One of my main motivations for pursuing a career in Nursing has been my desire to comfort those around me. I have always been one to give someone a hug or a word of encouragement when they are hurting, but it is difficult for me when I cannot do something tangible for them. I really desire to be able to not only tell people that everything is going to be okay but also help them get through whatever it was that they are hurting from. When someone is sick, I do not want to just tell them that I feel sorry for them, I want to help them feel better. I remember many times helping my siblings get a bucket if they felt like throwing up, getting them some medicine if they had a fever, and treating lots of scrapes with Neosporin and Band-Aids. I just wanted to help them in whatever way that I could. This desire to help others in tangible ways led me to the Nursing field because I know that I will be able to comfort and support those who need it while also helping to heal them. My call specifically to pediatric Nursing came in a very harsh way. When I was in high school, my younger brother began having seizures. After about a month and a lot of testing, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor that had the possibility of being cancerous. I had almost always been able to help in at least a small way when my siblings were sick, but this time there was nothing I could do to help my brother. I had to come to grips with the fact that my brother was in danger, and I could not do anything but hope and pray for him. Not long after, my brother had surgery to remove the tumor. Although there were a few complications, the surgery was successful. When my brother got back, I did everything I could to help with his recovery. I remember listening to the stories he would tell me about his time in the hospital. I could tell that my brother had been scared throughout his surgery. However, he told me that some of the doctors and nurses that treated him were kind, and they helped him to be more secure. I realized how impactful these kind doctors and nurses had been on my brother, and I realized that I want to help kids like him feel safe. I know that Nursing school will be hard, but I am so motivated to be able to help children to know that things are going to be okay, and I am excited to be able to actively work to make them healthier in the hospital setting. .

Ever since I was a young child, I was taught about the importance of human life, from conception to natural death. I grew up in a family with 10 kids, so I knew that my parents had been open to life. They educated me about abortion and how it hurts people. Whenever we would pray as a family, one of our intentions was always for the end of abortion. Even though I was young, I was pained by the reality of abortion, and I was eager to learn more. At about the age of 6, I made the goal of saving at least one baby’s life through my efforts in the Pro-Life movement. Ever since, I have been trying to achieve this goal through my prayer, my witness, and my joy for life. Growing up, my family and some of our friends started the “Kids Pro-Life Club” and each year we would march in a parade in town for the 4th of July and hand out stickers of smiley faces that read “Smile! Your Mom chose life!” As well as Lifesaver candies with stickers on them that said “Be a lifesaver! Choose life.” I would spend hours cutting stickers and putting them on Lifesavers in preparation for this event. I was so excited to be able to have a chance to have an impact on the Pro-Life movement, and I wanted to do whatever I could do to help. As I got older, I started going to the local Planned Parenthood to pray for the people who were thinking about getting an abortion. I had several encounters with people who vehemently despised what we were doing. I was often called “indoctrinated” or “judgmental” by people as I prayed outside of the abortion clinic. Though it was hard, I stood my ground and never lashed out at these people or left the clinic until I had stopped praying. Recently, I was able to fulfill a lifelong goal of attending the March for Life in Washington DC. I had gone to the March for Life in my state capital before, but I had never been able to travel to DC for it. This year, I packed up into five busses with 240 other college students from my university and traveled for 30 hours each way to DC and back for the March. Even though this trip was very taxing, I was encouraged by the hope that my witness to life would be encouraging for someone. During the March for Life, I was amazed by the joy of the marchers. We were there to protest the evil that is abortion, yet we were also there to spread the joy of life to others. This protest was like no other. I was so incredibly grateful to be surrounded by thousands and thousands of other people who were fighting for each human being’s right to life. Abortion has always saddened me, but that day, the joy of life overwhelmed me. I will continue to support life in every way that I can. I will continue to go to the March for Life, pray for the unborn and those who are considering an abortion, and one day, I will teach my future kids about the importance of fighting for life.

1. Why do you deserve this scholarship? I deserve this scholarship because I am an intergalactic space ranger named Buzz Buzz. I was sent to this planet to receive every scholarship award possible and take them to feed the war efforts of my native people: the Dradakadoos. It is absolutely vital that I gain every amount of currency that I can. If I do not, my superior, General DoofyMoofy, will kick me 37 times. Please help me!! This is a vital mission. 2. What are your academic and/or career goals? I would absolutely love to stay alive on my home planet, which is called RockaDert. My goals are very short range. I like not being kicked, eating enough rocks to keep me alive, and binge-watching Flerfmagerf. I hate school and would never even consider going to college for... Nursing?? Uck... 3. Tell me about a time you’ve overcome an obstacle. Once, I opened the refrigerator to obtain my leftovers from Brlupper. It was heavier than usual because the door was full of condiments. I was very impressed by myself because I hate working for anything in my life and am not used to overcoming obstacles to reach what I want.

