Ever since I was little, I always told people I wanted to be a doctor. Of course, the follow up question would always be "Why?", to which my response would be: "Because I love science and I love helping people!". Although this might be quite the generic response, it was true back then and is still true today. However, what I didn't know back then as a child that I know now is how much of a fulfilling career nursing would be for me in terms of providing a direct impact in patient care. I graduated from Temple University last May with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, because of course — just like any other Pre-Med — biology was the way to go if you wanted to take the MCAT. Since I already had my EMT certification at the time of graduation, my plan was to take a year or two off before applying to medical schools so I could see how it would be to work directly in a hospital setting. I moved from working on the ambulance truck part-time to becoming a full-time patient care technician at Jefferson Hospital, and it is here that I realized how naturally nursing came to me. As a tech on the Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit, my job is to obtain vital signs, blood draws, bladder scans, EKGs, insert IVs, perform straight catheterizations, help with daily patient care, and assist the nurses with any other tasks that may be needed on the unit. As I began to realize how much I loved my job, I would take a look at the nurses I work with and think, "Wow, if I can be a tech, I can be a nurse, too!". Doctors are extremely important, but working as a tech has allowed me to see just how much more time the nurses spend with the patient. The nurse is a patient advocate who communicates with doctors to make sure that patients' needs are being met. Patients see the nurse more times throughout the day than they do the doctor, and the nurse is going to be the first person to catch a change in the way the patient acts or feels. Nursing is a vital aspect to healthcare, not only in a medical sense but also for the patient's social wellbeing. There are going to be days where sometimes, the only person that a patient might see all day is just the nurse. A patient might not have family that comes to visit them as often as they would like, or they may be feeling depressed about being stuck in the hospital. It feels so good as a tech to see a smile on the patient's face when you tell them a joke, or just simply stop and take a moment to listen to them about their fighter jet stories from World War II. Being a tech is great, but I know that I'm capable of making an even greater impact as a nurse. I would like to have the opportunity to have a say in the patient's care, administer medications, and so much more that I see the nurses on my unit do on a daily basis. Who would have thought that the little girl who told everybody she was going to be a doctor would change her mind and become a nurse?

Ever since I was little, I always told people I wanted to be a doctor. Of course, the follow up question would always be "Why?", to which my response would be: "Because I love science and I love helping people!". Although this might be quite the generic response, it was true back then and is still true today. However, what I didn't know back then as a child that I know now is how much of a fulfilling career nursing would be for me in terms of providing a direct impact in patient care. I graduated from Temple University last May with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, because of course — just like any other Pre-Med — biology was the way to go if you wanted to take the MCAT. Since I already had my EMT certification at the time of graduation, my plan was to take a year or two off before applying to medical schools so I could see how it would be to work directly in a hospital setting. I moved from working on the ambulance truck part-time to becoming a full-time patient care technician at Jefferson Hospital, and it is here that I realized how naturally nursing came to me. As a tech on the Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit, my job is to obtain vital signs, blood draws, bladder scans, EKGs, insert IVs, perform straight catheterizations, help with daily patient care, and assist the nurses with any other tasks that may be needed on the unit. As I began to realize how much I loved my job, I would take a look at the nurses I work with and think, "Wow, if I can be a tech, I can be a nurse, too!". Doctors are extremely important, but working as a tech has allowed me to see just how much more time the nurses spend with the patient. The nurse is a patient advocate who communicates with doctors to make sure that patients' needs are being met. Patients see the nurse more times throughout the day than they do the doctor, and the nurse is going to be the first person to catch a change in the way the patient acts or feels. Nursing is a vital aspect to healthcare, not only in a medical sense but also for the patient's social wellbeing. There are going to be days where sometimes, the only person that a patient might see all day is just the nurse. A patient might not have family that comes to visit them as often as they would like, or they may be feeling depressed about being stuck in the hospital. It feels so good as a tech to see a smile on the patient's face when you tell them a joke, or just simply stop and take a moment to listen to them about their fighter jet stories from World War II. Being a tech is great, but I know that I'm capable of making an even greater impact as a nurse. I would like to have the opportunity to have a say in the patient's care, administer medications, and so much more that I see the nurses on my unit do on a daily basis. Who would have thought that the little girl who told everybody she was going to be a doctor would change her mind and become a nurse?

My own experience dealing with depression and anxiety has made me a more understanding person, in general. I've always been a compassionate person, but after having to fake a smile for years, I had to take a moment and think about all the other people around me who are doing the same. My experience with mental health has made me realize that everyone has their own stresses going on in life, and that people should be kinder to strangers because they don't know if someone is on their last straw. What I found to be interesting about the world is that even though many people are dealing with their own mental health challenges, we as humans are still able to maintain a generally stable and functional society. After thinking about this for a while, I realized that the reason for this is because most people are suppressing their feelings, putting their issues on the back burner because work, school, and other responsibilities come first. While we should be conscious of our responsibilities, we also need to set aside time to ensure good mental health. This is why now that my mental health has been getting on the right track, my goals have changed. I am no longer solely focused on just academic and career goals. Now, in addition to these, I've created personal goals which aim to put myself first. I want to travel more, and I am making an effort to set aside time throughout the month for pampering myself. Also, now that I am on the proper medication for my mental health, I have noticed a positive change in my familial relationships. When you notice that your mental health is failing, it is important to go seek professional help for the benefit of you and those around you.

I've been holding off on writing this scholarship because there's so many great black leaders who deserve to be the subject of this essay, and it's difficult to narrow it down to just one individual. We all know about historical figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X and the contributions they have made to the development of black society. And of course, the black leaders in my life who have inspired me such as my family and teachers should not go unnoticed, either. But if this essay has to be about just one person, I want to choose a black leader who is not very well known. Dr. Leonidas Berry was an African American doctor born in 1902 who made advances in the fields of endoscopy and gastroscopy. Going against the norms at the time, he received his medical degree in the 1920s and went on to become a well-respected physician. Dr. Berry also was the president of the National Medical Association from 1955 to 1956, quite impressive for a black man during this time period. One of the many medical discoveries he made is that he used the gastrocope to study how alcohol affected the stomach lining. Dr. Berry also invented an attachment to the gastrocope which could be used for obtaining biopsies. Dr. Berry's interest in the medical field came from his great uncle, who was the former slave of a doctor. The slave owner showed his uncle many aspects of the medical field, which his uncle passed down to him. Dr. Berry also comes from a line of being a fighter and not a quitter. In his book, "I Wouldn't Take Nothin For My Journey", he talks about being the descendant of a Union War soldier named John Berry who played a part in freeing the slaves and even got into an altercation with his slave owner which caused him to flee the plantation. With Dr. Berry being the descendant of someone so strong like John Berry, it's no wonder he was able to overcome many of the challenges he faced during his time. Dr. Berry is an inspiration to me because he made a decision that he was going to become a doctor and, despite all odds being against him, he did it. Just thinking about how hard things must have been for him during the Jim Crow era and seeing his willingness to keep going for the black community makes me proud to be one of his descendants. Oh yeah! Silly me. I didn't mention that I'm actually related to him? My aunt did some family history research and found that her maternal grandmother is originally a Berry, descendant of the slave John Berry and also related to Dr. Leonidas Berry. Knowing that I come from a line of people who don't quit is what inspires me to keep going. When things get tough, I just think about how tough it was for Dr. Leonidas Berry and how he would be proud of me if he ever had the chance to meet me. I may have never gotten the chance to meet him, but he's family and I consider that a bragging right! He also wrote an entire book to teach me about my civil war ancestor hero John Berry. I'm inspired by Dr. Berry to be a hard worker and to continue my education for the betterment of my community. Dr. Berry, thank you for being one of the biggest inspirations I've ever come across. I wish I had the chance to meet you, but I can continue your legacy.

Imagine being in a boxing ring and having to fight the world's greatest heavyweight champion. Sounds pretty hard, right? Want to know another kind of fight that's just as hard? The one where you're constantly fighting yourself. The fight where there feels like there's no point in trying to get up because you've already beat yourself down to what feels like the point of no return. It's hard to maintain your sanity when your own mind is tearing you down. Not wanting to be living anymore and feeling like a constant failure. My mental health had been suffering for the longest until recently. I felt that no matter how hard I tried, I was never good enough for myself. On paper, my life was great. With a loving family, close friends, and a bright future ahead of me there's no reason why I shouldn't have been satisfied with my life. And yet, here I was, kicking myself down when I was already down, counting every single negative aspect I could about my life and unable to see anything positive. As a child, I was obsessed with being a perfectionist. It is this very obsession which I took with me into my teens and young adulthood which caused me to view myself in such a foul light. I had certain expectations for myself which I felt like if I did not meet them, it made me worthless. Of course, this was an extremely unhealthy view to have of myself. I realized last year that I needed to seek help immediately when I began having suicidal thoughts daily and could not pinpoint an exact reason for them. I spoke with my doctor who set me up to speak with a social worker and also prescribed me medication for anxiety and depression. I am so glad that I reached out for help, because talking to someone about how I felt proved to be important. Also, I am happy to be on the right medication as I have not experienced any suicidal thoughts since I began treatment. There may be a social stigma about how it's "lame" or "uncool" to be on medication for mental health, but it's even more uncool to let negative thoughts consume you on a daily basis without reaching out for help. Before I got help, I had such a negative view of myself, so much so that sometimes I didn't even want to look in the mirror. But now, I have the ultimate confidence and happiness that I wish I would have had much sooner. It is important to take the time to reach out to a professional the moment you see your mental health start to deteriorate. Doing so could literally save your life!

When people think of the word "adversity", they might think of certain people, situations, or circumstances that have contributed to many of life's obstacles. For example, a person who was born into poverty and is able to attain wealth one day in the future is said to have overcome adversity. A person who dealt with unsupportive or abusive parents growing up and was later able to become successful on their own is an example of overcoming adversity. Fortunately, I was not born into poverty and I come from a loving, supportive family who has played a positive role in shaping who I am today. I am thankful that I have not had to deal with any adversities in my life... oh wait. Did I say that I have never had to deal with adversity in my life? I almost forgot about the time that I had to deal with the adversity of fighting depression, battling every day with my own mind. I was severely depressed for about five years, from my late teens into young adulthood. I mentioned that I did not grow up in poverty and that I have a loving family, so how could I have possibly been depressed? There wasn't anything missing from my life. I had positive experiences, I had a small group of close knit friends. There was nothing to be depressed about. Except for the fact that I was constantly feeling disappointed in myself, in the life that I created. I felt like a failure and felt like I was never good enough for myself. No one around me made me feel this way, but I was always feeling like I never lived up to the expectations that I had set for myself. My mental health was getting so bad to the point where I really didn't want to be here anymore. Poor mental health is a scary thing, especially when you don't seek help right away. It's hard to deal with the adversity of your own mind trying to fight you, being consumed with negativity on a daily basis. Last year, when I truly felt like I wanted to give up, I knew that I needed to seek professional help. Fortunately, my doctor was able to set me up with a social worker who I felt much better after talking to, and I was also prescribed medication for depression and anxiety. I am not sure if it is a placebo effect, but ever since I have been taking the medication I have not had any more suicidal thoughts and also feel that my mood has brightened in general. I also think of myself in a different light now, as I don't let negative thoughts consume me and make a conscious effort to think positively as I reflect on my life. The important step which I had to take to overcome this adversity was to reach out for help, something that I knew I should have done a long time ago. I have always been the type of person who likes to solve problems on their own and refrains from asking for help. I realized, though, that if I was battling with myself that I was going to need to count on someone other than myself this time for help. I am so glad that -- even though I was late in doing so -- I took the opportunity to reach out for help for my mental health because it allowed me to overcome the greatest adversity I ever had to face -- myself.

