Friendship to me means someone closer than a brother and dependable like a mother. Our familial relationships are not always the most ideal. Yet, we can find a sense of belonging and home with those whom we can call friends. Friendship also means being a friend to others who need a companion through the highs and lows of life. A friend is someone who helps carry the burdens of life without ridiculing the strength, or lack thereof, of the other. The best way to understand friendship is to become the friend you need and exert kindness on someone else. To me, this Bible verse truly defines friendship; "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" Proverbs 27:17. In this manner, we can uplift our friends through patience, prayer, and presence. The presence of a friend amidst our struggles can calm the raging storm of fear, depression, or doubt. Precious friends are patient, as they listen to our thoughts, prayerful, as they uplift us with sweet words, and present, as they walk with us and celebrate our victories.

The turnaround story from my life that I am proud of is my college journey. When I began college, I did not believe my college decision was sufficient. I remember when my friend during class our senior year of high school said how smart I was, and other students asked where I would attend college. I told them, and their responses were, "Oh." They did not believe that my college choice reflected my friend's thoughts of me. However, your college decision does not measure your level of intellect. I wish I believed that then as much as I do now. That college choice was Kennesaw State University, and I declared my major as pre-nursing. I quickly fell in love with the school. In my first semester of college, I received a 4.0, which set the pace for the remainder of my academic years. Yet, there were many challenges. Often I felt lonely as I navigated my way throughout college because most friend groups dispersed as majors changed and classes became more difficult. Then the pandemic arose, but I needed to apply to the nursing program. I did, but admissions denied me. Frustration and anxiety crept in because I did not know what I would do next. While others continued in their nursing profession, my journey was more about character-building. So, I switched majors to psychology because I thought of integrating psychology and nursing. I excelled in my courses and graduated in three years by December of 2021. My hard work paid off, and because of that, I was confident to apply to Emory University's accelerated nursing program. I am proud to say I received my acceptance letter and will begin in the fall. Yet, my intelligence is still not determined by my choice of school but rather by my perseverance.

My goals for the future are to excel in nursing school and become an RN to care for mothers and their babies as a labor and delivery nurse. Along the way to becoming a nursing student in the fall, I hope to encourage other nursing students to persevere despite the challenges nursing school produces. One of my goals is to document my journey as a nursing student online so that other students do not feel alone in the highs and lows of nursing school. Nursing school is challenging, and the pandemic displayed the rigor and reality of nurses, especially new grads, what the workforce is like, and how pandemics and health crises can drastically affect our way of service and life. Practicing healthy habits before and during nursing school and understanding the overexertion awaiting in healthcare can prepare students for real-world experiences as a nurse. Overall, I am excited to prepare during these months before I begin nursing school through practicing healthy habits (i.e., exercise, balanced meals, mindful thinking, etc.) and addressing any concerns I have before I start. These goals are short-term, but I am willing to create long-term goals throughout these months, such as becoming an excellent nursing student or passing the Next Generation NCLEX. Practice begins now, and I am more than excited to achieve my goals one step at a time.

The study strategies I used to achieve academic success include active recall and spaced repetition. Active recall is one of my favorite strategies that test my knowledge on a topic by using what I learned from memory, thus, giving me a chance to exercise my brain rather than only recognizing words that I read from a textbook. Active recall helps by enforcing different methods of studying, such as using flashcards, self/practice quizzes, and teaching. It is distinct from "studying" by cramming the night before an exam or re-reading lecture notes. I found that I performed better on exams when I spaced out my studying over two to three weeks, depending on the turn-around for exams in a semester and by class. By quizzing myself with practice questions, I was able to solidify what I knew well and what challenged me more. I would utilize my time by practicing more for those weaker areas and re-test the subjects I was confident in over the next two days. This method of studying encouraged me to rest my brain or take breaks if studying became overwhelming while retaining information better. These study strategies helped me graduate college in only three years and make the dean's and presidential list throughout college, especially in my final year. I would encourage all students to research active recall study strategies to master their studying techniques to achieve academic success.