Nursing has always been a dream of mine; unlike other children, I enjoyed going to check-ups and doctor's visits; The nurses' warm smiles brightened my day, and I knew they were only there to help me. I want to be that same joy in someone else's life. Nursing will allow me to combine what I love most; helping others, learning new things, and anatomy. I get the most out of knowing I helped someone achieve their goals or alleviate stress. Nursing is a career that will allow me to help those in need and still fulfill my love of socializing and communication I believe that nursing involves all the skills that I already have like critical thinking and empathy. Communicating with families and patients and helping them is a way that I will be able to connect with people and assist them with their medical needs and guidance. I believe that our country needs more people who are willing to help others. I was accepted to the University of North Carolina Charlotte, where I will study Pre-Nursing. UNC offers a 4-year nursing program that I am ecstatic to pursue. After visiting UNC Charlotte for its Open House, the atmosphere made me feel like I belong there. This belonging heightened my desire to become a Nurse. Their School of Nursing has extensive modern technology, and this new technology that the SOC provides will allow me to achieve my goals as a nursing student. When I become an RN, I want to start a tutoring company that will help nurses through school and graduate RNs, which will aid students and nurses with study guides and information to help them become their best selves. This business will be a perfect way to give back to the community and make a difference in the healthcare system. The workplace and hospitals should be all about collaboration and communication. Thus, my company will allow existing nurses to communicate with each other about work and their everyday issues. Starting a collaborative tutoring business will help all nurses come closer to achieving their goals and improving the quality of life for others. I have started to work out a business plan for what this will look like for me. I have worked hard to get to where I am today, a trait I learned from my mother, who was in the Airforce from 2010-2016. She is now a college Accounting professor and owns a financial literacy business. Watching her serve our beautiful country and community has inspired me to find my passion. With my mom in the military, she missed moments in our childhood. However, she always made sure we were loved and cared for. I want to become a nurse for hard-working citizens like my mom, who use their skills to uplift and support those around them. I also want to become a nurse for children like my sister who was born with holes in her heart, although I was young I still remember being in and out of the hospital, and the nurses were always extremely helpful to me and my sisters. I want to be a dedicated volunteer in my community and strive to make each day better than the last to achieve my goals and help those around me achieve theirs. Nursing school is the best career for me. I am dedicating myself to completing nursing school with all my efforts to earn honors. This scholarship will put me closer to achieving my goal of becoming a well-needed nurse in the U.S. today. I want to be the light in someone's life.

Nursing has always been a dream of mine; unlike other children, I enjoyed going to check-ups and doctor's visits; The nurses' warm smiles brightened my day, and I knew they were only there to help me. I want to be that same joy in someone else's life. Nursing will allow me to combine what I love most; helping others and anatomy. I get the most out of knowing I helped someone achieve their goals or alleviate stress. I was accepted to the University of North Carolina Charlotte, where I will study Pre-Nursing. UNC offers a 4-year nursing program that I am ecstatic to pursue. The new technology and enhancements they provide will allow me to achieve my goals as a nursing student. When I become an RN, I want to start a tutoring company that will help nurses through school and graduate RNs, aiding students and nurses with study guides and information to help them become their best selves. This business will be a perfect way to give back to the community and make a difference in the healthcare system. The workplace and hospitals should be all about collaboration and communication. Thus, my company will allow existing nurses to communicate with each other about work and their everyday issues. Starting a collaborative tutoring business will help all nurses come closer to achieving their goals and improving the quality of life for others. I have worked hard to get to where I am today, a trait I learned from my mother, who was in the Airforce from 2010-2016. She is now a college Accounting professor and owns a financial literacy business. Watching her serve our beautiful country and community has inspired me to find my passion. With my mom in the military, she missed moments in our childhood. However, she always made sure we were loved and cared for. I want to become a nurse for hard-working citizens like my mom, who use their skills to uplift and support those around them. I am a dedicated volunteer in my community and strive to make each day better than the last to achieve my goals and help those around me achieve them. Nursing school is the best career for me. I am dedicating myself to completing nursing school with all my efforts to earn honors. This scholarship will put me closer to achieving my goal of becoming a well-needed nurse in the U.S. today. I want to be the light in someone's life.

