Quote from Marcus Aurelius, Meditations “Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busybody, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil.” In this passage, Marcus Aurelius is doing more than preparing himself to deal with difficult people. He is reminding himself that the behavior of others does not have to determine his own character. His point is that expecting frustration, conflict, and disappointment allows a person to respond with intention rather than simply reacting in the moment. By preparing himself before the day begins, Aurelius is protecting his values from becoming dependent on how other people choose to behave. The opening words, “Begin the morning by saying to thyself,” are important because Aurelius is speaking to himself rather than lecturing someone else. He is using philosophy as a form of daily discipline. Instead of assuming that patience, self-control, and good judgment will appear automatically when he needs them, he prepares for situations that might challenge those qualities. This makes the passage feel practical rather than theoretical. Character is not something he believes a person suddenly discovers during a difficult moment. It is something that has to be practiced before that moment arrives. Aurelius then lists the types of people he expects to encounter: the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, and unsocial. What stands out to me is that he never suggests that difficult behavior is acceptable. Instead, he changes the way he interprets it by saying that people behave this way because of their “ignorance of what is good and evil.” I do not read this as an excuse for wrongdoing. I see it as a way of separating understanding someone from approving of what they do. If another person is rude, selfish, or dishonest, Aurelius still has a choice about whether he allows that person’s behavior to change his own. That distinction is important because it is easy to treat our own poor reactions as justified when someone else behaves badly first. Anger can make anger feel reasonable, disrespect can make disrespect seem deserved, and frustration can make patience feel unnecessary. In those situations, another person has indirectly gained control over how we behave. Aurelius argues against that kind of thinking. His response is not to become passive, but to maintain control over the part of the situation that actually belongs to him: his own actions and judgment. I have seen a version of this lesson while working in dialysis. Patients often spent hours in treatment several times each week, and not every day was a good one. Some were tired, anxious, frustrated, or angry about circumstances they had very little control over. It would have been easy to take every short response or bad mood personally, but doing that would not have made me better at caring for them. Over time, I learned to ask what might be behind the reaction before deciding what it meant. That did not mean ignoring inappropriate behavior. It meant understanding that people are often responding from fear, pain, exhaustion, or frustration, and that I still had a responsibility to decide how I would respond. This is why I think Aurelius begins the passage in the morning instead of after something has already gone wrong. He is trying to create space between another person’s actions and his own reaction. That space is where patience and self-control become meaningful. It is easy to be patient when everyone around you is patient and easy to be respectful when you are being respected. Those situations do not test character very much. The more difficult test is whether a person can keep the same standards when patience is not returned, effort is not appreciated, or another person makes the situation harder. There is also a sense of humility in the passage that I think is easy to miss. Aurelius describes other people as acting from ignorance, but he is not claiming that he is above them. By reminding himself of human weakness, he is also acknowledging that he is capable of the same failures. He can become impatient, arrogant, selfish, or unfair just as easily as anyone else. That makes the passage less about judging difficult people and more about controlling the tendency to become one of them. The underlying meaning of the passage, to me, is that a person’s values should not depend on ideal circumstances. We cannot control whether people disappoint us, misunderstand us, or treat us unfairly, but we can control whether those experiences become excuses to abandon our own standards. Aurelius is not asking himself to expect the worst from everyone. He is preparing himself to remain the same person even when the people around him make that difficult. That is what makes the passage useful nearly two thousand years later. The circumstances of life have changed, but the challenge of deciding who we will be when things do not go our way has not. Source: Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book II, Section 1, translated by George Long.

When I was around ten years old, I did not have the vocabulary to understand what Alzheimer’s disease or dementia really meant. I only knew that my great-grandmother would repeat questions or tell the same stories again, sometimes without realizing she had already said them. Because my father was in the Navy and our family moved, I did not get to see her as often as some of my relatives did. At that age, I mostly understood dementia through those individual moments. What I did not fully understand was what the disease was taking from her and what it was asking of the people who loved her. As I grew older, I began to understand that dementia affects far more than memory. I saw how deeply my great-grandmother’s decline affected my mother, who had been very close to her. The illness changed relationships and created responsibilities that extended well beyond the person with the diagnosis. After my great-grandmother died, I was old enough to better recognize the grief my mother carried and how difficult it is to slowly lose pieces of someone before actually losing them. That experience taught me that diseases such as Alzheimer’s do not belong to one patient alone; they affect entire families. Years later, my work in healthcare gave that lesson a different meaning. As a certified hemodialysis technician, I cared for patients who struggled with memory, confusion, or other cognitive changes. Dialysis already requires patients to manage complicated instructions involving medications, diet, fluid restrictions, vascular access, and treatment schedules. When cognition is impaired, information that seems simple to a healthcare professional may need to be explained repeatedly, reinforced with caregivers, and approached with patience rather than frustration. Those experiences taught me that preserving a person’s dignity is just as important as delivering the correct medical information. Now, as a nursing student, I am learning more about cognition, dementia, delirium, and the neurological changes that can lead to progressive loss of independence. The more I learn, the more I realize how much remains unanswered. We understand far more about Alzheimer’s disease than we did when my great-grandmother was alive, yet families are still watching people they love gradually lose memories, abilities, and parts of the life they once knew. Research into the causes, prevention, treatment, and progression of dementia therefore has an impact far beyond a laboratory. Every discovery has the potential to give patients more independence and families more time. My great-grandmother’s illness first introduced me to dementia before I was old enough to understand it. My patients later taught me what compassionate care for cognitive impairment looks like in practice, and my education has shown me why continued research is so important. What I have learned most is that progress requires both sides of healthcare: researchers willing to ask difficult questions and clinicians willing to care for the person and family living with the answers we currently have. As I continue toward a career in nursing, I hope to contribute to that work by providing knowledgeable, patient-centered care while remaining committed to learning from the research that may someday change what an Alzheimer’s diagnosis means for another family.

