I believe this has also shaped my path to becoming a pediatric nurse!) That one month in the hospital back in 2015 has made a lasting impact on my life, leading me to be eternally grateful that my whole world was turned upside down when it came to food. Since I was discharged from the hospital all those years ago, I have wanted to give back to the people who gave me the second chance to live. Even after ten years of my EoE being in remission, I am still dealing with anaphylactic food allergies that require emergency room visits due to accidental exposure or ingestion. My ultimate career goal is to become a pediatric nurse; I plan to major in kinesiology and nursing and pursue a minor in neuroscience. I desire to learn how the mind and body work together, understand how and why mine is different and apply this to the practice of medicine. I hope to make it less scary for young children. Although my health conditions do not define me, they are a part of me. I am also a classically trained violinist as well as published author. As a nurse, I will need to be empathetic towards my small patients, because I was once in their shoes. It is important to understand that they are human, and so am I. My hope it that I can help keep them as calm and comfortable as possible while performing my job. I also want to be transparent about what is happening. When I spent time inpatient, I felt like I did not understand what was going on. I want to treat these children that they get to play a part in what happens in their body. I want to help people like me, paying it forward from all the people who helped me first. The quality of my work is something that will affect these children for the rest of their lives. Kindness is something that is not easily forgotten. It serves human nature best to be kind. My journey through the world of healthcare can be a blessing to those that I encounter in the future, and I am thankful for the opportunity to fulfill my calling as a nurse.

I have wanted to be nurse since I was a little girl. I did not think I was going to be able to see the moment that I would graduate to achieve my dreams. I have a rare condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis (pronounced eo-sin-o-fil-ick e-sofo-gi-tis; also known as EoE), and combined with Celiac Disease lead me to be malnourished. At the age of seven, I was hospitalized with re-feeding syndrome and spent twenty-five days in the hospital in 2015. On top of that, at that time, I had undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome (Autism Level 1) which left me scared and alone. Throughout my hospitalization, the doctors and nurses made me feel at home; they took care of me like I was their own child. That one month has made a lasting impact on my life, leading me to be eternally grateful that my whole world was turned upside down when it came to food. Since I was discharged from the hospital all of those years ago, I have wanted to give back to the people who gave me the second chance to live. Even after ten years of EoE being in remission, I am still dealing with anaphylactic food allergies that require emergency room visits for accidental ingestion or exposure. Recently, I was diagnosed with Autism Level 1 (Asperger's syndrome), and it made all of the confusing and scary world and situations make that much more sense. I want to show my patients that they have a person who understands what it is like to be in their situation. I want to make the hospital environment less scary for young children. I plan to major in kinesiology and nursing and receive a minor in neuroscience. I desire to learn how the mind and body work together, understand how and why mine is different, and apply this to the practice of medicine. Sunflowers make me happy, I have exactly six of them sitting against my bedroom vanity. I keep one for every time I should have died to remind me of the second chances that I have been given. I look at them anytime I need to remember that, I was kept here on this earth for a reason. I shine light with sunflowers I have on everything -- on my purse, in my hair, on articles of clothing, and one pair of Vans. I want to spread that light to patients who are in their darkest hour like I was. I believe I am supposed to be a nurse and spread the light across hospitals with my magical sunflowers. I want to help those neurodivergent patients be able to express their needs in a health care setting. I will help others in need, people who were in the same place as I was so many years ago. People say what goes around comes around, I hope my kindness is one of those things that reverberates for someone else someday.

My younger sister had shoulder surgery the summer before my senior year of high school. For six weeks, Berkley was stuck in a sling, taken away from her precious volleyball training. From the type of surgery she had, recovery was going to take a very long time. Her dream of playing colligate volleyball was over. She was miserable. She had every right to be. No sports, no work, and now she could not brush her hair on her own. I wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl. Around this time, I was wondering how good I would be with pediatric patients. Berkley was my guinea pig, my first patient. When I got home from work the day of her surgery, I found her eating an ice pop as I presented a huge "Get Well Soon" card from the company we both worked for. My mom knew that I needed to learn how to care for her wounds as we would be taking a trip out of town soon -- just the two of us. I watched carefully on how Berkley's four laparoscopic surgical scars were carefully bandaged. On one of the days when she was on the cusp of passing out from the pain, I offered solutions; I also stuck her in front of a fan while I helped carefully peel away the bandages. I helped her shower, brush her hair, and would remind her to work on her physical therapy. Once we were on our trip together, I was in charge of helping her ice her shoulder and strapping on the fancy shoulder pad ice pack. I gave her a new pain scale where I would ask "On a scale of stub my toe to we need to amputate, how bad does your shoulder hurt?" It never failed to make her smile. I helped her pick out fun bandaids at Walmart and put them on her surgical wounds every night. I helped her in and out of her sling for every outfit change and break she needed. Once, I even undid her sling and stuck a fan on it, so she would not get overheated. Caring for Berkley taught me that nursing was my calling. I am sorry she had to experience this temporary disability through injury and surgery, but I am thankful for the opportunity to practice my caregiving skills. Through this experience of caring for Berkley, it has solidified my decision on pursuing my degree in nursing, and it has also encouraged me to add an additional degree in kinesiology. Every night I still help her work on physical therapy and remind her to keep going -- even on days where it hurts. I reminded her that, while she could still play volleyball, she could also play other sports. Next school year, she is planning on trying out for basketball, soccer, as well as and volleyball. We still have running jokes about me being her caretaker. This caregiving experience with Berkley has piqued my interest in kinesiology, she has inspired me to be a caretaker for others in her same situation.

