My dream is to make a career out of doing something I love, and one thing I have always loved doing is helping people in need. I have grown up surrounded by parents, and now an older sister, who helps people every day while working in healthcare. My mom works in a hospital as an occupational therapy assistant and my older sister is an MRI tech. My dad works at the hospital in my hometown as the Director of Facilities, and that's where I used to walk to and from school. Because of this, I was able to catch a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes, and I have been fascinated ever since. I now work for the same hospital I used to walk to school from and have met a lot of amazing people who have always been willing to share their insights. I first worked as a groundskeeper, which meant I did tasks such as mowing, painting, changing ceiling tiles, and cleaning room units. I have since gotten my CNA license and now work as a CNA at the hospital. Through my experiences, I have a good understanding of what goes on behind the scenes of healthcare and I have a lot of respect for all the working parts that come together to help others, and I am certain that I want to be an active part of it. I have had the honor of being able to shadow different professions such as M.D., P.A., NP, and RN which has provided me with great insight. I particularly took an interest in the Nurse Practitioner's way of looking at the whole person when addressing an issue with their health. It was during my shadowing experiences that I realized I wanted to become a nurse. I have many family members with challenging health issues, and I have seen how much of a difference their providers have made in their well-being and quality of life. Without their help, I would not be able to share as many great memories with them. I have been able to recognize the difference they have made in my and my family's life and I hope to one day be able to make that difference in someone else's life. I have come to greatly appreciate the approach nurses take, looking at the whole person and caring for them accordingly. They are a vital part of the care team as they see the patient progress or worsen and advocate for them to their healthcare team. I have plans of continuing past my bachelor's degree and becoming a Nurse Practitioner and providing primary care. By doing this I will be able to help people in all stages of life through any ailment or milestone they may face. To reach my goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner I must first get my degree in Nursing, where I can make a large impact with the patients I take care of directly. Getting a chance to spend time with my patients will allow me to notice any changes and to watch the healing process first hand which I think would be very rewarding to witness. Now that I am sure that I want a career in healthcare and have been accepted into a great nursing program, I am now facing the daunting reality of how much it costs to get a quality education and to live on my own. This scholarship would help pay for tuition or living expenses that I will need to go to finish my schooling.

Mark 4:1-9 The Parable of the Sower On another occasion he began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land. And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them, "Hear this! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and hundredfold." He added, "Whoever has ears to hear out to hear." Jesus taught us many lessons through the use of parables. They all are stories that we can understand that have a more significant meaning than the story itself. The underlying meaning of this parable is that we must be aware of our surroundings and where we attempt to grow, whether that is in our faith, as a person, to raise a family, or even start a business. I heard this story as a child and have thought about it often throughout my life and I have come to realize just how much truth there is to his parable. Jesus speaks of seeds that fall on a path and birds eat it. These seeds can represent what we hope to grow, this could be children, dreams, faith. The seeds were placed in an impossible position and had no opportunity to grow, we should be careful not to allow us or anything we hope to grow to fall in an environment that is doomed to fail. He speaks of seeds that fell on rocky ground where there is little soil. These seeds grew fast and when the sun rose it was burned due to poor roots. These seeds fell into a place that would be very tough to thrive in. I like to think of these seeds as children, and this child had to grow up so fast because she did not have a choice. She wasn't allowed the time to mature and had to grow upwards before she had a good support system with her roots. When the sun, or real world came to face her, she couldn't make it because she did not have strong roots. Still other seeds fell onto good soil, but was surrounded by thorns. These thorns grew and choked out the seed, preventing it to grow to its potential. This seed, or child as I envision, was placed in a great area that seemed to be perfect. The weeds, or challenges this child faced was too much to bear though and never allowed the child to reach its full potential. The last seed Jesus speaks of falls on fertile ground and grew to produce lots of fruit. This seed, or child, was placed in a great environment that allowed for proper growth and the results were stunning as she became successful. Jesus's story about seeds seems simple, but he is speaking about much more. This parable has layers upon layers of meaning, and it can apply to many different areas of your life and is designed to make you ponder your own life.

