Losing a family member can be one of the most soul-crushing moments of a person’s life. It can be a sudden loss that hits you all at once or a long, grueling fight ultimately to reach the same end. I remember when my grandmother was diagnosed with congestive heart failure three years ago, and watching her condition deteriorate was one of the hardest things that I have ever been through. Even throughout all the doctors’ appointments and treatment procedures, it didn’t make the time I had left with her any less memorable. Even though the experience itself was painful, it enriched my life and helped me confirm my career calling. When her condition first started to deteriorate, she got short of breath whenever she went up hills and stairs, but she was still very independent. One night came when my grandfather called and told us that my grandmother was exhibiting strange symptoms. Dad and I went next door and noticed that one side of her face was drooped and that she could not move one side of her body. We knew that she was having a stroke and that the race against the clock had officially begun to help her. I felt fear come over me as the ambulance pulled out of the driveway, carrying her to the hospital. We were all so happy that she was alive, but the stroke had left permanent damage that made her condition deteriorate even more. After her stroke, my grandmother had trouble getting around the house due to her balance. Whenever I got home from school, I would sit with her and help her with anything she needed. I would change the TV for her, assist with her oxygen, and help her get to the bathroom whenever needed. The quality time I spent with her during that time was unlike any I had ever spent with her previously. All these things made me realize that life is short and I should not take it for granted. The combination of my grandmother’s congestive heart failure and loss of balance from her stroke eventually took its toll, and she ended up in the hospital after a series of falls. I still remember when I heard the news that her kidneys were failing and that her body couldn’t handle dialysis. There was nothing more that the hospital could do to save her. The only measure left was palliative care and hospice care. We brought her home so that she could spend her final moments in the place she loved most, home with her family. When she died, I was devastated on the inside as I realized all the special events she would not be there for in my life. The entire experience did help me realize that I wanted to take care of others the way I got to care for her. Seeing the medical staff work so hard to help her made me realize I wanted to attend college to pursue a career in nursing. Fast forward to where I am today, well within my first semester of nursing school, and I have already begun clinical rotations and am excited about the opportunity. I hope to care for my patients with the compassion the nurses showed my grandmother.

A nurse plays a role in caring for those in their most vulnerable moments of sickness or injury. I have seen the importance of the compassionate care of a nurse through terminally ill family members and personal experience. Attaining the privilege of being that person to someone else is a life goal I am currently pursuing. I recently began my clinical training in the nursing program at Jacksonville State University. I have realized the impact I can have on another person's day as a future nurse and the blessing they can be to my day. Every person deserves comfort and support without any discrimination when dealing with medical issues despite the extent of the condition. A patient's fears and concerns matter even when dealing with a minor medical situation. The first semester of nursing school has taught me so much about the nursing profession and why it is so special. One of the first things we learned is that nursing is a science and an art. You need the intellectual knowledge to make the right decisions in the right situations. You also have to master the art of providing care in a loving and comforting way. We also learned that the patient is the center of any healthcare efforts. If someone says their pain is a ten, you treat it as a ten. It is crucial to realize that all care provided needs to be viewed through the eyes of the patient before the eyes of a nurse or any other healthcare professional. I realized the passion I had for the nursing profession whenever I had the opportunity to take care of my grandmother whenever she was terminally ill. She would get very anxious sometimes, and just being there to listen did more for her than any medication ever could. I would also help with her food, oxygen, and bathroom trips whenever she needed it. Assisting with all her necessities made me realize that I wanted to provide that help and so much more in the lives of others. I helped provide care for my uncle whenever he was terminally ill as well. I helped the certified nursing assistant change bedclothes and transfer my uncle to his bedside commode. It was a truly enriching experience that helped prepare me for clinical rotations. Once I get my nursing license, I plan to contribute to my community by staying local and serving within it. Quality care is crucial no matter where you live, whether in a small town or a big city. I currently live in a rural area and would like to contribute to providing patients in my area with the best care possible. Some people may look to move to larger cities as they graduate college, but I want to stay and serve near my home. My goal is to work in critical care after college graduation. I would also enjoy going on a medical mission trip to help those unable to attain needed medical treatments.

