Recovery, to me, signifies a journey of transformation and growth. It’s about overcoming the challenges, struggles, and consequences of addiction and moving towards a healthier and more fulfilling life. It’s not just about abstaining from substances or alcohol today or for a couple of years or even forever, but also about rebuilding your life and your relationships. It means finding a new way to cope with stress and setbacks that life naturally brings in a healthier way. It also means celebrating life in a way that leaves you feeling at peace and empowered. Recovery is a personal journey that looks different for everyone. It’s about finding hope, gaining a sense of self-worth, and discovering one’s potential. It’s about learning to live a life that is not defined by substance abuse but by one’s dreams, goals, and values.

Nursing, to me, is one of the most powerful professions on this earth. Its role in the medical community is multifaceted and requires tenacity, intellect, and compassion. In my observations, I have witnessed nurses provide care and directly improve health in many beautiful ways. Through a series of decisions and events that were not entirely of my choosing, I entered the field of podiatry. However, I knew my passion did not lie in this sphere of medicine. I felt disconnected and unfulfilled, but I was committed to finishing. During my training, I participated in a Women’s Health rotation where the labor and delivery nurses instructed a substantial portion. Here I assisted the nurses and witnessed how they provided direct patient care, and yet, formed deep connections with their patients that allowed them to maintain and improve health, educate, and be an advocate for them. This is what I desired but did not receive from podiatry. I then decided to learn more about nursing by traveling abroad to Ghana. Personally, the moment I knew that I wanted to be a nurse for the rest of my life was for me was when I volunteered in the labor ward of a local government hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. My experience was unique and unforgettable. I worked alongside the nursing and midwifery students providing perinatal care. Medical equipment was scarce and thus I manually checked vital signs, rate of contractions, and assessed fetal heart rates about every two to four hours for each patient, rounding on 10-15 mothers at a time. The midwifery students provided education and monthly prenatal visits in the antenatal clinic. Many women would not attend because they feared the costs of the hospital. They would opt for care from local midwives, who would often misinform them. For instance, a midwife explained to me that she witnessed a mother lose her newborn after a lay midwife instructed her to apply feces around the remains of her baby’s umbilical cord. The baby became septic and did not survive. This was the moment I knew that I wanted to be a nurse leader trained to provide accessible, evidence-based, and culturally competent health care. This is a human right, not just a privilege or an arbitrary choice. After nursing school, I would like to make a difference in the nursing profession by becoming a labor and delivery nurse and starting a non-profit organization that provides education and basic supplies such as baby formula, swaddling clothes, diapers, and wipes to expectant mothers in underdeveloped countries. I want to build relationships with my patients that are long-lasting, and that make them feel cared for and seen. I am a qualified candidate for this scholarship because I am a diligent student committed to the betterment of the patients that I am learning to serve. I have excelled so far in school and with this scholarship, I can continue to do so. This way I can focus on my academics and not on the increasing cost of school fees. I know I can have a great influence in the nursing profession, and I would be a grateful recipient of the Balancing Act Medical Student Scholarship if accepted.

Nursing, to me, is one of the most powerful professions on this earth. Its role in the medical community is multifaceted and requires tenacity, intellect, and compassion. In my observations, I have witnessed nurses provide care and directly improve health in many beautiful ways. Through a series of decisions and events that were not entirely of my choosing, I entered the field of podiatry. However, I knew my passion did not lie in this sphere of medicine. I felt disconnected and unfulfilled, but I was committed to finishing. During my training, I participated in a Women’s Health rotation where the labor and delivery nurses instructed a substantial portion. Here I assisted the nurses and witnessed how they provided direct patient care, and yet, formed deep connections with their patients that allowed them to maintain and improve health, educate, and be an advocate for them. This is what I desired but did not receive from podiatry. I then decided to learn more about nursing by traveling abroad to Ghana. Personally, the moment I knew that I wanted to be a nurse for the rest of my life was for me was when I volunteered in the labor ward of a local government hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. My experience was unique and unforgettable. I worked alongside the nursing and midwifery students providing perinatal care. Medical equipment was scarce and thus I manually checked vital signs, rate of contractions, and assessed fetal heart rates about every two to four hours for each patient, rounding on 10-15 mothers at a time. The midwifery students provided education and monthly prenatal visits in the antenatal clinic. Many women would not attend because they feared the costs of the hospital. They would opt for care from local midwives, who would often misinform them. For instance, a midwife explained to me that she witnessed a mother lose her newborn after a lay midwife instructed her to apply feces around the remains of her baby’s umbilical cord. The baby became septic and did not survive. This was the moment I knew that I wanted to be a nurse leader trained to provide accessible, evidence-based, and culturally competent health care. This is a human right, not just a privilege or an arbitrary choice. After nursing school, I would like to make a difference in the nursing profession by becoming a labor and delivery nurse and starting a non-profit organization that provides education and basic supplies such as baby formula, swaddling clothes, diapers, and wipes to expectant mothers in underdeveloped countries. I want to build relationships with my patients that are long-lasting, and that make them feel cared for and seen. I am a qualified candidate for this scholarship because I am a diligent student committed to the betterment of the patients that I am learning to serve. I have excelled so far in school and with this scholarship, I can continue to do so. This way I can focus on my academics and not on the increasing cost of school fees. I know I can have a great influence in the nursing profession, and I would be a grateful recipient of the Joseph Joshua Searor Memorial Scholarship if accepted.

