There is a societal belief that those in poverty are undeniably responsible for their situation. It is a lie. When people ask for proof, I want desperately to show them my workplace for one day. I work for the Boys and Girls Club of America, an after school program primarily attended by children from low-income families. It is locate in a small midwestern town in which less than 15% of the population is African-American. 90% of my students are African-American. Another 5% are mixed. My workplace is a current example of a systemic racism and generational poverty in the United States. If the statistics are not convincing enough, I have stories that should be. I had a middle school girl who wanted to pursue Nursing, the same career I am currently pursuing. She confided in me that she knew it was not possible. She knew that she would not be able to go to college. No one in her family ever had. She spoke about how she was so busy caring for younger siblings that she got behind on school work, and tutoring cost too much to be an option. There was no hope when she spoke to me. I sat there and told her how much of a lie it was, how middle school was practice for high school, that if she wanted to go to college, she could be the first. The systemic racism that brought these children to my workplace cannot be fixed in the three hours I have with the children after school. The generational poverty can be fixed. I continue to show up each day and encourage these kids, compliment them on their talents, reward them for acts of service and build their confidence in their ability to do well in school. I have so many kids who ask for help with their homework who are capable and intelligent students but lack confidence and no one at home is there to encourage them. A ten year old asked me for help with homework last week. She skipped out on a fun activity because she wanted to do homework with me because she told me no one at home would help her. She did not need my help. She knew the answers. All she needed was encouragement. The reason she had homework is because she had not been completing it, when she has doubts at home she gave up. She had the right answer but she was not confident and no one else seemed to have enough confidence in her to sit down and work with her so she gave up. I show up to work everyday because I know I making a difference. One encouraging conversation at a time, I am making a difference. These kids are not unintelligent, they are not trouble makers, they simply have no one in their life who is willing to guide them down a path to success. The generational poverty continues because that is all these kids have ever know and all they have ever been told is possible. I am working to end that by acting as an example of a working college student while providing them with the encouragement they need to pursue their career goals and passions.

People are my passion. I say that with sincerity. I always knew I wanted to work with people. In my job, in my free time. I want to make a difference. A am a firm believer in leading by example. The area of my community I am most involved in currently is education. I work at the Boys & Girls Club. If you’ve ever been a part of the organization you’d know that staff members have an astronomical influence on the kids that attend club. Many of these kids lack good role models. I have the unique opportunity to be that role model for them. I show up every day and make it clear that I care for them but I still set boundaries. I make it clear to them that the rules I have in place are to help protect them and allow them to be successful. I had a conversation with a middle school girl the other day. I am currently in college to receive my BSN. She asked about it, she said she wanted to be a Nurse but did not believe she would be successful in college because no one in her family ever had been. I was there to encourage her to pursue college and pursue her interests. I was able to use my own experiences with working hard and school and working everyday to get myself through college. I was honest and genuine about how it took work but it was achievable. I could tell no one had said that to her before. Everyone else talked about the work it took I’m a way that made it seem unachievable to her. It’s those conversations that I hope are having a positive impact. I want the younger generation to have the hope that as of now, many of them seem to be lacking. I hope to continue to influence people in my career. I chose Nursing because it is an influential career. I want to encourage and assist people in the tough parts of life. I want to provide them with the same hope I have provided the kids at work. Working in my community at the Boys & Girls Club solidified my desire to work hard in Nursing school so I can continue to have an impact. Nursing is so ideal for me because I can use it to impact any community I become a part of. Health is necessary in all places and situations. There are nurses needed in places you do not always expect. This summer I work at a camp and even there I was able to use the skills I learned while pursuing Nursing. I want to have the skills to impact every community I am a part of. I already have the passion. Now all that is left is continuing my education and developing the skills necessary to apply that passion.

One of my greatest joys in life, I have carried with me from a young age is running. It is such a basic human skill but I have always loved it. As a child, I ran around my neighborhood, I ran in open fields by my house, around lakes and in parks, exploring the workd around me. When I reached late elementary school I joined an after school program where we would run and then participate in a 5k at then of the year. I ran my first 5k at nine years old, I love it. My passion evolved into track and middle school, but track never truly satisfied me. I lived running because I wanted to explore places when I ran. In high school I participated in cross country for the first. Not only did I enjoy the long-distance grass courses of cross country, I was good at it. Senior year of high school I won my first race. It was on course full of hills. I was a unique type of cross country runner because I loved hills. They’re an undervalued part of nature. My best times were never on flat courses. I love the feeling of putting everything you have into an uphill and almost falling downhill, letting it all go. It made me feel alive. Winning the race was secondary to the simply enjoyment of running across hills of grass, not caring if I fell. I'm in college now. I run on my own. Its the only reason I know my way around campus. I love seeing the trees as they change color on the trails I run. I love watching people around campus. Running is a simple human action thar allows me to explore and I continue to find joy in it each day.