My mom has by far been the biggest support in reaching my educational goals. Growing up my mom never had the best education, and she had children at a young age. She made frequent financial mistakes at a young age, but who my mother is today has taught me to persevere through adversity and dedicate myself to my education to create a future for myself. My dad has never been a prevalent father figure in my life, leaving my mom to raise me and my sisters. Although my mom didn't have a good early childhood education like me and my sisters she had ambition. She went into the United States Air Force right out of high school and then went to school for Accounting and Technology. My mom has always been hard on me and my sisters about our education throughout our primary and secondary schooling. At the moment I felt she was being mean but looking back she was hard on us out of love because she wanted a better life for us than she did for herself. My mom has supported me through all my decisions simply by showing up. My mom has never missed a parent-teacher conference, an awards ceremony or any of my ballet performances growing up. Showing up as a parent means so much to a child, and my mom knew this. She knew she was all me and my sister had after our dad left, which was early in our lives. As education progressed in high school, I attended a prestigious private school in Milwaukee Wisconsin with a full-ride scholarship that my mom helped me obtain. She knew she wasn't able to pay the tuition for my school, but she wanted me to receive the best education possible, which mirrors my situation currently. I was accepted to the University of North Carolina Charlotte, where I will study Pre-Nursing. UNC offers a 4-year nursing program that I am ecstatic to pursue. The new technology and enhancements they provide will allow me to achieve my goals as a nursing student. When I become an RN, I want to start a tutoring company that will help nurses through school (an idea that I came up with my mother) graduate RNs, aiding students and nurses with study guides and information to help them become their best selves. This business will be a perfect way to give back to the community and make a difference in the healthcare system. The workplace and hospitals should be all about collaboration and communication. Thus, my company will allow existing nurses to communicate with each other about work and their everyday issues. Starting a collaborative tutoring business will help all nurses come closer to achieving their goals and improving the quality of life for others. My mom fully supports my decision to go to an out-of-state school. However the financial burden this would put on our family makes us apprehensive about attending. UNC Charlotte is the nursing school for me and this scholarship will help me achieve my goals.

The volunteer work one participates in should reflect their values and morals—as a student, finding some way to give back to the community you both do and don’t identify with will encourage you to become well-rounded. Volunteering has taught me that everyone needs a helping hand and that volunteering doesn't always look the same. For example, volunteering to clean up the streets in my neighborhood is different than reading to children or tutoring children at my school. Volunteer work isn't always volunteering your time, but instead volunteering your kindness. This is the way I am the leader of my school's black student union. I don't receive any special awards for holding this position, but rather the award of community and connection. In a predominantly white school, it can be challenging to find someone to resonate with. Students have come to me expressing their insecurities like not being desirable by their peers or standing out more than they would like, or even being made fun of. I would respond to these confessions with advice and solutions because I know firsthand how these thoughts and feelings could affect mental health. Black Student Union has taught me the importance of communication and collaboration, which changes my mind about volunteering because it's more than just helping, it's directly inserting yourself into something bigger than yourself and becoming a part of a whole. There are so few conversations had in minority groups in high school; students should be able to come together in their affinity and speak about microaggressions or what they have experienced at their school. BSU offers this opportunity to black-identifying students and allies, making their overall high school experience one to remember to inspire them to step out of their comfort zone, do something new, and be themselves. Volunteering also changed my mindset on how I see myself. Wrapping presents for the Boys & Girls Club has taught me to not take anything for granted. Thankfully, I have parents who can afford to buy me gifts during the holiday season that put a smile on my face. The Boys & Girls Club did this for children that were less fortunate which truly warmed my heart. Engaging with this work helped me build my compassion so much. Volunteering here has taught me there is always someone less fortunate than me and I should always be grateful for what I have. This scholarship would mean so much financially for me and my mother. I have always wanted to be a nurse in hopes of combining my love for helping people and my passion for anatomy. I get the most out of knowing I helped someone achieve their goals, alleviate stress, or just make their doctor's visit a little more bearable. The only path to this goal of mine is college, for me, UNC Charlotte is an out-of-state school that is asking for way more than my mom and I can afford. My mom has always made sure that I was able to achieve my goals and obtain the things I want in life and the Lauren Czebatul Scholarship would make a difference.