Growing up, my mother instilled in me to be a leader and not a follower. Her favorite question to ask me as a child would be: "If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you follow behind them and jump off, too?" As a child, this question may have annoyed me, but as I matured I began to realize just how important my mother's words were. Because of my mother, I am able to pride myself on being the great leader that I am today. Being a leader is being the person who is not afraid to take risks and is willing to help guide others along the correct path. Imagine there is a dark, narrow cave and there are 10 people trying to find their way out together, but only one flash light. There is not enough room for anyone to walk side by side, everyone seems to be panicking, and no one is quite sure which way to go. One person out of those 10 people is going to have to decide to brave the dark and stay in the front of the line with the flashlight, guiding the rest of the group to safety along the way. This person should be strong, have confidence in themselves, have good critical thinking skills, be able to communicate well with the group, and have the ability to make important decisions -- especially under pressure. That person is me. I may not have ever been trapped in a dark and narrow cave while trying to find the way out, but I have demonstrated leadership in both big and small situations. For example, on the first day of my Mammalian Anatomy class, the professor had pre-assigned us all into groups of three or four. The issue was that in a lecture hall filled with 200 students who did not know each other, no one knew where to start. If Amy, Jenny, and Casey were assigned to work together, Amy may have been in the back of the lecture hall and Jenny might have been up front. The class quietly continued to trickle in, most students with a confused look on their faces as to how they were supposed to find their partners on the first day in such a large lecture hall. Instead of trying to find partners, I noticed that everyone began mumbling amongst themselves trying to figure out what was going on. People were asking the students that they happened to be sitting next to, "Are you Amy? Are you Jenny?" This went on for about 5 minutes with no progress, as no one was able to find their groups. Once I noticed the lack of progress, I was the one who took the initiative to ask the professor, "How exactly should we go about finding our partners in such a big lecture hall?" It was my question which prompted a response from the professor to come up with a better strategy for locating partners. If I hadn't spoken up, I'm not sure that anyone would have spoken up to the professor. As a good leader, this is just one small example in which I identified the problem and took the initiative to solve it rather than waiting for the problem to solve itself. In my future career as a nurse, I am going to encounter even more situations in which I will have to display my leadership qualities -- taking initiative, solving problems, and guiding others to do the same. Being a good leader is a part of being a good nurse!

Success doesn't have to look like just one thing -- it may mean becoming a self-made millionaire to one person and being the CEO of a large company to someone else. No matter what success may look like to one individual or another, I believe that success is easily defined by a person being able to look at themselves in the mirror and say, "Well done." Successes can be big or small, from learning how to cook a new dish to finishing that 5k marathon. Whatever it may be, what matters the most about success is that a person can be proud of themselves for what they achieved. For me, at the end of my life I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror and say, "Well done for playing a role in saving the lives of many." Then, and only then, will I truly be able to call my life a success. Ever since I was little, I always told people I wanted to be a doctor. Of course, the follow up question would always be "Why?", to which my response would be: "Because I love science and I love helping people!". Although this might be quite the generic response, it was true back then and is still true today. However, what I didn't know back then as a child that I know now is how much of a fulfilling career nursing would be for me in terms of providing a direct impact in patient care. I graduated from Temple University last May with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, because of course — just like any other Pre-Med — biology was the way to go if you wanted to take the MCAT. Since I already had my EMT certification at the time of graduation, my plan was to take a year or two off before applying to medical schools so I could see how it would be to work directly in a hospital setting. I moved from working on the ambulance truck part-time to becoming a full-time patient care technician at Jefferson Hospital, and it is here that I realized how naturally nursing came to me. As a tech on the Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit, my job is to obtain vital signs, blood draws, bladder scans, EKGs, insert IVs, perform straight catheterizations, help with daily patient care, and assist the nurses with any other tasks that may be needed on the unit. As I began to realize how much I loved my job, I would take a look at the nurses I work with and think, "Wow, if I can be a tech, I can be a nurse, too!". Being a tech is great, but I know that I'm capable of making an even greater impact as a nurse. I would like to have the opportunity to have a say in the patient's care, administer medications, and so much more that I see the nurses on my unit do on a daily basis. Who would have thought that the little girl who told everybody she was going to be a doctor would change her mind and become a nurse, instead? Some may look at my story and not attribute it to success because they think that becoming a nurse is not as successful as being a doctor. But to me, my success is not going to be defined by making the top salary and having the letters "MD" follow my name. At one point in my life, while that may have been part of the definition to my success story, I am now able to look at the bigger picture. As a nurse, I will still be able to work in Healthcare and save many lives, just like I always wanted to do. Whether I'm a nurse or a doctor, the fact remains that I will call myself successful once I see that I have made a positive impact on the lives of many and that my patients are able to walk away in better shape than they came in after being in my care. This scholarship opportunity will help me achieve success as a nurse by allowing me to focus more on my studies rather than finances while I am in school. I am going to be taking an accelerated 1-year nursing program at Thomas Jefferson University College of Nursing, so I will be unable to continue my current full-time position as a Patient Care Technician. While I will still be able to work as a tech on a per diem basis, most of my time for the next year will be devoted to nursing school. I would be very grateful to receive this scholarship to take off some of the financial burden of school.

Ever since I was little, I always told people I wanted to be a doctor. Of course, the follow up question would always be "Why?", to which my response would be: "Because I love science and I love helping people!". Although this might be quite the generic response, it was true back then and is still true today. However, what I didn't know back then as a child that I know now is how much of a fulfilling career nursing would be for me in terms of providing a direct impact in patient care. I graduated from Temple University last May with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, because of course — just like any other Pre-Med — biology was the way to go if you wanted to take the MCAT. Since I already had my EMT certification at the time of graduation, my plan was to take a year or two off before applying to medical schools so I could see how it would be to work directly in a hospital setting. I moved from working on the ambulance truck part-time to becoming a full-time patient care technician at Jefferson Hospital, and it is here that I realized how naturally nursing came to me. As a tech on the Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit, my job is to obtain vital signs, blood draws, bladder scans, EKGs, insert IVs, perform straight catheterizations, help with daily patient care, and assist the nurses with any other tasks that may be needed on the unit. As I began to realize how much I loved my job, I would take a look at the nurses I work with and think, "Wow, if I can be a tech, I can be a nurse, too!". Doctors are extremely important, but working as a tech has allowed me to see just how much more time the nurses spend with the patient. The nurse is a patient advocate who communicates with doctors to make sure that patients' needs are being met. Patients see the nurse more times throughout the day than they do the doctor, and the nurse is going to be the first person to catch a change in the way the patient acts or feels. Nursing is a vital aspect to healthcare, not only in a medical sense but also for the patient's social wellbeing. There are going to be days where sometimes, the only person that a patient might see all day is just the nurse. A patient might not have family that comes to visit them as often as they would like, or they may be feeling depressed about being stuck in the hospital. It feels so good as a tech to see a smile on the patient's face when you tell them a joke, or just simply stop and take a moment to listen to them about their fighter jet stories from World War II. Being a tech is great, but I know that I'm capable of making an even greater impact on lives as a nurse. I would like to have the opportunity to have a say in the patient's care, administer medications, and so much more that I see the nurses on my unit do on a daily basis. Who would have thought that the little girl who told everybody she was going to be a doctor would change her mind and become a nurse? As a nurse, I strive to make a positive impact on each and every one of my patient's lives every single day -- whether it be healthcare related, personal, or both!

You're asking me to write about my mother in only 600 words? How am I supposed to do that? I could write a whole book about her! Let me just start by saying that I would not be the woman I am today if it weren't for the strength and kindness of my mother. From the greatest life lessons, to the best advice anyone could give, to being the biggest supporter that there ever was, my mother has positively shaped who I am in more ways than one. Even now as a young adult, my mother continues to be an outstanding mother and when I think of her I reflect on how grateful I am to have been raised by a woman like her. As children, she went above and beyond for us, not only ensuring that we had the basic necessities such as shelter, food, and clothing but also doing the extra things she didn't have to do like all the treats and the trips. She made sure we never acted as "spoiled" children, but I will admit that she definitely spoiled us! Besides the material things, though, I think that some of the most important impacts my mother has made on me were the values which she instilled in us. Values like the importance of being hardworking, honest, and educated. Values like always choosing to do what is right and not trying to fit in with the crowd. Values such as the importance of mental health and treating yourself to nice things every once in a while. Values like recognizing the importance of family and saving up money. And one of the most important values she instilled in us: trusting in God. My mother raised us in a church and sent us to a private Christian school when we were young. She made sure that from a very young age we knew about the gift that Jesus Christ gave to the world and that we believed in Him. Although I never got a chance to meet my grandmother, she instilled those same values in my mother, which my mother was then able to instill upon us. As children, she made an effort to make sure that we believed in Jesus more than Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy! The way that she presented Jesus to us when we were young children was like this: "If I gave you a gift, would you accept it and open it? Or would you just look at it and say 'I don't want it'? Well, Jesus is a gift -- you can either accept Him or not, but why not accept that gift?" To this day, I still maintain my Christian values because of my mother and continue to view Jesus as that gift that I accepted. I'm so glad that my mother made sure that her children knew about the love of Jesus Christ!

Ever since I was little, I always told people that my ultimate career goal was to become a doctor. Of course, the follow up question would always be "Why?", to which my response would be: "Because I love science and I love helping people!". Although this might be quite the generic response, it was true back then and is still true today. However, what I didn't know back then as a child that I know now is how much of a fulfilling career nursing would be for me in terms of providing a direct impact in patient care. I graduated from Temple University last May with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, because of course — just like any other Pre-Med — biology was the way to go if you wanted to take the MCAT. Since I already had my EMT certification at the time of graduation, my plan was to take a year or two off before applying to medical schools so I could see how it would be to work directly in a hospital setting. I moved from working on the ambulance truck part-time to becoming a full-time patient care technician at Jefferson Hospital, and it is here that I realized how naturally nursing came to me. As a tech on the Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit, my job is to obtain vital signs, blood draws, bladder scans, EKGs, insert IVs, perform straight catheterizations, help with daily patient care, and assist the nurses with any other tasks that may be needed on the unit. As I began to realize how much I loved my job, I would take a look at the nurses I work with and think, "Wow, if I can be a tech, I can be a nurse, too!". Doctors are extremely important, but working as a tech has allowed me to see just how much more time the nurses spend with the patient. The nurse is a patient advocate who communicates with doctors to make sure that patients' needs are being met. Patients see the nurse more times throughout the day than they do the doctor, and the nurse is going to be the first person to catch a change in the way the patient acts or feels. Nursing is a vital aspect to healthcare, not only in a medical sense but also for the patient's social wellbeing. There are going to be days where sometimes, the only person that a patient might see all day is just the nurse. A patient might not have family that comes to visit them as often as they would like, or they may be feeling depressed about being stuck in the hospital. It feels so good as a tech to see a smile on the patient's face when you tell them a joke, or just simply stop and take a moment to listen to them about their fighter jet stories from World War II. Being a tech is great, but I know that I'm capable of making an even greater impact as a nurse. I would like to have the opportunity to have a say in the patient's care, administer medications, and so much more that I see the nurses on my unit do on a daily basis. Who would have thought that the little girl who told everybody she was going to be a doctor would change her mind and become a nurse? One of my main goals in life is to make a positive difference by helping somebody else, and by choosing a career path in nursing I will be able to do just that!