When I finally made my decision to return to school and become a nurse, many people asked me, “why?” It is a thought that I have often asked myself as well. My podiatric education took me seven years to complete; four years of schooling and three years of clinical and surgical training. Not including the financial and emotional costs, it was long and arduous and at times it was hard to find it fulfilling. I then made the decision to go back to school because I was determined to work in a field that I was passionate about and could make a difference on a daily basis. Nursing, to me, is this field. I believe it is one of the most powerful professions on this earth. Its role in the medical community is multifaceted and requires tenacity, intellect, and compassion. In my personal observations, I have witnessed nurses provide care and directly improve health in a variety of beautiful ways. Personally, I fell in love with nursing when I volunteered in the labor ward of a local government hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. My experience was unique and unforgettable. I worked alongside the nursing and midwifery students providing perinatal care. Medical equipment was scarce and thus I manually checked vital signs, rate of contractions, and assessed fetal heart rates about every two to four hours for each patient, rounding on 10-15 mothers at a time. In the antenatal clinic, the midwifery students provided education and monthly prenatal visits. Many women would not attend because they feared the costs of the hospital. They would opt for care from local midwives, who would often misinform them. For instance, a midwife explained to me that she witnessed a mother lose her newborn after a lay midwife instructed her to apply feces around the remains of her baby’s umbilical cord. The baby became septic and did not survive. This was the moment I knew that I wanted to be a nurse leader trained to provide accessible, evidence-based, and culturally competent health care. This is a human right, not just a privilege or an arbitrary choice. After nursing school, I would like to make a difference in the nursing profession by becoming a labor and delivery nurse and starting a non-profit organization that provides education and basic supplies such as baby formula, swaddling clothes, diapers, and wipes to expectant mothers in underdeveloped countries. I want to build relationships with my patients that are long-lasting, and that make them feel cared for and seen. I am a qualified candidate for this scholarship because I am a diligent student committed to the betterment of the patients that I am learning to serve. I have excelled so far in school and with this scholarship, I can continue to do so. This way I can focus on my academics and not on the increasing cost of school fees. I know I can have a great influence in the nursing profession, and I would be a grateful recipient of this scholarship if selected.

Nursing, to me, is one of the most powerful professions on this earth. Its role in the medical community is multifaceted and requires tenacity, intellect, and compassion. In my personal observations, I have witnessed nurses provide care and directly improve health in a variety of beautiful ways. Personally, I fell in love with nursing when I volunteered in the labor ward of a local government hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. My experience was unique and unforgettable. I worked alongside the nursing and midwifery students providing perinatal care. This was the moment I knew that I wanted to be a nurse leader trained to provide accessible, evidence-based, and culturally competent health care. I also knew that I wanted to become a nurse educator and prepare for the next generation of nurses. While nursing school now, I have the opportunity to assist one of my professors in providing wound care training at several harm reduction programs near our school. On a weekly basis she goes to one of these centers and trains social workers and other employees at these various sites. I and some of my other classmates assist when we are done with classes for the day. This has had a major impact on me and how I view those who are living with substance abuse. As we have taken the time to train these individuals, I have realized how even a little new knowledge can save someone's life. In the short amount of time that we spend training I have built relationships with people who are passionate about helping a community that has long been ostracized and neglected. This has added to the flame that I already have for nursing in my heart. I do not want to overlook my other desires in nursing. I would also like to work as a labor and delivery nurse and start a non-profit organization that provides education and basic supplies to expectant mothers in underdeveloped countries. However, I also want to continue to provide wound care training to those who are living with substance abuse especially with the incorporation of Xylazine in drugs that have been causing terrible wounds. I want to blossom into a competent, critically thinking, yet kind and compassionate nurse who cares for anyone that crosses my path. I am a qualified candidate for this scholarship because I am a diligent student committed to the betterment of the patients that I am learning to serve and have a passion for teaching. I have excelled so far in school and with this scholarship, I can continue to do so. This way I can focus on my academics and not on the increasing cost of school fees. I would like to contribute to nursing and nursing education in great ways, and I know that being a recipient of this scholarship would help me do so.

Nursing, to me, is one of the most powerful professions on this earth. Its role in the medical community is multifaceted and requires tenacity, intellect, and compassion. In my personal observations, I have witnessed nurses provide care and directly improve health in a variety of beautiful ways. Personally, I fell in love with nursing when I volunteered in the labor ward of a local government hospital in Kumasi, Ghana. My experience was unique and unforgettable. I worked alongside the nursing and midwifery students providing perinatal care. Medical equipment was scarce and thus I manually checked vital signs, rate of contractions, and assessed fetal heart rates about every two to four hours for each patient, rounding on 10-15 mothers at a time. In the antenatal clinic, the midwifery students provided education and monthly prenatal visits. Many women would not attend because they feared the costs of the hospital. They would opt for care from local midwives, who would often misinform them. For instance, a midwife explained to me that she witnessed a mother lose her newborn after a lay midwife instructed her to apply feces around the remains of her baby’s umbilical cord. The baby became septic and did not survive. This was the moment I knew that I wanted to be a nurse leader trained to provide accessible, evidence-based, and culturally competent health care. This is a human right, not just a privilege or an arbitrary choice. After nursing school, I would like to make a difference in the nursing profession by becoming a labor and delivery nurse and starting a non-profit organization that provides education and basic supplies such as baby formula, swaddling clothes, diapers, and wipes to expectant mothers in my local community. I want to build relationships with my patients that are long-lasting, and that make them feel cared for and seen. I am a qualified candidate for this scholarship because I am a diligent student committed to the betterment of the patients that I am learning to serve. I have excelled so far in school and with this scholarship, I can continue to do so. This way I can focus on my academics and not on the increasing cost of school fees. We need community ambassadors for nursing now, more than ever with the rising costs of healthcare. I know I can have a great influence in the nursing profession, and I would be a grateful recipient of the scholarship if selected.