When I was in university for the first time, I was diagnosed with Diabetes my freshmen year, at the age of 19. At first, they thought I had Type 2 diabetes, but ultimately settled on a diagnosis of Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults, sometimes called Type 1.5 Diabetes. Looking back on that, 13 years later, it is hard to enumerate the ways in which that day changed my life. But one thing I can say for certain is that I was incredibly privileged to have a team of healthcare professionals to support me through that transition. I was lucky enough to work with diabetes educators, nutritionists, endocrinologists, nurse practitioners, and nurses, all of whom helped me better understand what what happening to me. And even more, a large share of those healthcare workers also had diabetes themselves. The way they spoke from personal experience and empathized with me while I was adjusting to this new life was invaluable to me. It is that privilege I had that has inspired me to change careers, return to school, and become a Registered Nurse, with the intention of becoming a diabetes educator myself. I recognize the value that those T1D healthcare providers brought to my life, and I hope I can be a similar voice to other people, and help share my experience and expertise. Starting in January 2021, I began taking prerequisite coursework to apply for nursing programs in my area. I took these classes after working my day job, often times walking directly from work to class, effectively working 15 hour days to keep up with my job (digital marketing) and my coursework. And I am happy to report that that hard work has paid off, as I was recently accepted to the University of Colorado College of Nursing, at the Anschutz Medical Campus. I will be starting coursework there in June 2022, with my planned graduation in May 2024. Soon after graduation, I will sit for the NCLEX exam to become a Registered Nurse and begin working with patients. While I understand that it is unlikely every one of my patients will have diabetes, I hope to find time to work closely with those who do to help them understand their condition and make incremental steps to improve their health in a sustainable way. Later on, I would like to pursue even further education to become a nurse practitioner, at which point I will be qualified to work with patients directly, diagnosing them and developing a care plan. This could include patients with diabetes, but I want to be able to act as a one-stop resource for my patients to help them with general day-to-day health questions. As we know, autoimmune disorders can have far-reaching impacts on our health and our bodies, and I believe that having a healthcare provider who can fully empathize with that struggle will help patients feel comfortable and open to advice.