When I was young, I used to research natural ways to cure cancer. I looked into alternatives like Vitamin B17 which is found in apricot seeds and the herb Mugwort (artemisia vulgaris). I have seen that these are now actually being talked about more due to their effects on cancer. From an early age, I wanted to use natural medicine to heal sicknesses and chronic diseases. I believed from the start that God has provided us with what we need to make medicine and heal people - whether that be naturally or supernaturally. My "Pie in the Sky" is to one day work as a physician assistant under an internist or ND, and treat people holistically with integrative medicine. To further this goal, I dream of being able to incorporate my faith in Christ in my practice. While I think this is the absolute best way to treat people - through prayer, healing hands, a balance of natural medicine, and a holistic approach - it presents many challenges for me. First, I imagine it being very difficult to combine faith and professional healthcare. The way the medical system is now does not give patients the attention, thoroughness, financial, and mental/emotional support that patients need. I would want my patients to know they not only have someone who will actively try to heal them, but someone they can confide in in their walk of faith and emotional strains through their health journey. I know a lot of people would build a good provider-patient relationship trusting that they are not isolated and have a shared faith with a health professional. Another challenge is the financial side of things. I dream of attending a Christian college to nurture my faith while I am continuing my education. After that, I will attend a PA school and complete my certifications. Both of these are expensive when I have no financial support from my family due to their own health issues. I am dependent on my hard work in achieving good grades and working diligently as a CNA and phlebotomist. While I would hope this could be enough, I need all the support I can get from external sources as well. To reiterate, my most desired dream is to combine faith and healing for people. I want to build connections with my patients and give them a place to be vulnerable physically and mentally. I view this as my ministry on earth and I believe it could be something that changes the approach to healthcare in the future. I want to advocate for people who feel overlooked with how medicine works today. Searching and researching the impacts of these healing properties and the chemistry of our bodies is incredible and has so much potential. I dream to cultivate a new atmosphere of healing in my work. My heart is to serve people in a brand new and deeper way. I believe this dream will be life-changing to so many hurting people and I will do everything within my reach to make it a reality.

My community has been an integral part to the formation of who I am and what my goals are. The most impactful part of my life has been the community of Christians I have around me. From growing up in an excellent Christian school (despite the financial toll it had on my parents), I have become a mature and well-educated young woman. It has built me to be a strong and Christ-empowered human being. This foundation for my life has directed me to live in an honorable and ambitious way. I have built the belief that anything is achievable with the Lord on my side and if the Creator of the universe is for me, who could stand against me? My family, who are also believers, made this possible for me and have each impacted my walk of faith in unique ways. All this will be a treasure to me throughout my entire life. One community that I love and am forever grateful for is my softball community. I have made so many friendships all over the Pacific Northwest region. Softball has taught me discipline, how to be unphased even in adversity or challenges, and to release the fear of failure. I have been a rock to multiple of my teammates as they have been for me when I needed them. The personal moments we have shared together are something I hold very dear to my heart. My teammates and I have witnessed some of each others moments of greatness and moments of failure, but we all still have love and respect for each other. These are things you can't find anywhere else. I have lost many friends with my transition from Cascade Christian to Logos Charter School, but I am still always close with the ones I have connected with through softball. I can always run into them at some point again whether it be at tournaments or playing each other in school ball. Some of my most valuable connections with people have been through this community and sport and it has shaped me in so many ways. With these two main communities in my life, I have found some pearls to carry into my future goals. First, I have learned the importance of being there for people when they really need it. I saw when my teammates or friends were at low places in their lives, and it put in me a heart of empathy. This has influenced my desire to support people emotionally and mentally in my future world of healthcare. I also have learned the importance of discipline and endurance. There have been times in my spiritual walk and in softball where I felt like I was being pushed to my limit; however, I learned that there is always the strength to push through and that it is crucial to have people to share these experiences with. This will be my encouragement when I face challenges in my education or in my career one day. While I could go on about what I have gained from these experiences, it is most important to me that I have left some good in the lives of the people I have met along the way. I hope most people I have met in these ways have seen a light in me and benefited in some way by their interactions with me. It is shocking how closely connected these two aspects of life are intertwined for me. I will unapologetically admit softball and my faith communities have made me the person I am today and I am proud of her.

