Nursing has always been a career I dreamed of pursuing. After experiencing long visits to the doctors office and the hospital when I was younger and seeing how the nurses would treat me always made me feel better. I grew interested in wanting to do the same for patients in my future. Volunteering at Providence Memorial Hospital strengthened that dream for me. Because of my experience and my volunteer work, I am convinced that my academic goal is to become a nurse. Though I have always been interested in the arts, I began thinking of pursuing a career in nursing after I began volunteering at Providence Memorial Hospital. While volunteering at the hospital, I was placed in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit as well as Central Supply (a department where all the medical supplies were stored and delivered to different departments). I was held accountable for filing, answering phone calls, and restocking different units. I was able to learn from my surroundings but when I was presented with the opportunity to enter the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, was the moment I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My goals for my education are to earn my bachelors in nursing and then continue by earning a masters in neonatal nursing. In order to get ahead and eventually get admitted into the nursing program, I plan on starting my college education during the summer and then follow that up by taking all the prerequisite courses along with my basic courses. I will be the first in my family to earn a bachelor's degree in nursing giving me the motivation to get through these next four years and to also push myself to further my education by obtaining a master’s in neonatal nursing. Throughout my high school experience, I’ve always been a student that loves the arts. After being in marching band, choir, dance, theatre, and film club, I have learned how to work with others as a team while also learning about time management and empathy. Obtaining these skills at a young age has helped shape my future as a nurse. Because of my previous experiences, I will have the strength of working with other nurses and patients and my empathy for others will ensure my patients' health is always a top priority. Becoming a neonatal nurse will always be my dream career. The only way I will be able to achieve that goal is by earning a scholarship. I lived my childhood in poverty and did not have motivation to try in school until I became a young adult, who strives for a higher education, which has shown me my growth in my mindset. I have become determined, conscientious, and diligent throughout my last four years of high school, and even when life has pushed me down, I get back up and work even harder. Earning this scholarship will allow me to become more determined toward my future.