Collaboration is the way humans learn. As individuals, we can remain stagnant if we don't collaborate. The world around us is changing and diversifying, and so should the medical field. Seeing BIPOC, disabled people and different groups of people in healthcare is essential and enlightens a community of youth. I believe the change starts within. The importance of seeing someone you can identify with is more than just welcoming; it can provide you with a sense of security. It is often not talked about how the effect having a BIPOC nurse or doctor can have on an individual. Having this sense of comfort can bring reassurance in challenging times in the medical field, where results might not be in one's favor. Diversifying and advancing the medical field also builds community and collaboration. As humans, we never stop learning. Each person experiences different experiences, even more so individuals from different ethnic backgrounds. Learning from one another can provide growth and, even more so, a balanced workplace where everyone feels accepted and welcome. I believe the medical field should be a reflection of our world. We live in a world where there are so many different languages spoken, many regions practiced, with different enriching cultures. We can show the importance of diversifying by having nurses or doctors that speak more languages than English or Spanish. Diversifying also goes beyond just racial diversity. I believe there should be medical workers who might have disabilities or special needs. This will break stigmas against these communities of people. I plan to apply these values through understanding and collaboration in my future work and life. So much of the world around us goes misunderstood, but I plan to work with and hear the people around me. This understanding will open doors for people to feel welcome, ultimately leading to diversity. Individuals will gravitate toward a place where they feel heard; I want that for every person I meet. I believe your values should reflect in everything that you do. Being around others that are not like you will help you to learn the beauty of diversity from seeing and sharing the values of others. I got my own experience of sharing values at my senior retreat in September 2022. For our retreat, we traveled to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, for a camp. Where collaboration was all we had. At the retreat, we had to surrender our phones and be placed into randomly chosen groups; this led to me talking to people I usually wouldn't have. My most memorable collaborative experiences came from when my group was doing the high ropes course. My fear of unprotected heights was tested when my group chose me to build the crate tower, where you stack milk crates as tall as you can. Eventually, the crates get tall enough that a single person is standing on top building the tower as their groupmates pass them crates from below. I have never felt more supported than I have at that moment, as my group cheered me on and comforted me when I was scared. No one in my group was best friends, and we hardly had classes with each other; at that moment, we felt like family. During reflection time around the campfire, my group mates congratulated and thanked me. I was overjoyed to see people I didn't know very well value me. I think everyone should be able to have this feeling. If I combine my values and diversity in the medical field, I will be ecstatic to start embarking on the journey to improve my community and the world around me.

I am a firm believer that we never stop learning. I want to take this ideology even more profound and say we never stop learning from ourselves. At an early age, we establish our likes and dislikes. When you're younger, people ask you what your favorite food or color is, and you answer clearly. "My favorite food is pizza, and my favorite color is blue." Simple as that. However, this narrative starts to change when we get older because they ask more complicated questions like, "What do you want to be ?" or "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" This is a difficult question everyone has to face. Society has made it so that we need to figure out what we want to do with our lives at an early age. As humans, we are constantly experiencing new things and changing internally and externally. Therefore, we're still learning ourselves. For example, throughout high school, I despised science, then my fall semester, I took anatomy and discovered that I loved it. Anatomy and Physiology have taught me so much a heavily influenced my desire to become a nurse. Trying new things makes us who we are, and staying stagnant in our lives disables us from learning more about ourselves. Learning is essential to me because it helps me understand who I am. Learning about the different sides of politics can help you determine where you stand; likewise, learning about other cultures can show you what should be appreciated that you might overlook. Learning about yourself can help you understand your similarities and differences with others. Feeding my curiosity and trying new things is the best way I will continue learning. Humans are naturally curious about the world around us; the most significant discoveries coin this. So I ask why we should stop being curious about ourselves. We should try new things to learn more about ourselves. If we can't come up with a truthful answer to "What do you want to be ?" or "Where do you see yourself in 10 years, " We should say I'm still discovering myself. There should be no stigma behind the statement but rather glorification. There is a certain maturity behind admitting that you're still figuring it out. Those who are still discovering themselves are true learners. They know that they are changing; just because they grew older doesn't mean they have figured out every step of their life yet. The learners are still finding new experiences to determine what works for them, not what society has decided they should be or do. Learning means growing, and I am a learner trying to figure out who I am through trying new things connecting with people and making discoveries.

