When I was younger, I struggled with an anxiety disorder known as selective mutism. This disorder makes a person uncomfortable or unable to speak to certain people or in certain situations. As a child, it was difficult for me to talk to adults or new people. I was homeschooled during kindergarten and the first half of first grade, and struggled to learn. This is when my parents decided to put me back into the Keyport School district to push me out of my comfort zone with socialization and learning. I returned to school as a shy girl with few friends who struggled to talk to even her teachers. Going back to Keyport was the best possible thing that could have happened for me. Over the years of schooling, I slowly progressed with both social and learning abilities. Maintaining a social life and finding my right group of friends became a very big priority for me. But as I grew up, I realized how important it is to make the most out of your education and your experiences at school. I started to take my grades very seriously and get more involved in clubs. When I entered high school, this took full swing. I joined so many clubs like Key Club, Yearbook, Drama, National Honor Society, Class of 2025 Officers, Student Council, and Prevention & Alliance. I also played varsity field hockey all 4 years of high school. I grew into being a social butterfly who ended up holding President or Vice President positions in almost all of the clubs, be friends with everyone, and love performing. The girl who once wouldn’t talk ended up being the lead in her senior year musical of Mean Girls. Throughout this high school experience, I have received incredible support from so many different people. The teachers and staff that I have spent the past 4 years with have truly shaped me into the person I am and the person I strive to be. Some of them have even become like friends to me, where I can just talk to them about my day, and I know they will listen. They have been there every step of the way with me, trying to figure out what my passion is and what I truly want to spend the rest of my life doing. Some know me better than I know myself and could tell me whether they believe a career path would be right for me, and once I landed on my major, they all knew it was a perfect fit. These people have taught me that I want to help people the way that they were able to help me. While teaching is not my passion, helping in a different type of way is. Nursing allows me to create physical differences for patients that can save their lives. Being able to impact someone’s life to the point where it is the thing keeping them alive made me fall in love with the idea of becoming a nurse. While the journey to getting the degree will be challenging, and I will often struggle, the result of being able to help people in a hospital will all be worth it.