Working in dialysis taught me that caring for someone is rarely limited to the clinical task in front of you. For nearly two years, I spent hours with the same patients several times each week. I learned their routines, personalities, families, fears, and eventually the small changes that told me when something was not right. Those relationships showed me how much responsibility comes with caring for another person and helped shape the nurse I now want to become. One experience has stayed with me more than most. During a dialysis treatment, one of our patients suddenly had a seizure and became severely hypotensive. A routine treatment became an emergency within seconds. I responded immediately, initiated saline, monitored the patient, and worked alongside the team as we tried to stabilize the situation. What stayed with me afterward was not simply the emergency itself, but the realization that I wanted to be capable of doing more. I wanted the education and clinical judgment to understand what was happening, anticipate what might happen next, and take greater responsibility when a patient was at their most vulnerable. Just as important were the quieter moments. I helped educate patients about permanent vascular access, trained other staff, listened when patients were frustrated, and learned when someone needed information versus when they simply needed someone to listen. When I eventually left to begin nursing school, several of my patients cried and asked me not to go. That meant more to me than any award could have because it showed me that my presence had made an impact. They did not simply remember what I did for them; they remembered how I treated them. Those experiences taught me that the kind of nurse I want to become must combine competence with compassion. My ambition is to work in critical care, ideally in a trauma ICU, where patients and families often encounter some of the most frightening moments of their lives. I want to be the nurse who can think clearly when a situation changes, continue learning when I do not know enough, and still make sure the person in the bed never feels like just another patient. I am now completing an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Creighton University. The twelve-month format requires significant academic and clinical commitment and leaves limited time for employment. Receiving this scholarship would help reduce the financial pressure of tuition and living expenses and allow me to focus more fully on completing my education successfully. Dialysis showed me the impact one caregiver can have. Nursing gives me the opportunity to build on that impact, take on greater responsibility, and become the person patients can trust when they need someone most.

My decision to pursue nursing did not come from one single moment. It developed over time through my family, my education, and the years I spent working directly with patients. Each experience helped me better understand where I fit in healthcare and what kind of responsibility I wanted to have in the lives of the people I cared for. Healthcare and service have always been familiar to me. My father served more than twenty years in the United States Navy as a physical therapist, so I grew up seeing what it looked like to build a career around helping others while also serving something larger than yourself. That influenced me early, but I did not immediately know what my own role would look like. I earned my degree in Exercise Science because I was interested in the human body, rehabilitation, and the way people recover from injury and illness. I knew I wanted to work in healthcare, but I had not yet found the career that felt completely right. Working in dialysis is what began to change that for me. As a patient care technician, I spent hours with the same patients multiple times each week. I learned their routines, personalities, families, fears, and the small changes that could signal something was wrong. I began to understand that good healthcare is not only about knowing what to do. It is about paying attention, communicating clearly, earning trust, and being dependable enough that patients feel safe in your care. One experience especially pushed me toward nursing. During treatment, one of our patients suddenly had a seizure and became severely hypotensive. Within seconds, a routine treatment became an emergency. I helped respond, initiated saline, and monitored the patient while the team worked to stabilize the situation. What stayed with me afterward was the feeling that I wanted to know more. I wanted to understand exactly what was happening physiologically, recognize what could happen next, and have the education and clinical judgment to take on a greater role when patients were at their most vulnerable. Some of the experiences that influenced me most, however, were much quieter. I had opportunities to educate patients about permanent vascular access, train other staff, and build relationships with people I cared for week after week. Those experiences showed me that nursing is just as much about prevention, education, and trust as it is about responding to emergencies. I saw how much of a difference it made when someone took the time to explain something clearly, answer questions, or simply listen. I am now pursuing my accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Creighton University, with the long-term goal of working in critical care, ideally in a trauma ICU. I know that path will require long hours, difficult days, and constant learning, but those challenges are part of what draws me to nursing. My life experiences have shown me that I do not simply want to work in healthcare. I want to become the kind of nurse who can remain calm when a situation changes, teach when a patient is confused, listen when someone is afraid, and be trusted when the moment matters most. Nursing gives me the opportunity to combine science, service, responsibility, and human connection into one career, and that is exactly the kind of work I want my life to be built around.