Math is unlike any other subject. In history and English, you can go into endless debates about what's right and wrong, and science is just math applied to the world, depending on what type of science. Math is the basis of the world around us. Math is primarily unarguable. Two plus Two will always equal four. Math can go on forever. When understood, math is fun, and when not understood, math tests my curiosity and desire to learn more. I wish more people loved math the way I do. There are many tips and tricks to math. Math is about practice; like anything else, the approach improves. I believe anyone can become a genius mathematician if they practice and study hard. Math can connect people. The world around us is filled with numbers and equations, so why shouldn't we all be curious about it? English mathematician Ada Lovelace once said, "The more I study, the more insatiable do I feel my genius for it to be." Math is about exploration, and my love for math will help me to succeed in college. Math is here to help us, and I have a passion for everything it has done.

Destigmatizing mental health is a long-awaited process that our society has to undergo. I appreciate the attention that mental health is getting now; however, I believe there is a long way to go. Mental health is an issue that many young people struggle with, and more often than not, it is an internal battle that no one knows about. Like many others, my mental health affects my outlook on my life. Everyone's mental health journey is unique to them. Therefore, no one but the individual can determine what factors support or harm their mental health. I believe the uniqueness of one personality and values is just as unique as what one needs to help them. For some, music works; for others, silence and zen is the best way to reset. Guided therapy with another person can benefit one person. Still not another, or one might want to take a physical approach to their journey and practice yoga or Thai Chi. My mental health is essential to me, and I believe it's even more important to advocate for myself when my teachers aren't considering it. Politely asking for extended time on assignments or leniency during school can be one of the best ways to improve mental health. This is one way I have maintained my mental health. Another is through sleep; I believe that sleep is an underrated way to support mental health. Sometimes staying up super late working on an assignment isn't the best way to practice mental health wellness. Getting a good night's rest can make all the difference in your mood and outlook. We should all take on mental health advocacy because it affects everyone. We need to be comfortable that it is ok not to be ok. We should be able to talk about how mental health affects our loved ones and even strangers. There should be seminars in high school. A team of guidance counselors should be assigned to a student who checks on them mentally. The world around us is changing, and so should we. Mental health is something that we all battle with that is often overlooked even by our closest family members. It can be uncomfortable to come out and say, "I'm not ok." We should ask first; Asking can make all the difference in how likely someone is to open up. This scholarship can help me advocate for mental health in my major. I know that nursing and school, in general, can become a competitive environment where we believe we need to strive to be the best. I want to make it known that we are enough, and it starts without mental health. How we see ourselves is the first step to mental health awareness and understanding it's importance.

Elin Nordegren once said, “Education is one thing no one can take away from you." I have carried this with me through high school. I first heard it in middle school from my 8th-grade middle school teacher, it hung on the wall next to another quote that read, "Excuses are the monuments of nothingness." College is an experience that most people that look like me might not be able to experience. I have set myself up for success by working hard in grade school and immersing myself in my studies has led to the foundation I need to succeed. I believe college is about preparing yourself for what you need to do as a functioning adult in society. Additionally, college is about connection. It comes as no surprise to me that the material in my classes will be more challenging than what I have learned so far as a high school senior. Therefore, the best way to make sure I succeed will be by connecting with my teachers and peers. I believe there will always be someone that is better at something than you and a humble individual will have no problem asking for help. The relationships you build in college will stick with you for the rest of your life. Making the most out of this experience will be the key to succeeding. College, moreover, is about discipline and time management. Although socializing is a huge part of the college experience, I believe it's important to not lose sight of the clear goal, to further your education in earn a degree. The word 'earn' emphasizes that there will be hard work required. A college degree will be my gateway into the career field that I want to be in. I aspire to be a registered/traveling nurse. I have a deep passion for helping people and a nursing degree will help me achieve that. My degree will help me become my best self.

The relationship me and my sister have is one that I will always cherish, so after reading this scholarship about the beloved James Gabriel I immediately thought about my sister who was born with a heart defect, holes in her heart. She has grown to become a driving force in my life. Not only is she my sister she is my best friend. I have a very small immediate family. Being more close with my mom’s side given that my dad was absent for most of my childhood, my family is my highest value. My mom has always been a phone call away. As a single young mom of three girls, my mother always did what she had to do for us. Me and my my sisters are very close in age, so we did everything together. We shared rooms and went to the same school, until highschool. Me and my sisters both went to prestigious predominately white high schools as black females. We both found comfort in knowing we were going through the same experiences, although I would have liked to go to the same school as her, I learned more about her through talking after school. We have both learned what it means to truly love another. I want to be a role model for my sister. She has been through a lot as a baby, most of which me nor her remember. I do know, however that there isn’t anything we wouldn’t do for each other. As a role model, I want to be able to go to college and show my sister that she can a difference in this world through her education. Our mom always taught us that education and knowledge is something that no one can take away. When I come home from work we always laugh and joke about what happened in our day. I will miss seeing her when i go off to college but she will always be the one who drives me. I want to make sure I am a person she can be proud of. If she wasn’t able to make it through her heart defect she wouldn’t be here today as the amazing person whom I love. The nurses and doctors who helped my sister when she was a baby are heroes. I want to go to school for nursing to help others the same way the nurses and doctors helped my sister. This world needs more people that have a driving force in their life, whether that be to help or to inspire.

