The real world can be full of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty. I know that when I first graduated high school and started college, everything was so overwhelming. I did not know how to balance my life out. I did not have a good study schedule, I ended up exercising super late at night, and I was not eating right. It took me two years to finally set a schedule for myself to help maintain my physical, mental, and nutritional health. First, I found a way to maintain my mental health by setting a schedule for myself to study, meditate, and do activities that I generally enjoy doing. So far, throughout my college experience, my professors would tell me that I needed to study for at least a half hour to an hour every day for each class to be successful in all my academic courses. I had tried to attempt this, but I found myself overwhelmed and stressed. As a full-time student and a part-time worker, I found myself burnt out. I became mentally exhausted and whenever I studied, it seemed as if my mind did not want to retain any material. Instead of studying every night for a half hour to an hour for each class, I set a study schedule. The schedule consisted of having certain days dedicated to certain classes. This helped me retain the information that has been being taught in class and my grades improved. Whenever I had free time to myself, I meditated on my day, the goals I have set for myself, and ways I would like to improve my mental thinking process by writing in a journal. Writing my thoughts down helped me keep my thoughts in order and also helped me identify areas in my life that I would like to improve on. I also found time to spend with my friends and family by setting an appropriate and realistic study schedule and time to meditate. Having good physical health by setting appropriate times to exercise is just as important as maintaining good mental health. Exercising can also release good endorphins that help improve your memory and confidence. Similar to my study schedule, I had also set a schedule to exercise. Life can be busy and it is important to complete some sort of physical activity every day to maintain physical and mental health for at least a half hour. Even going for a short walk can be beneficial. It does not always have to be an intense and vigorous exercise routine. Having adequate nutrition is important for your overall health and is important for your brain. College is busy and setting a meal plan for yourself is key to obtaining and maintaining adequate nutrition. I followed the MyPlate diet and prepared meals the day before. Having a weekly planner made for meals can save you time and money. Not only will it save you time and money, but it will be beneficial to your health in the long run. Although it had taken me about two years to find a balance between my mental, physical, and nutritional health, I am grateful for the advice my peers and family have given me to obtain a better and healthier lifestyle. My study skills have improved, I have found time for myself, my mental and physical health has improved, and I have more confidence in myself.

Life is beautiful and yet it is so short. There are many things that I would like to do in the future and yet there is so little time, which is why I intend to utilize my time. Some of the things that I would like to do or accomplish soon include graduating with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, traveling to each state within the United States, continuing to nurture my nursing education by pursuing a Doctorate of a Nurse Practitioner degree, travel to a couple of foreign countries, such as Iceland, become involved in missionary trips, attempt sky diving, get married to a man that loves me as much as I love him, start a family, inspire children to set high goals that will help improve society, and take my family on fun vacations. I am sure that I will develop more bucket list goals as time goes on, but these are the things that I have placed on my list so far. Some accomplishments that I have completed already on my bucket list are advancing to a state-level basketball tournament in high school with my team, advancing to a state-level volleyball tournament in high school with my team, being named all-district and all-region in basketball, being named senior athlete of the year in district basketball, being named all-region and senior athlete of the year in volleyball, and obtaining an Associates of Applied Science Degree this past year. Sports have made a significant impact on my life in high school because it has taught me the importance of discipline, challenging work, dedication, and working together with others. It has also taught me that all efforts of demanding work pay off in the end. With dedication and arduous work, I will achieve my bucket list goals.

My name is Coral and I am going to school to receive my bachelor's degree in nursing. My overall goals for becoming a nurse are to incorporate the knowledge I learned at school into my work-life, promote health, show humility and compassion, be empathetic, and be there with my patients. In a world full of chaos and trouble and I want to help my patients feel heard whether they are sick or injured. I believe the best healthcare that a person can receive is when healthcare professionals show that they care and are doing their absolute best to help the patient strive for good health. I have placed various goals for how I can become the best nurse that I can be, which include incorporating study habits on a day-to-day basis and in-depth note-taking. I take vigorous notes to make sure that I understand the material that is being taught. Health and wellness have always played a significant role in my life. As a future nurse, I want to be able to educate my patients in confidence. I want to help my patients strive for great health. Ways that I want to improve in my humility, empathy, and compassion are to volunteer in local organizations and even potentially go on a mission trip. I want to be able to “be in some else’s shoes” and understand what they may be going through and why they feel the way they feel. As humans, we are all facing some degree of trials and tribulations in life, so it is important to listen to and be with those who are facing troubles. I want to be the best nurse that I can be, but the process of receiving a degree is rather expensive. Nursing school is extravagantly excessive in price. I have no help from any family or friends when it comes to college expenses. When it comes to paying back loans, I will be the one to pay back those loans. This scholarship would help me soothe the stress and discomfort of the current expenses, such as book expenses and other fees associated with the nursing program. My education is important to me. I want to help people with their physical and mental health. I do not want to let the expenses of college get between my dream of helping other people. I want to encourage and help those who are sick or injured. I want to spread empathy and compassion within the health industry and those around me.