Ever heard the saying, "Every little bit counts"? Well, when you're starting an accelerated nursing program in two months like I am, then every little bit really does count! Ever since I was little, I always told people I wanted to be a doctor. Of course, the follow up question would always be "Why?", to which my response would be: "Because I love science and I love helping people!". Although this might be quite the generic response, it was true back then and is still true today. However, what I didn't know as a child that I know now is how much of a fulfilling career nursing would be for me in terms of providing a direct impact in patient care. I graduated from Temple University last May with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Since I already had my EMT certification, I planned to take a year or two off before applying to medical schools so I could see how it would be to work in the hospital. I went from working on the ambulance truck part-time to becoming a full-time Patient Care Technician at Jefferson Hospital -- it is here that I realized how naturally nursing came to me. As a tech on the Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit, my job is to obtain vital signs, blood draws, bladder scans, EKGs, insert IVs, perform straight catheterizations, help with daily patient care, and assist the nurses with any other tasks that may be needed on the unit. As I began to realize how much I loved my job, I would take a look at the nurses I work with and think, "Wow, if I can be a tech, I can be a nurse, too!". Being a tech is great, but I know that I'm capable of making an even greater impact as a nurse. I would like to have the opportunity to have a say in the patient's care, administer medications, and so much more that I see the nurses on my unit do daily. In terms of this scholarship helping me pursue my future career as a nurse, it would take off a great deal of the financial burden of having to work as much during nursing school. While I still plan to remain a Patient Care Technician during nursing school, I will be taking on a per diem position rather than full-time, meaning that I will only be working a few times a month in order to devote most of my time to my studies. Of course, I will still be able to go to nursing school without this scholarship. However, receiving this scholarship will definitely help lessen the burden of my student loans and will also allow me to focus more of my time on studying rather than worrying about my financial situation. Of course, everyone who is applying for this scholarship is going to say they need it -- that's because we all do! This scholarship would help many if not all of us pursue our future career goals. However, one thing that I can say is this: We NEED more nurses. After COVID-19, the United States saw a critical nursing shortage. Staffing of nurses is just getting back to where it should be in most hospitals, but we are always going to need nurses. Whether I decide to take my nursing degree to a school, a nursing home, an urgent care, a doctor's office, a hospital, the army, or wherever else, the fact which remains true is that my future profession is a necessary one in which the lives of others depend on.

Because of my continued faith in God, I was able to finish my Bachelor's degree in Biology and will be starting nursing school in just two months. I obtained a Biology degree in May 2023 because I initially believed I was going to go to medical school. Obtaining this degree alone was a challenge, as there were some classes that I struggled with, but I was able to walk across the stage proudly knowing that God was never going to let me fail. I knew that no matter how hard some of those classes were, God was not going to leave me stranded -- and I was right. I maintained my faith in God despite trials and tribulations throughout college because I knew that He was going to bring me through it all. God had always put it on my heart to make a positive impact in the healthcare field, and I always assumed it was because He wanted me to be a doctor. But it is not until recently that I realized His intention was for me to become a nurse all along. Ever since I was a child, I would tell everyone that I was going to be a doctor when I grew up. This is because I loved helping and caring for people. All I knew as a child was that I wanted to make sick people better, and the main way I thought I could do this was by becoming a doctor. Since I had never even considered becoming a nurse before, I shaped my entire academic career around preparing for medical school. I even became an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) during my senior year of college to get some exposure to the field. Once I graduated from college with my Biology degree, I did not immediately want to jump into applying for medical schools. Instead, my plan was to take a year or two off of school to familiarize myself with the hospital setting. Working on the ambulance truck was okay, but I knew that my passion would be working within the hospital as opposed to working out on the street. I took my EMT license indoors and became a Patient Care Technician on the Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit at Jefferson Hospital. As a Patient Care Technician, I get to help both nurses and patients daily. I help patients with their daily care needs, take their vital signs, blood draws, EKGs, bladder scans, and anything else that the nurse might need. It is here at Jefferson Hospital that I decided I am going to become a nurse. Being a Patient Care Technician feels so rewarding, and I know that as a nurse I am going to make an even greater impact as long as I continue to keep God first. At first, I was unsure of the career switch from medicine to nursing. I initially felt as if I had let all my loved ones down, and I felt like a failure. I felt like I had wasted time in college, and that people would make the assumption that I became a nurse "because I wasn't good enough to get into medical school". However, after talking to God about it more, I felt more encouraged as He allowed me to understand that everything in my life has been going and will continue to go according to His plan. I realized that God wanted me to become a nurse all along, and I am grateful that He is giving me the opportunity to help care for others!

My mother is a devout Christian, my father is agnostic -- they've been married for almost 27 years. This is one of the main factors which has caused me to go back and forth constantly about my beliefs in God. My mother raised my brother and I in church. I attended a private Christian school from Kindergarten through 4th grade, went to church every Sunday, and even went to a Christian summer camp for years. My father, being the very loving, kind, but stubborn man that he is, would never come to church with us. Sometimes, he would use the excuse that he had to work, but when he wasn't working he still wouldn't come to church. It was always just me, my mother, and my brother. That's it -- just me, my mother, and my brother going to church without my father. As a young child, of course I wanted my dad to come to church with us, but I usually didn't chalk it up to much more than "daddy being tired from work". As I became an older child, closer to my preteen years, it started to become more obvious that my father wasn't going to church simply because he didn't believe in the message. When my parents first started dating, my dad would always go to Bible Study with my mom. However, once they got married, according to my mom, it seemed as if his entire view on Christianity had changed. Seemingly out of nowhere, he flagged church and the Christian religion off as hoaxes, regarding pastors as con-artists and schemers who lied to congregations for money. As a preteen, at this point I was well aware of my father's disagreeing view on churches and religion. However, this did not make me love my father any less. As a matter of fact, sometimes I would even tease him and call him an atheist, to which every time he would get defensive and say he is not an atheist. To this day, my father continues to maintain that he is not an atheist; the closest thing that I can describe him as being is an agnostic. He is certainly not a Christian, as he has made that very clear, however, he always claims that he believes there is a "higher power", which he refuses to call God. While my father's opposing views may not have affected me that much as a preteen, when I went off to college for my first year and was trying to find myself, I began take on what I believed at the time was a more "practical" view on God. I kept thinking about how "practical" the story of Jesus sounded and how "practical" it would be for God to even exist. Being a Biology major whose main studies were all science related, I began to start thinking like my father and I began to doubt the existence of God. Today, as I am writing this I can truly say that I do believe in God. I have seen God turn my life around multiple times, getting me out of stressful financial situations I didn't think there would be an end to, getting me out of my depression, listening to my prayers, and just simply having mercy on me and protecting me throughout all these years. I may not have seen Him with my own two eyes but I can feel that God is real. Absolutely nobody -- not even my own father -- can tell me that God is not real.

Rocky! Or how other people may know her, K.C., Rue, MJ, and a long list of other character names! When I think of Disney Channel (the old Disney Channel that I used to watch as a preteen) I immediately think of Zendaya. I admire the fact that Zendaya has made her mark by completely dominating Disney throughout her childhood to teenage years. From being the main character in shows like Shake it Up and K.C. Undercover to guest appearances on other shows, and even starring in Disney movies, Zendaya is a great representation of who any child Disney star should aspire to be like. What I love most about Zendaya's acting career is the fact that, even through the varying natures of her roles, she continues to remain true to herself. Though Zendaya has naturally evolved as an actress to take on some more mature roles in comparison to those of her Disney years, she continues to be a model young woman. She may not work for Disney anymore, but she still has little girls looking up to her and saying things like, "Wow, Zendaya is so successful. I hope I can be like her one day!" While there are a few exceptions, there are not many other Disney Channel stars who have all the attention on them for the "right reasons" as Zendaya does. Zendaya is an admirable young woman who I know will have continued success throughout the duration of her acting career.

Ever since I was little, I always told people I wanted to be a doctor. Of course, the follow up question would always be "Why?", to which my response would be: "Because I love science and I love helping people!". Although this might be quite the generic response, it was true back then and is still true today. However, what I didn't know back then as a child that I know now is how much of a fulfilling career nursing would be for me in terms of providing a direct impact in patient care. I graduated from Temple University last May with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, because of course — just like any other Pre-Med — biology was the way to go if you wanted to take the MCAT. Since I already had my EMT certification at the time of graduation, my plan was to take a year or two off before applying to medical schools so I could see how it would be to work directly in a hospital setting. I moved from working on the ambulance truck part-time to becoming a full-time patient care technician at Jefferson Hospital, and it is here that I realized how naturally nursing came to me. As a tech on the Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit, my job is to obtain vital signs, blood draws, bladder scans, EKGs, insert IVs, perform straight catheterizations, help with daily patient care, and assist the nurses with any other tasks that may be needed on the unit. As I began to realize how much I loved my job, I would take a look at the nurses I work with and think, "Wow, if I can be a tech, I can be a nurse, too!". Doctors are extremely important, but working as a tech has allowed me to see just how much more time the nurses spend with the patient. The nurse is a patient advocate who communicates with doctors to make sure that patients' needs are being met. Patients see the nurse more times throughout the day than they do the doctor, and the nurse is going to be the first person to catch a change in the way the patient acts or feels. Nursing is a vital aspect to healthcare, not only in a medical sense but also for the patient's social wellbeing. There are going to be days where sometimes, the only person that a patient might see all day is just the nurse. A patient might not have family that comes to visit them as often as they would like, or they may be feeling depressed about being stuck in the hospital. It feels so good as a tech to see a smile on the patient's face when you tell them a joke, or just simply stop and take a moment to listen to them about their fighter jet stories from World War II. Being a tech is great, but I know that I'm capable of making an even greater impact as a nurse. I would like to have the opportunity to have a say in the patient's care, administer medications, and so much more that I see the nurses on my unit do on a daily basis. Who would have thought that the little girl who told everybody she was going to be a doctor would change her mind and become a nurse?