A Short Talk on The Sun Your Orion Spur, augment my spirit with your inevitable comfort. Use your burning vehemence to moisturize my skin With my bittersweet sweat. Exuberant and vivacious your femininity attracts me with A fit of certain jealousy that wasn’t intended Kiss my face and show me what I’m missing. How you plunge into the menses brings along an infatuation that dwells in the cerebral cortex as no other feeling can. When you’re too much, they shy away You incinerate with the propensity that I have never overlooked. Your whole 9,941 radiates until you dwindle down to bring liveliness to my cheeks. As I squint to capture your beauty you hold onto mine to reveal the black-brown of my eyes that I don’t usually see. You peek back at me. Your energy is why I’m alive. List of things that I have been told that stuck “I mean it wasn’t that good, but we’ll talk about it’” My mom said that one but lighten up it might get worse. “I’m sorry you feel that way” This one might be my personal favorite because how the fuck do people think this is ok To tell someone that is going through something. “Someone told me that you stuff your bra” Which then after this the boys in my grade tried to hug me to test this rumor. Which then spiraled into another rumor that I would flash you if you gave me 5 dollars in the downstairs bathroom. “You have an unmatched personality” To be quite honest I don’t know who told me this. The optimist in me believes this was a compliment but the lack of sureness I have in myself and my surroundings suffocates the thoughts that make me believe this was less than a compliment. “Damn you dark asf” This is one where you laugh now and cry later. Damn 5th grade was hard. “You’re pretty enough to have sex with, but not enough to be my girlfriend” This one hurt how it would if someone took a volcanic deliquesce dagger and drove it straight through your throat. “You're going to do great things” Sometimes this brings me great triumph and at others the feeling of disappointment because of the expectations haunt me from knowing that there is a chance my life not go exactly as I want it. And there you have a list of things that I hope you never have to hear.

From a young age I have always been told that I have the gift of people. Talking to people was something that came naturally to me. I found it rewarding in finding ways me and my peers or larger community can connect. Growing up with sisters and cousins my communication skills had to be sharp, being able to express my needs and concerns in a respectful manner was crucial to being heard. I believe the same goes with meeting new people, which applied to my beloved extracurricular, ballet. I did ballet for most of my childhood. Growing up black in inner city Milwaukee,Wisconsin, ballet wasn’t common for young girls who looked like me. My personality and communication allowed me to connect with the other girls of different ethnicities and learn a wonderful skill that has taught me discipline and perseverance. Trying something new like ballet grew my desire to grow connections with all kinds of people from different walks of life. My main reason for pursuing Nursing is connecting, and most of all helping different people. The ability to connect with the world through other people around me is a attribute to my personality that others might not be fortunate of having. Nursing ties together my love for anatomy, physiology, and medicine with my desire to meet and understand other people. Individuals who need medical attention need a helping hand. They need someone who will help them grow and make them confident that they will overcome any obstacles in their way. Hearing encouraging words from a stranger over a family member can make all the difference in an individuals outlook on their situation. Nursing will give me the skill set to achieve anything that I want in life, more specifically, my desire to become a traveling nurse perfectly intertwines my passion for meeting new people and helping others in need. I believe my generation has the ability to change the world for the better, given the pandemic and issues that affect our world, individuals in the medical field have the power to be the hope that everyone needs, and I deeply desire to be apart of a career field that will make that change. As an African-American women I can be an inspiration to others like me who aspire to be nurses, doctors, and physicians, but might not feel they are cut out to become successful. I want to be able to make my life matter to others. I want to patients to look at me and say “Brooklyn O’Bryant, that’s the nurse that changed my life”.