My decision to pursue nursing did not come from one single moment. It developed through years of working toward a career in healthcare, learning what kind of responsibility I wanted to have, and eventually realizing that I wanted to be the person patients and families could depend on when things became difficult. I originally earned my degree in Exercise Science because I knew I wanted to work in healthcare. I was interested in the human body, rehabilitation, and helping people improve their health, but I was still trying to determine where I fit within the healthcare system. That began to change when I started working in dialysis. As a patient care technician, I was no longer learning about patients from a textbook. I was spending hours with the same people several times each week, learning their routines, recognizing changes in their condition, listening to their concerns, and understanding how chronic illness affects far more than a person's physical health. One experience in particular helped confirm that I wanted to become a nurse. During a dialysis treatment, one of our patients suddenly experienced a seizure and became severely hypotensive. In a matter of seconds, the environment changed from routine treatment to an emergency. I immediately began assisting with the response, including initiating saline and closely monitoring the patient while the team worked to stabilize the situation. I remember how quickly everything changed, but I also remember wanting to understand more. I wanted the education and clinical judgment to know not only what needed to be done, but why it was happening and what might come next. Rather than making me afraid of high-pressure situations, the experience made me want to become more prepared for them. Since then, my role in dialysis has continued to shape the nurse I want to become. I have been trusted to help train others and have taken on additional responsibility educating patients about permanent vascular access. Those experiences taught me that nursing is not only about responding when someone becomes critically ill. It is also about preventing complications, helping patients understand their own health, and giving them the confidence to participate in their care. That same belief led me to create a free Community Wellness Walk in Omaha, where I combine basic health education with physical activity and conversation. The program is still growing, but it has given me another opportunity to take what I am learning and use it to serve people outside of a clinical setting. I am now pursuing my accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Creighton University. My goal is to become a critical care nurse, ideally working in a trauma ICU, where I can continue developing the knowledge and judgment required to care for patients during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. I also hope to use my nursing career in service to others on a larger scale. Nursing became the right career for me because it combines everything I have been searching for: science, responsibility, service, education, and human connection. Every step that brought me here has made me more certain that I do not simply want to work in healthcare. I want to become the kind of nurse people can trust when they need someone capable beside them most.

Being the son of a Navy veteran has had a major influence on the way I look at both my career and what it means to serve. My dad spent more than twenty years in the United States Navy as a physical therapist, and growing up, I did not always fully understand what that meant or how much it would eventually influence me. At the time, it was simply what my dad did. As I got older, I began to understand the amount of commitment, discipline, and sacrifice that came with his career, but also how meaningful it was to use a healthcare profession in service to other people. That example has played a large role in shaping the direction I have chosen for myself. I originally earned my degree in Exercise Science because I knew I wanted to work in healthcare and had always been interested in the way the body moves, heals, and responds to injury. As I gained more experience working directly with patients, especially while working in dialysis, I realized that I wanted to be more involved in their care. I wanted to be there when something changed, when a patient was scared, or when they needed someone who could remain calm and help them through a difficult situation. That realization is what ultimately pushed me toward nursing and led me to enroll in Creighton University's accelerated nursing program. My long-term goal is to work in critical care, ideally in a trauma ICU, and eventually serve as an officer in the United States Navy Nurse Corps. For me, that goal feels personal because I grew up watching my dad build a career around helping people while also serving his country. I am not following his exact path, but many of the values behind my goals are the same. I want to become highly skilled in a profession that matters, continue challenging myself, and use those skills to help people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Being the child of a veteran has also given me a more realistic understanding of military service. I know that serving affects more than just the person wearing the uniform. It affects families, relationships, where you live, and sometimes the plans you originally had for your life. Because of that, I do not look at military service as something that is always easy or glamorous. I understand that it comes with sacrifice, flexibility, and responsibility. At the same time, I think that is part of what makes it meaningful. Watching my dad's career showed me that success does not only have to be measured by how much money you make or how far you move up professionally. It can also be measured by the people you help and the impact you leave behind. That is ultimately the kind of career I want to build for myself. I want to become a nurse who can be trusted when a patient is critically ill, when a family is afraid, or when the people around me need someone capable and dependable. My dad's career showed me one version of what a life of service can look like. His example helped shape my goals, but now I have the opportunity to create my own version of that life through nursing, critical care, and eventually service in the Navy Nurse Corps.

Nutrition is one of the most practical parts of healthcare because it affects almost every aspect of a person’s health. As a future nurse, I want to help patients understand that healthier eating does not have to mean following a perfect diet. It can start with small, realistic choices that fit their health needs, budget, culture, and daily routine. My background in exercise science first taught me how closely nutrition, physical activity, and long-term health are connected. Later, while working in dialysis, I saw how much more complicated nutrition becomes when someone is living with chronic illness. Patients were often managing restrictions involving sodium, potassium, phosphorus, fluids, and protein while also trying to afford food, understand labels, and maintain some normalcy in their lives. That experience showed me that simply telling someone to “eat healthier” is not enough. Education has to be specific, understandable, and realistic. As a nurse, one of the most important steps I can take is to make nutrition education easier to understand. Instead of overwhelming patients with medical terminology or a long list of foods they cannot eat, I want to explain why certain choices matter and give them a few practical changes they can actually use. That may mean teaching someone how to compare sodium on food labels, helping a patient with diabetes understand how carbohydrates affect blood sugar, or encouraging someone with high blood pressure to gradually replace heavily processed foods with lower-sodium options. I also believe prevention should happen before a patient reaches a hospital bed. I have started becoming more involved in community health by organizing a wellness walk where I provide simple health education alongside physical activity. Experiences like this have shown me the value of meeting people in a comfortable environment and making health information approachable. As my nursing knowledge grows, I want to continue using community education to discuss topics such as hydration, balanced meals, portion sizes, heart health, and the relationship between nutrition and chronic disease. Most importantly, I want to approach nutrition without judgment. Food choices are influenced by finances, family, culture, transportation, time, and access to healthy foods. A recommendation is only useful if a patient can realistically follow it. I plan to work with patients, dietitians, and other healthcare professionals to create goals that are both medically appropriate and achievable. My goal as a nurse is not simply to treat illness after it develops. I want to help patients understand their health well enough to make choices that may prevent complications in the first place. By combining patient education, prevention, and practical nutrition support, I hope to help people feel more confident managing their health one realistic change at a time.