Heart disease has woven itself into the fabric of so many people’s lives throughout this country just to tear that fabric apart in the blink of an eye. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death along with cancer in the United States. This chilling fact is what makes heart disease a grim reality for so many people and makes its effects so profound. I myself have personally been affected by heart disease by watching it take its toll on my grandmother, who passed away in January of this year. I remember when my grandmother’s health first started deteriorating and we found out that her aortic valve needed to be replaced. It scared me seeing my grandmother not being able to eat, cook, or use the bathroom like she used to. Having a giant oxygen machine in her living room constantly making an eerie noise that reminded you of the problem was also quite unsettling. She was able to have the procedure as planned, and her condition improved drastically. She was able to walk to the bathroom and take care of herself like she used to which made me very happy. That period of normalcy didn’t last long however, because we noticed after a few months that her condition was starting to deteriorate again. Her blood oxygen was low and she became out of breath from doing simple tasks. We took her to the doctor again, and found out that her mitral valve needed to be replaced. The only way to replace her mitral valve was through open heart surgery which her body could not handle. We thought that it was all over, but then we found out that there was a clinical trial for replacing the mitral valve through the groin. We signed her up for the trial as our only hope and the waiting game of getting her approved began. During the period of waiting, I had the privilege of being one of my grandmother’s caretakers during the day, while my brother was homeschooling. She needed varying amounts of care as her disease progressed, and I assisted throughout each stage. I aided by doing the following: accompanying her to doctors’ appointments and hospital visits, transporting her in and out of her wheelchair, assisting with oxygen, bathing, changing diapers, dressing, and preparing meals. Even with all of this, her condition started to deteriorate further, which started a race against the clock to keep her alive until she could get approved for the trial. Unfortunately her condition got to a terminal point where the trial wasn’t an option anymore. We tried dialysis just to buy her a little more time, but it was all to no avail. We had to face the reality that her time with us was coming to an end and that all we could do was enjoy the time we had left. She died peacefully in the night after shortly being placed on Hospice care. The journey that my family went through with my grandmother’s condition is what has inspired me to become a nurse one day. I hope that I can take care of other people in the same way that I helped take care of my grandmother.

I could never face each day and the trials that come in life without my faith in God’s constant presence and his provisions. God has had an impact throughout my life through people and circumstances, and his divine favor has been greater than I deserve. My parents have been a blessing from God, and they have always taught me the importance of striving to live in a manner that would please the Lord. I was raised in a church and school environment surrounded by virtuous people that I could rely on for counsel during difficult times. Despite the struggles and failures I have experienced, I have had to remind myself that they all had a purpose in strengthening my dependence on him. God helped me in school by giving me the strength to do my best in my classes. Even when I was bullied in school, I knew that I had a friend in the Lord. One of the most recent times in my life where my faith played a key role was in caring for my grandmother through her heart failure which ended her life in January of this year. Seeing her faith during her suffering helped to strengthen mine. I often questioned God many times wondering why He would let one of His own suffer like that. My family and I continued to pray and place our faith in God’s provision and realized that the outcome would be all part of His plan. When she died, I was devastated but I realized she was in a better place with other lost family members, and she did not have to suffer here on earth anymore. Looking back, I see God’s mighty hand in so many situations, and I know my faith in Him will help me in my chosen career in nursing. Nursing is about serving others and doing right by them, which is what being a disciple of Christ is all about. I hope to be the best servant I can be in and out of the hospital so that God’s light can shine through me. I know it will not be easy but I know that God will give me the strength I need in nursing school and my career. I look forward to using the one-on-one time with patients as a platform to be a witness to them. By showing God to patients and co-workers, they just might want to show God to someone else too. I also hope that I can portray the godly example that so many people in my life have shown to me.

Nintendo has produced some of the best quality co-op game experiences to date with legendary games like 2D Super Mario Brothers, Mario Kart, and Super Mario Party. I have played all these games in co-op mode and they are all really good, but my favorite has got to be the more recent Super Mario Odyssey. The game came out with the release of the new Nintendo Switch console, which my younger brother and I begged our parents for immediately. When we brought the Nintendo Switch home, we booted up Super Mario Odyssey and started our co-op adventure. The game overall was very fun with lots of beautifully landscaped levels and cool boss fights, but there was one that will always stand out to me just because of its sheer uniqueness. I remember my brother and I venturing through the rainy streets of New York City to find the last three moons to power Mario’s ship. We made it to the location where the moons should be, but the only thing waiting for us was a dead-end wall with a giant robotic centipede creeping along it. My little brother and I used all the traditional attacks such as jumping on the centipede as Mario or running into it as Cappy, but all it did was damage us. I then spotted one of the little tank enemies from earlier in the level and I had an idea. I remembered that Cappy had a special ability to possess certain enemies and use their abilities. I told my little brother, who was controlling Cappy while I was controlling Mario, to take control of the little tank enemy. We then used the explosive cannon of the tank to target the electrical weak points of the robotic centipede. We unleashed a barrage of tank shells until the boss had only half of its health left. The boss then entered its second phase by splitting into two smaller robotic centipedes to fight against. It dashed all around releasing electric charges to ward off our attacks to no avail. We continued our bombardment of tank shells until the robot was nothing more than a metal husk and the moons that powered it were finally ours. We returned to Mario’s ship and inserted the last three moons to give the ship the power it needed to blast off from New York City. We prepared to set off, but not before a fantastic skyscraper party courtesy of the mayor as a token of gratitude for liberating the city from the centipede. My younger brother and I high-fived over our victory, and we decided to conclude playing for the evening. We have had lots of great co-op experiences since then, but nothing compares to the robotic centipede boss fight from Super Mario Odyssey. This is but one of many stories that many people can relate to of how Nintendo has provided a quality co-op experience and why those experiences are so legendary.

