My bucket list has changed and grown as I have changed and grown. When I was younger my bucket list was filled with things regarding music. For example, my number one was to sing a solo in front of a crowd and my number five was to perform in New York. I never thought that either of those would really get checked off because me singing in New York?! Unbelievable. However, my Sophomore year of high school, the unbelievable became realistic! I decide to join choir as my elective because I've always had a passion for singing. Later that year, I got a solo in our fall concert! It was super nerve wracking but I had the support of my fellow choir mates and I had to push myself out of my comfort zone. It was such a rush performing a solo for the first time in front of a crow of at least 100 people. Towards the end of my Sophomore year, my choir had the incredible opportunity to perform in New York at Carnegie Hall along with a handful of other school choirs from all over the country! It was an amazing experience and it is something I will always remember. Now my bucket list is full of traveling the world and things involving my dream career of being a nurse. I am slowly but surely crossing off places I want to visit in the world and I am about to begin my journey as a nurse at Samuel Merritt University where I will be studying to earn my Bachelors of Science in Nursing.

This was a really hard one to decide because I feel that many songs can inspire a person. It can be based upon how it fits into their situation or based off of a memory they experienced when hearing a song. The song that inspires me most currently (because I believe it can change as you grow) is "Warrior" by Chloe x Halle (from "A Wrinkle in Time"). The lyrics: "I could be a warrior, yes I am a warrior" are chanted and sang in such a beautiful melody and you can really feel it in your core. I listen to this song and it makes me feel empowered to conquer whatever challenges I may face. It gives me the confidence to keep moving forward, to get through the day when it gets tough. The lyrics in the chorus: "Inside, side the light! Inside I'm alive" makes me feel truly alive and sort of hypes me up. It inspires me to be alive and to be alive means to live life to its fullest extent which I do so by never giving up on my dreams.

As most children do as they get older, we look back on our childhood and realize many different things. For me, I realized how harsh I would be towards my mom when I wouldn't get what I wanted or if she was very hard on me about my work ethic whether that be involving academia or sports. Back then, I didn't think about how she was just doing what would push me to be the best me I could be. I realized that she wanted me to work hard and be held accountable, both of which are important as an adult now. My mom wanted me to be prepared for life no matter what was coming for me. She taught me to be grateful and appreciative with what I had and to never be upset for what I don't have. Every day I am so grateful for what my mom taught me as a kid because I live my life knowing that I am supported and loved by my family and friends.

My passion to become a nurse stems from my innate desire to help people. Being able to interact with so many different people with their unique stories really speaks to me because I will be able to learn a variety of lessons through their experiences. The more we learn and listen to each other the more successful we can be together as a community whether that be locally or globally. Growing up I volunteered frequently with my mother through the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Vallejo, California, where my love for helping people truly blossomed. I was able to work personally with all the people we served in a very underserved area by giving them a hot meal, food for the future, and basic necessities for living. Through these experiences volunteering, I noticed that people in underserved areas also have less accessibility in obtaining health care services. I knew from then on that I wanted my career to be focused on impacting people's lives in a positive way. I truly believe that nursing is one of the best opportunities to do so by bringing peace and understanding to those when they need it most through compassionate care, communication, and integrity.

The sole reason I aspire to be a nurse is my innate desire to help people. Being able to interact with so many different people with their unique stories really speaks to me because I will be able to learn a variety of lessons through their experiences. The more we learn and listen to each other the more successful we can be together as a community whether that be locally or globally. Growing up I volunteered frequently with my mother through the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Vallejo, California, where my love for helping people truly blossomed. I was able to work personally with all the people we served in a very underserved area by giving them a hot meal, food for the future, and basic necessities for living. Through these experiences volunteering, I noticed that people in underserved areas also have less accessibility in obtaining health care services. I knew from then on that I wanted my career to be focused on impacting people's lives in a positive way. I truly believe that nursing is one of the best opportunities to do so by bringing peace and understanding to those when they need it most through compassionate care, communication, and integrity. During my time as a babysitter, I looked after, cared for, and helped the children with their school work as they had to transition to online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the ages of 5 and 7 years old. When the children didn’t feel good or would injure themselves from playing too rough, I was able to make them feel better by supporting, listening, and when needed cleaning and bandaging their scrapes. I love working with children and being able to make them feel better when they are sick is very fulfilling to my soul. Having the opportunity to care for another human being who is dependent on me felt very satisfying, although it was a lot of responsibility and pressure, it was very rewarding. Working with the kids was challenging. I acted with patience and compassion in order to make a connection with the kids and make their situation adapting to a new educational environment an easier transition for them. This experience further solidified my aspiration to become a nurse and helped me narrow down the nursing career path that I wanted to take, which is to be a Pediatrics nurse. I truly believe that nursing is the best opportunity to bring peace and understanding to those underserved who need it the most.