My connection to military service comes from my dad, who served for more than 20 years in the United States Navy as a physical therapist. Growing up with his example showed me that service requires commitment, sacrifice, and a willingness to put the needs of others before your own. It also showed me how healthcare and military service can come together to make a meaningful difference. That example has had a major influence on my own path. I am currently pursuing an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Creighton University after previously working in dialysis. Caring for patients with chronic illness taught me the importance of trust, consistency, and compassion, and confirmed that I wanted to build my career around caring for others. Pursuing nursing through an accelerated program also comes with significant financial challenges. The pace of the program limits my ability to work while managing tuition, living expenses, and the other costs of completing my degree. I have received financial support through my acceptance into the Navy Nurse Corps, but it does not cover the full cost of my education and living expenses. Scholarships like this would help reduce that remaining burden and allow me to stay focused on becoming the strongest nurse and future officer I can be. After graduation, I plan to commission as a Navy Nurse Corps officer. In many ways, I am following a path similar to my dad's while creating one of my own. His more than two decades of service helped shape my values of responsibility, leadership, and service, and those values continue to guide the nurse, officer, and community member I am working to become.

I refuse to accept that confusion and loss of independence are inevitable parts of living with a chronic health condition. As a dialysis patient care technician, I have worked with patients whose lives revolve around treatments that last several hours and occur multiple times each week. Dialysis does more than remove waste and excess fluid from the body. It affects a patient’s schedule, diet, energy, finances, relationships, and sense of control. Patients are expected to understand fluid restrictions, medications, treatment goals, dietary guidelines, warning signs, and constantly changing medical information—often while they are exhausted, anxious, or experiencing difficulty concentrating. I began recognizing this problem when patients repeatedly asked the same questions or appeared unsure about instructions they had already received. Some experienced memory problems or the mental “fog” that can accompany chronic illness and treatment. Others were overwhelmed by the number of professionals, appointments, and instructions involved in their care. Their confusion was not caused by a lack of intelligence or effort. They were being asked to absorb complicated information while their bodies and minds were already under enormous stress. Working closely with these patients helped me understand that education is only effective when it is designed around the person receiving it. Simply giving someone a packet of information or explaining something once does not guarantee understanding. I learned to slow down, repeat information without judgment, use clearer language, and ask patients to explain instructions back in their own words. I also paid attention to which explanations caused more confusion and which helped patients feel more confident. These experiences inspired my idea for a more patient-centered education system for people receiving dialysis and other forms of long-term treatment. I envision a simple, visual, and personalized resource that patients could use both in the clinic and at home. Instead of overwhelming them with dense pages of medical language, the system would break information into manageable sections covering treatment schedules, medications, fluid limits, nutrition, symptoms, and questions for their care team. The resource could include color-coded guides, large-print instructions, short educational videos, caregiver copies, and space for patients to record concerns between appointments. Information could be repeated in different formats so that patients could learn in the way that works best for them. Most importantly, it would be developed with input from patients, nurses, technicians, caregivers, and healthcare educators rather than being designed only from a clinical perspective. I want to help create a healthcare system in which patients are active participants rather than passive recipients of care. My experiences in dialysis have taught me that even small improvements in communication can restore confidence and dignity. When patients understand what is happening to their bodies and why certain decisions matter, they are better equipped to advocate for themselves. As I continue my education and become a nurse, this problem will shape how I care for others. I hope to work in critical care and eventually contribute to nursing education and patient-centered healthcare design. Chronic illness may change a person’s life, but it should not automatically take away their voice, understanding, or agency. Better care begins by refusing to accept that it must.