The quality I learned about about myself is my ability to persevere. It can be seen in everything I do. My primary sport in high school was Cross Country. It required perseverance that I, at times, did not know if I had, but I did it. I ran for all four years, I went to the extra practices, I ran on my own each Saturday before my part-time job. I fought through injuries and quarantine and still made it to state my senior year. Despite my doubts, I did it. I persevered and achieved my goal. I persevere even without accountability. The summer before my senior year I got it in my head that I wanted to climb to the top of a mountain. So, I drove from Missouri to Colorado and summited Mount Elbert, the highest point in the Rocky Mountains that same summer. It wasn't easy. People often speak metaphorically about "false summits" but I never appreciated the metaphor until I actually experienced one. You think you can see the top but once you reach it there is another ahead of you. I appreciate the phrase more now. It is through these experiences that I have learned to value that aspect of my personality. I am glad to be gifted with the ability to persevere through difficult situations. Without discovering that I might not even have ended up as a Nursing major. The reason I believe in myself is because I know how I can persevere even through the hard parts of Nursing school and the career itself. I know now that perseverance is a strong quality of mind. Life would be much different had I never discovered and used that skill.

One of my greatest joys in life, I have carried with me from a young age is running. My family implemented in me a love for exploring the world around me from a young age. I found my desire to explore satisfied through running. I ran around my neighborhood, I ran in open fields by my house, around lakes and in parks. When I reached late elementary school I joined an after school program where we would run in preparation for a 5k at then of the year. I ran my first 5k at nine years old. My passion evolved into track and middle school, but track never truly satisfied me. I wanted to go places when I ran. My passion for running grew in high school when I participated in cross country for the first. Not only did I enjoy the long-distance grass courses of cross country, as it turns out, I was good at it. Senior year of high school is the year I won my first race. It was on course full of hills. Hills were known to be the worst enemy for most cross country runners. I was unique, I loved hills. My best times were never on flat courses. I love the feeling of putting everything you have into an uphill and almost falling downhill, letting it all go. I won that race because of the hills. As soon as the hills came, I put distance between myself and the second runner. I came first, I would have been happy either way, I did enjoy the competition but as long as I knew I ran my best, I was satisfied. I'm in college now. I run on my own. Its the only reason I know my way around campus. Running continues to bring me joy.

More than anything else, I hope to use my experiences, good and bad, to benefit the lives of others. I believe that people often get so caught up in global issues that they neglect the ways they can impact the communities of people around them. I am pursuing a degree in Nursing because I want to place myself in a community where I can help people, a community in which I have an impact on people's lives every single day. If my legacy is as small as making someone more comfortable in their final moments, then I am okay with that. I chose Nursing to help people but that is not to say it is the only way I can impact people. I am having an impact on the lives of children at my current job. I had a conversation the other day with a middle school girl who spoke to me about her dreams of going to college. No one in her family has ever done it. The opportunity to encourage children to pursue their goals is given to everyone who has ever interacted with a child. If my legacy is no more than on reason among a long list of reasons a child pursues higher education, then I would be overjoyed. I want to leave my legacy behind with every interaction I have. I want to share experiences with people. I may not save the world but if I can help a few, I will be happy.

I ran cross country all four years of high school. Running had always been a passion of mine. My freshman year I found out that not only did I love it, I was good at it. Unfortunately, I was still participating in Soccer at that time so I could not participate in district competition. I told my coaches that the next year I would dedicate all of my time to cross country. Sophomore year of high school comes around. I quit Soccer to focus on running. I was determined to not only compete at districts, but to qualify for the next level of competition. I practiced as hard as I could. I ran the first race of the season. My time had improved. I felt good about my chances. Later that same week, I broke my tailbone. At first I though it was going to be minor. By the time practice came around at the end of the day, I could not walk. I was out for a month. I missed race after race. By the time I recovered, I had slowed down significantly. Only a few weeks from districts, I started to lose hope. I blamed myself for being careless, for not doing everything I could during recovery. Then, less than a month out, I began to pick up speed. My race times improved. I realized there was nothing I could do about my injury now, it happened, I had to move on. I ran my heart out at that district competition. I improved my time from before my injury by over a minute. I was the second to last person to qualify. I ran at sectionals and it felt so good, knowing how I persevered to get there.

