I am honored to apply for this scholarship and would love to share my journey over the past few years! My desire to become a nurse started during a crucial season of life. Growing up, I never imagined that something as simple as stepping onto a soccer field would feel like such a gift. However, my senior year of high school that was the only thing I wanted to do. After injuring my back in the weight room and undergoing multiple surgeries and procedures over the span of a year, I wasn’t sure if I would ever truly be healthy enough to play again. Dealing with the physical pain that my injury brought was not an easy task, but the frustration and uncertainties that I faced felt even harder. During that difficult season of my life, I leaned into the strength of God and the support given to me by family and medical staff. Today, I am so thankful to be playing the sport that I love at East Texas Baptist University. This accomplishment means more to me than any accolade because it represents faith, perseverance, and surrender to God’s will. In addition to playing college soccer, I have stayed diligent in my studies and maintained a 4.0 GPA. I am proud of this as well because it has required discipline to balance academics, athletics, and everything in between. Because of the nurses that have changed my life I continue foster the desire to become a registered nurse. I enjoy expanding my knowledge and am determined to tackle any hardships in the future with the determination to become the best nurse I can be. Thanks to my family's support and encouragement to embody everything it means to be a gracious, compassionate, and efficient nurse, I am confident in the process ahead of me. As mentioned before, my story of injuries and recovery has had a huge impact on my future goals. I am currently pursuing my nursing degree with hopes to work with pediatric oncology. After going through my own health challenges, I feel a greater abundance of compassion and empathy for those going through similar situations. I have a heart to take care of others, and I feel called to provide not only medical care but also encouragement, comfort, and the love of Jesus to children and families during some of their darkest days. I understand the weight of providing care for families and I take it very seriously. Receiving this scholarship would be a blessing in my life as I continue to work toward a degree in nursing. This scholarship would help to ease the financial burden that college brings and allow me to focus more fully on both academics and athletics. I am completely committed to use the opportunities provided for me to become the best nurse that I can be. Thank you very much for your consideration!

I am honored to apply for this scholarship and would love to share my journey over the past few years! My desire to become a nurse started during a crucial season of life. Growing up, I never imagined that something as simple as stepping onto a soccer field would feel like such a gift. However, my senior year of high school that was the only thing I wanted to do. After injuring my back in the weight room and undergoing multiple surgeries and procedures over the span of a year, I wasn’t sure if I would ever truly be healthy enough to play again. Dealing with the physical pain that my injury brought was not an easy task, but the frustration and uncertainties that I faced felt even harder. During that difficult season of my life, I leaned into the strength of God and the support given to me by family and medical staff. Today, I am so thankful to be playing the sport that I love at East Texas Baptist University. This accomplishment means more to me than any accolade because it represents faith, perseverance, and surrender to God’s will. In addition to playing college soccer, I have stayed diligent in my studies and maintained a 4.0 GPA. I am proud of this as well because it has required discipline to balance academics, athletics, and everything in between. Because of the nurses that have changed my life I continue foster the desire to become a registered nurse. I enjoy expanding my knowledge and am determined to tackle any hardships in the future with the determination to become the best nurse I can be. Thanks to my family's support and encouragement to embody everything it means to be a gracious, compassionate, and efficient nurse, I am confident in the process ahead of me. As mentioned before, my story of injuries and recovery has had a huge impact on my future goals. I am currently pursuing my nursing degree with hopes to work with pediatric oncology. After going through my own health challenges, I feel a greater abundance of compassion and empathy for those going through similar situations. I have a heart to take care of others, and I feel called to provide not only medical care but also encouragement, comfort, and the love of Jesus to children and families during some of their darkest days. I understand the weight of providing care for families and I take it very seriously. Receiving this scholarship would be a blessing in my life as I continue to work toward a degree in nursing. This scholarship would help to ease the financial burden that college brings and allow me to focus more fully on both academics and athletics. I am completely committed to use the opportunities provided for me to become the best nurse that I can be. Thank you very much for your consideration!

