The desire to serve others and make a positive impact on the world around me began with an event that drastically changed my life. When I was 6 years old, my baby brother, Justin Kane Kidd Jr., unexpectedly passed away due to a heart defect at just 5 months. Suddenly a few months later, my grandfather, Ernie Young passed away from COPD. After about a year and a half passed, my grandmother, my grandfather’s widow, Brenda Young, passed away from a heart attack. In 2014, my family friend Jackson Gipe was diagnosed with leukemia and passed very quickly. Sadly, in 2017, my cousin Brian Bohnenkamp also died of a heart attack. Losing people unexpectedly, that you are so close to, is severely difficult. Although I couldn’t have done much with these occurrences, I promised to help anyone in any way I can going forward. These unexpected occurrences have changed so much in my life. I have chosen to become a nurse for the reasons above as I felt so helpless. It changed my life forever to see these tragic events occur so close to my family. I have been accepted into Western Illinois University Nursing Program for the Spring of 2023. I truly care about people and want to become a kind and compassionate nurse that treats every single individual as a human and not just another intake.

The biggest inspiration I've had in this life is my Mom. She had a tough life with addicts as parents, had to go to foster care but kept pressing forward. She was the first in her family to graduate High School. When I was around 6 years old, I faced insurmountable losses. My baby brother on my Dad's side died due to a heart defect. Within 3 years, both of his parents passed away too early in life. When I entered into the 6th grade, my Dad went to prison. That is when my Mom sprung into action as I was exhibiting behavioral issues and less than stellar grades. She put me into therapy and worked closely with the school administration to get me back on track. Her solution was to get me heavily involved into sports. It's common knowledge that you cannot participate in sporting events with poor grades or disciplinary issues. It was the best decision she could have ever made for me. I've been heavily involved in sports since that time, as I am competitive. Through all of the hard work she has shown me to help myself, I am now accepted into the nursing program at Western Illinois University in Macomb. While I had been heavily involved in sports my entire life, I decided I didn't want to take the sports scholarships just so I can focus solely on school while I am there. I joined the Illinois National Guard earlier this year to remain physically active, serve my country and ease the financial burden of a four year education for not only myself but my Mom. My Mom went to foster care, my Dad went to prison and I'm going into the military and college. None of which would have been possible without her stellar guidance, undying love for my well being, and sheer perseverance to be the best Mom she could be.

Inclusive programming and diversity training is key to creating a diverse and equitable community. I am from a very rural part of the Midwest where there is not a lot of diversity. The remarkable attitude about gender identity, races, social change, sexual identity is astonishingly sad. Luckily, my Mother was not from this particular area and has shown me the path to treating everyone as what they are and that is human. Educators, staff and the general public need to be more educated about the history of every group. To be an inclusive community, it has to start at the top. If the leaders in charge don't want change, nothing will change. Starting with the leaders is key. They must be open to education, training and expanding their knowledge base to be an inclusive community. They can then implement programs and training for people beneath them. When someone sees something that is not supportive of that idea, then there has to be consequences. The lack of consequences to poor behavior is sorely lacking in many schools and businesses in today's world. Implementing strict guidelines to punish those who are not being inclusive is an absolute must to truly create an environment that is supportive and equitable to everyone.

As a child, I always had a dream of helping people in any way I could. My commitment to service has led me to join the military, which will allow me to serve my country. Both nursing and military service will allow me to develop leadership skills, along with allowing me the opportunity to provide for my community. The military will teach me so many skills that can help me become an amazing Nurse. I have the strong desire to become a Nurse, and I know it will give me the satisfaction I’ve always wanted. I don’t want to be an average nurse. I want to show people that they aren’t just patients; I want them to know I genuinely care about them and will do anything in my power to help them in every possible way. The desire to serve others and make a positive impact on the world around me began with an event that drastically changed my life. When I was 6 years old, my baby brother, Justin Kane Kidd Jr., unexpectedly passed away due to a heart defect at just 5 months. Suddenly a few months later, my grandfather, Ernie Young passed away from COPD. After about a year and a half passed, my grandmother, my grandfather’s widow, Brenda Young, passed away from a heart attack. Sadly, in 2017, my cousin Brian Bohnenkamp also died of a heart attack. In 2019 one of my best friends, Izayah Schonlau committed suicide. Losing people unexpectedly, that you are so close to, is severely difficult. Although I couldn’t have done much with these occurrences, I promise to help anyone in any way I can going forward. These unexpected occurrences have changed so much in my life.

My mother has been the driving force behind my personal success. My Dad and Mom had split when I was very young. After a series of tragic events for my Dad, he ended up going to prison for a few years. In the very beginning of that process my grades and behavior were in poor condition. My mother worked closely with the school to support positive reinforcement and she simply never quit pushing me to do my best. Even after my Dad was released from prison and before we built a relationship together, my Mother has always watched my grades closely to simply keep pushing me in the right direction to better serve my future. I would have never imagined that I would have finished the high school the way I did but I did because of my incredible Mom.

