My life experiences growing up overseas have influenced me greatly to pursue a career in nursing. I have some previous experience in the medical field, but none of it happened in America! I was raised in Africa, and we had volunteer teams come every month. One of these teams was sent by a prosthetics clinic in America. All the surrounding villages would gather at a small clinic on the orphanage and sat for hours waiting to be seen. I was blessed to speak the language fluently, so even as a child, I was able to help the teams translate, and I worked beside them all day. During this time, I was able to learn some things about nursing and medicine, but most importantly I was able to watch what it looked like for doctors and nurses to truly value their patients. I was able to see first-hand what selfless service looked like, as everyone was jet-lagged and working for 12+ hours a day! I also served in India for 2 months and traveled to villages doing eyeglass clinics. We met people and gave them tests and provided glasses for them! Again, this showed me how important it is for others to feel valued and taken care of. I was able to meet people and hear their stories, while also providing something that they needed. After high school, I spent a gap year serving in Southeast Asia. It was in a tiny hospital in Indonesia that I fully realized my calling to nursing. My experience is little, but my eyes have been opened to the need for healthcare all around the world, and I want to do everything I can to meet those needs. The truth is, I have always been afraid to pursue a career in the medical field. I have always told myself that I am not smart enough, or that I couldn’t possibly go through that much schooling. It took two hours in that tiny hospital in Indonesia to make me realize that all these excuses were selfish. I realize now that the world needs more healthcare workers, and God has blessed me with the opportunity to go to school and live for something more than myself. I want to give my life serving others. I am now excited to meet the challenges that may come, because I know why I am doing it. My goal is to become a pediatric nurse and one day work in India in a clinic, helping those who cannot help themselves. My goal is to complete school and push through the hard times, always remembering why I started. My goal is to spend my life thinking about myself and my own plans as little as possible, and to spend it serving others instead.

The truth is, I have not always wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. I have always told myself that I am not smart enough, or that I couldn’t possibly go through that much schooling. It took two hours in a tiny hospital in Indonesia to make me realize that all of these excuses were selfish. I realize now that the world needs more healthcare workers, and God has blessed me with the opportunity to go to school and live for something more than myself. I want to give my life serving others. I am now excited to meet the challenges that may come, because I know why I am doing it. My goal is to become a pediatric nurse and one day work in India in a clinic, to help those who cannot help themselves. My goal is to complete school and push through the hard times, always remembering why I started. My goal is to spend my life thinking about myself and my own plans as little as possible, and to spend it serving others instead. I have had some previous experience in the medical field, but none of it happened in America! I was raised in Africa and we had volunteer teams come every month. One of these teams was sent by a prosthetics clinic in America. All of the surrounding villages would gather at a small clinic on the orphanage and sat for hours waiting to be seen. I was blessed to speak the language fluently, so I was able to help the teams translate, and worked beside them all day!! During this time, I was able to learn some medical things, but most importantly I was able to watch what it looked like for doctors and nurses to truly value their patients. I was able to see first-hand what selfless service looked like, as everyone was jet-lagged and working for 12+ hours in a day!! I also served in India for 2 months and traveled to villages doing eyeglass clinics. We met people and gave them tests and provided glasses for them!! Again, this showed me how important it is for others to feel valued, and taken care of. I was able to meet people and hear their stories, while also providing something that they needed. My experience is little, but my eyes have been opened to the need for healthcare all around the world, and I want to do everything I can to meet those needs.