I regard loving and caring for others as the most paramount thing we can do for our fellow human beings, and I believe a career in nursing will provide me with the opportunity to accomplish this. Nurses are one of the major building blocks of the medical field. They are on the front lines when people are anxious and sick, and we need them more than some may realize. Being greeted with kindness and compassion when you enter a healthcare facility is imperative to your mental and physical health. I would be honored to be that nurse who has a positive impact on each patient I encounter. Over the past four years, I have helped care for my family members with major health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, dementia, and cancer. As I lost two of those family members this year, I saw the importance of compassionate care at home, in the hospital, and through Hospice care. Throughout those years, I saw the impact I could have by encouraging them and caring for them physically. I aided by doing the following: accompanying them to doctors’ appointments and hospital stays, transporting them in and out of wheelchairs and beds, assisting with oxygen, bathing, changing diapers, dressing, and preparing meals. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to care for those I lost, and I am grateful that I still have the opportunity to care for those who are still battling their medical conditions. The nurses my family encountered and continue to encounter make more of a difference in patients' lives than they will ever know. The nurses not only supported my sick family members but they supported our entire family. They celebrated the good results with us as well as hugs and tears during the difficult outcomes. Words cannot express the importance of compassionate nurses when you are hurt, sick, and afraid. Healthcare around the world could not be successful without these individuals. I always wanted a career that involved helping others, and my experiences over the past few years helped me decide that nursing would be an excellent choice. I started devoting my education to the prerequisites I needed for nursing in tenth grade. I will officially start the nursing program at Jacksonville State University in January, and I am thrilled. One of the best days of my life was the one when I found out my spot in the nursing program was a guarantee. I look forward to all that the future holds for me, and I hope to make an impact on as many patients and their families as possible. Now more than ever it is important for medical professionals to be the light in a dark world, and I hope to honor my family members who have passed away through my career as a nurse.

The Harry Potter universe is probably one of the most revolutionary fictional worlds ever created, with one of the special aspects being the system of four houses used at Hogwarts. Each house has particular traits associated with it, which makes all the houses truly unique. Many people have taken a look at themselves to determine what house they would be in, and I have done the same. I believe that I have aspects from all four of the houses, but the house that I most identify with is the Hufflepuff House. The main traits of the Hufflepuff House are dedication, loyalty, patience, and an emphasis on hard work. Hufflepuffs are very dedicated to their beliefs and those closest to them, and I believe that I have the dedication that is characterized by the Hufflepuff house. I love my family and friends, and I would do anything to help them succeed. Hufflepuffs are also very loyal to others, even when they are under scrutiny. Hufflepuffs never doubt or lose faith. I have been in situations where my friends have been in the middle of drama. I made sure to let them know that even if everyone else went against them, I wouldn’t turn away. Hufflepuffs are also very patient and are known for keeping their cool under pressure. I view myself as someone who is mostly patient with other people. I have lost my cool at times, but I always try to learn from my mistakes and be more patient with others. I also try to keep my cool in hectic situations. I have had people, who have been stressed out about certain things, remark on my ability to remain relaxed. Another aspect of the Hufflepuff House is the emphasis on hard work. I have tried my best to work hard in every area of my life with encouragement from other Hufflepuff-like people around me. Hufflepuffs are also known for their strong moral code and their willingness to include everyone, no matter who they are. I believe myself to be someone with a strong sense of right and wrong. Although I am not perfect and make mistakes, I know when I have messed up and how important it is to learn from it. I also believe myself as someone willing to include others. I know what it’s like to be excluded because I wasn’t cool like everyone else, which contributes to my desire to include everyone so no one has to feel that way. Hufflepuff characteristics also include a less competitive nature and a belief in fair play. I like my games, but I try to realize that it’s all just a game and not worth cheating or hurting others over. I would like to believe that whoever said that sports are about having fun and not winning, was probably a Hufflepuff. Ultimately, I believe that Hufflepuff is the most underrated house because of the lack of representation in the movies. The world needs more Hufflepuffs to keep spirits high even when the world is at its lowest. I believe that I have the marks of a true Hufflepuff. I intend to use my Hufflepuff traits in my career in nursing so I can be the best nurse that I can be for my patients and the best person I can be for everyone else around me.