Cross country gives you a lot of time to think. Long stretches of time with no one around you, early in the morning. It is you, the sound of your breath, the distant rush hour traffic buzzing as the sun rises behind you. In Texas, the summer runs cook you even early in the day, but running has created a profound view of the world for me. It has given me a way to develop my world view, identity, and gives me a sense of purpose. In that time of thinking, that I am sure Kalia did, too, I started to wonder what am I meant to do with my life? What was the meaning of it? What defines the meaning of life to begin with? One hot afternoon on a run, it broke through to me. The science of medicine was something that fascinated me, and I always wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. So, I decided that nursing was the field that I wanted to pursue. My calling is to help others. I want to be a nurse to neurodivergent patients in the hospital setting; I believe that I can comfort and console them while providing medical care. I am neurodivergent, so I believe that I will be able to share a special insight to my patients as I can understand the intensity of everything associated with being neurodivergent. It is a way to heal my inner child in the best way possible -- by serving and giving to others what I never had. I love to serve people. I am apart of my local National Honors Society chapter where I have given over three hundred services hours over the past three years. My favorite projects are when I get to work with kids. After reading Kalia's story, I wonder what her favorite service activity was? I have been described on multiple occasions as "strong willed, strong morals, strong mind, and an unbreakable spirit." I think we could have been friends if I had known her while she was on this side of heaven. The money that Kalia's memorial scholarship would provide an opportunity for me to pass on her legacy of living, laughing, and loving my community, as well as help to pay for school. I would use it to pay for classes, allowing me an opportunity I might not have otherwise. Service opportunities and sports have helped shape who I am, and I am thankful for my involvement in these extra curricular activities as they have helped diversify my high school experience to go beyond just academics. I believe that I have the drive to become one of the greatest nurses for someone someday, and this financial support through this scholarship will help me on my journey to achieve my dream!

I am interested in pursuing a degree in nursing as well as kinesiology with a minor in psychology and neuroscience. Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to work in medicine. It has been a familiar environment to me, as I have spent a considerable amount of time both inpatient and outpatient receiving various services for health issues through the years. When I tell people my educational goals, they say that seems overly ambitious, but when I set my mind to something I want, I am determined on getting there. It is an upside to having Asperger's syndrome (Level 1 Autism) -- determination. In my spare time , I decided to learn all I could about myself, so I can ultimately help neurodivergent patients in the hospital setting. I do not like using the term "disabled" or really disclosing my diagnosis to others. I get scared that people will turn their backs on me or pass judgment before they get to know me just based on their previous experiences. Asperger's gives me a superpower; I have an amazing ability to visualize things. From what I have learned about medicine, I can see how veins and muscles and bones interact in my head and use my knowledge to help others. My goal is to become a nurse someday, and I know school will be hard, but I am determined to help others. Asperger's has made it difficult to find friends, but has made me a phenomenal student. With my "sponge brain," I pick up information and can memorize it thoroughly. When everything has a logical place, that is where I shine best. My favorite subject was chemistry because of that. School was hard sometimes because not everything was like that -- there were some more abstract subjects which I had a harder time grasping. Even though it has been hard to make it through the public education system, I will finish in the top twenty of my class with 3.2 GPA (unweighted or 4.02 weighted)! I believe that having learning differences has taught me how to persevere and has helped create empathy as I am discovering that everyone is dealing with something! Independence is something I am confident I can achieve. I want to be a functional person, capable of paying my own taxes and having a job despite my brain having some different wiring. Independence means freedom to live how I want to. It gives me a chance to get the education I want at the pace I need. I can make friends on my own terms. I am excited for this next chapter of life and pursuing higher education and working toward my career goals.

I decided to put my health first after August 31, 2024. Why that specific date? That was the day I had a nearly fatal allergic reaction that left me hospitalized, beaten and bruised both physically and emotionally. To understand what actually happened, let me take you back in time to exactly 3:42 pm that day. I stood in line at a local Smoothie King. I have multiple food allergies (dairy, gluten, peanuts, and tree nuts), and they had reorganized the menu board. I ordered my drink with no nonfat milk powder and requested oat milk as a substitute. I have played the restaurant game like this for ten years, so I knew what I was asking for, what allergy protocols are in place there, and how to request appropriate substitutions. Unfortunately, they made my drink wrong and put whole milk instead of oat milk; however, I did not discover that until I was driving alone back to my house when I started having the allergic reaction. That afternoon I used two epipens and spent the night in the ER having a massive toll taking on my body. I did not sleep well, I got bronchitis (a common complication of allergic reactions) two weeks later. I was started on antibiotics, and then found out I was allergic to the antibiotics that the doctor had given me. Penicillin is now on my list of "no-no" substances. I was dissociating, losing friends, lonely, screwed up, and scared. Later, I found out I have complex PTSD from this incident. I felt like I was being beaten over and over again having a chronic issue flare up again, requiring a biopsy which meant another medical procedure. Then, I met Rebecca -- a nurse at Children's Health Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Rebecca was my pre-op nurse, and she made me feel less lonely and seen. She treated me like I was a real person and not some medical mystery to be solved. The day I met her, all the plans I had carefully shaped went out the window for what I was really meant to do. November 15, 2024, I decided I wanted to be a nurse like Rebecca. From everything that happened in those three months, I decided to take care of my mind and body. I sought out counseling and felt like I was finally starting to heal. That August afternoon turned my entire life upside down, but the November morning put everything right back where it was supposed to be. With Medicine being one of my hyper- fixations, I have been able to help so many people including my sister after she had a major surgery. I helped rehab my cross country teammates when I could not run. Now, I realize that it is my mission in life is to help create a healthy lifestyle which includes prioritizing mental, emotional, and physical health for myself as well as my future patients. I learned a lot of lessons during that tough season. One of which being that our lives are not our own, and we should do everything in our power to take care of our bodies and minds. As a nurse, I want to make that my mission, a mission to make people healthy again.