The year is 2012. I just ate dinner and finished my homework early. I can't wait to watch this new episode of Good Luck Charlie... I mean Jessie... I mean... wait. What show is this? Good Luck Jessie? That's so weird! Good Luck Charlie is supposed to be about Teddy giving life advice to Charlie, and Jessie is supposed to be about about a nanny who takes care of an adventurous, silly group of children. So why would they create a crossover episode called "Good Luck Jessie"? Jessie is an adult -- she doesn't need any life advice from Teddy... or does she? The Duncan family decides to take a trip to New York City for the weekend. Gabe and PJ decide to go visit the Statue of Liberty while Teddy decides to take Charlie on a trip to Central Park. Bob and Amy go out to breakfast for the morning. At Central Park, Teddy is pushing Charlie on the swing and Jessie is playing with Zuri on the jungle gym. Zuri keeps testing her limits, doing dangerous tricks on the jungle gym. Jessie continuously warns Zuri to stop until eventually she falls from the top of the jungle gym and minorly injures her knee. Jessie just recently broke up with her boyfriend, Tony, so she unintentionally takes her anger out on Zuri. Jessie screams at Zuri in front of the whole park, calls her a "little brat who doesn't listen", and tells her she'll never take her to the park again. Zuri feels bad and becomes tearful. Teddy sees and hears this commotion and feels like she just has to say something. Teddy stops pushing Charlie on the swings and tells her to come with her to go speak to the girl with the red hair. "Hey", Teddy says, "I couldn't help but notice you screaming at this little girl who was clearly just trying to have fun. You see the girl I'm with right here? Her name is Charlie and I would never yell at her like that!" Jessie, still feeling down about last week's breakup, says to Teddy "Well yeah? I'm her nanny and I know exactly how to talk to her -- don't tell me how to scold my kids!" Teddy ignores Jessie's comment and instead crouches down to the ground to Zuri's level. She takes a look at Zuri's injured leg and pulls out a bandage from her purse. "Here", she says as she applies the bandage to Zuri's knee, "I know you were just trying to have fun and got a little carried away. Next time just don't overdo it and listen to your nanny. And maybe next time SHE'LL watch the way she speaks to you." "And for you", Teddy says directly to Jessie, "Was that so hard to talk to her with kindness and understanding?" Jessie immediately feels guilty and explains everything. "Look", she says to Teddy, "you're right. I definitely should have approached the situation more gently. I just broke up with my boyfriend and I've been feeling so frustrated with everything, but that should not be an excuse to treat my kids meanly." "Zuri", Jessie says, "I'm so sorry I yelled at you like that. Can you find a way to forgive me? I'll even treat you to some ice cream." "Ice cream?!", Zuri says, "of COURSE I forgive you! Let's go now!". Jessie asks Teddy if she and Charlie would like to tag along, to which they agree. The four of them go out for ice cream and become good friends. Wow, that was a really good episode!

Ever since I was little, I always told people I wanted to be a doctor. Of course, the follow up question would always be "Why?", to which my response would be: "Because I love science and I love helping people!". Although this might be quite the generic response, it was true back then and is still true today. However, what I didn't know back then as a child that I know now is how much of a fulfilling career nursing would be for me in terms of providing a direct impact in patient care. I graduated from Temple University last May with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, because of course — just like any other Pre-Med — biology was the way to go if you wanted to take the MCAT. Since I already had my EMT certification at the time of graduation, my plan was to take a year or two off before applying to medical schools so I could see how it would be to work directly in a hospital setting. I moved from working on the ambulance truck part-time to becoming a full-time patient care technician at Jefferson Hospital, and it is here that I realized how naturally nursing came to me. As a tech on the Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit, my job is to obtain vital signs, blood draws, bladder scans, EKGs, insert IVs, perform straight catheterizations, help with daily patient care, and assist the nurses with any other tasks that may be needed on the unit. As I began to realize how much I loved my job, I would take a look at the nurses I work with and think, "Wow, if I can be a tech, I can be a nurse, too!". Doctors are extremely important, but working as a tech has allowed me to see just how much more time the nurses spend with the patient. The nurse is a patient advocate who communicates with doctors to make sure that patients' needs are being met. Patients see the nurse more times throughout the day than they do the doctor, and the nurse is going to be the first person to catch a change in the way the patient acts or feels. Nursing is a vital aspect to healthcare, not only in a medical sense but also for the patient's social wellbeing. There are going to be days where sometimes, the only person that a patient might see all day is just the nurse. A patient might not have family that comes to visit them as often as they would like, or they may be feeling depressed about being stuck in the hospital. It feels so good as a tech to see a smile on the patient's face when you tell them a joke, or just simply stop and take a moment to listen to them about their fighter jet stories from World War II. Being a tech is great, but I know that I'm capable of making an even greater impact as a nurse. I would like to have the opportunity to have a say in the patient's care, administer medications, and so much more that I see the nurses on my unit do on a daily basis. Who would have thought that the little girl who told everybody she was going to be a doctor would change her mind and become a nurse?

Ever since I was little, I always told people I wanted to be a doctor. Of course, the follow up question would always be "Why?", to which my response would be: "Because I love science and I love helping people!". Although this might be quite the generic response, it was true back then and is still true today. However, what I didn't know back then as a child that I know now is how much of a fulfilling career nursing would be for me in terms of providing a direct impact in patient care. I graduated from Temple University last May with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, because of course — just like any other Pre-Med — biology was the way to go if you wanted to take the MCAT. Since I already had my EMT certification at the time of graduation, my plan was to take a year or two off before applying to medical schools so I could see how it would be to work directly in a hospital setting. I moved from working on the ambulance truck part-time to becoming a full-time patient care technician at Jefferson Hospital, and it is here that I realized how naturally nursing came to me. As a tech on the Intermediate Cardiac Care Unit, my job is to obtain vital signs, blood draws, bladder scans, EKGs, insert IVs, perform straight catheterizations, help with daily patient care, and assist the nurses with any other tasks that may be needed on the unit. As I began to realize how much I loved my job, I would take a look at the nurses I work with and think, "Wow, if I can be a tech, I can be a nurse, too!". Doctors are extremely important, but working as a tech has allowed me to see just how much more time the nurses spend with the patient. The nurse is a patient advocate who communicates with doctors to make sure that patients' needs are being met. Patients see the nurse more times throughout the day than they do the doctor, and the nurse is going to be the first person to catch a change in the way the patient acts or feels. Nursing is a vital aspect to healthcare, not only in a medical sense but also for the patient's social wellbeing. There are going to be days where sometimes, the only person that a patient might see all day is just the nurse. A patient might not have family that comes to visit them as often as they would like, or they may be feeling depressed about being stuck in the hospital. It feels so good as a tech to see a smile on the patient's face when you tell them a joke, or just simply stop and take a moment to listen to them about their fighter jet stories from World War II. Being a tech is great, but I know that I'm capable of making an even greater impact as a nurse. I would like to have the opportunity to have a say in the patient's care, administer medications, and so much more that I see the nurses on my unit do on a daily basis. Who would have thought that the little girl who told everybody she was going to be a doctor would change her mind and become a nurse?

If I were struggling or didn't have easy access to certain resources, I would hope that someone would be kind enough to help me. Because I'm not currently in a tough situation, I believe that it is only right to help someone who is. I was taught to treat others how I want to be treated and to never look down on anyone just because they don't have the things I have. I realize that not everyone has the same opportunities as me, and while I might not be able to level the playing field completely I can certainly do my part. I volunteer at my church with Heaven's Grocery Store Ministry, packing bags of food and distributing them to members of the community. It makes me feel good doing this because the smile on each person's face after receiving the food is so rewarding to see. In addition to distributing bags of food with my church, I also volunteer for a non-profit organization called the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (CCA). For CCA, I table at events and inform the community about the importance of being screened for colon cancer. I also pass out free test kits that inform people whether they have diverticulitis, colitis, or colon polyps to give them an idea about their colon health and to encourage them to reach out to their doctor if given a positive result. It is rewarding to be able to advocate for the health of the people within my community and teach them about the importance of preventive care. My love for helping others is one of the main reasons why I want to go into a career in medicine. Just as I help others now, I hope to be able to do so on an even larger scale as a doctor!

If I were struggling or didn't have easy access to certain resources, I would hope that someone would be kind enough to help me. Because I'm not currently in a tough situation, I believe that it is only right to help someone who is. I was taught to treat others how I want to be treated and to never look down on anyone just because they don't have the things I have. I realize that not everyone has the same opportunities as me, and while I might not be able to level the playing field completely I can certainly do my part. I volunteer at my church with Heaven's Grocery Store Ministry, packing bags of food and distributing them to members of the community. It makes me feel good doing this because the smile on each person's face after receiving the food is so rewarding to see. In addition to distributing bags of food with my church, I also volunteer for a non-profit organization called the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (CCA). For CCA, I table at events and inform the community about the importance of being screened for colon cancer. I also pass out free test kits that inform people whether they have diverticulitis, colitis, or colon polyps to give them an idea about their colon health and to encourage them to reach out to their doctor if given a positive result. It is rewarding to be able to advocate for the health of the people within my community and teach them about the importance of preventive care. My love for helping others is one of the main reasons why I want to go into a career in medicine. Just as I help others now, I hope to be able to do so on an even larger scale as a doctor!

When you first take a look at my profile, it might seem like I NEVER give myself a break. All of the working, volunteering, and other experiences listed on my page probably make you wonder, "Does this girl ever take time to herself to relax?" Well, contrary to how it may appear, the answer to your question is yes! Bettering yourself professionally is important, but it cannot be done without ensuring that your mental health is taken care of first. One of the greatest ways I relax is by spending quality time with my pets. I have two cats — Pepper and Smokey — and hanging out with them is like a form of therapy for me. Their soft purrs and loud meows are like music to my ears. If I'm ever stressed, I look to them to make me relax, and if I'm sad, I look to them to make me happy again. Petting them or simply talking to them allows me to relax my mind because, unlike humans, cats seem to be content with the little things in life. Seeing their excitement just from taking them outside in the backyard to explore makes me smile. Playing with their toys with them and getting them hyped up makes me laugh. In moments like these, I tend to forget about all of the stresses, responsibilities, and commitments in life just for a second. It feels good to be able to make them happy, which ultimately makes me happy, too.

STEM is the field of discovery — the field of the betterment of humanity. Whether it be science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, new findings within each of these areas contributes to our overall advancement as a people. STEM is very important because if it weren't for some of the great innovators that have come before us, we likely would not be able to experience life as we do today. Groundbreaking discoveries have led to the creation of the smartphone, or even to the eradication of diseases such as smallpox — things that would have seemed like completely farfetched ideas just a century ago. But through the hard work of scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians over the years, we have been able to make much of what seemed to be impossible become possible. I am passionate about STEM because I want to continue the cycle. I would love to help continue making this world a better place, and I believe I could best execute this passion through a career in medicine. I want to make some groundbreaking discoveries, myself — if not on a large scale then at least in the lives of my individual patients. My early cancer diagnosis may save someone from years of chemotherapy treatment, or even save their life. My findings from a blood test may help me get to the bottom of a patient's complaints and put them on the road to recovery. My physical exam findings may lead me to discover that my patient has a heart murmur, pneumonia, vision loss, or even an STD. As their primary care physician, my patients are going to put their trust in me when it comes to their health and preventive care. I am more than capable and willing to take on this responsibility, as I dream every day of being able to help improve the quality of life of my future patients. As an undergraduate student, I am currently taking STEM-related courses that I will be able to apply in my career as a doctor. Physics is teaching me how our world works. Genetics is teaching me how mutations in the DNA can lead to certain diseases, and how they can be passed on to future generations. Ecology is teaching me how a bad environment can contribute to serious health problems. Neuroscience is teaching me how our nervous system works, and how big of a role the brain plays in the rest of the human body. The reason that I am able to learn about these subjects is thanks to those great innovators, like Albert Einstein for example, who made the necessary discoveries for future generations to be able to understand and benefit from their knowledge. Even if I may never become as famous as Albert Einstein, my goal still remains the same — I want to make discoveries that improve people's lives.