People are venerable. Their lives can be changed by the smallest of acts. It is always my goal to live selflessly. I want to help people in any way that I can. To give my time and energy to some is often one of the most rewarding things I have the opportunity to do. I give my time to people. I give them my attention and encouragement. Currently I work with children that more often than not, have bad home lives. I give by providing them with my time, my attention, by acting as one of the only positive role models they have. I am continuing my habit of giving my time and energy to people by pursuing a career in Nursing. I love helping people, my care is a form of giving. People often are misled and think money is the only way to express generosity. To believe that is to not recognize what the people around you have selflessly done for you. I know for a fact I would not be here today if I did not have people who gave their time and energy to me. I want to help people because I know what it feels like to be without help and I know what it feels like when you finally receive it. I will continue to give people time, energy and attention. The outcome does not matter, as long as I tried and gave everything I could, because I know that I would want the same.

More than anything else, I hope to use my experiences, good and bad, to benefit the lives of others. I believe that people often get so caught up in global issues that they neglect the ways they can impact the communities of people around them. I am pursuing a degree in Nursing because I want to place myself in a community where I can help people, a community in which I have an impact on people's lives every single day. If that impact is as small as making someone more comfortable in their final moments, then I am okay with that. I chose Nursing to help people but that is not to say it is the only way I can impact people. I am having an impact on the lives of children at my current job. I had a conversation the other day with a middle school girl who spoke to me about her dreams of going to college. No one in her family has ever done it. The opportunity to encourage children to pursue their goals is given to everyone who has ever interacted with a child. If my impact on the world is no more than on reason among a long list of reasons a child pursues higher education, then I would be overjoyed. I want to leave an impact on people everywhere I go. I want to share experiences with people. I may not save the world but if I can help a few, I will be happy.

The best way to live along life is to take care of yourself. That sounds simple but many people neglect to do so. People tend to view each aspect of health as separate from one another, in reality, they work together to impact your quality of life. Take eating as an example. If you neglect to eat, you will feel tired. You may take a nap during the day which will them impact you ability to maintain a healthy sleeping schedule which in turn will affect your mood and motivation to perform basic activities like eating. It is a cycle of unhealthy choices and it takes identifying the issue and learning to care about all aspects of health to notice that cycle. There needs to be balance in your life. If you exercise but do not eat healthy foods, it will affect the quality of your exercise, the two aspects of health rely on one another. Additionally, anything can be unhealthy if not done in moderation. It goes beyond physical health. Your mental health relies on your physical health and social health and vice versa. The best way to live a long healthy life is to live life in balance. Take care of yourself and recognize that a symptom like fatigue can be connected to more than how many hours of sleep you get each night. If you put an effort into maintaining each aspect of your life and finding the balance that works for you, then you have the best potential to live a long, happy and healthy life.

I ran cross country all four years of high school. Running had always been a passion of mine. My freshman year I found out that not only did I love it, I was good at it. Unfortunately, I was still participating in Soccer at that time so I could not participate in district competition. I told my coaches that the next year I would dedicate all of my time to cross country, but that was not quite the turn around point. Sophomore year of high school comes around. I quit Soccer to focus on running. I was determined to not only compete at districts, but to qualify for the next level of competition. I practiced as hard as I could. I ran the first race of the season. My time had improved. I felt good about my chances. Later that same week, I broke my tailbone. At first I though it was going to be minor. By the time practice came around at the end of the day, I could not walk. I was out for a month. I missed race after race. By the time I recovered, I had slowed down significantly. Only a few weeks from districts, I started to lose hope. I blamed myself for being careless, for not doing everything I could during recovery. Then, less than a month out, I began to pick up speed. My race times improved. I realized there was nothing I could do about my injury now, it happened, I had to move on. I ran my heart out at that district competition. I improved my time from before my injury by over a minute. I was the second to last person to qualify. I ran at sectionals and it felt so good, knowing what I overcame to get there.

