When I was one, I died. My mother found me in my crib, blue and not breathing. Panicked, she dialed 911 and, with little else to do, waited. Soon after, sirens drew near, followed closely by flashing lights. It was the fire department, the first to arrive. Rushing in, they quickly took action, resuscitating me. Had it not been for those brave souls on that day, I would have died. Until fairly recently, this was a story I had forgotten, wholly unrelated to my decision at 16 to dedicate my future to the fire service. In some oddly cosmic sense, I had unconsciously decided to “pay it forward,” continuing the legacy of my saviors. But before then, for the near majority of my life, I had no clear vision of my future. Instead of pursuing specific careers like most, I was driven by values. Determination, the desire to help others, and the longing to make an impact were among the top. I grew up in Silicon Valley, where chasing high-paying jobs was expected and promoted. The pursuit of money over purpose was highly encouraged. Tech, medicine, law. However, none of those options felt like me. I wanted to help people – to make an immediate difference beyond the walls of an office, yet I was still at a loss about how to achieve this notion. This all changed junior year in an ironically monotonous French class. We were taking French aptitude tests, which wound up labeling me as “pompier,” or en anglais, “firefighter.” This sparked curiosity. Interest. I acknowledged this sentiment but didn’t act upon it further – at least not yet. Shortly thereafter, my school held a mandatory Career Fair. In three time slots, we could find representatives from various professions in allocated classrooms. Still unsure of my interests, I wandered aimlessly, visiting the FBI presentation (not quite right), the National Guard’s (interesting but not quite a career), and then—for the final slot—I took a chance on “firefighter.” This changed everything. Even in that brief fifteen minutes, the passion those firefighters expressed describing their jobs—the good, bad, funny, and rough alike—stuck with me. I knew then and there, standing in the back of that classroom, that this was what I wanted to—was going to be. From then on out, I essentially entered a “honeymoon phase.” I was hungry to learn anything and everything that I could about the fire service. I fell asleep to South Metro’s Fire Academy playlists, completed homework to Mike Pertz’s “How to Become a Firefighter” videos, bought an entire course textbook for recreational reading, and even went so far as to buy a 70-lb weighted vest to mimic the weight of PPE. In reflection, that was perhaps a bit unnecessary, yet not unappreciated. Ultimately, the decision to pursue fire changed my entire outlook on life. Every challenge—physical, mental, social, existential—I push through due to this new mindset that I developed due to my ambition to become a firefighter. I will carry this energy and determination with me wherever I go, with whomever I meet, wherever my future takes me. In addition to this determination, academically speaking, to achieve this goal, I intend to major in nursing/public administration so that those I assist receive care to the fullest extent. Thus, this scholarship opportunity would greatly help mitigate costs and ensure that I can realize my full potential so that one day, I can change the life of at least one person in the way that the fire service has changed mine.