The high school teacher who most deeply influenced me and changed my approach to life is Mr. Jake Papageorgiou. He taught me Government and was stuck with a "side hustle" elective called college career path that I was enrolled in my junior year. The class taught useful skills after spending a semester on the seven habits book. We all called him "Mr. P," because his greek name was so hard to pronounce. He jokingly told us that he used the exact same slideshows every year to make things easier on him. During the second week of school, I fell in love with his teaching style, because he was knowledgeable on "how to do life" and added in jokes to keep us on our toes. Mr. P had a lot of things that he has said that have changed my perspective on how I approach life. When we were working on resumes, I asked him during that time if a person had to disclose an autism diagnosis. His response -- never do it, then I asked why. He said to me, "I have AuDHD. There are people out there who will always underestimate you because of the labels you possess. Don't give them ammunition to keep you from succeeding." When I officially got diagnosed with Autism and ADHD in April 2025, he was the first teacher I told. I came to his room early on a Wednesday morning after debating with myself for ten minutes (I had fifteen before the bell rang). I knocked three times on room 153, he glanced up from his laptop, and waved me in. I sat in a desk right in front of his, the little wheels sliding between two boxes he had duck taped to the floor. "So I was a recently diagnosed with Autism." I started off slowly. "And ADHD, and you were the first person I thought would understand, what do I do? Do I tell people? Do I stay quiet? Do I try medication?" Mr. P sat there, hands folded, putting them by this scruffy mustache and light stubble he had been trying to grown for three months to make his fiancé mad. He blinked twice, did nothing, then said, "Oh, I could have told you that." I panicked. He gives me a reassuring look when I asked him how, then said, "When you are diagnosed on the spectrum, you get very good at seeing things in other people. You're good at masking it though." "How old were you when you were diagnosed?" I asked. It was personal, he was 27, maybe he knew what it was like at my age. Maybe he was too young to remember or did not want to. "Seventeen." He said. He put his hands down, closing his laptop knowing this was going to take a lot. I spilled out my heart, my fear, my relief, everything I could, I had spent fourteen years not knowing, and now the dam had broken. He cut off the stream of panic running though my head. "I can't tell you what you should do. I can tell you though, you'll find the real ones." That conversation changed how I saw myself. We went back and forth about it while I straightened the chairs -- least I could do since I disrupted his quiet work space for a minute. He did not see me as disabled, he saw me as something special. He saw my intelligence and determination. That day I learned to see it, too. Every time I see him in the hallway now, I smile remembering that moment.

I was ten when I was originally diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It was mild though, so I never spent much time thinking about it. I was seventeen when a series of circumstances led me to an AuDHD diagnosis with "mild" OCD -- that was when things started to change, when friends started to leave, and I stopped talking. At some level I finally felt validated that I really was different from my peers, but then some of the details I had overlooked came into focus. Little habits I never put much thought to became clear as day to me -- like when I felt weird walking out a different door than I came in, when I chewed my fingernails and cuticles into bloody stubs, why my calluses along my feet looked like a war zone. Things like patterns and consistency were the reason I stayed sane. There were thoughts I failed to realize I spent so much time in were beginning to haunt me. I kept a mask up so high, that the moment I came home I would shower trying to scrub it away. Churches would tell me that "It wasn't real, just ask Jesus to fix it." This was not an easy fix, this was something I needed to fight. There are days now where it is better or worse. I now have a therapist who is helping me understand the social aspects I am missing on my own. AuDHD was different, it was hard to figure out what I was doing compulsively and what was a stim. I was more accepting of this title, it gave words to why I would get fixated on things. It helped me to understand why I was so honest to the point it would be brutal. It made me happy though; I could do things that other people couldn't. I had a memory that often scares people. I was creative, high above my peers. Different forms of art and art therapy were how I saved myself, coming up with a way to make me feel validated. I am healing now. There are good days and bad days, but I am happy now and that's important. My goal is to become a nurse someday with a focus on psychology and supporting the mental health fields. I am also fascinated by neuroscience, and I want to understand how my brain works in order to help someone else understand theirs. I want to help people in a creative way that others could not. I would love to work with mental health patients and do art therapy for a sense of healing. Empathy is not something I easily understand, but compassion is something that requires nothing, but a drive to help someone. While OCD is something to fight, it has also been a blessing to open up opportunities that I would not have otherwise. I believe my own personal mental health struggles will help be to be able to relate to others and support them on their mental health journey. I am thankful the opportunity to pursue a degree in higher education and use my own personal struggles a means to help me persevere, so I can ultimately help support others with mental health issues.

