I’ve always been curious about how the human body works and helping people when they most need it. These two interests came together perfectly when I took Sports Medicine last year, diving into the world of anatomy and physiology. I learned so much–from how to tape someone’s wrist or ankle to tests on how to diagnose and treat someone’s injury. I have never been so fascinated by a class in my life. I never once was excited to go to a class all 180 days of a school year until last year. Not only did I learn an extraordinary amount through the textbook portion of the class, but I explored even more than I could have imagined through the hands-on part. One portion of the class was shadowing an Athletic Trainer or Physical Therapist for 180 hours. What seemed like an impossible amount of hours to shadow while completing my other school work and sports, quickly became one of the best, if not the best part of my day. My high school athletic trainer, whom I shadowed for the whole year, was truthfully the best person I believe is fit for the job. She is so kind, caring, and compassionate and showed me how amazing a job working with and helping people is. Through these moments, I saw first-hand how the textbook and in-class information translated to real world scenarios. The most important thing I took away from this experience was how much I enjoyed the interactions with other people while getting to help them feel better. I’ve always been told one of my best qualities is that I have a big heart and that the way I care for other people is inspiring to watch. When one of my teammates gets injured on the soccer field, I am always one of the first, if not the first to tend to them and try to calm them down until more help arrives. I have never helped someone for the reason of trying to get praise from others or to feel good about myself. My parents have always taught me to be kind and help others when they need it. Although I believe they helped instill those ways to approach situations, I presume that it has always been something that was a natural instinct for me. I believe this money could help me fulfill my dreams of becoming a CRNA.