Minecraft is widely considered one of the most popular games ever made, and it rightly deserves that title. I have grown up with the game, and I remember the first day I saw someone playing the earliest version of Minecraft. My favorite aspect of the game is the thrilling adventure of the survival mode play-through. I remember my first play-through that I did with my little brother and one of his friends very vividly. We had decided that we were not going to do a bare minimum play-through of the game. We intended to get so well equipped that we would have the Ender Dragon shivering in his scales. We also made a plan to build a massive home base to conduct our operations. I didn’t want to spend a ton of time mining for diamonds, so I had the idea that we should use villager trading as a means to get weapons and armor. Blacksmith villagers in particular can sell you diamond armor and weapons with no mining required. When we started, I got extremely lucky and found a village next to a cave with a skeleton spawner, so I transformed it into a skeleton farm. My brother set out and gathered enough iron to forge armor and tools for all of us. My brother’s friend gathered building resources for our home base. Once he returned with the materials, we built a massive home base right next to the village. The base had a wooden mansion design, and it housed our smelting area, enchanting area, crop farms, and skeleton farm. The next phase of our plan was to get diamond armor and weapons. Luckily for us, one of the blacksmiths had a trade for bone meal in exchange for emeralds, so I used the skeleton farm to gather bone meal. This trading scheme allowed us to be fully kitted with diamond armor and tools very easily, and the skeleton farm allowed us to have unlimited bows and arrows. The next phase of our plan was to head to the nether and gather blaze rods to craft Eyes of Ender. We, unfortunately, had to search the nether for hours to find a nether fortress where we could gather blaze rods. On the bright side, there was a biome in the nether that had lots of endermen in it, so we killed enough endermen to have the ender pearls required to make the eyes of ender. We returned and found the stronghold quite easily, so we made our way in and activated the portal to The End. Once we made it to The End, the final phase of our mission began, defeating the Ender Dragon. The three of us all made a mad dash for the obsidian pillars that housed the end crystals. We picked off the crystals with bows and arrows except for the three crystals that were surrounded by iron bars so they couldn’t be shot down from the ground. The three of us each chose a crystal to take down. Once I reached the top of my pillar, the crystal I destroyed exploded and sent me flying. I pulled out my water bucket mid-air and pulled off the infamous clutch so I wouldn’t die. The next part of the battle consisted of the three of us raining a flurry of blows on the Ender Dragon each time it perched on the ground. The Ender Dragon finally exploded into a rain of experience orbs. We yelled with excitement as I had finally completed my first survival mode play-through of Minecraft.

If I had the amazing opportunity to have my own custom Barbie Dream House it would be located in Tahiti (a popular scuba diving location) with a beautiful ocean view, and it would have grand, colorful features inside and out. At the beginning of my long driveway, you would be greeted by a large neon blue gate with the Barbie B in pink located at the center. Large, beautiful banyan trees would be spread throughout the front of my property for my dog Allie to play and lounge under. The structure of my house would be a three-story modern mansion design in the iconic Barbie Pantone shade with large windows all across the front and back to maximize the view. I would have eaves that matched the color of the entrance gate and large columns along the front matching as well. My garage would have at least five bays for cars and several all-terrain vehicles to explore the island. I would also need a helipad for my colorful Barbie helicopter above the garage. A rooftop terrace with a full kitchen and cool seating options in neon colors would be essential to enjoy the gorgeous views and entertain all my family and friends. The terrace would be equipped with a neon green spiral slide that would transport you quickly to the large edgeless swimming pool below. The entertainment space surrounding the pool in the back of the house must complement the ocean view. I would have an outdoor dining area with pink string lights, pink chairs and tables, and a retractable roof for more space in case of bad weather. There would be a large TV to enjoy movies and sporting events outside anytime. Speakers with concert-quality sound would surround the entertainment space and pool area, even inside the pool. The pool would have a blue glitter appearance with mosaic ocean-themed items scattered throughout for an ultimate swimming experience. Most importantly, there would need to be an elevator to take you back to the rooftop terrace so you could slide down the giant spiral slide as many times as your heart desired. The interior would be primarily neon pink with other neon colors as accents because those are the colors of scuba gear that help divers be visible underwater. I would also like extravagant lighting throughout the house, such as crystal chandeliers. The kitchen cabinets would be pink with blue handles, and I would have neon appliances. The refrigerator would dispense pink lemonade and crushed ice. The living room would be massive with rows of massaging recliners in pink leather with an LED screen wall for the ultimate movie experience. I love to play video games with friends so I would need an elaborate neon gaming room with colorful LED lights in the ceiling and all the latest gaming equipment. My bedroom would have a double king-sized bed with the softest neon pink sheets possible. The master bathroom would have a pink jacuzzi tub with jets and pink lights to elevate the Barbie feel. The closet would be gigantic with the latest styles of clothing and shoes, especially some pink Jordan Ones. I would also like a room specifically to house lots of scuba gear, fitted with multiple neon tank racks and strong pink bars to hang gear. Another wonderful addition to the house would be a heated indoor pool that is twenty feet deep with a pink aquarium surrounding it like a Barbie-themed ocean. If all these things came together, it would be the ultimate house, that even scuba Barbie would be proud of.