There is an iconic line in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Anakin says, "You underestimate my power." While over the last twenty years it has been memed into oblivion, it has a relevant truth that speaks to the learning disability community. Often times, I am underestimated in my abilities. People assume Autism and ADHD means I am incapable of doing things. Many comments and criticisms through the years have stuck with me, and I was destined to prove them wrong. For example, I had an art teacher in third grade tell me that I was a terrible artist and needed to work on fine motor skills. (At that time I was receiving occupational therapy services for my fine motor skills.) Rather than giving up and letting her criticisms kill my creative spirit, I chose to take art classes all through middle school and high school becoming the master of a paper and pencil. Academically, I went from a C student to an A student, because I was set on making myself successful. I would spend hours studying and practicing. Teachers would question accommodations that I had as part of my education plan, and I learned to advocate for myself to make sure my needs and accommodations were being met, so I could find success in the classroom. Additionally, I wanted to play violin since I was four with the goal of playing at my high school graduation someday. I would spend hours alone in my room practicing scales until my fingers turned black from the tape. Throughout my schooling career, holding a conversation has been too hard, so I would spend time in books that lit my fancy. Often, friends and family would be taken aback by information I happened to have known off the top of my head. I overcome challenges with an awkward-like grace. I make mistakes -- a lot of them, I want to learn how to navigate this world that seems so upside down to me. I choose to be myself even if it means I may not have many friendships. At least the friendships I have, I know are genuine. I have compassion towards animals and children. My "superpower" is that I pay attention to things that others overlook. I see through facades that others put up and choose to protect the ones I care about. I have been told I am incredibly brilliant and have the power to do anything I can put my hands on. The information I learn because of passion? I enjoy sharing fun facts at work and school. My hyper-fixations toward medicine have educated and helped countless people. My goal is to become a nurse and help neurodivergent patients in a stressful situation of being hospitalized. It is something I am passionate about which is why I believe I would be good at it. My plan is to double major in kinesiology and nursing at Kansas State University. Education is something I would like to pursue for as long as I breathe. I want to get a minor in psychology and neuroscience because the subjects interest me. I want to study the brain to better understand my own brain, too, and help me to best help my patients. My learning difficulties have taught me how to persevere, and I believe this will take me far as I continue to pursue my education and enjoy lifelong learning.

"You have Level One Autism." The psychologist explained to me as I sat outside a Black Rifle Coffee Shop in North Richland Hills, Texas. "And ADHD... signs of alexithymia... Generalized Anxiety... 'mild' OCD and I'm worried you're at risk for depression." Most of the tele-heath call was a bit of a blur. I sat there, my mother less than two feet from me with the other half of our shared AirPods, and I watched tears spring from her eyes. She explained later that she was so happy that after fifteen years someone believed her. I smiled, too, because I knew since I was in middle school, but now at seventeen I began to see things differently. Well, I've always seen things differently. I would ask Mom stories about me as a little girl, and she would tell me about how I was so creative and highly sensitive with this long blonde hair that I refused to let anyone touch. One day, she told me when I was four I'd drawn a picture of a dog and Mom told me she could not see it. I told her that it was the dog from the top view, and she began to appreciate that I could see three dimensional models in my head but had no words to explain this. Mom would tell me how when people would try to touch me, I would cower away, or I'd scream and cry and beg for mercy. We did not even try to cut my hair, it was a once yearly ordeal that the whole family dreaded. Eye contact was forced by relatives but my own immediate family understood that it was too much. Social dynamics were something I took a back seat in until middle and high school. It was written off as "Sensory Processing Disorder," and I spent three years in occupational therapy. I was able to get basic life skills and discovered that the hospital setting was where I wanted to work forever. When my occupational therapist took notice, she suggested to get testing for Asperger's syndrome which we did not know had been put under the autism umbrella. The psychologist that did my initial testing said I had "OCD with lots of Anxiety, try to talk her through it." I read a book some time later (Obsessed by Allison Britz) before realizing that it is not how I think or anything. Secondly, there were no social dynamic things she noticed, and I wished she had seen me in a crowd to know how I just stopped functioning. As I got older though, I saw how people who were considered "weird" were shunned or treated poorly. I vowed to never let anyone see this and slowly though high school I felt like the facade was slowly crumbling. There were a few days I had meltdowns and was very good at hiding when they happened. More days I shut off becoming almost catatonic and no one would notice. I would want to rock back and forth in my chair or listen to the same thing over and over again just to feel some sense of calm. There would be nights I would come home and lean against the door letting out a sigh feeling so exhausted that I would melt on the spot into the floor. Now after being diagnosed I realize that I have to be vulnerable which has been very hard to accept. I've spent a good stent in therapy working on some interpersonal skills I never really grasped. Very few friends know still about my diagnosis, but the ones who do try to make sure I am comfortable. I decided I want to write a book about my experiences and try to publish it before I graduate from high school. There are many people out there who are the same kind of different as me. I want to show them that even though empathy is not my strength, I understand. I am hoping to go to Kansas State University (one of my dream schools and a bit of a hyper fixation) to pursue a double major in nursing and kinesology with a minor in psychology and neuroscience. The minors are to better understand how my own mind works. My hope is to work with other pediatric autistic patients and be able to put it in a sensory terms that we both understand. I also think I could provide some reassurance to the parents as well. I believe I can provide some unique insight to this patient population!

