Both as a follower of Christ and as an aspiring healthcare professional, I place a strong emphasis on serving others. Over the last few years, I have formed an immense passion for philanthropy work. This passion has developed into leadership roles and internship opportunities that have fostered my growing interest in healthcare, ultimately leading to my decision to pursue a career as a nurse. I originally hail from a rural town in Southern Oklahoma, where I lived for many years before moving to Denison for better education opportunities. My background as a citizen of a rural community has been the foundation for my passion to pursue higher education, especially influencing my decision to go into healthcare. As I have witnessed the preceding classes of my high school go to college and earn their degrees, I have yet to see many return to their hometown to give their talents back to the community that raised them. However great my desire to leave my rural community and seek educational opportunity, my desire to return as an educated individual is greater. Whenever students leave their rural hometowns to pursue education and fail to return permanently, rural communities stay at a disadvantage. They are left in a vicious cycle that continues to widen the urban-rural education divide. Consequently, healthcare in these communities continues to be less accessible and reliable. My rural Oklahoma hometown doesn’t have any hospitals, clinics, or health departments. Many people have to travel to the neighboring town to access a clinic, two towns to access a hospital, and sometimes hours to receive specialized treatment. I have a passion to change this, I believe that the divide between rural education and healthcare can be filled. As a student from a rural community who is actively seeking a career in healthcare, it is my intent to return to my community as an educated individual who can provide healthcare opportunities in a place that is lacking. This is where my purpose and my passion meet in a way that has potential to make a big impact on a community that means so much to me. I will make a difference in the lives of the citizens of rural communities by meeting the growing need for healthcare professionals, and making care more accessible. By providing exceptional healthcare and serving the people of my community, I can make a difference in the lives of patients and even other aspiring healthcare professionals. All it takes is the implementation of one clinic to create a demand for jobs in a rural area. Students will realize that they don’t have to leave their hometown to find work, and will subsequently continue the growth of rural healthcare, a change I hope to see grow and inspire in my career.

Both as a follower of Christ and as an aspiring healthcare professional, I place a strong emphasis on serving others. Over the last few years, I have formed an immense passion for philanthropy work. This passion has developed into leadership roles and internship opportunities that have fostered my growing interest in healthcare, ultimately leading to my decision to pursue a career as a nurse. I originally hail from a rural town in Southern Oklahoma, where I lived for many years before moving to Denison for better education opportunities. My background as a citizen of a rural community has been the foundation for my passion to pursue higher education, especially influencing my decision to go into healthcare. As I have witnessed the preceding classes of my high school go to college and earn their degrees, I have yet to see many return to their hometown to give their talents back to the community that raised them. However great my desire to leave my rural community and seek educational opportunity, my desire to return as an educated individual is greater. Whenever students leave their rural hometowns to pursue education and fail to return permanently, rural communities stay at a disadvantage. They are left in a vicious cycle that continues to widen the urban-rural education divide. Consequently, healthcare in these communities continues to be less accessible and reliable. My rural Oklahoma hometown doesn’t have any hospitals, clinics, or health departments. Many people have to travel to the neighboring town to access a clinic, two towns to access a hospital, and sometimes hours to receive specialized treatment. I have a passion to change this, I believe that the divide between rural education and healthcare can be filled. As a student from a rural community who is actively seeking a career in healthcare, it is my intent to return to my community as an educated individual who can provide healthcare opportunities in a place that is lacking. This is where my purpose and my passion meet in a way that has potential to make a big impact on a community that means so much to me. I will make a difference in the lives of the citizens of rural communities by meeting the growing need for healthcare professionals, and making care more accessible. By providing exceptional healthcare and serving the people of my community, I can make a difference in the lives of patients and even other aspiring healthcare professionals. All it takes is the implementation of one clinic to create a demand for jobs in a rural area. Students will realize that they don’t have to leave their hometown to find work, and will subsequently continue the growth of rural healthcare, a change I hope to see grow and inspire in my career. I found out about this scholarship through my "matched scholarships" on bold.org.