I am a person with a heart for others, and surrounding myself with family and friends as often as possible helps keep me grounded. Helping others and spending time with those I love always lifts my mood. I have enjoyed playing sports throughout my school career, such as soccer, football, and baseball. These sports have allowed me to learn the importance of teamwork and building friendships. I also do many outdoor activities such as riding four-wheelers, kayaking, and swimming. Since swimming is one of my favorite activities, I plan on getting certified in scuba diving this summer. Even though I am a teenager, I still enjoy spending quality time with my parents due to the close bond I share with them. Both my parents have worked in the medical field, and I look forward to following in their footsteps. I have been taking dual enrollment classes through Snead State Community College since my tenth-grade year. I have completed over fifty credit hours of college courses in preparation to enter nursing school sooner after graduation. I plan on attending the Bachelors of Science in Nursing Program at Jacksonville State University after high school. I am passionate about serving others, and I believe that a career in the medical field will provide me with the amazing opportunity to do so. I look forward to getting to know each patient I encounter so I can provide them with the best care possible. At this time, I plan to become a registered nurse to fulfill my passion. My goal is to make an impact on the world by caring for my patients the way I would care for my family members. Throughout my life, I have always been there for others during their time of need. These needs may have included helping them with medical care to helping with yard work. It is comforting to know that someone is there for you when you need them. Compassion is imperative, and I believe I can make the world a better place as a nurse by showing each patient how much their life matters. During my career, I want to encourage others in the most difficult times of their lives. It is essential to also be respectful and kind to each patient’s family members. A person’s family struggles along with them and this can lead to sadness and depression for both sides. I believe I can provide the love and comfort they need to make it through whatever situation they all face. Having a person there to walk you through life-or-death moments can be crucial to emotional and physical well-being. I always strived to keep a positive, encouraging attitude when helping care for my grandmother in her last months of life. This experience helped me to realize the impact positivity and kindness can have on someone’s life, and I believe a career in the medical field is a great way to share this part of my personality with others.

I believe being able to pursue a career in nursing would be one of the greatest privileges of my life. Serving others with compassion is imperative, and I feel that pursuing a career as a nurse will provide me with that amazing opportunity. I have several reasons that have inspired me to choose the nursing profession. First, I have continued admiration for my parents who chose to work in the medical field, and they have taught me the importance of caring for patients during some of the most difficult and frightening moments of their lives. Secondly, I have witnessed several family members endure very stressful health issues. My paternal grandmother has battled breast cancer and being there during her care revealed the importance of having sympathetic nurses. She continues to encourage me as I pursue a nursing career and always reminds me how important it is to treat others with kindness and respect. Also, I currently have an uncle with dementia under Hospice care that I help care for as often as I can. He requires constant care and supervision. My maternal grandmother, who was diagnosed with heart failure three years ago has given me the greatest inspiration to pursue nursing. I believe caring for her helped confirm the calling I have to become a nurse. She lived next door to me, and I was involved with her care more than I ever had been with anyone else in my life. She suffered a stroke and kidney failure in addition to her heart failure. She needed varying amounts of care as her disease progressed, and I assisted her throughout each stage. I aided by doing the following: accompanying her to doctors’ appointments and hospital visits, transporting her in and out of her wheelchair, assisting with oxygen, bathing, changing diapers, dressing, and preparing meals. My maternal grandmother endured many hospital stays and procedures in local hospitals and even hospitals out of state before she passed away in January of this year. When my maternal grandmother passed, she was on Hospice care and her nurse was one of the most compassionate people I have ever met. Her nurse was not only there for her, but the morning she passed her nurse comforted my whole family. She helped us walk through the whole process of losing someone like she was a member of our family. I saw through this just how important experiencing kindness during these emotional times can be. I have witnessed the compassion the nurses have shown my family members, and I want the opportunity to be a positive light and comfort for others. I believe I can make a difference in the life of each patient I encounter by providing them with the compassionate care that every person deserves when dealing with an injury or any medical condition.