I have autism, and I, too, have experienced bullying. People often like to pick on individuals who are different than them, and this spring, I was on the receiving end of this. It all started with a school group project that went awry. I was assigned to a group project, and I was excited for the creative opportunity. Unfortunately, the others in my group chose to not show up. A classmate asked how my project was coming along, and I responded, "My group hasn't shown up or participated." This was a true statement, but not well-received by my group when this information got back to them. In turn, they started spreading rumors about me and what a terrible person I was and how I hadn't let them participate in the project and that I was just trying to make them look bad. I was so confused, I work in a very logically oriented fashion, why blame me for something you did? They bombarded me with text message about what a terrible person I was, unrealistic group member, selfish, rude, and just wanting to make them look bad. The text messages just kept pouring in. I asked them to stop; however, it continued. 33 screen shots in all. I escalated things to my professor, because I was overwhelmed, sad, and unsure how to handle this barrage of terrible messages that created a lot of stress and inability to sleep. The professor called our group together, trying to address the issues in the group dynamic. Ultimately, she told my uncooperative group members to quit being problematic and forbid any communication with me. Also, she reminded me that people can be mean and difficult to work with - especially in a group setting. So, I blocked them both. We completed the project, but we have not spoken since then. To keep children/youth safe from bullying/cyberbullying, there need to be protections set in place online to help kids. My parents have adopted a "no social media" or "restricted social media" option. Many kids/teens are not mature enough to handle the responsibility of being online, and many would say things on there that they would never say in person. Based on my recent experience with being bullied via text message, I have no interest in social media. My time online is focused on educational things or Pinterest to gain inspiration for projects. A lot of the content online is toxic, and I do not want this nonsense in my head, so I am thankful my parents have set limitations online. With the bullying that occurred in person, I reached out to someone I trusted to help me sort this out. The teacher, my mother, and the administration at my school were each involved at some level to help me sort out this terrible situation. Despite everyone seeming to hate on me, I chose to be kind. In terms of volunteering, I have accumulated 275 hours over my high school career. Every year before school starts I volunteer to do childcare for the teacher inservice days. I love kids because they are so pure and innocent. I also volunteer at robotics competition days performing a variety of tasks. I encourage the team from my high school as well as others. Financially speaking, I have a small college fund in my name, but it is not enough to cover a year of school. This scholarship would help off-set the cost of college. I would like to graduate college debt free, so I do not have the stress of payments hanging over me as I launch my career.

Connections: Can you solve it before reading the rest of the essay? Sun Office John May Jada Rocking Cauli Hound Micheal W. Wall Folding Rogue Scoundrel Will Arm Canine Answer Key: Last name is Smith -- Jada, Will, Micheal W., John. These are all famous singers, actors, as well as people in history (John Smith). Since these are names and the rest of the words are nouns, I thought this would be an easy one to start with before requiring more critical thinking. Types of Flower -- Sun, Wall, May, Cauli. These are fill in the blanks stemming from the actual plants to the name of the ship and a common expression to shy people. This one is significantly harder seeming that the words have no connection otherwise or could be independent words except for "Cauli" which is only a portion of a word. ____ chair -- Office, Rocking, Folding and Arm. This is another fill in the blank section except it is different kinds of chairs commonly seen and referred to. It is simpler than the flower types but also mixes up some verbs and nouns which may throw people. Synonyms for Dog -- Hound, canine, rogue, scoundrel. Referring to the actual living animal and the expression "You dog". Each have differing origins from around the world (Archaic, Latin, among others. This one may be the hardest given that "dog" is used in two senses which may cause immense frustrations. As one who is ADHD, finding weird connections is something I find entertaining. Thank you, New York Times, for giving me something to do while I drink my coffee that doesn't prey on my terrible spelling.

His name was William David Harris -- protector, David for the king and named after my grandfather. We never called him that tough, William was too big a name for such a little guy, so we called him Liam, or as he referred to himself as "Lima". We were not biological siblings, but our bond goes deeper than blood. I was raised with my cousin via my mother's sister. Instead of just one sister, I became the second eldest of six (now eight, he now would have two younger siblings). However what tragedy would occur in his short life time would shape how I would discover my purpose even a decade later. I was four when he was born on a warm August afternoon in 2012. He was a big baby, healthy at just over nine pounds, his biological siblings and I absolutely adored him the day he came home from the hospital. When it was my turn to hold him, he went from fussy to completely calm and my aunt knew I had the master touch. We became the best of friends at just under five years apart, which is what made his loss so much harder to bear. Just before his second birthday, he had a black eye and his abdomen was all swollen. He had had hernia surgery relatively recently at the time, so we all assumed the surgery site was infected. My aunt took him to urgent care, but the results were so unexpected for such -- well, what we thought -- a healthy toddler. Liam has neuroblastoma stage IV -- a cancer which attacks the adrenal glands. By the time we discovered it, the tumor was the size of a cantaloupe and had spread everywhere. We had no idea, and were devastated;. Our Liam was not a quitter however, he fought gallantly for thirteen months before tragically passing six weeks after his third birthday on September 21, 2015. A failed bone marrow transplant, 13 rounds of chemo, and so many scans. I still remember barely processing my mother telling me that my best friend had departed from this world at four thirty that morning in his sleep. Peacefully and quickly and I thank God for not extending his suffering any longer than it had to be. He loved donuts, Curious George, pumpkin spice lattes "with an L on it" (his words, not mine), he was a Texas Ranger's fan -- we went to game for his Make-A-Wish. His mother however, was a chemist and did not know much about sports, so it became a bonding moment between my father and her to explain baseball. My family and I imagine him running the bases in heaven without pain or suffering. I guess the hard part is telling you how I felt after, to be honest, I barely remember. I spent a long stent in the hospital myself after and did not get to process really until about a year later. I was aloof, but seeing him in the PICU before he finally passed made me realize that I wanted to work in medicine. His eldest brother is becoming an oncologist and I, a nurse. Liam gave me and idea of what compassion and resilience looks like and that I apply to my life daily. Even though this world is now deprived a bright light, there were so many more people besides me affected by his life, he had to be with the angels to create saints here. I am so grateful for the short three years I had him on this earth to know him.