Mental health is important to me as a student because education requires more than intelligence or determination. Students also need the emotional stability, confidence, and support necessary to keep moving forward when life becomes overwhelming. Academic pressure, financial concerns, work responsibilities, family obligations, and uncertainty about the future can all affect a student’s ability to learn. When mental health is neglected, even a motivated student can struggle to concentrate, ask for help, or believe that success is still possible. As I prepare to begin an accelerated nursing program at Creighton University, I understand that the coming year will be demanding. Nursing school requires students to absorb large amounts of information while also learning how to care for people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. To succeed, nursing students must learn to care for themselves as intentionally as they care for their patients. Mental health support is not a sign that someone is weak or incapable. It is a resource that allows students to remain resilient, recognize when they are overwhelmed, and continue pursuing their goals. My work as a dialysis patient care technician has strengthened my understanding of mental health. Many dialysis patients spend several hours in treatment multiple times each week while managing chronic illness, physical exhaustion, financial stress, and major changes to their independence. I have learned that caring for someone is not limited to checking vital signs or completing a treatment correctly. Sometimes, care means noticing that a patient seems discouraged, listening to what they are experiencing, explaining something again without judgment, or simply helping them feel less alone. These experiences have shown me that physical and mental health cannot be separated. I advocate for mental health by creating opportunities for people to connect and discuss wellness in an approachable environment. I am organizing a Community Wellness Walk in Omaha that combines short educational conversations with stretching and group walks. Topics include the relationship between walking and heart health, brain health, stress, hydration, and overall well-being. The purpose is not to provide medical advice, but to make health information more accessible while giving community members a supportive place to move, talk, and build healthy routines together. I also advocate through everyday interactions. I try to check in with classmates, coworkers, friends, and patients rather than assuming that someone is fine because they appear productive. I encourage people to speak honestly about stress and to seek support before reaching a crisis. Small actions—listening without immediately trying to solve the problem, sharing resources, and avoiding judgmental language—can help reduce the stigma that prevents many people from asking for help. As a future nurse, I want mental health advocacy to remain part of how I serve others. My goal is to become a critical care nurse who treats every patient as a whole person rather than a diagnosis. By promoting honest conversations, community connection, and compassionate care, I hope to help create environments where students and patients feel supported enough to keep moving forward.

The impact I want to make is helping people feel safer, healthier, and more confident in their ability to care for themselves. I plan to do that through nursing, patient education, mentorship, and community health programs. My education is not only preparing me for a career. It is giving me the knowledge and responsibility to improve the lives of the people around me. I first earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science because I was interested in health, athletics, and how the human body works. However, my goals became more specific after I began working as a certified hemodialysis technician. In dialysis, I care for patients who are living with serious chronic illness and who depend on treatment several times each week. I prepare equipment, monitor vital signs, recognize changes in patients’ conditions, and provide education about their care. This work has taught me that healthcare is about more than completing medical tasks. Many patients are also dealing with transportation problems, financial stress, dietary restrictions, memory difficulties, and the emotional weight of depending on dialysis to survive. Sometimes the most helpful thing I can do is listen, explain something again, or make sure a patient understands what they need to do when they return home. I have learned that knowledge only matters if it can be communicated in a way that patients can understand and use. The people I work with inspire me because they continue showing up even when treatment is difficult, exhausting, or frustrating. I am also inspired by the nurses and other healthcare professionals who remain calm during emergencies and treat patients with patience and respect. Serving as a preceptor for new dialysis technicians has shown me another way I can make an impact. I enjoy helping new employees develop their skills, become more confident, and learn how to care for patients safely. I am now pursuing an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Creighton University. After graduation, I plan to become a registered nurse, serve as a Navy Nurse Corps officer, and gain experience in critical care. Growing up in a Navy family taught me about service, sacrifice, and the importance of supporting the people around you. I want to continue that tradition by caring for service members, their families, and the communities where I am assigned. I am also giving back through a community Wellness Walk that I organized near the Riverfront in Omaha. The program is planned, and I am preparing to host the first event. Each gathering will include a short health discussion followed by a group walk at each participant’s own pace. Topics will include heart health, hydration, blood pressure, brain health, and the benefits of regular movement. My goal is to make health education welcoming and understandable while giving people a safe space to be active and meet others. In the future, I hope to become either a nurse educator or a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. As a nurse educator, I could prepare future nurses to provide safe and compassionate care. As a CRNA, I could provide advanced care to patients during some of their most vulnerable moments. The better future I want to help create is one where people feel informed rather than overwhelmed and supported rather than alone. Whether I am educating one patient, mentoring a new healthcare worker, leading a community walk, or caring for someone in critical condition, I want to use my education to make healthcare more understandable, personal, and compassionate.