I have had a very authentic relationship with Jesus ever since I was four years old. I had a joy for the coming of the Lord that was genuine and filled my soul to the brim. I would even make videos on my mom's phone talking about how much I loved Jesus, write songs, and make letters to Him. I went to Grace/Cascade Christian Schools from Pre-K to my sophomore year in high school. This built a strong foundation for my faith and educated me well in biblical truth. I also have grown up in a God-fearing family. I am so incredibly grateful for the life the Good Lord has given me and building me up in such a way as this. He gave me such a wonderful family and education to make me a solid person today. My faith has only grown more with the difficulties and trials I have faced in my life. A prime example is the divorce of my parents. As a child, it was always a burden to me even though they separated when I was only three. When I was in fifth grade, my parents went to court over time with me. It was a very difficult time for me but I immediately leaned on Christ the entire time. I went to a beautiful-hearted, Christian counselor who is one of my favorite people to this day. She helped me to turn away from people-pleasing and to align myself with God in my decision-making. I had to learn to voice my thoughts and be more confrontational. This was an immense growth period for me that brought me ever closer to Jesus and matured me spiritually. There have been much more trials in my life like health problems in my family and in myself, broken relationships, and seasons of dryness, but Jesus has never left me nor forsaken me. I cannot express how closely he has stayed with me in the midst of all my hurt in this world. Even at my lowest places, he picked me up and held me in his own arms. He has guided me so well and kept me on a straight path. It makes me emotional to even try to communicate how good the Lord has been to me. God has been with me notably in my education and in revealing my calling to me. I went to a youth even at the River Church in Salem Oregon and had the greatest experience of my life. A woman was getting words of knowledge over people. When I went up to the front, she told me that I had healing hands, that people would sense Jesus in me just by being in my presence, and that God has more for my life than I even know. What she didn't know was I was praying for these exact things months prior. This has directed me to pursue an education and career in healthcare. I have always wanted to include my faith in everything I do. This is why I hope to attend a Christian university that the Lord will lead me to choose. I think it will connect me with other believers and will filter what is being put into my mind. While this is a massive goal of mine, Christian schools are often expensive so I am trusting that God will provide the funds necessary for me to go where He chooses. Beyond education, I also want to incorporate faith in every way possible in my future practice. I truly believe Jesus has great things in store for me.

Ever since I was a little girl, watching Doc Mcstuffins on TV and researching cures for cancer, I wanted to become a doctor. I used to draw out plans for my future clinic and write the responsibilities for each of my staff members (my cousins at the time). As I have looked further into my options of careers in healthcare, I became really attracted to the idea of becoming a PA - especially working in holistic medicine. Keeping this dream in mind, I have also experienced multiple life events that have either confirmed this calling upon my life or made me all the more passionate about it. An example of these is watching my dad suffer from severe Rheumatoid Arthritis for as long as I have lived. I have had dreams of praying for his healing and he was healed. I hope to one day make this a reality. My sister has also suffered from a rare parasitic infection called Bartonella. This has affected my mom's entire household significantly due to the emotional, mental, and financial effects it has on all of us. Lastly, my nephew Grayson had infant botulism when he was six months old. He was life-flighted to Doernbecher Hospital in Portland Oregon and thankfully recovered. He is now ten years old and autistic. Being exposed to hurting people that I love dearly has increased my empathy for people and has given me a heart to help people in every way possible. I also have gone to several church events that have confirmed that God has a calling of healing and educating over my life. I hope to give my future patients a completely different encounter with treating their illnesses. I will prioritize being thorough, empathetic, and always continuing to learn. I want to be supportive to my patients in every way; not just physically, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually. I think there is so much more that healthcare providers can offer to people in their pain. I want to be a light to each of my patients and help their bodies become rebalanced. Especially as a women, I think I can offer not only logical and practical treatment plans, but the communication and sensitivity that patients often look for, but have difficulty finding. In effort to accomplish this purpose of mine, I am about to enter a phlebotomy internship and begin CNA classes. I already loved phlebotomy school and know I am made for this kind of field. These experiences will be excellent preparation for me and making my goals my reality in the future. All in all, with the things I have witnessed personally, the track that I am on, the hard work I'm doing to get where I want to be, I know I will do great things in the future - more than I can even imagine now.