"I can't do it. I give up! I'm just not smart enough to become a doctor." Doubt. Depression. Discouragement. These are just a few of the negative feelings I felt all throughout my first year of college. I was accepted to 11 out of the 12 universities that I applied to, and I ended up attending my first-choice school. Of course, I was overjoyed at first, but then I quickly realized that the school was not a great fit for me and that I also wasn't doing nearly as well as I expected to. I was used to getting very good grades in high school, so seeing how I wasn't excelling in college took a toll on me mentally. Every test I got back it seemed like I wasn't scoring high enough, and every time I studied it seemed like it wasn't good enough. I started considering that maybe I wasn't ready for a university, and that a community college could be a better option to get back on the right track as well as save money. I ended up transferring to a community college and did well in all of the classes which I hadn't previously. After attending a community college for two years, I finally felt prepared and encouraged enough to attend a university again. While I may have transferred out of my first university because I doubted myself, that initial feeling of self-doubt is just what I needed to make me realize that I AM capable of everything I thought I wasn't. Transferring schools has brought so many wonderful opportunities my way that I likely wouldn't have had before. I have had the opportunity to work at the zoo, a museum, and have even gotten healthcare experience since I've transferred. I am so proud of myself!

I may not be the richest woman in the world, but I am definitely fortunate enough to come from a family that can keep a roof over my head and food on the table. Unfortunately, though, not everyone can say the same. There are some people who are lucky enough to be born into wealth, however, there are others who end up being born into poverty. The circumstances which someone is born into is NEVER their fault, and there are many instances in which individuals are so deep into poverty that it is hard to climb out of it. The tables could have been reversed— I could have turned out to be someone who was not so lucky, and that is why I give. I give because that unlucky person could have been me. I give because if I were in a rough patch, I would want someone to have sympathy for me and treat me with kindness and respect. I don't like the feeling of being hungry, and I am quite sure that the homeless and those who are in need feel the same way. I ride the subway quite often, and there are many times when I will give the homeless any extra food that I have on me. I also volunteer with a ministry at my church which allows me to help those in need. I have bagged and sorted food to give out to the community, as well as registered these individuals for programs that will help them in the future. I also walked one of these individuals' groceries to her house because they were too heavy for her to carry, and she did not have a car. While I may not be getting paid for any of this, I am very passionate about helping others!

Some may say that it's important to give because the more you give, the more you will receive. While this could be true, giving is about so much more than just receiving. Giving should not be done with the hope or expectation that something will come back in return. Instead, giving should come from the heart. I give because I want to — I give because it makes me feel good to know that I've made someone else's day. I believe that it is important to give because I was always taught to treat others how I would like to be treated. There can be unexpected situations in life which may require someone to give to you. One should ask themselves, "How do I want to be treated in a situation like this?" Whatever answer they come up with is exactly how they should treat the person who is currently going through it. I give back by going the extra mile for people, even when I don't have to. I ride the subway very often, and many times I will give homeless individuals money or food. There was one time in particular when I gave my entire container of food to someone after he asked for money to buy food. I have also given homeless individuals 10 or 20 dollars bills when they only ask for spare change. I like going the extra mile when I give because I love seeing the gratefulness and surprise on their faces afterwards. It warms my heart to see their smiles, and I know if I were in a situation like this, I would love for someone to do the same for me. I will always be sure to treat others with kindness and respect because it makes me happy seeing them happy!

Since I was a teenager, I had been trying to apply for a job as a part-time medical receptionist. Unsurprisingly, I ended up getting rejected every time. Eventually, I felt like giving up completely. "Who would want to hire a kid with no experience to work in a medical facility?", I began to ask myself. Still though, I tried. And still, I was left feeling discouraged. At 19 years old while working at the Philadelphia Zoo, I was having a casual conversation with one of the interns. I told him that I was trying to find a part-time job as a medical receptionist to expose me to the healthcare field, but that I wasn't having any luck. When he realized my age and discovered that I had no medical background at all, he laughed and told me, "Ha, well good luck with that." This made me feel even more discouraged. "He's right", I thought. "Why even try to apply to a job that I have no experience for?" But then the COVID-19 pandemic happened. I ended up getting laid off from both my jobs at the Philadelphia Zoo and the Please Touch Museum due to COVID restrictions. Classes went from in-person to online, and so many other unexpected changes happened. I took advantage of this opportunity to apply to as many places as possible, because I knew that they were going to need help throughout the pandemic. I was determined to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic having found a job that allowed me to step foot into the healthcare field. I must have submitted over 100 applications to urgent cares, doctors offices, and hospitals until I FINALLY received an email inviting me for a virtual interview for Vybe Urgent Care. Persistence is key!

DON'T. TAKE. YOUR. MONEY. OUT. PREMATURELY. No, seriously... DON'T! When I first began investing in the stock market a couple years ago, my anxiety would always get the best of me. I would constantly watch my Robinhood app every minute of the day, and the slightest drop in the market would scare me into selling all of my stock. I already knew what the experts were saying: "Don't sell too early" or "don't continuously watch the market throughout the day"; but it took me a while to actually start listening to this advice. I decided to take advantage of the stock market during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the prices of many stocks were still low. I knew that if I kept my money in long enough and watched the patterns of the markets wisely that I would be able to make a profit, but once the market got very bad and I saw that I was mostly losing profit rather than gaining, I made the decision to take all of my money out. In hindsight, I should not have done this. The investing experts are right when they say that you shouldn't take out your money too early. If I would have listened to this investment tip and kept my money in rather than taking it out prematurely, I likely would have a nice profit today. When I have the means to start investing some of my earnings into the stock market again, I will most definitely listen to this tip. I now know that constantly watching the market is going to make me more anxious to sell, and that I should buy or sell based on research and patterns rather than just how the market is doing for that day!

"I'm going to be a doctor when I grow up!", I would say as a little girl. Even now at 21 years old, my goals and dreams for the future have not changed. People would always ask me, "What type of doctor do you want to be?," and all I knew was that I wanted to become the type of doctor that helps sick people get better — the one that saves lives. As I became older, though, I eventually realized that I want to go into primary care. I want to become a primary care doctor for multiple reasons. One of the greatest reasons why I am interested in primary care is because I not only want to treat health conditions, but I also would love the opportunity to help prevent sickness. Of course I want to help my ill patients get better and live as comfortably with their conditions as they possibly can, but I also wish to keep people from living unhealthy lives. I am a big supporter of vaccinations, so I look forward to vaccinating my patients against diseases that are easily preventable. I look forward to examining them and catching a lump, mole, or rash which they initially may not have thought was a big deal. My goal is to be the person who patients can look up to and put their trust in when it comes to their health. Whenever I think about my future career, it makes me happy to think about all the hope I will be able to give people as well as all of the pain that I can relieve. As a primary care physician, I will usually be the patient's main source of guidance in terms of their health. I am also typically going to be one of the first people that they come to with medical issues, and it is going to be my job to make the best decisions and come up with a treatment plan for that patient or refer them to the correct individual. As you can probably tell, going into medicine is my passion and I strongly believe that becoming a doctor is my purpose in life. I want to have a positive impact on the world, and by doing that I plan to leave a positive impact on each one of my patients individually. Whether I am prescribing a pain-relieving medication, vaccinating against a serious disease, or simply being a listening ear to a patient who has medical concerns, I know that I will be a great doctor and that my patients will feel like they have a medical professional in their life who cares deeply about their well-being.

"When I grow up, I want to be a doctor!", I would say enthusiastically as a child. Even now at 21 years old, my dreams for the future have not changed. I want to become a primary care doctor for multiple reasons. One of the greatest reasons why I am interested in primary care is because I not only want to treat health conditions, but I also would love the opportunity to help prevent sickness. Prevention is just as important as treatment and can help save lives. My goal is to be the person who patients can look up to and put their trust in when it comes to their health. Whenever I think about my future career, it makes me happy to think about all the hope I will be able to give people as well as all of the pain that I can relieve. As a primary care physician, I will usually be the patient's main source of guidance in terms of their health. I am also typically going to be one of the first people that they come to with medical issues, and it is going to be my job to make the best decisions and come up with a treatment plan for that patient or refer them to the correct individual. I am striving towards a career that will allow me to positively impact the lives of others and am currently doing things to help me reach that goal. For example, I just recently completed an EMT training course and am actively pursuing my EMT certification. I also am currently working as a part-time medical receptionist while majoring in Biology at Temple University. I know that with continued hard work, dedication, and passion I will be able to eventually achieve my career goals.

The statement, "Tell me about yourself" always seems to stump me. Not because I don't have anything to say, but because I have entirely too much to say! I get a bit anxious and begin to ponder about what I should tell them. Should I tell them that I'm currently majoring in Biology at Temple University, or maybe that I graduated from the Community College of Philadelphia with a 4.0 GPA and highest honor? Should I tell them that I used to work at the Philadelphia Zoo and the Please Touch Museum, which have honestly been two of the most fun jobs that I've ever had? Or maybe I should tell them that I used to volunteer and eventually worked at the Free Library of Philadelphia. No. Maybe I should tell them that I used to work at an urgent care, registering patients for their virtual doctor's appointments and verifying medical insurances. I think I should probably tell them that I have a new job at the eye doctor, instead. Wait! I know what to tell them. I'll tell them that I recently completed an Emergency Medical Technician training course, obtained my CPR certification, and am now actively pursuing my EMT certification. I'll tell them about how I just recently completed my first semester at Temple University, and how I'm actively seeking a new part-time role as an Emergency Department Technician to enhance my clinical skills. I'll tell them about how I'm aspiring to go to medical school to become a primary care physician. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that I wanted to become a doctor. Even now at 21 years old, my dreams for the future have not changed. People would always ask me, "What type of doctor do you want to be?," and all I knew was that I wanted to become a doctor to hep save lives. As I became older, though, I eventually realized that I want to go into primary care. I want to become a primary care doctor for multiple reasons. One of the greatest reasons why I am interested in primary care is because I not only want to treat health conditions, but I also would love the opportunity to help prevent sickness. Of course I want to help my patients get better and live as comfortably with their conditions as they possibly can, but I also wish to use my position to keep people from living unhealthy lives. I am a big supporter of vaccinations, so I look forward to vaccinating my patients against diseases that are easily preventable. I look forward to examining them and catching a lump, mole, or rash which they initially may not have thought was a big deal. My goal is to be the person who patients can look up to and put their trust in when it comes to their health. Whenever I think about my future career, it makes me happy to think about all the hope I will be able to give people as well as all of the pain that I can relieve. As a primary care physician, I will usually be the patient's main source of guidance in terms of their health. I am also typically going to be one of the first people that they come to with medical issues, and it is going to be my job to make the best decisions and come up with a treatment plan for that patient or refer them to the correct individual. I am very excited to make a positive impact on my patient's lives through my medical career.

I once attended a seminar where the presenters were talking about the importance of saving for retirement. According to them, social security is likely to be depleted by the time those in attendance reach retirement age. SSA.gov states that "benefits are now expected to be payable in full on a timely basis until 2037, when the trust fund reserves are projected to become exhausted." In other words, there is no guarantee that full social security benefits will be available to individuals retiring after the year 2037. The presenters at this seminar stressed the importance of ensuring financial stability through retirement age since we might not be able to completely rely on the government for funding. While sitting in the audience, I immediately began thinking about my long-term future and how I did not want to be stuck in a situation where I am unable to provide for myself — especially during old age. In that moment, I realized how important saving really is. While it may be unfair that people retiring after 2037 most likely won't receive full benefits, this is something that is outside of my control. However, I do have the power to take control of my own future by beginning to invest into it now. Maybe I was sitting in the audience by chance that day, but I'm so glad that I was. What they said really opened up my eyes to the reality that my future self might be living in, and while I had thought of my future before I never thought into how it would be past retirement age. I came to realize that it as just as important to save up for my 80 year old self as it is to save up for my 30 year old self. Start saving now!