Growing up in a Navy family taught me how important community can be. My family moved often, which meant repeatedly leaving behind friends, schools, teams, and familiar places. Every move required us to adjust, meet new people, and find a new sense of belonging. Because of those experiences, I learned that strong communities do not simply appear. They are built when people choose to welcome others, share what they know, and support the people around them. One of the main ways I currently contribute to my community is through my work as a certified hemodialysis technician. Dialysis patients often spend several hours in treatment three times each week, so the clinic becomes its own small community. We see many of the same patients and coworkers regularly, and over time we learn about their families, concerns, goals, and lives outside of treatment. My responsibilities include preparing equipment, monitoring patients, providing education, and recognizing changes in their conditions. However, caring for patients involves much more than completing medical tasks. Many of the patients I work with are managing serious chronic illness, transportation problems, financial stress, dietary restrictions, and the emotional weight of depending on dialysis to survive. Sometimes the most meaningful support I can provide is listening to them, remembering something important happening in their life, or taking extra time to explain something they do not understand. Patient education is especially important because patients must manage much of their care once they leave the clinic. They need to understand their fluid limits, diet, medications, vascular access care, and symptoms that may require medical attention. Some patients experience memory fog or confusion, so information may need to be repeated several times or explained in a different way. Working with these patients has taught me that helping someone does not mean simply giving instructions. It means making sure they understand, feel respected, and are comfortable asking questions. I have also served as a preceptor for new dialysis technicians. In that role, I helped new employees learn technical skills, safety procedures, and how to communicate with patients. Beginning a healthcare job can be overwhelming, so I tried to create an environment where trainees could ask questions without feeling embarrassed or judged. Helping them become more confident strengthened the entire clinic because well-trained employees are better prepared to keep patients safe and provide compassionate care. I am also contributing outside of my workplace by organizing a community Wellness Walk near the Riverfront in Omaha. The program is fully planned, and I am currently preparing to host the first event. My goal is to create a welcoming space where people of different ages and fitness levels can be active, meet others, and learn practical health information. Each gathering will include a short discussion about a topic such as heart health, hydration, blood pressure, brain health, or the benefits of regular movement. Participants will then walk together at their own pace. The program is not intended to be competitive or intimidating. It is designed for anyone who wants to improve their health, spend time outside, or simply have someone to walk with. My education in exercise science and my healthcare experience have given me useful knowledge, but I believe knowledge has the greatest impact when it is shared. Community service does not always require a large organization or one dramatic act. Sometimes it means patiently educating a patient, encouraging a new coworker, or creating a reason for neighbors to gather. Through healthcare, mentorship, and community wellness, I hope to continue building spaces where people feel supported, informed, and less alone.

I do not believe I deserve this scholarship because my goals are more important than anyone else’s. I believe I am a strong candidate because I have already spent years building toward my goals, and I have a clear plan for how this support would help me continue moving forward. My path into nursing did not begin with a single moment. I first earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science because I was interested in health, the human body, and helping people improve their lives. After graduation, I began working in dialysis, where I became a certified hemodialysis technician. That experience changed the direction of my career. In dialysis, I work directly with patients who are managing serious chronic illness. I prepare treatments, monitor vital signs, recognize changes in a patient’s condition, provide education, and communicate with nurses and other members of the healthcare team. I have learned how quickly a routine treatment can become an emergency and how important it is to remain calm, observant, and dependable. I also became a preceptor, which gave me the responsibility of helping train new employees. That role taught me how to explain difficult information, adjust my teaching style, and support someone while they build confidence. It also showed me that I enjoy both patient care and education, which may eventually lead me toward becoming a nurse educator. What gives me an advantage is that I am not entering nursing without experience or an understanding of its demands. I have already worked long shifts, cared for medically complex patients, managed stressful situations, and learned how much responsibility healthcare professionals carry. I know nursing will be difficult, but I also know why I am pursuing it. I am now completing an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Creighton University. After graduation, I plan to pass the NCLEX-RN, commission as a Navy Nurse Corps officer, and pursue experience in critical care. Growing up in a Navy family taught me about service, sacrifice, and adapting to change. Serving as a Navy nurse would allow me to continue that tradition while caring for service members and their families. My long-term goal is to pursue either nurse anesthesia or nursing education. As a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, I could provide advanced care to patients during some of their most vulnerable moments. As a nurse educator, I could help prepare future nurses to provide safe, compassionate care. Either path would allow the impact of my education to reach beyond the patients directly assigned to me. This scholarship would help reduce the financial pressure of completing an accelerated nursing program with total school and living expenses of approximately $78,000. The program moves quickly and leaves limited time to work, so every scholarship reduces the amount I must rely on loans. Receiving this award would allow me to focus more of my time and energy on classes, clinical experiences, and preparing to become a safe nurse. My advantage is not that my journey has been easy. It is that I have continued building toward my goal through each stage of it. I have earned a degree, gained direct patient-care experience, accepted leadership responsibilities, and returned to school with a specific purpose. I am not only asking someone to invest in what I hope to do. I am asking them to invest in a path I have already committed myself to completing.