I believe being able to pursue a career in nursing would be one of the greatest privileges of my life. Serving others with compassion is imperative, and I feel that pursuing a career as a nurse will provide me with that amazing opportunity. I have continued admiration for my parents who chose to work in the medical field, and they have taught me the importance of caring for patients during some of the most difficult and frightening moments of their lives. My maternal grandmother was diagnosed with heart failure three years ago, and caring for her helped confirm the calling I have to become a nurse. She needed varying amounts of care as her disease progressed, and I assisted her throughout each stage. I aided by doing the following: accompanying her to doctors’ appointments and hospital visits, transporting her in and out of her wheelchair, assisting with oxygen, bathing, changing diapers, dressing, and preparing meals. My grandmother endured many hospital stays and procedures in local hospitals and even hospitals out of state before she passed away in January of this year. Sitting with her when she was on Hospice, knowing there was nothing else that could be done, was one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through in my life. I would sit and talk to her while holding her hand, which she loved, and it was all she asked for during her final days. I witnessed the compassion the healthcare staff gave her, and I want the opportunity to be a positive light and comfort for others. The staff and doctors were very sympathetic and went above and beyond to make sure she was comfortable and well taken care of. My paternal grandmother is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and supporting her during this trying time is very important to me. I have been with her during hospital stays and when she needed me at her home. The nurses she had during her multiple hospital stays made a greater impact on her spirits than they will ever know. I saw through both these experiences just how important kindness during these emotional times can be. Both of my grandmothers spoke to me about how kind all the healthcare staff involved in their care had been and how I should strive to emulate their compassion as I pursue my career in nursing. I would like to be able to work in an intensive care unit after I complete my training in nursing. Patients in these units face serious health issues that require constant care and support for themselves and their families, and I believe I can provide this with the utmost respect and empathy.

Taylor Swift’s album 1989 is often referred to as her best album. I believe that all the songs on this album are lyrical masterpieces with emotional meanings that can apply to everyone. Even though all the songs included on this album are incredible, the song that has touched me the most and my personal favorite is “Shake It Off”. This song depicts the positive outlook on life that all people should have despite the actions of others. This song truly shows that regardless of what you are going through, you cannot listen to those who try to insult you and put you down. The only thing you can do is keep on rolling and shake off the mean comments. I particularly like the upbeat tempo that the song has, which helps emphasize its hopeful, positive message. “Shake It Off” is the kind of song that can get everybody in the room up dancing no matter the occasion. With all the negativity we face daily, the world could use a pick-me-up song like “Shake It Off”. This song has been particularly touching for me considering all the times I have had in my life where I had to shake things off and keep looking up, to not be tempted to give up. The time I remember most when I had to shake it off was during my transition into seventh grade. At my school, there is not a middle school, there are two separate halls which are 1st-6th grade and 7th-12th grade. When I completed my sixth-grade year, my entire class was moved upstairs to the 7th-12th grade hall. I was now in an unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar people. Some of my classmates whom I had called friends now started being cruel to me so they could fit in with all the high school students. I even had someone tell me I should just kill myself. I had never felt so alone and I felt hopeless at times. I remember one day I was listening to some music to try and lift my spirits when Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” came on. I realized that I did not always need the validation of others at school to be happy. I remembered that I had friends and family that loved me and I did not need the approval of everyone. From that point on, I decided regardless of others' opinions that I needed to strive to not let them bring me down. I wanted to focus on being the best person I could be despite the sarcastic remarks and insults. I knew that the people that loved me would be there to pick me up after a tough day. I learned that music has the power to transform our mood and helps block out the distracting noise around us. The only thing that you can do is focus on the road ahead, and most importantly, shake it off!