"When I grow up, I want to be a doctor!", I would say enthusiastically as a child. Even now at 21 years old, my dreams for the future have not changed. I want to become a primary care doctor for multiple reasons. One of the greatest reasons why I am interested in primary care is because I not only want to treat health conditions, but I also would love the opportunity to help prevent sickness. Prevention is just as important as treatment and can help save lives. My goal is to be the person who patients can look up to and put their trust in when it comes to their health. Whenever I think about my future career, it makes me happy to think about all the hope I will be able to give people as well as all of the pain that I can relieve. As a primary care physician, I will usually be the patient's main source of guidance in terms of their health. I am also typically going to be one of the first people that they come to with medical issues, and it is going to be my job to make the best decisions and come up with a treatment plan for that patient or refer them to the correct individual. I am striving towards a career that will allow me to positively impact the lives of others and am currently doing things to help me reach that goal. For example, I just recently completed an EMT training course and am actively pursuing my EMT certification. I also am currently working as a part-time medical receptionist while majoring in Biology at Temple University. I know that with continued hard work, dedication, and passion I will be able to eventually achieve my career goals.

"When I grow up, I want to be a doctor!", I would say enthusiastically as a child. Even now at 21 years old, my dreams for the future have not changed. I want to become a primary care doctor for multiple reasons. One of the greatest reasons why I am interested in primary care is because I not only want to treat health conditions, but I also would love the opportunity to help prevent sickness. Prevention is just as important as treatment and can help save lives. My goal is to be the person who patients can look up to and put their trust in when it comes to their health. Whenever I think about my future career, it makes me happy to think about all the hope I will be able to give people as well as all of the pain that I can relieve. As a primary care physician, I will usually be the patient's main source of guidance in terms of their health. I am also typically going to be one of the first people that they come to with medical issues, and it is going to be my job to make the best decisions and come up with a treatment plan for that patient or refer them to the correct individual. I am striving towards a career that will allow me to positively impact the lives of others and am currently doing things to help me reach that goal. For example, I just recently completed an EMT training course and am actively pursuing my EMT certification. I also am currently working as a part-time medical receptionist while majoring in Biology at Temple University. I know that with continued hard work, dedication, and passion I will be able to eventually achieve my career goals.

"When I grow up, I want to be a doctor!", I would say enthusiastically as a child. Even now at 21 years old, my dreams for the future have not changed. I want to become a primary care doctor for multiple reasons. One of the greatest reasons why I am interested in primary care is because I not only want to treat health conditions, but I also would love the opportunity to help prevent sickness. Prevention is just as important as treatment and can help save lives. My goal is to be the person who patients can look up to and put their trust in when it comes to their health. Whenever I think about my future career, it makes me happy to think about all the hope I will be able to give people as well as all of the pain that I can relieve. As a primary care physician, I will usually be the patient's main source of guidance in terms of their health. I am also typically going to be one of the first people that they come to with medical issues, and it is going to be my job to make the best decisions and come up with a treatment plan for that patient or refer them to the correct individual. I am striving towards a career that will allow me to positively impact the lives of others and am currently doing things to help me reach that goal. For example, I just recently completed an EMT training course and am actively pursuing my EMT certification. I also am currently working as a part-time medical receptionist while majoring in Biology at Temple University. I know that with continued hard work, dedication, and passion I will be able to eventually achieve my career goals.

When I think about my future, I hope that I am happy with little stress. And while it's true that money doesn't buy happiness, it sure helps a lot! To be financially free means that even though a person may experience stresses in life, a lack of money is likely not the cause. I'd like to live life in a way in which I don't have to worry about money — I want to be able to buy something I like without looking at the price tag, plan trips across the world without having to save up for it first, go out with friends without having to constantly check my account balance, and send my future children to college without them having to take out any loans. I'm not saying that I want to be a billionaire, but I definitely want to be able to experience life to the fullest. At the end of my life, when I look back over everything, I hope to say that I got the chance to experience everything that I wanted to. I do not want finances to be the reason why I didn't travel as much as I would have liked, or maybe the reason why I didn't buy that dream house that I knew I fell in love with. I plan to be smart with my money in order to avoid regrets like this and live my life as a financially free woman! In my opinion, I believe that I am already working towards financial freedom even at 21 years old. I may be a full-time college student, but I have been working since high school and became especially serious about saving within the past year. Before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, I was at the Community College of Philadelphia as a full-time student, working at the Philadelphia Zoo part-time, and working at the Please Touch Museum part-time, as well. Boy, talk about busy! The pandemic caused school to go online and I ended up losing both of my jobs at the time due to COVID restrictions. During the pandemic, I had a few realizations about my life. One was that I was in an extreme amount of student debt from my first university alone, and the other was that if I wanted another job I better look for an essential one. Frustratedly, I told myself that if I had to take out one more loan for school that I wouldn't be finishing. Of course I didn't mean this, but I knew that I didn't want any more loans to hold me back. Since I only had three classes left to finish my Associate's degree, and since I realized that all classes would be online, I decided to look for a full-time job in the healthcare field. I ended up being a medical receptionist at an urgent care. I had never worked at a full-time job before, but once I saw my first check I realized that I probably would be able to save up enough money to pay for college out of pocket — and that's exactly what I am doing now. Since I have started at Temple University, I have not had to take out any more loans and am currently on track to be able to pay the rest of my way through school. I currently am a medical receptionist at the Eye Institute working part-time rather than full-time now. I know that the savings habits which I have acquired throughout the past year will be very beneficial in the future, allowing me to live with financial freedom!

"The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life", Rabindranath Tagore. I believe that one of the reasons why we are put on this planet is to make it better for others, especially for the generations to come. Humans are born and die every day, but throughout this extremely short life of ours we can collectively make the world a better place. The world which we live in today is a direct result of the innovations, creativity, knowledge, and courage of the generations which have come before us. If it weren't for advocators like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., scientists like Albert Einstein, or innovators like Thomas Edison, we would not be as advanced of a people which we are today. The people of the past have shaped the future, and that is what the meaning of life is — being selfless and shaping the future in a way that will allow others to live an enjoyable life. I may not ever be as famous as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but I want to at least have a positive impact on someone's future. If I can only just make one person's future a little bit brighter I'll be happy to do it, which is exactly why I am working towards the career of becoming a physician. I'm currently trying to achieve the meaning of life every day by leaving a positive impact on someone's day when I'm registering them at the doctor's office. Eventually, though, I want to play a role in shaping my patients' futures so that I leave a positive impact on their lives, as well.

The question, "Why do you want to be a doctor?" is commonly followed by the answer, "Because I want to help people". It is true that I want to help people, however, my passion for wanting to go into a career in medicine goes way beyond that. I am passionate about making a positive impact in someone's life, whether it be big or small. I long to give people hope and an overall improvement of their quality of life. I hate seeing people in pain, and if there is just one small thing that I can do as their doctor to combat that then sign me up! I am eager to further my education to acquire the knowledge that I will need in my career as a physician. In my current job as a medical receptionist, just seeing a patient's smile after I have checked them in brightens up my day. In the future, I want to be able to see even more patients smiling at me — hopefully as a direct impact of the treatment, medical advice, or compassion that I have provided them with. It is important to me that each patient is treated not only for their medical conditions, but is also treated with respect and kindness. I hope my future patients will look to me as an individual that they can confide in without judgment, and as someone who has the ability to make their lives just a little bit easier. So, when asked the question, "Why are you passionate about becoming a doctor in the future?", I can truthfully say that it is because I want to give people hope and peace; I wish to be viewed by my patients as a hero — the kind that aims to keep them healthy.

There is absolutely no reason why college should be as expensive as it is! It seems as if college is becoming more and more expensive each year in an effort to dissuade underprivileged students from applying. Everyone who is willing to work hard for a chance at success should be able to do so without having to constantly worry about how their education will be funded. Decades ago, people were able to go to college and graduate with little to no debt. Sometimes, people could even pay off most of their tuition with savings from a summer job. Unfortunately, today's students can only dream of it being that easy to pay for college, which is not fair. We deserve the same fair shot at making our dreams come true just as many of the generations did before us. The majority of my peers who have decided not to finish college tell me that if it weren't for the cost, they would have no issue obtaining a degree. Instead, they settle for other jobs or look for careers that do not require a college degree, even if it is not their first choice. As long as a student is willing to put their best foot forward and is serious about getting their degree, they should not have to feel forced to pick other jobs due to a lack of finances.

Savings, savings, savings! If you only get one thing out of reading my essay, I want you to remember this — save every penny you can for as long as you can. The only two things paying my way through college right now are the grace of God and savings. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was very worried about my future. Frustratedly, I told myself that if I had to take one more loan out for college then I wouldn't be finishing. I took out a very large loan for my first year of university and ended up transferring to a community college. Community college was not nearly as expensive as a university. However, I still had a large loan under my name, and I knew that I didn't want to take out any more loans at my new university. I was able to get a job during the pandemic at an urgent care. Living with my parents put me at an advantage to save up tuition money. Since I was still at community college, I was able to go to school part-time and work full-time. Once I got a new job and became a full-time student at Temple University, I began working part-time hours. Still, though, I have been able to save. I have saved so much within the past two years that I was able to pay off my first year of college entirely on my own without taking out any loans. I still have enough money in savings to pay off one last semester, but I will be one semester short. I refuse to take out any more loans for that last semester. Instead, I am going to keep applying for scholarships and keep saving, saving, saving until that last semester is finally paid off!

What exactly is a "simple pleasure"? To dissect the meaning of the phrase we must first break it down into two separate parts: simple and pleasure. Collins Dictionary defines the word simple as "not complicated, and therefore easy to understand". Pleasure is defined as a "feeling of happiness, satisfaction, or enjoyment". The phrase "simple pleasure" then can be understood as this: "Experiences that are brief, positive... and are accessible to most people at little or no cost" (Psychology Today). Okay, okay. Enough of the technical definitions. Now that I am able to correctly define what a simple pleasure is, what are some of mine? Well, that's actually a really good question. After a bit of reflection, I have come to realize that most of the pleasures in my life are not so simple at all. A lot of my pleasures come from specific, costly things, such as overly priced foods and shoe shopping. But, after I reflected just a little bit more, I realized there's one simple pleasure that I cannot live without — my cats. I have two cats: Smokey and Pepper. They're brothers, and they're honestly the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Smokey and Pepper came in my life during an extremely rough time. My parents adopted them during my first year of college, and let me just say what an awful year that was for me (both academically and mentally... sheesh!) But I lived on campus about 20 minutes away from home, and if I had nothing else to look forward to it was them. I'd come home practically every weekend that year, and they made me feel as if my depression didn't exist. They are my best friends, my shoulder to cry on, and they're simply... pleasureful. Thank you Smokey and Pepper.