Starting the end of my freshman year, I was inducted into the National Honors Society. With them I have completed over 260 service hours since then. My favorite event I have gotten to help with though was childcare during staff development. It has become a tradition -- the last week of summer I spend with some really awesome kids who I teach and they teach me something too. Childcare is almost exactly what it sounds like, I take care of kids with usually two other teenagers and one or two older adults. It is like a full time job during that week -- eight to four-thirty. It is in a medium sized church not terribly far away from their parents at school decorating their rooms or going over safety plans for the year. We usually start the morning off playing games -- like Janga or war, it really depends what they are all in the mood for. Some mornings the girls and I made bracelets (which I still have hanging in my room and I smile every time I look at them). We talk about what they did over the summer and if they are ready for school yet ("NO!" a few cry as they sprawl against the table, "I want summer to last forever!"). Since we are in a church, then we go over a bible story -- which has taught me a lot and the kids too. After, we take them to the gymnasium adjoined to the church and let them run around -- often a game of soccer, basketball or simply a game of tag (I loose on purpose so they can have a little bit more fun). Then we watch a movies like after school specials before we play charades and have lunch, go to the gym again and play some more before finally they go home for the day and we clean up. My memories of doing childcare will always exist in what I see as an eternal state of innocence. I hope these kids can grow up as a result to help others and that teenagers are not as they are portrayed in the movies as these out of touch rebels. I want them to see that there are people who still as they grow up have the innocence of a child. That there are people who want to mentors to them and that they can pay it forward in the future. I hope we are inspiring the next generation of teachers and doctors as much as the teachers that they get to meet by the end of the week and learn from that year. I am so grateful I have had the opportunity for the last three years to encourage others and satisfy my own inner child.

There is something about that feeling of emptiness inside you. It is something you try so desperately to fill with things, like drugs, relationships that weren't so great, and maybe you leave it open just hope it consumes you someday rather quickly. I would say that my journey does not look the same as Ella's, or anyone else's for that matter, it is my story that I get to tell, it is a story of healing and redemption. My story involves Autism, which may not necessary fall under the mental health umbrella, but a lot the way I see the world through that lense makes it significantly harder on my mind and soul. As a little girl, my parents thought they had a perfectly healthy child, until my sister came along and they realized that I was not supposed to be this way. I hated day cares, loud noises, foods I did not recognize, and bright lights. My sister barely noticed these things, and it has always vaguely felt like a game of compare and contrast. We may have nearly identical faces, but we have very different temperaments as a result. My mother, the saint that she is, took me to three different psychologist before the age of ten, all of whom gave different results before finally trying to call it "OCD". But OCD -- obsessive compulsive disorder, has no sensory component, which is what everyone seems to miss yet is the biggest interference of my life. My parents went along with this for years until I did some digging on my own to figure out I aligned more with Autism in terms of traits. They never treated me differently, if anything, they protected me in some ways from the cruel world around me. Often times in school, as great a student as I was and still am, I frequently felt invisible in a room full of people who found me "odd", "quirky", or just "weird". I embraced these harsh words that seemed to hold a place into my soul eventually causing a sense of sadness that words cannot define. I panicked at buffet lines, crowded restaurants, lunchrooms or classes filled with substitute teachers. I came home after long days just longing to sleep off the sense of no belonging. While I am still waiting for the results after beginning to advocate for myself for more autism testing, I am starting to feel good enough, and climbing out of the depths. I have grown stronger, as life has dealt me a cruddy hand, I am not afraid anymore of it. I have gained resilience and a story that I carry with me everyday. I hope to work in medicine, which has been a field that has greatly impacted the way I think and see the world. It has given me hope to create a better tomorrow in an overwhelming place for people much like myself. I am going to go to school to get my bachelor's in nursing and Kinesiology with a minor in psychology -- to understand my brain and my patients as well. I am still recovering, I am staying away from the things that drug me down, dumped a group that got me into the mess in the first place. I also found an online support group I am becoming a part of slowly -- to have a community of people who have gone through something so similar is a gift that is priceless. Creative outlets like writing, art and becoming a violinist though, those have been the places I have been able to thrive in. With these, I can see the future growing brighter with every day becoming more limitless.

I would love to say spending the last decade with severe food allergies -- dairy, gluten, peanuts and tree nuts and digestive issues (Celiac and Eosinophilic Esophagitis) have been easy. If anything, it's been far from it. Those only scratch the surface. That is who I am on paper, what the medical records say. It's pages and pages found in a children's hospital's basement somewhere in a binder about two inches thick (lots of appointments). It took me a long time to learn this, but these are something I have, not what define me. Grand total for procedure numbers: I have had five biopsies, two allergy panels, four food/drug challenges, a barium swallow study, twenty five days in the hospital for refeeding syndrome plus a terrifying night from an anaphylactic incident, three total anaphylaxis accidents, two nasogastric tubes placed, finally spending three years in speech therapy, three and a half in occupation therapy and eleven months in physical therapy. It has been a lot and as a result I have gotten stronger. Other than influencing what I eat regularly, it has also encouraged me to be conscious of what makeup, pills, soaps and lotions I use. I got left out a lot as a kid, I could not eat, birthday parties were stressful, and even when I was a teenager, going over to people's houses and rejecting a home cooked meal was something I felt guilty over. I have also learned to self advocate -- I think I explain my issues at least once sometimes twice a day. Empathy is another thing that comes with the territory, I have learned it thoroughly spending time with people who fail to understand and filing it away to remind myself to be better. Over the past year with my most recent biopsy, I have decided to go into nursing, specifically pre-op/post-op or gastroenterology to pay it forward. Between periodic flares of both my Celiac and EoE, my GI team is always on my side to help me find the quickest solution to get them back under control. It has made me want to advocate more because not a lot of people know that those too are different forms of an allergy. I recently reached out to my high school to have a food allergy seminar where I share some of my own experiences to educate and empower others so that the world can be a safer place. I have also been nominated through the Food Allergy Resource and Education (FARE) organization as one of their "food allergy champions" -- a person who advocates and lives with this invisible disability. I hope in the future to keep advocating for myself and others and change the way we look at food allergies and help others.