I am honored to apply for this scholarship and would love to share my journey over the past few years! My desire to become a nurse started during a crucial season of life. Growing up, I never imagined that something as simple as stepping onto a soccer field would feel like such a gift. However, my senior year of high school that was the only thing I wanted to do. After injuring my back in the weight room and undergoing multiple surgeries and procedures over the span of a year, I wasn’t sure if I would ever truly be healthy enough to play again. Dealing with the physical pain that my injury brought was not an easy task, but the frustration and uncertainties that I faced felt even harder. During that difficult season of my life, I leaned into the strength of God and the support given to me by family and medical staff. Today, I am so thankful to be playing the sport that I love at East Texas Baptist University. This accomplishment means more to me than any accolade because it represents faith, perseverance, and surrender to God’s will. In addition to playing college soccer, I have stayed diligent in my studies and maintained a 4.0 GPA. I am proud of this as well because it has required discipline to balance academics, athletics, and everything in between. Because of the nurses that have changed my life I continue foster the desire to become a registered nurse. I enjoy expanding my knowledge and am determined to tackle any hardships in the future with the determination to become the best nurse I can be. Thanks to my family's support and encouragement to embody everything it means to be a gracious, compassionate, and efficient nurse, I am confident in the process ahead of me. As mentioned before, my story of injuries and recovery has had a huge impact on my future goals. I am currently pursuing my nursing degree with hopes to work with pediatric oncology. After going through my own health challenges, I feel a greater abundance of compassion and empathy for those going through similar situations. I have a heart to take care of others, and I feel called to provide not only medical care but also encouragement, comfort, and the love of Jesus to children and families during some of their darkest days. I understand the weight of providing care for families and I take it very seriously. Receiving this scholarship would be a blessing in my life as I continue to work toward a degree in nursing. This scholarship would help to ease the financial burden that college brings and allow me to focus more fully on both academics and athletics. I am completely committed to use the opportunities provided for me to become the best nurse that I can be. Thank you very much for your consideration!

My name is Caroline Smith and I am a recent graduate of The Brook Hill School in the Tyler, Texas area. I will attend East Texas Baptist University in the fall where I will play soccer and major in nursing. Ever since I was young, I played soccer with a passion to be great. The joy I feel while playing has not left me since the first time I scored a goal as a little four year-old. Although my four year-old self would be proud of how far my career has come, it hasn’t been without obstacles. However, I’m a strong believer that lessons from adversity are fundamental for later success. I verbally committed to ETBU as a junior in high school after being selected 1st team All State and District MVP. I was stoked to enjoy my senior year of soccer after the years of hard work. Funny enough, the Lord had a much different plan for my senior year. September 19, 2024 I lay on my couch barely able to lift a leg or move at all without pain. Just hours earlier, I was in the weight room with my team when I injured my back. A herniated disc and annular tear at my L5 S1 site left me with constant pain. I experienced shooting pain down my legs. As a captain, I was devastated to miss the first part of my senior season but I knew I could be back for the playoffs if I worked hard enough.. I had my first back surgery in January, 2025 after conservative treatment failed. The pain in the following weeks was unlike anything I had ever felt, but I knew it would all be worth it the day I was playing again. There was a timeline and light at the end of the tunnel to be cleared by playoffs… or so I thought. The pain returned in late March. An MRI confirmed that my disc had re-herniated during PT. This meant yet another surgery so soon after the first. I was crushed, knowing I couldn’t play for my school or club team, but shifted my perspective to prioritize my health for collegiate soccer. Waking up from surgery number two was challenging. I had an incident under anesthesia where my body shook from a spasm. I soon found out that my disc was herniated yet again. I was exhausted, discouraged, but determined not to give up. Instead of a third surgery, my family learned of an alternate procedure to seal the disc. I will always be thankful for the financial sacrifice my parents made to have this done. I am putting in the work every day to come back stronger than ever and be back on the field at some point during this freshmen season. My identity is in Christ and not in soccer. However, God has given me the ability to play soccer and it brings me unmatched joy to use the gifts He has given me.

My interest in nursing sparked as I was lying in an ambulance being rushed three hours away from home to a major children's Hospital in Dallas, Texas. After breaking my femur in half at a friend's birthday party, I was told I needed emergency surgery before my bone severed a major artery and could leave me bleeding out. The chaos yet organization of medical staff around me caught my eye and I wanted to learn more. Nurses reassured me, comforted me, and encouraged me throughout the whole process. Sure, I have broken an arm before and have had other surgeries with great medical staff but this time was different. I was scared, confused, and unknowing of what my future would hold for me. However, the calming presence of all my nurses and medical staff eased my worries and made the world of a difference. Two surgeries later and eight months of physical therapy confirmed my decision to be in the medical field. The next step was to narrow down my choice and specifically choose my major. I pondered for months until this past year. Beginning in September, I developed a back injury. As a soccer player my whole life, the weight room was my second home. However, during a school workout during a difficult lift, I reinjured my back badly. I was left unable to walk more than ten feet that next morning. The pain was unlike anything I had felt as it affected my whole body and ran down my lags. I was diagnosed with an extreme annular tear, herniated disc on my L5S1, and bulging discs above. I was distraught as I was told I could not play soccer my senior year. Thankfully, I had already committed to play in college but I still felt let down. Two surgeries and two injections later I had spent tons of time with my nurses and felt that nursing is what I was called to do. I am still in the recovery stage but already seeing progress. Without my genuinely intentional nurses I dont believe I would have gotten through this time. I hope that I can be that same nurse to my patients in the future. I want to offer hope, encouragement, comfort, and peace to patients going through uncertain obstacles. I am thankful for my amazing nurses and the inspiration that they are for my own career in nursing! I found this scholarship through my bold.org account. Thank you!