My name is Christina Wells and I am a recent graduate of the Community College of Philadelphia! I received an Associate of Science in Biology and am beyond excited to transfer to Temple University this fall. My ultimate goal is to become a primary care physician because I am interested in treating illnesses and providing preventive care to patients. My academic journey after graduating high school has been far from traditional, and there have been a few detours in my road to success. The good thing about detours is that eventually they lead to the same destination — and sometimes, the detour can be full of amazing things that would not have occurred while on the original path. I am Christina Wells, a young Black woman who took a different path at just the right time, and this is my story. I graduated high school in June of 2018 and decided to attend the University of the Sciences. I had been accepted into eleven universities, but USciences was my first choice. After about a month of being there, I became extremely depressed. I felt unintelligent compared to the rest of my peers, and it seemed that no matter how hard I tried, I was unable to make the grades that I wanted. For the first time in my life, I felt stupid. I had a feeling that I was going to drop out of school completely, so I applied to a community college. I said to myself, "If I ever decide to drop out of school, at the very least I'll have an associate's degree." I may have received some initial backlash from family and friends, but transferring to a community college was the best decision I ever made. After retaking a few courses and being able to understand the content better, I realized that I did in fact want to continue my studies at another university. I had always dreamed of becoming a doctor ever since I was a little girl, but when I first got to college I developed a feeling of doubt in myself. The doubt eventually faded away, but if it weren't for that doubt causing me to transfer to another school, I never would have experienced many of the wonderful opportunities that came my way. Because of the way many of my courses were set up, I was able to work throughout my time at the Community College of Philadelphia. I have had the chance to work at the Philadelphia Zoo and the Please Touch Museum, both wonderful places where I did my best to make sure that guests were having an amazing trip. As much as I loved my time spent in the museum industry, I was eager to begin working in healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic caused me to lose both of my jobs, and a few months later I decided to start searching for healthcare-related jobs . Having no prior experience, it was difficult to find a job in the field. Eventually, I received a response from Vybe Urgent Care and I was hired as a Patient Care Coordinator. As soon as I discovered I would be working at an urgent care, I decided to register for an online course in medical terminology. The hiring manager had selected me based on customer service skills and an eagerness to learn, and she assured me that I would learn all the medical terminology that I would need while in the position. Although she explained this to me, I wanted to be proactive and learn some of the terminology on my own. I spent the majority of the last month of my summer break becoming exposed to many of the terms and procedures that would be useful to know for my new position. I ended up obtaining a certificate in Medical Terminology, which I am extremely proud of! While I spent much time learning the information on my own, I have learned a lot of valuable information while on the job, as well. As a Patient Care Coordinator, my job was to prepare patients for their virtual doctor's appointments. I would video chat with patients and collect demographic information, verify health insurances, and record important medical histories such as current medications, health problems, surgical histories, and family histories. I also would record the reason for the patient's visit in detail so the doctors would have a brief summary of what the patient was coming in for. Working at the urgent care has allowed me to expand on my own knowledge while also getting to make a contribution to patient care. I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to work there full-time while still keeping up with my classes, as this would not have been possible if I followed my original path! I have recently began working at the Eye Institute at Salus University as a Temporary Patient Service Representative. My current duties are very similar to those of the urgent care, and I enjoy interacting with patients on a daily basis. Working in healthcare has made me realize how much I love it and has reaffirmed my desire to become a doctor. Just as much as I love speaking with patients, I want to be able to help them physically, as well. Whenever a patient complains to me about their symptoms, I feel a great sense of empathy and wish that I already had the extensive medical knowledge to be able to help them. This is exactly the reason why I am going to continue to go to school — I know that I am capable of learning how to treat my patients, prevent them from getting sick, and how to keep them healthy. I am a person who cares deeply about others, and I would love to be one of the contributing factor's to a patient's health and wellbeing. I am so glad that my original path took a detour, and I know that I am going to become an amazing doctor!

My favorite scientist is Marie Curie. She defied the norm and became an extraordinary chemist at a time when there weren't many women in science. She is credited with numerous discoveries, and I admire the hard work and dedication that she had throughout her lifetime. I aspire to defy norms and become a respected woman in science just like she has!

When the pandemic happened, I lost both of my jobs and my classes were transferred from in-person to online. I originally planned to take summer courses but decided to wait for in-person classes. I also planned to find a job in healthcare after graduation, and then work until it was time to transfer to a university. I had the entire plan for the next year of my life etched out perfectly, and then the pandemic ruined it. Eventually, it was announced that the fall semester would be online anyway, and I felt as if I had wasted a summer. I began applying for healthcare-related jobs because I had so much extra time and I wanted to begin working in the field of my future career. I want to be a physician, and I knew that the pandemic would be the perfect way to get a headstart because healthcare workers were in such high demand. I had no medical experience, so I must have applied to over 100 jobs before I finally was interviewed for an urgent care position as a medical receptionist. I benefited greatly from the position, and I am so thankful that the pandemic changed my path!

My name is Christina Wells and I plan to leave a legacy behind. To me, legacy is a highlight of all the memorable things a person has done during their lifetime. To leave a legacy means that a person has made such a powerful impact on the world while alive that they are still honored long after they are deceased. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. may have been killed for fighting against racial injustice, but his legacy still lives on. Students still learn about Dr. King in their history classes, and there is even a holiday dedicated to honoring his legacy. Michael Jackson, known as the "King of Pop", made such important contributions to music that his name is still remembered years later. There have been numerous documentaries about the life of Michael Jackson, proving that even after his death, the impact that he made on the world while he was alive was a powerful one. There can be different types of legacies. One person's legacy may be focused on a groundbreaking scientific discovery, while another person's legacy may be based on the number of charitable acts they made during their lifetime. While different people can leave different legacies behind, there is one thing that all legacies share in common — a person whose story was important enough to remember. I want to be one of those people. I want my story to be remembered. I plan to leave a powerful legacy behind not just because I want people to remember who I was, but I want them to remember what I did. Of course, the name Christina Wells probably will not go down in history like William Shakespeare's or George Washington's, but I want to leave this world knowing that I made an impact— even if it is on a smaller scale. I aspire to be a doctor in the future. I hope that my legacy is represented through the lives of those that I have saved. After I'm gone, when my family and friends reflect on my life, I want them to remember me as a selfless individual who dedicated her life to the health and well-being of others.

This meme is hilarious to me! It depicts a doctor who has just completed a successful surgey trying to pull the patient's leg off after discovering they cannot pay for the bill. The meme shows a glimpse into what the American healthcare system is truly like and is making light of the fact that the system is indeed an awful one. Other developed countries have healthcare systems which do not require patient's to go into an unnecessary amount of debt or pay extremely high rates for private insurance companies. I am able to understand this meme so well because it is actually a part of my job to look up patient's insurance information. I have seen some outrageous deductibles, and sometimes even when the patient has insurance, their bill is high because they haven't met their deductible yet. And when patients have no insurance at all, the bills can be even higher. The meme makes me laugh because it is so relatable — the majority of Americans would end up having their "leg pulled off" by this corrupt doctor because most of us would be unable to pay the high bill for the surgery.

My name is Christina Wells and I am a young Black woman with aspirations to become a Primary Care Physician. I am currently working toward completing my Associate in Science at the Community College of Philadelphia, and I have plans to transfer to Temple University this upcoming fall semester. There, I will be continuing my studies in Biology in preparation for medical school. I am a selfless person who enjoys helping those around me, and I desire to leave a positive impact on the lives of others. Ever since I was four years old, I knew that I wanted to become a doctor. Whenever my family would ask, "Christina, what do you want to be when you grow up?", I would proudly say, "I wanna be a doctor!". Of course, at four years old, I did not consider all of the hard work, schooling, and money I would have to put into reaching my goal. However, there was one thing I knew for certain — I knew I wanted to make sick people better. Now, at 20 years old, I am much better able to articulate the reason why I want to be a doctor. I want to become a Primary Care Physician because I want to effectively treat those who are ill and prevent people who are healthy from becoming sick. Whenever I see someone in pain, whether it be a loved one or a stranger, I immediately feel concerned and want to do something to help. As someone who cares deeply about the well-being of others, I want to ensure that my patients receive the best possible care and that they are able to live healthily, happily, and comfortably. As I am only taking one class at the moment, I am able to work full-time until I begin courses at Temple. I currently work at Vybe Urgent Care as a Patient Care Coordinator for our Telemedicine department. As a Patient Care Coordinator, I schedule appointments, register patients, verify health insurance information, document medical histories, and record the patient's reason for visit in detail. In short, I prepare patients for their virtual doctor's appointments. I love my job not only because I get to chat with new patients every day, but also because it is preparing me for my future career in the medical field. As soon as I found out that I was hired for my first healthcare-related job, I made sure to prepare myself for it by taking an optional online course in medical terminology. The hiring manager hired me solely based on my customer service skills and knew that I did not have any type of medical background. She assured me that I would be able to strengthen my medical background while in the position, but I wanted to be proactive. I spent the majority of the final month of my summer break exposing myself to various medical terms so I would be ready to excel at my job. I was able to teach myself a decent amount of information, and I also learned many new things while on the job. I have already become familiar with common allergies, medications, health conditions, and surgical procedures, and I am not even in medical school yet! Working at my current job has definitely reaffirmed my desire to become a doctor. I feel a connection with the patients that I speak to, and when they explain their problems to me I wish that I already had the extensive medical knowledge to be able to help them. For the regular patients that come in with recurring health problems, I want to be the person who can come up with a treatment plan for them. For the patients with more complex symptoms, I want to be able to determine the correct diagnosis and take the proper course of action. And for the patients who are seemingly healthy, I want to help them stay that way. Yearly check-ups and a look into the patient's family history may be all I need to catch an issue early on or prevent it before it even arises. Something that I have noticed with many of my patients is that most of the medications that they are taking correspond to their family histories. For example, a patient may be taking Lisinopril for high blood pressure, and then they tell me that their mother has high blood pressure and their father has heart disease. High blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol seem to be the four most common health conditions in Americans. As a Primary Care Physician, I hopefully will be able to help prevent some of these issues in patients, and, if not, at least treat them so the patient is still able to live their best quality of life. My most favorite thing about my job is when patients mistake me for the doctor. Of course, I always correct them and explain that I am just the medical receptionist, but I must admit that it feels good to be a young Black woman and get mistaken for the doctor. I have had patients give me pep talks and tell me to stay in school, and I remember one patient told me, "You are very good at your job. You should be a doctor." She was an older woman, and I was just finishing typing up her chart as she said this to me. I have received many encouraging words from patients before, but this message in particular stuck with me and continues to do so. Whenever I am stressed about schoolwork or begin to have doubts that I will become a physician, I think back to this comment. I remind myself that I am doing a great job at preparing myself for my future career and that this is only the beginning. And one day, instead of replying, " I am just the medical receptionist", I will be able to respond and say, "Yes, I am the doctor."

