On August 2, 2020, my stepmother was rushed into the OR to have an emergency C-section. Her body was beginning to fail, and it was time for the baby to come, four months early. The doctors had told her that she needed to be prepared to say goodbye, but my brother came into this world ready to fight. My brother, Evan, weighed only 13 ounces at birth and was in the NICU at Penn State Hershey Medical Center for 165 days. While we were amid COVID-19, my parents went and visited him every day, but I was not allowed. For 165 days, I watched my little brother battle to survive through a phone screen. He had dozens of procedures and surgeries performed to keep him alive. I would often have conversations with my parents about the individuals on Evan’s care team. While I heard about the surgeons, neonatologists, and respiratory therapists, it was always the nurses they talked about the most. Evan’s treatment plan was primarily designed by the medical team, but it was the nurses, and nurse practitioners, who executed that plan. They were by his side 24 hours a day, monitoring his breathing, administering medication, and comforting him. They were the individuals my parents called in the middle of the night when they couldn’t sleep and wanted to check-in. These nurses dared to believe that a 13-ounce baby would live. They dared to believe that a baby whose lungs were subjected to months of ventilator assistance would one day breathe on their own. They dared to believe that his intestines, parts of which were disjoined and diseased, would one day function independently. Today, Evan is a happy, healthy three-year-old. I love him so much. While some developmental challenges remain, he is a very personal reminder of what can happen when have bold ambitions. After seeing the miracle and the impact that these professionals had on my baby brother, I knew that the healthcare field was meant for me; I want to have the same impact on others. As a nurse, I will have the unique opportunity to serve patients during some of the most challenging times of their lives. I hope to model the principle of cura personalis, recognizing that I have the ability not only to impact my patients’ physical health but also their whole person. I want patients to leave our time together feeling valued, important, and cared for. It’s often the subtle acts of service that have the biggest impact…listening, holding a hand, helping someone laugh, or offering words of affirmation. Not only do I intend to serve others individually in a clinical setting, but I also aspire to serve society broadly through research. My experience as a Research Intern at the Penn State College of Medicine has ignited an excitement for research that I hope to carry into my career. In medicine, our knowledge base and treatment approaches should always be improving and expanding, and I want to make contributions in this space.