My dogged determination to not let my adversity define my life. I have faced several tragic losses early in my life. I lost a baby brother, and both paternal grandparents with a 3 year period. My father then went to prison. While I had no concept of how to understand these events, my Mother instilled in me the importance of perseverance. Through working together with the school staff and going to therapy, I turned my behavior issues around full circle. While these events could have beaten my psyche, I simply did not let them. The most valuable thing I have learned about myself is that I am strong-minded, strong-willed and will never let my circumstances define my future.

Bad things happen to good people, just don't let the bad things dictate your future, actions or happiness.

The desire to serve others and make a positive impact on the world around me began with an event that drastically changed my life. When I was 6 years old, my baby brother, Justin Kane Kidd Jr., unexpectedly passed away due to a heart defect at just 5 months. It was very heart breaking and so hard to wrap my head around at such a young age. Suddenly a few months later, my grandfather, Ernie Young passed away from COPD. After about a year and a half passed, my grandmother, my grandfather’s widow, Brenda Young, passed away from a heart attack. Sadly, in 2017, my cousin Brian Bohnenkamp also died of a heart attack. In 2019 one of my best friends, Izayah Schonlau committed suicide. Losing people unexpectedly, that you are so close to, is severely difficult. Although I couldn’t have done much with these occurrences, I promise to help anyone in any way I can going forward. These unexpected occurrences have changed so much in my life. They have shaped me into who I am today and they have created the will for me to help people. The opportunities in nursing and the military service will provide so many outlets for helping people in many ways. The route I plan on taking will give me an opportunity to do what I’ve always wanted to do, which is to serve others.

As a child, I always dreamed of helping people in any way I could. My commitment to service has led me to join the military, which will allow me to serve my country. The military will teach me so many skills that can help me become an amazing Nurse. Nursing provides the opportunity to take care of someone, the benefits the career offers as well as the stability and flexibility. I have the strong desire to become a Nurse, and I know it will give me the satisfaction I’ve always wanted. I don’t want to be an average nurse. I want to show people that they aren’t just patients; I want them to know I genuinely care about them and will do anything in my power to help them in every possible way. The desire to serve others and make a positive impact on the world around me began with an event that drastically changed my life. When I was 6 years old, my baby brother, Justin Kane Kidd Jr., unexpectedly passed away due to a heart defect at just 5 months. Suddenly a few months later, my grandfather, Ernie Young passed away from COPD. After about a year and a half passed, my grandmother, my grandfather’s widow, Brenda Young, passed away from a heart attack. Sadly, in 2017, my cousin Brian Bohnenkamp also died of a heart attack. Although I couldn’t have done much with these occurrences, I promise to help anyone in any way I can going forward. These unexpected occurrences have shaped me into who I am today and they have created the will for me to help people. The opportunities in nursing and the military service will provide so many outlets for helping people in many ways.

After reviewing my 18 years of life, I really could have went one of two ways. The path I am on now to success or in the complete opposite direction. I want my legacy to be one of inspiration. If I can overcome all the challenges, obstacles and tragedies that I have, anyone can. My legacy will also be one of kindness. You never know what someone may be going through and just one small act of kindness can really affect someone's day in a positive way. And lastly, I want my legacy to be that of never giving up. I have personally had so many challenges it would have been easy to throw in the proverbial towel but I refused and it has paid off tenfold.

1. My community means the world to me and it truly takes a village to help raise a child. I've always volunteered for local events and benefits. The members of the community in which I live in have always been so wonderful to myself and others. I am going to give back to my community as I have been accepted into a nursing program and have joined the Illinois National Guard to serve my country. 2. I am a High School Senior who has aspired to help and give back to people for much of my entire life. My vision is to attend basic and job training this summer and fall and start my college journey in the Spring of 2023. I hope to one day become a wonderful nurse who don't view patients as numbers rather than human beings.

My life has been anything but happy. Tragedy struck early an often. I've lost a baby brother and both paternal grandparents by the age of 11. My Father then went to prison. My paternal grandfather was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer in 2019 and by the grace of God, he beat it. Despite all of these events, the way I remain happy is simply by hoping. Hope is a beautiful thing. The best of things. And something that no one can take away from you.