I am a person with a heart for others, and surrounding myself with family and friends as often as possible helps keep me grounded. Helping others and spending time with those I love always lifts my mood. I have enjoyed playing sports throughout my school career, such as soccer, football, and baseball. These sports have allowed me to learn the importance of teamwork and building friendships. I also do many outdoor activities such as riding four-wheelers, kayaking, and swimming. Since swimming is one of my favorite activities, I plan on getting certified in scuba diving this summer. Even though I am a teenager, I still enjoy spending quality time with my parents due to the close bond I share with them. Both my parents have worked in the medical field, and I look forward to following in their footsteps. I have been taking dual enrollment classes through Snead State Community College since my tenth-grade year. I have completed over fifty credit hours of college courses in preparation to enter nursing school sooner after graduation. I plan on attending the Bachelors of Science in Nursing Program at Jacksonville State University after high school. I am passionate about serving others, and I believe that a career in the medical field will provide me with the amazing opportunity to do so. I look forward to getting to know each patient I encounter so I can provide them with the best care possible. At this time, I plan to become a registered nurse to fulfill my passion. My goal is to make an impact on the world by caring for my patients the way I would care for my family members. Throughout my life, I have always been there for others during their time of need. These needs may have included helping them with medical care to helping with yard work. It is comforting to know that someone is there for you when you need them. Compassion is imperative, and I believe I can make the world a better place as a nurse by showing each patient how much their life matters. During my career, I want to encourage others in the most difficult times of their lives. It is essential to also be respectful and kind to each patient’s family members. A person’s family struggles along with them and this can lead to sadness and depression for both sides. I believe I can provide the love and comfort they need to make it through whatever situation they all face. Having a person there to walk you through life-or-death moments can be crucial to emotional and physical well-being. I always strived to keep a positive, encouraging attitude when helping care for my grandmother in her last months of life. This experience helped me to realize the impact positivity and kindness can have on someone’s life, and I believe a career in the medical field is a great way to share this part of my personality with others.

I believe being able to pursue a career in nursing would be one of the greatest privileges of my life. Serving others with compassion is imperative, and I feel that pursuing a career as a nurse will provide me with that amazing opportunity. I have several reasons that have inspired me to choose the nursing profession. First, I have continued admiration for my parents who chose to work in the medical field, and they have taught me the importance of caring for patients during some of the most difficult and frightening moments of their lives. Secondly, I have witnessed several family members endure very stressful health issues. My paternal grandmother has battled breast cancer and being there during her care revealed the importance of having sympathetic nurses. She continues to encourage me as I pursue a nursing career and always reminds me how important it is to treat others with kindness and respect. Also, I currently have an uncle with dementia under Hospice care that I help care for as often as I can. He requires constant care and supervision. My maternal grandmother, who was diagnosed with heart failure three years ago has given me the greatest inspiration to pursue nursing. I believe caring for her helped confirm the calling I have to become a nurse. She lived next door to me, and I was involved with her care more than I ever had been with anyone else in my life. She suffered a stroke and kidney failure in addition to her heart failure. She needed varying amounts of care as her disease progressed, and I assisted her throughout each stage. I aided by doing the following: accompanying her to doctors’ appointments and hospital visits, transporting her in and out of her wheelchair, assisting with oxygen, bathing, changing diapers, dressing, and preparing meals. My maternal grandmother endured many hospital stays and procedures in local hospitals and even hospitals out of state before she passed away in January of this year. When she passed, she was on Hospice care and her nurse was one of the most compassionate people I have ever met. Her nurse was not only there for her, but the morning she passed her nurse comforted my whole family. She helped us walk through the whole process of losing someone like she was a member of our family. I saw through this just how important experiencing kindness during these emotional times can be. I have witnessed the compassion the nurses have shown my family members, and I want the opportunity to be a positive light and comfort for others.

In the future, I dream of being a compassionate man with a large family and a rewarding career in the nursing profession, impacting every patient I encounter with the love of Jesus.

Generational wealth means leaving my family with the peace that comes with financial security and not leaving them burdened with debt. I want to leave my children with the financial assets to have a bright future along with the knowledge to prepare the generations after them to make wise financial choices. I have multiple plans to accomplish this goal. Having a will to make sure my wishes are carried out including how my assets will be distributed from money to property is crucial. Planning for all the inevitable costs of a funeral is also important so that my family will not be left with this financial hardship during an already emotional time. A life insurance policy is a great asset to cover these and can even leave your family with extra money for other expenses or to invest in their future. I have worked hard to maintain a 4.0 grade point average throughout high school in hopes of qualifying for scholarships. In addition to this, I have taken advantage of dual enrollment scholarships to help get ahead in my college career goal of becoming a registered nurse without creating debt for my parents. I am actively applying to all the scholarships I become aware of to avoid needing any student loans. Once I finish nursing school and obtain a job in the workforce I plan on starting to contribute to a retirement fund as soon as possible. In addition to this, I plan to save up and invest regularly in the stock market with the help of a financial advisor I already know and trust. To help save and invest as much as I can I plan to work full-time while seeking additional part-time work as my schedule permits. I believe nursing is a career that will provide me with many opportunities to make extra money. I am also considering furthering my career after earning my nursing degree by becoming a nurse practitioner or nurse anesthetist as my finances allow. This would allow me to earn more as I progress in the medical field. Teaching my children to always be financially aware is critical for generational wealth to continue for countless years to come. My parents have always been open with me about the unwise financial choices they have made, and they have taught me the value of putting a considerable amount of thought into every decision I make concerning money. Regardless of what some may believe, you do not always have to have a big house, an expensive car, or be surrounded by lots of material things to be happy. Sometimes you have to live with less now so you can accrue more for your future and the future of your family.