My name is Amelia Parks, and this is the story of my own near death experience at sixteen. It has shaped my sense of gratitude and has made me so thankful that I am still here. It started with an accident. I have multiple food allergies, I carry an epipen and benadryl and they are never further than about twenty feet from me at any moment. I decided after a bible study to go to Smoothie King, my logic was "they had snacks that I couldn't enjoy, I'll get one that I can". I drove over to one that was about six miles from my house that was by the library where I had been. I walked in and disclosed right off "I have a dairy and gluten allergy" and ordered an angel foodie smoothie with oat milk. Unfortunately, this employee either misunderstood or didn't care and I was given whole milk instead. In retrospect, I should have been paying more attention to them make my drink, I took a sip decided we were good and hit the road. About three miles down the road I could feel it, my throat was closing slowly and I was alone. I popped to benadryl at a stop light and sped home in terror clenching the wheel. I was praying that nothing would happen while I was behind the wheel at least. I parked ran inside, my brain foggy from the shock setting in, saying "they messed up my order!" repeatedly. My mom took me into the light said I was gray, hit me with the epipens (my first time ever needing one), threw me in the car and started speeding off towards the children's hospital. It was a miracle I got home fast enough and I lived after two doses of epinephrine. I spent the night there, I could not sleep, I started to loose weight, I was angry. My parents said I disappeared, from being a happy healthy person into a shallow shell of who I was. I dissociated often and my straight As slipped into Cs. If that wasn't enough, I ended up contracted bronchitis for two weeks (a common complication) and then I found out I was allergic to the antibiotics that I was taking, my entire body looking like a tomato from the reaction. It was a lot, I was grateful, but wasn't sure why I had been left on this earth, what was the purpose? After my parents started to get worried we talked to my school's guidance counselor and she introduced me to TCHATT -- Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine, where I met my therapist Celes. I told Celes everything, from how I was scared to eat out again, how my friendships were falling apart, how I felt lost, and it felt like it was all my fault. We met every Thursday for two months. She told me I was extraordinary, that I had a right to be angry, and it wasn't my fault. She set me up with new tools to deal with my PTSD from this event. I now practice mindfulness regularly, I try to focus on the things I can control. I am now a happier, healthier and better version of myself. I figured out that I was left here to tell my story and advocate. I want to help people like all those doctors and nurses did to save my life. Even though my world was turned upside down, it was all for something good and I will forever be grateful.

I have always wanted to go into medicine. It was easy to admire such a noble profession since my mother was a dietitian at the children's hospital I was in when I was a little girl. She used to tell me stories about how she was on the cadaver dissection team and saving the day using her mathematical knowledge. The stories aren't the only reason I want to go into the field, it's my own experience too. I was a patient for over a decade at children's health through their gastroenterology (GI) program. For years, we didn't know what was wrong with me -- I would throw up after every meal, wasn't growing, refused to eat and my parents knew that I wasn't supposed to do that. Eventually after at the age of six I was able to verbalize what I felt my detective mom finally had the realization, "Oh, this is EoE!" EoE is short for Eosinophilic Esophagitis, a rare esophageal disorder. When a trigger food is consumed (for me, it is dairy), the white blood cells are sent to attack the esophagus causing me to throw up -- getting rid of the "invader". After four biopsies, we also discovered I had Celiac Disease (autoimmune gluten intolerance) and a fifth in my teens also confirmed acid reflux. When discovering this and cutting out the top six allergens (the six food elimination diet) and I slowly started to gain weight again, I had refeeding syndrome -- a metabolic disturbance from reintroducing food too quickly. These life altering matters never seemed to stop as I also was later diagnosed at age 13 with anaphylactic food allergies too (dairy, peanuts and treenuts). The scary adventure I had been on for over five years made me realize that I wanted to do something in medicine. It was what I was made for -- all these experiences I had, I can help someone else cope with these too. I didn't have anyone in my life who really understood the severity of my issues and I wanted to the person someday, who could help others with that too. After my last biopsy in November 2024, I knew I was called to nursing especially pre-op/post-op surgical care because of my nurse. Her name was Rebecca and she made me laugh and feel safe even though my world had been turned upside down after an anaphylactic attack a few months prior had potentially brought my EoE out of remission. Her kind actions showed me I had to pay it forward. My dream is to do the Pathway to Nursing through Kansas State and Wichita State Universities. I will obtain a bachelor of science in kinesiology, and a bachelor of science in Nursing with a minor in psychology. I hope to achieve this to help so many more people by being a beacon of light in their darkest times.