My first experience with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia came through my great-grandmother. I was around ten years old when she passed away, so at the time I did not fully understand what was happening. I only knew that someone who had always been important to my family was changing, and that those changes were especially painful for my mom. My mom and great-grandmother were extremely close. They spent a lot of time together while my mom was growing up in the mountains near Denver, and they maintained that relationship as my mom got older. Because my family was in the Navy, we moved often and usually lived far away. We visited whenever we could, but military life and distance limited how often we were able to see her. That made every visit feel important. As my great-grandmother’s Alzheimer’s and dementia progressed, she began repeating the same questions and stories again and again. As a child, I did not understand why she could not remember that she had just said something. I sometimes felt confused because I did not know how to respond. What I understood more clearly was the effect it had on my mom. She tried to remain patient and enjoy the time they still had together, but I could tell that each repeated question reminded her that the person she loved was slowly losing pieces of herself and their shared history. When my great-grandmother passed away, I watched my mom work through her own grief while still organizing the meetings, services, and family responsibilities that followed. She was hurting, but she continued making sure everything was handled and that everyone else was supported. At ten years old, I mostly understood that my mom was sad. Looking back now, I recognize how much strength it must have taken for her to manage her emotions while carrying so much responsibility for the rest of the family. That experience taught me that dementia does not affect only the person who is diagnosed. It changes relationships throughout an entire family. Loved ones may begin grieving before the person passes away because memories, independence, and familiar parts of their personality can slowly disappear. Families are asked to remain patient and supportive while also dealing with confusion, frustration, exhaustion, and loss. My interest in neurological disease grew again after the death of Junior Seau. He was one of the most recognized athletes in San Diego, and his death affected the entire community. People rallied around his family and friends, but it felt as though a blanket had been placed over the city. As more people began discussing chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, his story raised difficult questions about repeated head injuries and their possible long-term effects. In middle school, I chose CTE as the topic of a researched speech that I presented at a Christian homeschool public-speaking competition held at Point Loma Nazarene University. I researched how CTE could affect an athlete’s memory, behavior, emotions, and judgment, along with the impact those changes could have on families and communities. I also looked into available resources, possible treatments, and the research being conducted at the time. Preparing that speech was one of the first times I realized how medical research can shape public awareness. It also showed me how many questions remained unanswered. Although Alzheimer’s disease and CTE are different conditions, both can affect much more than memory. Neurological illnesses can change behavior, relationships, decision-making, independence, and a person’s sense of identity. They can also leave families trying to understand changes that the patient may not fully recognize or control. My current work as a certified hemodialysis technician has taught me even more about memory loss and cognitive difficulties. Many of the patients I work with experience memory fog, confusion, or other symptoms that can resemble dementia. Some patients do not remember who cared for them during their previous treatment, what was discussed with them, or how their treatment has been progressing. Because of this, repetition and patient education are extremely important in dialysis. We may need to explain the same information several times, write instructions down, involve family members, or find a different way to communicate so the patient understands what to do when they return home. Patients need to know how to care for their access, manage their fluid intake, follow dietary restrictions, recognize concerning symptoms, and understand when they should contact the clinic or seek medical attention. This experience has taught me that simply giving a patient information is not enough. Healthcare professionals must confirm that the patient understands it and can use it after leaving the clinic. It has also taught me not to assume that a patient is being difficult or ignoring instructions when they ask the same question repeatedly. They may truly not remember the conversation, or they may be struggling to process everything happening around them. Working in dialysis has helped me understand my mom’s patience with my great-grandmother in a new way. When I was young, I did not understand how emotionally difficult repetition could be. Now, I recognize that patience is one of the most important forms of care we can offer. Repeating an explanation may feel routine to a healthcare worker, but for the patient, it may be the first time they remember hearing it. As I pursue a career in nursing, I want to carry these lessons with me. I may not work directly in dementia research, but I will care for patients and families facing cognitive decline, neurological illness, chronic disease, and other life-changing diagnoses. I want to be the kind of nurse who remains patient when someone repeats the same question, explains information in understandable language, and recognizes when family members also need education and support. My great-grandmother’s illness taught me about the personal pain dementia can cause within a family. Junior Seau’s story taught me how neurological disease can affect an entire community and create a need for research, education, and honest conversations. My work in dialysis has shown me how memory difficulties affect patients’ safety and daily care. Together, these experiences have taught me that caring for patients with memory loss requires more than treating symptoms. It requires patience, repetition, compassion, support for families, and continued research so future patients have better treatment options and clearer answers.

I grew up in a Navy family as one of five children. Because of my dad’s military career, moving was a normal part of my childhood. Every few years brought a new home, a new community, and another group of people to meet. Moving was not always easy, but it taught me how to adapt, become comfortable in unfamiliar situations, and appreciate the stability my family provided. No matter where we lived, my parents worked hard to keep our family close and make sure my siblings and I had opportunities to succeed. My mom chose to homeschool all five of us. Homeschooling gave our family flexibility as we moved and allowed my parents to remain closely involved in our education. However, after playing flag football in middle school, I desperately wanted the chance to play tackle football in high school. I continued asking my parents until they finally agreed to let me attend a local school where I could play. Football became a major part of my high school experience. It gave me structure, a team, and an outlet for my competitive personality. It taught me how to prepare, work through discomfort, and trust the people around me. More importantly, it taught me that being part of a team means doing your job even when you are not the person receiving recognition. I hoped to continue playing football in college, but injuries and my smaller stature made that path unrealistic. It was difficult to accept that something I had worked so hard toward was ending. However, I eventually found another competitive outlet through disc golf. Disc golf allowed me to continue training, competing, and measuring my improvement. I began playing tournaments and working to improve my player rating. The sport requires physical ability, but it also requires patience, focus, and the ability to recover after a poor decision or bad throw. Disc golf taught me that when one opportunity ends, I do not have to lose the part of myself that enjoyed competing. I may simply need to find a new direction. My education has followed a similar path. I earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science because I was interested in health, athletics, and the human body. After college, I began working as a certified hemodialysis technician. Working directly with patients showed me that I wanted to take on more responsibility in their care, so I decided to return to school for nursing. I am now pursuing an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Creighton University. After graduation, I plan to become a registered nurse and serve as a Navy Nurse Corps officer. Growing up in a Navy family showed me the sacrifices military service requires, but it also showed me the sense of purpose and community it can provide. I hope to work in critical care and eventually pursue either nurse anesthesia or nursing education. My life has not followed one straight path. I have moved frequently, transitioned from homeschooling to high school, adjusted when football ended, and found new goals through disc golf and nursing. Through every change, my family, education, and competitive spirit have continued pushing me forward.