The desire to serve others and make a positive impact on the world around me began with an event that drastically changed my life. When I was 6 years old, my baby brother, Justin Kane Kidd Jr., unexpectedly passed away due to a heart defect at just 5 months. It was very heart breaking and so hard to wrap my head around at such a young age. Suddenly a few months later, my grandfather, Ernie Young passed away from COPD. After about a year and a half passed, my grandmother, my grandfather’s widow, Brenda Young, passed away from a heart attack. Sadly, in 2017, my cousin Brian Bohnenkamp also died of a heart attack. In 2019 one of my best friends, Izayah Schonlau committed suicide. Losing people unexpectedly, that you are so close to, is severely difficult. Although I couldn’t have done much with these occurrences, I promise to help anyone in any way I can going forward. These unexpected occurrences have changed so much in my life. They have shaped me into who I am today and they have created the will for me to help people. The opportunities in nursing and the military service will provide so many outlets for helping people in many ways. The route I plan on taking will give me an opportunity to do what I’ve always wanted to do, which is to serve others. I have overcome all of this by maintaining a strong mindset instilled in me by my mother.

As a child, I always dreamed of helping people in any way I could. My commitment to service has led me to join the military, which will allow me to serve my country. Both nursing and military service will allow me to develop leadership skills, along with allowing me the opportunity to provide for my community. The military will teach me so many skills that can help me become an amazing Nurse. Nursing provides the opportunity to take care of someone, the benefits the career offers as well as the stability and flexibility. There are so many opportunities and specialized paths I could take with nursing. I don’t want to be an average nurse. I want to show people that they aren’t just patients; I want them to know I genuinely care about them and will do anything in my power to help them in every possible way. The desire to serve others and make a positive impact on the world around me began with an event that drastically changed my life. When I was 6 years old, my baby brother, Justin Kane Kidd Jr., unexpectedly passed away due to a heart defect at just 5 months. Suddenly a few months later, my grandfather, Ernie Young passed away from COPD. After about a year and a half passed, my grandmother, my grandfather’s widow, Brenda Young, passed away from a heart attack. Sadly, in 2017, my cousin Brian Bohnenkamp also died of a heart attack. These unexpected occurrences have changed so much in my life. They have shaped me into who I am today and they have created the will for me to help people. The route I plan on taking will give me an opportunity to do what I’ve always wanted to do, which is to serve others.

My life has been tough from the beginning. I lost a baby brother and both paternal grandparents by the age of 11. I then had to face my Father going to prison at the age of 12. I've remained hopeful and optimistic as my Mother instilled in me from a very early age that each day is a new opportunity to smile. She was a brilliant example of how to smash obstacles despite tragedy. My experiences has taught me that everyone has a story and that if you are kind and gracious, you can always make it.

Thank you for the privilege of applying for this scholarship. I recognize the incredible sacrifice you made to save other people’s lives, and I’m deeply humbled to apply for this scholarship as I, too, want to help other people. I have been accepted into the nursing program at Western Illinois University and will attend after service to my country this upcoming summer and fall. After basic training this fall, I will start my college journey in the spring. Service to others has always been a deeply-held value of mine, one that was instilled in me by an event early in my life. My experiences and several other factors shape my desire to go into a service related field. As a child, I always dreamed of helping people in any way I could. My commitment to service has led me to join the military, which will allow me to serve my country. Both nursing and military service will allow me to develop leadership skills, along with allowing me the opportunity to provide for my community. The military will teach me so many skills that can help me become an amazing Nurse. I am choosing to major in Nursing for many reasons. Nursing provides the opportunity to take care of someone, the benefits the career offers as well as the stability and flexibility. In addition, there are so many opportunities and specialized paths I could take with nursing. I have the strong desire to become a Nurse, and I know it will give me the satisfaction I’ve always wanted. I don’t want to be an average nurse. I want to show people that they aren’t just patients; I want them to know I genuinely care about them and will do anything in my power to help them in every possible way. The desire to serve others and make a positive impact on the world around me began with an event that drastically changed my life. When I was 6 years old, my baby brother, Justin Kane Kidd Jr., unexpectedly passed away due to a heart defect at just 5 months. It was very heart breaking and so hard to wrap my head around at such a young age. Suddenly a few months later, my grandfather, Ernie Young passed away from COPD. After about a year and a half passed, my grandmother, my grandfather’s widow, Brenda Young, passed away from a heart attack. Sadly, in 2017, my cousin Brian Bohnenkamp also died of a heart attack. In 2019 one of my best friends, Izayah Schonlau committed suicide. Losing people unexpectedly, that you are so close to, is severely difficult. Although I couldn’t have done much with these occurrences, I promise to help anyone in any way I can going forward. These unexpected occurrences have changed so much in my life. They have shaped me into who I am today and they have created the will for me to help people. The opportunities in nursing and the military service will provide so many outlets for helping people in many ways. The route I plan on taking will give me an opportunity to do what I’ve always wanted to do, which is to serve others. Thank you, again, for the opportunity to apply for such a special scholarship and for taking the time to consider my application. I am excited to see what my future holds and I cannot wait to serve others and be a helping hand anywhere I can.