For my 11th birthday, I begged my parents to buy me the iPhone 5. I had only ever owned track phones, and I knew deep down that they were going out of style. To my surprise, I returned home from school on my birthday to find the iPhone 5! I was so excited, especially since I was one of the first students in the class to have the newest iPhone. My classmates were fascinated by it when I brought it to school the next day, and so was I. June 5, 2011 was the first day that I ever gained experience with smartphones, and I knew that I would never want to go back to an older model phone after that point. Here I am almost 10 years later with the Samsung Galaxy S9, another technologically advanced cellphone. Having been the owner of various smartphones over the years, I would definitely rate my overall experience as a great one. There are so many benefits to having a smartphone, and they can be used for so much more than just calling and texting. With my smartphone, I can keep up with friends and family on social media, take professional looking photos, watch funny videos, check the weather, listen to music, play games, Google the answers to a question I might have, and so much more. I can even use my smartphone to type up essays like this one! The smartphone is a very convenient tool, as it has the benefits of a phone as well as a handheld computer. Having a smartphone impacts my day-to-day activities by making my life much simpler. If I am walking downtown and trying to find my way to the nearest restaurant, I can easily use my phone to navigate my way rather than asking a stranger for directions. Or, even if I did decide to ask for directions, I could take notes using my smartphone instead of trying to remember all the directions off the top of my head. And if this person who I asked directions from decides to follow me to my destination and begins to make me feel unsafe, I could easily pull out my smartphone and record them for my own safety. I believe that one of the greatest benefits of owning a smartphone is having the ability to document unsafe encounters such as the one described above. In this way, smartphones can be credited with saving lives! Isn't it amazing that a person's smartphone can actually be credited with saving their life? All they have to do is pull out their phone at the right time — at the right time, that is. Unfortunately, though, sometimes smartphone users pull out their phones at the wrong time, like while they're behind the wheel. And in that case, instead of increasing the chance that their life might be saved, it actually decreases it. All of the conveniences of the smartphone — social media, Google, chatting with friends, and more — can easily become distractions while driving. A driver's eyes should be focused only on the road in order to protect themselves and those around them. I persoanlly do not like to have my smartphone in my hand while driving because I believe that it hinders my ability to focus on one thing at a time. If I'm paying more attention to my smartphone than I am to the road, and a child runs into the street chasing after a ball, my reflexes are not going to be as sharp as if I didn't have my phone. Drive safe! Your smartphone can wait.

During my first year of university, I became extremely unmotivated due to feelings of depression and anxiety. I was depressed because I didn't believe I belonged there and I felt as though I wasn't as smart as the other students. It seemed like my efforts to succeed academically were useless. Every time I studied, I failed. I found myself constantly comparing myself to other students and wondering what changed between high school and the beginning of college. I was constantly anxious while at school because I wasn't doing well in general and I did not feel like myself. I also dealt with personal issues during my first year of college, which contributed to my anxiety and depression even further. I started seeing a therapist at my school and she helped me through a lot of these issues, both academic and personal. Although my therapist was helpful, I ultimately did end up transferring to a community college because I wanted a fresh start and felt that I needed a change of pace. My therapist even helped me weigh the pros and cons of transferring before I made the final decision to do so. I am very happy with the decision that I made to transfer schools because I was able to retake some courses and improve my grades. My overall mental health even changed after I transferred schools, and I now feel more prepared than ever to transfer to another university this upcoming fall! I hope that my story inspires others who are battling mental health issues. Sometimes, a change of environment may be necessary, even if you don't have much support from family and friends. Also, it is important to speak with a professional about how you are feeling so they can be able to help. If someone is currently going through a rough patch in life, they should not give up but should instead seek help and deal with one hurdle at a time. When I look over the past three years of my life compared to where I am today, I am thankful I did not give up.

This is me on January 13, 2021 receiving my second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. I was eligible to get the vaccine early on because I am a healthcare worker. After receiving an email about my eligibility, I made the courageous decision to schedule my vaccination appointment for the following day. I wanted to be an example to others and show them that getting vaccinated against the coronavirus is nothing to be afraid of. I am proud to say that many of my family and friends credit my bravery as the reason they decided to get vaccinated themselves.

My name is Christina Wells and I am a black woman who is passionate about STEM. Specifically, I am passionate about the scientific aspect of STEM. I would like to become a Primary Care Doctor in the future because I want to aid in preventing sickness and saving lives. The medical field and science in general have always interested me from a very young age. Sciences interests me because I think that it is so amazing to know how life works and how so many things are interconnected with each other. The passion that I have for science combined with with my love of helping those in need is what inspires me to pursue a career in the medical field. I think that my STEM studies will prepare me for a successful career because many of the things which I have been learning in my STEM courses will be applicable to my future in medicine. For example, I just recently finished my Biochemistry course, which has taught me so much about how life works on a molecular level. It is important for a doctor to know the general process of how DNA replicates, or how proteins are formed from RNA, which is transcribed from DNA. It is important to know that many diseases can form simply due to an error in DNA replication. As a STEM major, the general processes of life are necessary to know because they may have to be referred to when assessing a patient. Being a STEM major will also prepare me for a successful career in medicine because many STEM courses are designed to make one think outside of the box. In STEM courses, there may be more than one way to reach a correct answer. STEM courses stimulate the mind and allow for different questions to be brought up. STEM courses are also very informative and may contain a large amount of information, so having to study for and retain information from these courses can prepare an individual to retain a large amount of information later on. For example, I am going to have to retain a large amount of information in order to become a successful doctor, so it is important for me to develop the skill now. I am glad that my STEM studies are preparing me early on to become a successful physician!

My name is Christina Wells and I am currently majoring in Biology at the Community College of Philadelphia. I am one class away from completing my Associate's Degree, and my plan is to transfer to Temple University in Fall 2021 to work on my Bachelor's Degree in Biology. My hope is then to attend medical school to prepare me for a future career as a physician. Ever since I was four years old, I knew that I wanted to be a doctor. The idea of helping sick people get well again fascinated me even from such a young age. As I became older, I realized that I am particularly interested in Primary Care. I would like to be a Primary Care Physician because I am interested in preventive medicine and would like to play a role in keeping people healthy. As humans, we only get one body, and it is important that we take care of it in order to continue living happy, healthy lives for as long as possible. I am also interested in being a Primary Care Physician because I am an individual who likes variety. I believe that it would be amazing to specialize in just one area of medicine, however I would love to have a general knowledge of each area of the body so I can help catch issues from early on. For example, if a female patient comes in for her annual check-up and has a chief complaint of lower abdominal pain, it is my responsibility as her Primary Care Provider to run the proper tests and, if necessary, prescribe the proper medication based on the likely diagnosis. If upon the follow-up appointment the pain has not subsided, I may make a decision to send her to a gynecologist, which could ultimately save her life. Many people rely on their Primary Care Physicians to make the necessary decisions such as these, and I would like to be one of those important first steps in saving someone's life. As a Primary Care Doctor, I would also like to create individualized plans for each patient to help prevent them from becoming sick, or if already sick, prevent their condition from worsening. For example, if I have a hypertensive patient who presents with chest pain and difficulty breathing, I may decide to increase their dosage of Lisinopril and give them advice about how to live a more active lifestyle in order to offset some of the symptoms of high blood pressure. However, upon making the decision to increase their dosage of Lisinopril, I'd have to first take a look at their past medical history and medications to make sure that there are no possible drug interactions that can take place. What interests me about medicine is that you must find a solution to a problem, however there may be more than one way to reach that solution. In addition to this, many factors about the individual patient must be taken into consideration upon reaching that solution. I believe that Primary Care is a very important field in medicine because an individual's PCP is likely to know their medical history best, and will be one of the first to hear of any health concerns that a patient may have. Even if the patient does not bring up any health concerns, a thorough physical examination could bring up a potential health concern, and the necessary steps can then be taken to prevent an issue from worsening. Just one annual check-up may save a patient's life if their Primary Care Physician notices something unusual, and I would like to be that hero who saves as many lives as she possibly can. As I am currently a part-time student, I am simultaneous working full-time at Vybe Urgent Care. I am a Patient Care Coordinator, and I am responsible for registration and intake of the patients who make telemedicine video visits. At just 20 years old, I am already beginning my career in the medical field. I am glad that working at Vybe has allowed me the opportunity to speak with patients and learn more about their medications and past medical histories. I have learned so much about which medications are used for certain medical problems, as well as which medical problems are likely to run in an individual's family. I am particularly proud of the HPI's (History of Present Illness) that I type up, and one of our doctor's has even sent me a message to tell me how much he appreciates my thorough, detailed HPI's. Before working at vybe, I knew that I wanted to go into medicine, however I had no medical background whatsoever. Luckily, my customer service skills from working at the Philadelphia Zoo allowed me to be considered for the job. Being a Patient Care Coordinator affirms for me how much I love working with patients and how much I love medicine. When a patient explains their chief complaint to me, I record as many details as possible and have a strong urge of wanting to help --- I already have the passion, now all I need is the education for it! It makes me so happy when patients get on the video chat and mistake me for being the doctor. One day, instead of smiling and replying, "No, I'm just the receptionist, but thank you for the compliment!", I'm going to reply with, "Yes, I am the doctor!". Until then, I am going to continue working hard academically. I am already preparing myself to achieve a career in medicine by both going to school and working in the medical field. I know that I am going to make a great doctor because of the passion that I have for solving problems, as well as the compassion that I have for human beings in general. I am confident that I am going to save lives in the future, and, in a way, I am already saving lives now!

My name is Christina Wells and I am currently majoring in Biology at the Community College of Philadelphia. After I obtain my Associate's Degree my goal is to transfer to Temple University to complete a Bachelor's Degree in Biology, and then finally attend medical school afterward. Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of becoming a doctor. As I grew older, I realized that I specifically am interested in becoming a Primary Care Physician. I want to be able to help people and provide them with treatment that will allow them to live as comfortably as possible. I am very interested in preventive care, as there are many diseases and medical issues which can be avoided if caught early enough. I also am fascinated with the idea of coming up with an individualized treatment plan for each patient. I currently work as a Patient Care Coordinator at vybe urgent care, and my job is to register patients for their visit, record important medical histories, and document the reason for their visit. As a Patient Care Coordinator, I speak with many patients who may have issues such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or any other problems. The patients who have these medical problems take a number of medications daily, and in the future I want to be able to help diagnose problems such as these. I want to give patients hope that they can still live long, meaningful lives even with a medical diagnosis. Even better, I would love to be able to help patients change their lifestyle habits before getting to the point of a diagnosis. The patients that I speak with every day at work are some of the most kindhearted people, and I want to help make sure that they live long, healthy lives on this earth. I want to be the superwoman who spots a benign tumor before it turns into cancer and take care of it immediately. I want to be the superwoman who little black girls look up to and empower them to take on a career in STEM. I want to prove to myself that I can accomplish the career goal that I've had since I was 4 years old. As passionate as I may seem about a career in medicine, there was a point in my life where I did not think I would be able to pursue it. After graduating from Central High School, I attended the University of the Sciences for one year. I was accepted to 11 colleges upon graduating from high school, but the University of the Sciences was my first choice. Even though this was my first choice college, I was depressed there and felt that I could not keep up with any of the work. Honestly, I just felt as though I was not smart enough or good enough for the university. I made the decision to transfer to the Community College of Philadelphia in hopes of a fresh start and a change of pace, and I was not disappointed. Yes, I will be receiving my Bachelor's Degree in five years instead of four as originally planned, but the extra year is worth it. If I had not made the decision to transfer, I would not be able to work as a Patient Care Coordinator and gain paid experience about the medical field at only 20 years old. If I had not transfered schools, I would not have had the opportunity to work at the Philadelphia Zoo and the Please Touch Museum, both jobs which have helped shape the person who I am today. I am thankful for the many opportunities that I have received over these past few years that I know I would not have received if I stayed at a school that I was not happy at. I am so glad that I had the courage to start over, and I know that the future for me is bright!