One of my greatest passions in life that I have carried with me from a young age is running. My family implemented in me a passion for exploring the world around me from a young age. I found my desire to explore satisfied through running. I ran around my neighborhood, I ran in open fields by my house, around lakes and in parks. When I reached late elementary school I joined an after school program where we would run in preparation for a 5k at then of the year. I ran my first 5k at nine years old. My passion evolved into track and middle school, but track never truly satisfied me. I wanted to go places when I ran. My passion for running grew in high school when I participated in cross country for the first. Not only did I enjoy the long-distance grass courses of cross country, as it turns out, I was good at it. Senior year of high school is the year I won my first race. It was on course full of hills. Hills were known to be the worst enemy for most cross country runners. I was unique, I loved hills. My best times were never on flat courses. I love the feeling of putting everything you have into an uphill and almost falling downhill, letting it all go. I won that race because of the hills. As soon as the hills came, I put distance between myself and the second runner. I came first, I would have been happy either way, I did enjoy the competition but as long as I knew I ran my best, I was satisfied. I'm in college now. I run on my own. Its the only reason I know my way around campus. Some passions never leave you.

I have chosen to major in nursing in order to pursue a career in nursing. My initial goal is to graduate with a BSN. I am fortunate to have known that I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field for a while now. It has been an ongoing interest of mine for years and I have come to the conclusion in more recent years that nursing is the best path for me to take. It is a job that aligns with my interests and one that I can see myself being successful in. My initial goal is to receive my BSN so I can begin work as a nurse, but I plan to continue my education in a specialized field of nursing. At this time, I do not know what field of nursing I would like to specialize in. I would like to explore my options while pursuing my BSN. By pursuing a career in nursing, I can begin to gain experience and the knowledge of various aspects of nursing that work well for me. I want to leave my options open for now so I can find a field of nursing that aligns with my interest and skills. I would rather make that decision once I have the experience so the decision is backed by more knowledge and personal experience than I currently have.

The quality I value most about myself is perseverance. It can be seen in everything I do. My primary sport in high school was Cross Country. It required perseverance that I, at times, did not know if I had, but I did it. I ran for all four years, I went to the extra practices, I ran on my own each Saturday before my part-time job. I fought through injuries and quarantine and still made it to state my senior year. Despite my doubts, I did it. I persevered and achieved my goal. People often called me "self-motivated," I would persevere even without accountability. The summer before my senior year I got it in my head that I wanted to climb to the top of a mountain. So, I drove from Missouri to Colorado and summited Mount Elbert, the highest point in the Rocky Mountains that same summer. It wasn't easy. People often speak metaphorically about "false summits" but I never appreciated the metaphor until I actually experienced one. You think you can see the top but once you reach it there is another ahead of you. I appreciate the phrase more now. As I approach application time for the Nursing program I am facing barriers and false summit that I did not expect. My friends I have gone through the same classes I have are choosing not to continue on to Nursing. They decided to pursue opportunities elsewhere. Currently I am surrounded by peers who are actively telling me to quit my pursuit of a Nursing degree because of a perceived difficulty despite not even having made an attempt. I thought my skills of perseverance would be needed at this time of year due to exams and contracts for the following semester. Instead I need to persevere by keeping my motivation to continue and not letting the decisions of others affect my own choices. My desire to pursue Nursing began in middle school. Healthcare appealed to me, someone who wanted nothing more than to help people. I know that if anyone can persevere through the Nursing program and the difficulties that come with Nursing as a career, it is me. I actively am striving to put myself in situations where I am experiencing some of the difficulties I know I will face in healthcare. I know that my career will not be easy. I am aware of the cost of Nursing. I am prepared to face abuse from patients, to witness the end of people's life. I know it will require perseverance and because of my ability to persevere in the past I am confident in my ability to continue to do so in the future. I am actively placing myself in jobs that will help me get a glimpse of my future. For several months now I have actively been working with children from unstable homes. I have received physical and verbal abuse from kids of many ages. I have had elementary school students confess that they are not sure that there is a future for them. It has been a challenge but one I am willing to face. I love being able to persevere and move past the difficult moments. I persevere through the challenges and I have been rewarded with success stories, even if they are few and far between sometimes. I am going to persevere in my studies and career because I know I am making a difference in people's lives and that is what matters.