Both as a follower of Christ and as an aspiring healthcare professional, I place a strong emphasis on serving others. Over the last few years, I have formed an immense passion for philanthropy work. This passion has developed into leadership roles and internship opportunities that have fostered my growing interest in healthcare, ultimately leading to my decision to pursue a career as a nurse. I originally hail from a rural town in Southern Oklahoma, where I lived for many years before moving to Texas for better education opportunities. My background as a citizen of a rural community has been the foundation for my passion to pursue higher education, especially influencing my decision to go into healthcare. As I have witnessed the preceding classes of my high school go to college and earn their degrees, I have yet to see many return to their hometown to give their talents back to the community that raised them. However great my desire to leave my rural community and seek educational opportunity, my desire to return as an educated individual is greater. Whenever students leave their rural hometowns to pursue education and fail to return permanently, rural communities stay at a disadvantage. They are left in a vicious cycle that continues to widen the urban-rural education divide. Consequently, healthcare in these communities continues to be less accessible and reliable. My rural Oklahoma hometown doesn’t have any hospitals, clinics, or health departments. Many people have to travel to the neighboring town to access a clinic, two towns to access a hospital, and sometimes hours to receive specialized treatment. I have a passion to change this, I believe that the divide between rural education and healthcare can be filled. As a student from a rural community who is actively seeking a career in healthcare, it is my intent to return to my community as an educated individual who can provide healthcare opportunities in a place that is lacking. This is where my purpose and my passion meet in a way that has potential to make a big impact on a community that means so much to me. I will make a difference in the lives of the citizens of rural communities by meeting the growing need for healthcare professionals, and making care more accessible. By providing exceptional healthcare and serving the people of my community, I can make a difference in the lives of patients and even other aspiring healthcare professionals. All it takes is the implementation of one clinic to create a demand for jobs in a rural area. Students will realize that they don’t have to leave their hometown to find work, and will subsequently continue the growth of rural healthcare, a change I hope to see grow and inspire in my career. While I do not currently have clinical or medical experience directly, I am currently working on getting my CNA with the intent to find an internship or shadowing experience. Last summer I attended a Summer Nursing camp at The University of Mary Hardin Baylor where we spent a week living like nursing students, working through simulation labs and skill labs. This experience has given me the confidence to know I will succeed as a Nursing student in college.

Both as a follower of Christ and as an aspiring healthcare professional, I place a strong emphasis on serving others. Over the last few years, I have formed an immense passion for philanthropy work. This passion has developed into leadership roles and internship opportunities that have fostered my growing interest in healthcare, ultimately leading to my decision to pursue a career as a nurse. I originally hail from a rural town in Southern Oklahoma, where I lived for many years before moving to Denison for better education opportunities. My background as a citizen of a rural community has been the foundation for my passion to pursue higher education, especially influencing my decision to go into healthcare. As I have witnessed the preceding classes of my high school go to college and earn their degrees, I have yet to see many return to their hometown to give their talents back to the community that raised them. However great my desire to leave my rural community and seek educational opportunity, my desire to return as an educated individual is greater. Whenever students leave their rural hometowns to pursue education and fail to return permanently, rural communities stay at a disadvantage. They are left in a vicious cycle that continues to widen the urban-rural education divide. Consequently, healthcare in these communities continues to be less accessible and reliable. My rural Oklahoma hometown doesn’t have any hospitals, clinics, or health departments. Many people have to travel to the neighboring town to access a clinic, two towns to access a hospital, and sometimes hours to receive specialized treatment. I have a passion to change this, I believe that the divide between rural education and healthcare can be filled. As a student from a rural community who is actively seeking a career in healthcare, it is my intent to return to my community as an educated individual who can provide healthcare opportunities in a place that is lacking. This is where my purpose and my passion meet in a way that has potential to make a big impact on a community that means so much to me. I will make a difference in the lives of the citizens of rural communities by meeting the growing need for healthcare professionals, and making care more accessible. By providing exceptional healthcare and serving the people of my community, I can make a difference in the lives of patients and even other aspiring healthcare professionals. All it takes is the implementation of one clinic to create a demand for jobs in a rural area. Students will realize that they don’t have to leave their hometown to find work, and will subsequently continue the growth of rural healthcare, a change I hope to see grow and inspire in my career.