In college, I will grow socially, academically and personally while preparing for a future in the area of healthcare. I am excited to explore healthcare and nursing majors and the possibilities include public health, epidemiology, and women’s reproductive rights. I am deeply passionate about those areas. Although I have not yet chosen a specific nursing field of study, I know I want to be part of a field that improves people's lives and promotes equity in the area of healthcare. College will also allow me to build leadership skills and stay involved in meaningful extracurricular activities, as I have thoroughly enjoyed these in high school and in the community. In high school, I’ve taken on leadership roles and participated in a variety of organizations, and I plan to continue that engagement in college. Through a combination of rigorous academics and active campus involvement, I hope to become a compassionate, informed nurse and leader in healthcare and make a lasting impact on my community. I have personal experience with the nursing field as my step-sister and aunt are both nurses. I also have gained a lot of healthcare knowledge through the healthcare classes I have taken in high school. These have been taught by my teacher, Ms. Knight, who is also a nurse. I have taken Emergency Services, learned CPR, taken Medical Terminology, and this year am taking Anatomy and Physiology. I also have had a great experience in high school through my participation and leadership in the HOSA, Health Organization Student Association, club. One of the most significant impacts I've made in my community has been through my work with my HOSA Chapters. As a dedicated member, committee chair leader and future parliamentarian, I've had the opportunity to help organize and lead multiple blood drives. These have brought our school and local community together but have also made a true, real, measurable difference in people's lives. Each blood donation can save up to three lives. Planning a blood drive involves many tasks. Coordinating with blood banks, recruiting donors, scheduling appointments and promoting the dates are just a few of the tasks. But seeing classmates and teachers roll up their sleeves to give, sometimes for the very first time, has been inspiring. It shows how powerful a collection of people and actions can be when people are motivated by a shared goal. That goal is to help others. My passion in the area of healthcare is to help others, help our community, and give back. It's so meaningful to see how the power of compassion and teamwork with the addition of a common purpose can literally save lives. I look further to furthering my education in the area of healthcare and nursing and fulfill my future goals.

I have experienced mental health issues in my middle and high school careers. I have anxiety, but luckily have a parent that believes in treatment and have used therapy and medication to help with my anxiety disorder. I also have learned strategies that I implement when I feel anxious. Sometimes, my anxiety turns to depression and through introspection, I can pinpoint times in which my heightened perfectionism turns to anxiety and then to depression if I see something as a failure. One of those moments in which I feel I learned a great lesson about my mental health from a "failure" happened in the 2023-2024 year when I didn’t get the role I had hoped for in my high school’s musical production. When the cast list came out and I saw I had been assigned the part of the main character’s mother, a much smaller role than I was expecting, I felt crushed. I saw it as a complete failure and it made me question my abilities, my preparation, and whether I even belonged in the theater program and lead to negative self-thoughts. I remember those feelings and the release of tears and sadness when I was expressing how disappointed I was to my mother that afternoon. My mother listened and reminded me that sometimes life works in ways we don’t understand right away. That conversation helped shift my mindset. While I still felt hurt, I began to look at the situation differently and tried to be positive but didn't realize how much this "failure" would turn into a blessing. With less rehearsal time required for my smaller role, I had more hours available outside of school. I used the extra time to prepare for my Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) application, which is a competitive program that had always been a dream of mine. I poured my energy into perfecting my audition pieces, refining my interview responses, and thoughtfully completing each video submission and writing piece. Because I had more time to dedicate to it, I felt more confident in my application than ever before. A few months later, I was accepted into the GSA program. It has since become the most meaningful and impactful experience of my high school career. The program not only challenged me artistically, but also introduced me to lifelong friends, mentors, and a deeper understanding of who I am and what I am capable of. Looking back, I realize that if I had gotten a larger role in the musical, I may not have had the time or focus to prepare for GSA in the same way. What felt like failure in the moment turned out to be a redirection toward something even more important. This experience taught me that setbacks can create space for greater opportunities. I realized that success sometimes looks different than we first imagined. I learned that I do not have to be perfect in every task I attempt. I learned that I can shift my mindset to a more positive place. I have learned that anxiety can sometimes turn to depression for me, and am more prepared if this happens in the future. I’m grateful for the lesson, and I carry it with me as a reminder that every closed door can lead to an even better door opening.

I am excited to explore healthcare majors and the possibilities include public health, epidemiology, and women’s reproductive rights. I am deeply passionate about those areas. Although I have not yet chosen a specific major, I know I want to be part of a field that improves people's lives and promotes equity in the area of healthcare. College will also allow me to build leadership skills and stay involved in meaningful extracurricular activities, as I have thoroughly enjoyed these in high school and in the community. In high school, I’ve taken on leadership roles and participated in a variety of organizations, and I plan to continue that engagement in college. One of these extracurricular activities that I participated in is HOSA. Through HOSA I have grown my leadership skills in the healthcare area. I have been a Committee chair member, and am excited to hold an elected role of Parliamentarian in the 2025-2026 school year as a senior. Through HOSA I have also grown my communication skills and learned to work under pressure. I have completed at the HOSA regional levels in the area of epidemiology. Through my Top 5 performance at HOSA regionals, I made it to the Kentucky state-wide competitions in both my sophomore and junior years in high school. This year I was engaged in the Public Speaking area, which had over 100 entrances and I placed 17th. Although I am used to be on stage as a character in my theater performances, I am able to perform because I am a different character. In this public speaking area, I had to face my fear of speaking as myself. There were no masks, costumes, or stage makeup to "hide" me or turn me into a different person. I had to go on stage as Harper Brady, aspiring healthcare worker, and present. I am very happy with my 17th place this year, but will be working hard to achieve even more at the State level this next year. Through a combination of rigorous academics and active campus involvement, I hope to become a compassionate, informed leader in healthcare and make a lasting impact on my community. My leadership will be used this year as a HOSA elected official. I will be conducting the HOSA school meetings and assisting with our community involvement and fundraisers. I will also be working towards regional and state knowledge competitions. I am excited for my senior year and roles in HOSA, as well as my future in college and achieving my dream of being a Top-Level Healthcare worker.