Tennis is something I have loved since the moment I stepped on the court the first time. I still remember, it was a hot July morning in Texas when my sister dragged me to a tennis camp with our mother's old racket from when she played in the early 2000s. It was a low attendence camp, which was a positive advantage for me so someone could show me the ropes without rushing me. The coaches taught me how to forehand, and not knowing my own strength, I hit it so hard that when it bounced, it richocheted off the far wall. One of the coaches gave me a slap on the back and told me I was a natural. From that moment, I was unstoppable. It gave me this feeling that I have been chasing forever. For me, that "feeling" is the satisfaction of hearing the ball slap against my racket as I overhead slam it back down on my opponent's side. Since my beginning of tennis, I've learned the true meaning of discipline-- weather aim or otherwise. I've learned how to be a good sport even if I've lost, stay respectful and work in a duo. This has influenced my work across the board -- I am better in groups now, stay calm even when things go south or when I can't nail the right amount of top spin I still think of ways to improve. It has taught me to triumph over injuries and brought my family closer together too. With my tennis team and love of kinesiology, I was the unofficial "nurse" who took care of people when they twisted their ankle, got a cramp, or pulled a muscle when I was the one injured. It made me realize that was what I was supposed to do. When I got back on the court for the first time again after that, I knew those memories of helping others while playing a sport I love would live in the back of my mind forever. I know it sounds a bit cliche, but tennis has shaped me into a better person. It has turned me into a better woman as a result. Tennis is a sport that has taught me true discipline, respect, teamwork and staying positive no matter what. I hope to be like the older couple I saw on the courts a few weeks ago getting a slow rally going, something I continue to love and play for the rest of my life.

As a child, I spent a lot of time in and around hospitals, my younger cousin, also one of my closest friends, tragically passed from cancer six weeks after his third birthday. Five days prior, I saw in the PICU, and I was mesmerized by the machines. Since then, I have spent a total of twenty-five nights in the hospital (referring syndrome) and one freak overnight accident (anaphylaxis). I also have had five biopsies, a barium swallow study, and countless specialist look at my case. Eventually, being diagnosed with a rare esophageal disorder (eosinophilic esophagitis), Celiac Disease, multiple food allergies, and sensory processing disorders, I realize that medicine was a fascinating subject. Every doctor and nurse in these hospitals were so kind and told me to keep fighting because I would get better. They were right and I aspire to be like that. I knew that was what my purpose was now, to help others and this was the way that I knew I was supposed to do it. After doing a bit of research during my beginning high school years, I strived after the Wichita State/Kansas State Pathway to Nursing Program. The Pathway to Nursing Program is a five year program where I would receive my bachelor's degree of choice as well as a Bachelor's in nursing from two different universities. In high school, I have already received almost twenty-four hours of credit going into school. I already am beginning to understand the basics of college while still living at home. I also spent three years in Occupational Therapy because of my own sensory processing issues, so I also plan on tacking on a minor in psychology. All of these will work together -- nursing, to apply what I know to treat the patients, kinesiology, to understand the body mechanics and psychology, knowing how to keep patients calm. Eventually I may aspire to a master's level of education depending on how my career begins to shake out. I never had Tebra Hopson, but I would have loved to have her as a teacher and see her put in to me a life long love of learning. I imagine her encouraging me not just to dream, but do. That's something I have and why I would like to continue my education, not just for college, but to keep learning even in the workforce and as long as I walk this earth.

The human mind is a very intricate piece of complex functions, seven trillion nerves each connecting to communicate to the body, the millions of neurons stretching to see, feel, hear, and connect us to memories and sensations that are on the verge of being indescribable. Now, imagine all those sensations multiplied by about two thousand, and it goes from being a miracle to pain quite regularly. I have lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area my entire life. Every thing is so bright, so loud, and there is so much to take in. It leaves me exhausted most days. Before my diagnosis, my parents thought I was overreacting or being dramatic, until the sweet, tender age of seven we didn't know what I had was (and described is) Sensory Processing Disorder. Now older, I have a deeper understanding of this disorder and the unique view point it has given me on the world. The one person I knew who would probably sympathize with it most is my grandfather - whom I lovingly refer to as my Opa, Colonel David L. Pointer. Opa served in the army for 28 1/2 years (1975-2003). He started out in Field Artillery, and eventually made his way into the Judge Advocate General Corps. A more stoic type who loves the outdoors, Opa helps and cares for others - whether replacing worn out fences for free or mowing lawns for people who could no longer do it themselves (or afford it), he has always been there for as long as I can remember. Even if it was a conversation about how I was mad at God, he simply sat and listened. I love my Opa to pieces, he is incredibly funny and had the servant's heart I now proudly wear on my sleeve. He and my grandmother, Oma, are part of the reason I want to do Occupational Therapy (OT). Oma has a background in psychology, and Opa loves to serve which lead me to the road of OT. After the death of my cousin, Liam, who was my closest childhood friend, Oma and Opa were the two people who could draw me out of my shell the easiest to see the only smile that Liam ever saw. Liam got me interested in medicine because of his cancer (stage IV neuroblastoma). With that background and my own personal experience of being an OT patient for 3 years, Oma and Opa encouraged me to go into that as my field. I am now a junior in high school trying to get all my things together to honor Liam's legacy and my grandparent's values. Occupational Therapy is my way of giving back to the world to tell kids who were in my shoes, "I understand, I've been there myself, I can show you how to cope." My grandparents continue to show me their servant's heart -- teaching me how to help, and now I can return the favor after I finish school.