I have always had a lot of problems trying to accept myself. For a good portion of my life, I would wake up every day and I think about all the ways that I need to be better, and I dread all the mistakes I was bound to make throughout the day. People would complement me from time-to-time, but I always assumed people were just trying to make me feel better, that they just felt sorry for me. I was so convinced of my lack of worth that I doubted anyone could genuinely see good in me. This has made my relationships very tough. I have often assumed that people hate me when they don’t text me for a couple days, I would try to convince those around me that I don’t deserve their love, and I have always had an incredibly hard time accepting complements. A lot of this changed when I actually started talking to people about the way I felt about myself. Some of my friends and family were shocked that I really didn’t like who I was. A few people made comments like, “I thought you were just trying to be humble when you wouldn’t receive a complement!” When my closest friends and family knew that I had a hard time seeing good in myself, they started reassuring me that their love was not fake, that they didn’t just pity me, and that they truly saw something good in me. I was blown away. I started to understand that maybe, just maybe, there was good in myself. I started to make progress in how I felt about myself, and this helped my friendships become way more solid. I became more and more open to those around me, and I was able to listen when they needed to open up to me. I have never really let myself make plans up until this point—I was too afraid that I would fail and let people down—but once I learned to start accepting myself, I realized that I could accomplish great things if I put my mind to it. I am now planning on attending the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota and majoring in Nursing. Before I learned to accept myself, I was too afraid to aspire to greatness, but now that I know there is good in me, I know that greatness is just around the corner.

What is my greatest inspiration in life? It is tempting to go with the standard, “I want to change the world, I want to help people, I want to be kind…” But, at the end of the day, that is a little too vague for me. What is my greatest inspiration in life? Dang. Just thinking about this question makes me take a step back and look at my life through a different lens... Come to think of it, this different point of view is my greatest inspiration. I am inspired by new experiences, and I want people to experience something new. I want people to question the things they take for granted. I want to foster a love of learning about new things in the people I encounter. Every new experience I have drives me to share with others; I cannot keep the joy I have found in the little things in life to myself. I need others to experience it for themselves. I think so many people tend to stay in their little world, ignorant of all of the beauty around them, and I want to awaken them to the possibilities of life. Questions drive me. However, questions are seen as something scary in our world today. Many people are terrified of asking questions because they think they have to find the answers. My goal is to get people to appreciate the very act of asking. Sometimes, a journey is not about the destination, but rather the road itself. In the same way, when I ask questions, I do not always find the answers, but I do always find something. I have found insights about life, a new perspective, or even just fun random facts about life by asking questions. While these things were not the original point of asking a question, they are still beautiful, and they are things that I never would have stumbled upon if I had not asked these questions. I have a deep desire to show others that it is possible to question without needing to doubt, to find purpose without answers, and to be open to opposing opinions without bashing them. Learning is not always about finding the right answer, but instead, it is about finding something new. Questions drive me towards answers, and even if I do not find them, I will still find so many other things on my journey towards them. Questioning makes me take a step back and reevaluate my life, and I hope to share this different perspective with those around me.

My all-time favorite movie is Christopher Nolan’s Inception. There are many reasons why I enjoy watching this movie so much--the incredible musical score by Hans Zimmer, the amazing acting performances of the cast, and the absolute genius of a director that is Christopher Nolan-- but my favorite part about the movie is showing it to my friends and family. The ending of this film is a bit of a cliffhanger, and it ends quite unexpectedly, so it is always fun to watch someone who has not seen Inception react to it. I remember when I first watched Inception with my older brother; when the movie finished, I had a look of absolute shock on my face; all the while, my brother just grinned at me. I love showing people Inception so that I can watch them have that same look of shock and awe I had when I first watched the film. Now, I get to be the one with that grin on my face and ask them, “So, what did you think?” I love showing this movie to people so much that I have now watched Inception 13 times--Yes. I've kept track--and I intend to watch it many more.

I love this meme so much; it always makes me chuckle whenever I see it. I really like memes that make me think a little bit, and when I first saw this meme, it took me a solid 10 seconds to figure out what it meant. I finally figured out that it's a play on words of "Beauty is in the eye of the bee holder." There seems to be more of a reward for having to think to figure out a meme. When I first saw this meme, I chuckled and sent it to my older sister. I have been sending a meme to her every single day since. It has been months now since I first sent her this meme, and it's really the main reason I have stayed in contact with her. In a way, this meme helped me recognize my relationship with my sister, and now, whenever I see this meme, I think of her.