I have always been an empathetic and caring person. In fact, I think that would be the most used words when describing me, hardworking being a close second, if you asked any of my friends. Throughout my childhood and through my first undergraduate degree, I competitively swam. Years of early morning swimming practices and balancing academics taught me discipline, focus, and resilience. I still love swimming, and I find that anytime I get back in the water I center myself. Being an athlete growing up instilled a passion for being active which I maintain to this day. Additionally, growing up in Alaska made me appreciate the outdoors. I love to get outside hiking and remember how small I am in this big, beautiful world. Sports have been a big part of my life, but at my core I am an intellectual person. Throughout my high school and college career, a love for science was fostered by my family and teachers. I found that I loved how things worked. This often-solidified knowledge and helped me understand the world around me. I began my first undergraduate degree in biochemistry in 2015, and during my second year my grandmother suddenly declined from complications of colon cancer. I happened to be at a swim meet when I got a call from my mother in Alaska that she was admitted to the hospital, and her prognosis was poor. Sitting in the locker room, still in my racing suit, I had so many thoughts of racing through my mind. One bubbled to the surface “how did this happen?" To my surprise someone on the other end of the speaker phone answered me. It was the nurse that was taking care of my grandmother, and she explained that she was septic, meaning that an infection had spread to her blood, and she was not responding to treatment. Her explanation and kindness slightly calmed the storm that was my thoughts at the time, and I carried that with me for several years. Shortly after my grandmother passed, I became very interested in colon cancer. I even made it the subject of many of my biochemistry undergraduate degree projects. At the time, I was certain that I wanted to work in a lab and possibly move on to a master's degree or PhD to contribute to the innovation of new pharmacological agents and treatments, hat is until I actually worked in a lab during my last semesters of my undergraduate degree. I found that I loved the logical processing and science, but I felt the work was too slow moving and I missed interacting with people. This led me to work as a medical assistant, a role I have now held for almost five years. It was through hands-on patient care that I discovered how deeply I value connecting with patients, supporting them during vulnerable moments, and helping them understand their health. This realization inspired me to pursue a nursing degree, a field that allows me to combine my love of science with my passion for serving others. I am now in my first semester of nursing school while working part time, and I feel energized and grateful to be following this path. After graduating, I hope to work at one of the major hospitals in Colorado Springs, giving back to the community I live in. My goal is to provide the same empathetic, thorough care that I witnessed from the nurse who cared for my grandmother. I hope to support patients and their families in their most challenging moments and contribute positively to the health of my community through compassion and education.

Growing up in Alaska provided me with some of the most amazing outdoor experiences that I could ever ask for. As I grew up, I was taught to admire, enjoy, and maybe even fear mother nature. When I graduated high school, I knew that, if I moved, I needed to move somewhere that allowed me to maintain my outdoor activities like hiking and skiing. Colorado was an obvious choice for me, and I have honestly never looked back. I love the versatility in the things that I can do here in Colorado, and I have been exposed to new experiences like via ferratas and white-water rafting. Colorado has my heart, but my most memorable outdoor experience still comes from Alaska when I was younger. I went on my first backpacking trip when I was seventeen with three of my closest friends. It was only a seven-mile hike to the campsite, and we had planned plenty of provisions for the next two days. The thing we didn’t plan for was the snow in late June. It got cold and wet fast. When we got to the campsite, it was far too windy to use our camp stove in the brush for fear of starting a wildfire. Cold and a little bit worn out, my friends and I crawled into our tent for cold, cured sausages and some bread (if you asked me at the time, it was the best meal I had ever tasted). We weathered the small June snowstorm in sleeping bags and multiple layers, and when the wind died down, we decided to leave the tent and explore a bit. The landscape had changed so much with just a dusting of snow. The sky had a blue/gray hue to it and the creek nearby seemed to run a little slower. We enjoyed a quiet walk by the creek and talked about the things that seventeen-year-olds are worried about. I remember feeling so at peace with the people that I cared about in a place so beautiful; after having arrived in frustration with the way the weather seemed to have ruined our plans. In the end, I had more fun and enjoyed my time in nature more than a lot of trips that have gone perfectly to plan. I was able to look up at the mountains and feel so tiny in this huge world that I get to live in. I learned that there is joy and beauty in the unknown, especially when it comes to the outdoors, and it is important to embrace the things that we cannot control. Looking back on this experience reminds me to take a moment and be grateful for the things that I think might be going wrong, or not exactly to plan. I remember that, sometimes, beauty in experiences comes from the places that we are and the people that we are with. Going through life with this mindset has allowed me to be flexible and pivot when life demands it, while also remaining thankful for the things that I have. I also will never forget to pack warm weather/waterproof gear just in case.