My name is Audrey Jacobs. I have always wanted to be apart of the medical field, as well as the environment of becoming a true leader and advocate for others to rely on. My grandparents have played a huge role in how I’ve viewed my life while growing up. My grandma acted as my second mother. She was there day in and day out, from picking me up from school, to teaching me how to bake chocolate chip cookies. The best way of course. My grandpa was always a leader in the family. He acted as the glue by holding us together, especially after my parents went through a divorce. As I grew older, I looked up to them even more, but as they grew older I noticed things weren’t as easy. Instead of helping me bake the cookies, I was doing it all by myself for them. My grandma has undergone multiple replacements as well as experienced serve arthritis. This truly made me understand the importance of giving back. Individuals go through their entire life doing things for themselves, but as we age, the simplest tasks become difficult. Seeing this first hand helped me to discover a new world. I immediately decided to enroll into the Health Occupations program at our local hospital, and began my dream future. Helping others complete day to day tasks, while also putting a smile on their face helped to put an even bigger expression on my values throughout life. My mother refers to me as “the helper in the family”. As I grow up, I see the truth behind those words. Helping others has never been a task to me, it’s a joy in my life. My high-school has given me the biggest opportunity by offering a Certified Nursing Program through our local community college. Throughout this class I have discovered ways to get hands on experience as well as receiving my CNA license. I have decided to pursue this and take on a job at my local assisted living facility and start off as a resident aide. Except this isn’t just a job to me, this is my love, my dream, and my life. My sister has been a huge role model for me as she has also decided to pursue children’s health and is now ok her third year in a nursing program. As the work may be hard, the experiences are beyond rewarding. I am forever thankful that my younger self got to see the work behind helping and assisting others. This will always make me who I am, and who I aspire to be. I will be graduating high school and leaving old memories and friends behind, but as I move forward in life, I cannot wait to see what the future will hold for me. I am planning on majoring in nursing and have been accepted into Illinois State as well as the nursing program. After I graduate, I plan to receive my RN and take on a job while I prepare to beging nursing school in hopes to become a labor and delivery nurse. This has been a dream of mine since I have been young. Not only am I there for the mother while she experiences one of the most important days of her life, but also at the beginning of a brand new life from a newborn. I choose this field for others, but more importantly I choose this field for myself. I choose to make a difference in this world and the experiences others will undergo. Thank you for this opportunity! Sincerely, Audrey Jacobs