I have always been interested in health, exercise, and how the human body works. That interest led me to earn my bachelor’s degree in exercise science. However, it was not until I began working in a dialysis center that I fully understood that I wanted to become a nurse. Learning about health in a classroom was interesting, but working directly with patients gave that knowledge a real purpose. As a certified hemodialysis technician, I help prepare patients and equipment for treatment, monitor vital signs, respond to changes in patients’ conditions, and communicate with the nurses responsible for their care. Dialysis patients normally receive treatment several times each week, so I have had the opportunity to really get to know many of them. I learn about their families, their goals, and what they are going through outside of the clinic. I have seen how chronic illness can affect almost every part of a person’s life. I have also seen how quickly a normal treatment can become a serious situation. A patient’s blood pressure may suddenly drop, they may become unresponsive, or they may begin showing signs that something is wrong. In those moments, everyone has to stay calm, communicate, and respond quickly. I have not had to perform CPR while working in dialysis, but there have been close calls that reminded me how important preparation and teamwork are in healthcare. Those experiences made me want more knowledge and responsibility so I could do even more for patients during difficult situations. Becoming a preceptor also helped shape my career goals. I was responsible for helping train new employees and teaching them how to safely care for patients. I enjoyed watching someone become more comfortable and confident as they learned. It showed me that I not only enjoy patient care, but I also enjoy teaching and helping other healthcare workers improve. I am now pursuing an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Creighton University. After graduation, I plan to pass the NCLEX-RN and begin working as a nurse in a critical-care or other high-acuity setting. My main interests are intensive care and trauma nursing because I want to care for patients who need close monitoring, quick decisions, and strong advocacy. I also plan to serve as a Navy Nurse Corps officer, where I can care for service members and their families while becoming a stronger nurse and leader. I hope to make a difference by being the kind of nurse patients and families can trust. Patients are often scared, uncomfortable, or unsure of what is happening. I want to explain their care in a way they can understand, listen to their concerns, and make sure they feel like people rather than medical conditions. After gaining experience at the bedside, I would like to pursue either nurse anesthesia or nursing education. Becoming a CRNA would allow me to provide advanced care during procedures when patients are especially vulnerable. Becoming a nurse educator would allow me to train and encourage future nurses, similar to how I supported new technicians as a preceptor. No matter which direction I eventually choose, I want my career to be centered on service. I hope to make a difference not only through the care I provide, but also through the patients I educate, the coworkers I support, and the future healthcare professionals I may one day teach.

My long-term goal is to become a skilled critical care nurse, serve as a Navy Nurse Corps officer, and eventually advance into either nursing education or nurse anesthesia. Reaching those goals will require more than ambition. It will require a detailed plan, financial discipline, clinical experience, mentorship, and the ability to adjust when circumstances change. My interest in nursing developed through my work in dialysis. As a certified hemodialysis technician, I have prepared treatments, monitored patients, responded to changes in their conditions, educated patients, and worked closely with nurses and other healthcare professionals. I also served as a preceptor, which gave me experience training new employees and strengthened my communication and leadership skills. Dialysis showed me how quickly a patient’s condition can change and confirmed that I want to continue working directly with patients. My first major step is completing Creighton University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Because the program is condensed, I will treat school as my full-time job. I will place assignments, exams, clinical days, and scholarship deadlines into one calendar. At the beginning of each week, I will make a written task list and divide major assignments into daily goals. I will attend every class and clinical experience, use tutoring and faculty office hours, participate in study groups, and practice skills in simulation laboratories. My exercise science degree, Basic Life Support certification, dialysis experience, and preceptor experience give me a strong foundation, but I know I will still need to identify and improve my weaker areas. My total school and living expenses are expected to be approximately $78,000. This includes tuition, university fees, books, supplies, health insurance, food, transportation, licensing costs, and personal or emergency expenses. I do not expect to pay rent, which helps reduce the overall burden, but the remaining cost still requires careful planning. The Navy Nurse Candidate Program is one major resource in my plan. It will provide $8,000 near the beginning of school and another $8,000 halfway through, totaling $16,000. Beginning in October, I will receive approximately $1,000 per month for ten months, adding $10,000. Altogether, I expect approximately $26,000 from the program, leaving about $52,000. My goal is to earn at least $10,000 in scholarships, which would reduce the remaining amount to approximately $42,000 before federal financial aid. I will track scholarship requirements, deadlines, essays, recommendation letters, and results in a spreadsheet. If I receive less scholarship funding than expected, I will prioritize federal student loans, reduce nonessential spending, and avoid private loans whenever possible. After graduation, I plan to pass the NCLEX-RN on my first attempt and begin working in intensive care, trauma, emergency, or another high-acuity setting. If I cannot enter an ICU immediately, I will use progressive-care or medical-surgical nursing as a pathway into critical care. After gaining strong bedside experience, I plan to pursue either nursing education or CRNA school. Nursing education would allow me to train future nurses, while nurse anesthesia would allow me to expand my clinical responsibilities. To me, “Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan” means turning a distant goal into specific actions that can be completed each day. My plan may change, but my commitment to the next necessary step will not.