I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes as I begin to type this essay. When I think of an amazing example of compassion, I see my mother caring for her own mother. My grandmother was diagnosed with heart failure in the midst of the Covid pandemic. Her journey in dealing with heart failure, accompanied by a stroke she had a couple of years later, became a physical and emotional time of ups and downs. I watched with admiration and brokenness as my mother accompanied her through every doctor’s visit, hospital stay, and medical procedure. My mother never wavered in her compassion or commitment to be there every step of the way. My grandmother had severe stenosis of her aortic and mitral valves but was not a candidate for open-heart surgery due to her lung pressures. The doctors repaired her aortic valve in December 2020, through the TAVR(transcatheter aortic valve replacement) procedure, and only my mother was allowed to stay with her due to Covid restrictions. They were in the hospital for three days, and even though they both received very little sleep, my mother’s love and care for her mother helped them both make it through the experience. We were thrilled to see the considerable improvement in her quality of life for over a year. As time passed, she started to struggle with mobility and breathing without constant oxygen, as she had back in the spring of 2020. This occurred because she was still battling with the stenosis of her mitral valve. She also suffered a small stroke in July of 2022 which further caused her complications. When she began to see some improvement from her stroke in the fall of 2022, her interventional cardiologist started trying to get her into a trial to replace her mitral valve through the groin. She underwent many tests and procedures, some even out of state, to see if she would meet the criteria. Everything was looking promising and things were moving along quickly in a positive direction when her kidneys began to shut down. I watched as the sadness came over my mom as she and my dad left to take my grandmother to the hospital for what would turn out to be the last time. After many tests on her heart and kidneys with poor results, the doctors made one last attempt to help her through dialysis. The interventional cardiologist called and gave permission to the nurse for me and my brother to visit her before they started the dialysis. It was during this visit that I witnessed the immense compassion my mother, an only child, had for the person that brought her into this world. She cried with her, laughed with her, and held her hand without ceasing. When they began dialysis, my grandmother became unresponsive, and they had to stop with no other options left but to let her come home on Hospice. The night she came home on Hospice, we lost her several hours later in January of this year. My mom continued to hold her hand even after she passed, and I could see the heartbreak in my mother’s tears. We were all broken as a family. Things will never be the same without my Nana living next door to love and support me, as she always did. I hope as I pursue a career in nursing, that I can show that type of compassion to every patient I meet as well as their family members.

I believe being able to pursue a career in nursing would be one of the greatest privileges of my life. Serving others with compassion is imperative, and I feel that pursuing a career as a nurse will provide me with that amazing opportunity. I have continued admiration for my parents who chose to work in the medical field, and they have taught me the importance of caring for patients during some of the most difficult and frightening moments of their lives. My maternal grandmother was diagnosed with heart failure three years ago, and caring for her helped confirm the calling I have to become a nurse. She needed varying amounts of care as her disease progressed, and I assisted her throughout each stage. I aided by doing the following: accompanying her to doctors’ appointments and hospital visits, transporting her in and out of her wheelchair, assisting with oxygen, bathing, changing diapers, dressing, and preparing meals. My grandmother endured many hospital stays and procedures in local hospitals and even hospitals out of state before she passed away in January of this year. Sitting with her when she was on Hospice, knowing there was nothing else that could be done, was one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through in my life. I would sit and talk to her while holding her hand, which she loved, and it was all she asked for during her final days. I witnessed the compassion the health care staff gave her, and I want the opportunity to be a positive light and comfort for others. The staff and doctors were very sympathetic and went above and beyond to make sure she was comfortable and well taken care of. My paternal grandmother is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and supporting her during this trying time is very important to me. I have been with her during hospital stays and when she needed me at her home. The nurses she had during her hospital stays made a greater impact on her spirits than they will ever know. I saw through both these experiences just how important kindness during these emotional times can be. Both of my grandmothers spoke to me about how kind all the health care staff involved in their care had been and how I should strive to emulate their compassion as I pursue my career in nursing. I would like to be able to work in an intensive care unit after I complete my training in nursing. Patients in these units face serious health issues that require constant care and support for themselves and their families, and I believe I can provide this with the utmost respect and empathy.