I am passionate about my sport because it is something that I enjoy and that has taught me so much about the world and myself. Growing up there has been a lot of change and challenges such as school work, home life, and even my seemingly always-changing body, but one thing that has always been there for me was basketball. I have always been able to lean on the game to get me through difficult times. The more I learned about the game and was able to play the sport the more I depended on it to be a constant throughout my life. Although there have been adjustments over the years to the rules, the key components of the game are forever unchanging. Ever since I can remember, I have always been able to go outside and work on my game in my backyard. If I was having a bad day, it was always made better by playing the sport I love so dearly. If I had a great day, it was even more complete with a little bit of basketball. It has acted as a type of stress relief for me over the years since it is what I do when I need to get away from daily stresses. The game is unchanging, and I find a lot of comfort in that. Basketball has certainly taught me much more than just how to get a ball through a hoop. It has shown me how to be resilient, and to never give up. There may be bad days, you may roll your ankle, you may lose a game; but what matters most is how you respond, you must rise to the challenge. It has taught me how to be a good communicator, to be successful on the court you have to be on the same page as your teammates. It has also taught me to have a strong work ethic. If you are not vigilant with your ball handling and training, then there is no way that you will be able to keep up with your competition. You have to have a desire within yourself to be better every day to be successful on the court, and this lesson is the same in real life as well. Basketball has taught me many life lessons such as to never take a day, or game, for granted, you never know when it might be your last. Sports have taught me a lot about myself. I abide by rules and I do not cut corners. I am not a dirty player on the court and I get upset when people get hurt by others who play dirty. This is also true in life, I like to stick to rules and it pains me to see others hurt when people do not follow rules. It has also shown me that I am much stronger than I had originally thought and that I work well under pressure. Sports have allowed me to be in a lot of pressured situations and tough positions. This has served me well as I now know that I can work well under pressure and am more comfortable being uncomfortable now. Sports have allowed me to challenge myself daily, and I have come to learn that I truly enjoy being challenged. This is something that I have carried with me off the court as I seek challenges to better myself such as academics. I am so passionate about basketball because it has had such a large impact on me and my life.

My dream is to make a career out of doing something I love, and one thing I have always loved doing is helping people in need. I have grown up surrounded by parents, and now an older sister, who helps people every day while working in healthcare. My mom works in a hospital as an occupational therapy assistant and my older sister is an MRI tech. My dad works at the hospital where I grew up as the Director of Facilities, and that's where I used to walk to and from school. Because of this, I was able to catch a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes, and I have been fascinated ever since. I now work for the same hospital I used to walk to school from and have met a lot of amazing people who have always been willing to share their insights. I first worked as a groundskeeper, which meant I did tasks such as mowing, painting, changing ceiling tiles, and cleaning room units. I have since gotten my CNA license and now work as a CNA at the hospital. Through my experiences, I have a good understanding of what goes on behind the scenes of healthcare and I have a lot of respect for all the working parts that come together to help others, and I am certain that I want to be an active part of it. I have had the honor of being able to shadow different professions such as M.D., P.A., NP, and RN which has provided me with great insight. I particularly took an interest in the Nurse Practitioner's way of looking at the whole person when addressing an issue with their health. It was during my shadowing experiences that I realized I wanted to become a nurse. I have many family members with challenging health issues, and I have seen how much of a difference their providers have made in their well-being and quality of life. Without their help, I would not be able to share as many great memories with them. I have been able to recognize the difference they have made in my and my family's life and I hope to one day be able to make that difference in someone else's life. I have come to greatly appreciate the approach nurses take, looking at the whole person and caring for them accordingly. They are a vital part of the care team as they see the patient progress or worsen and advocate for them to their healthcare team. I have plans of continuing past my bachelor's degree and becoming a Nurse Practitioner and providing primary care. By doing this I will be able to help people in all stages of life through any ailment or milestone they may face. To reach my goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner I must first get my degree in Nursing, where I can make a large impact with the patients I take care of directly. Getting a chance to spend time with my patients will allow me to notice any changes and to watch the healing process first hand which I think would be very rewarding to witness.

My dream is to make a career out of doing something I love, and one thing I have always loved doing is helping people in need. I have grown up surrounded by parents, and now an older sister, who helps people every day while working in healthcare. My mom works in a hospital as an occupational therapy assistant and my older sister is an MRI tech. My dad works at the hospital where I grew up as the Director of Facilities, and that's where I used to walk to and from school. Because of this, I was able to catch a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes, and I have been fascinated ever since. I now work for the same hospital I used to walk to school from and have met a lot of amazing people who have always been willing to share their insights. I first worked as a groundskeeper, which meant I did tasks such as mowing, painting, changing ceiling tiles, and cleaning room units. I have since gotten my CNA license and now work as a CNA at the hospital. Through my experiences, I have a good understanding of what goes on behind the scenes of healthcare and I have a lot of respect for all the working parts that come together to help others, and I am certain that I want to be an active part of it. I have had the honor of being able to shadow different professions such as M.D., P.A., NP, and RN which has provided me with great insight. I have many family members with challenging health issues, and I have seen how much of a difference their providers have made in their well-being and quality of life. Without their help, I would not be able to share as many great memories with them. I have been able to recognize the difference they have made in my and my family's life and I hope to one day be able to make that difference in someone else's life. I have plans of continuing past my bachelor's degree and becoming a Nurse Practitioner and providing primary care. By doing this I will be able to help people in all stages of life through any ailment or milestone they may face. My mission is to make an impact on people's lives by helping them through their milestones and challenging times. To reach my goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner I must first get my degree in Nursing, where I can make a large impact with the patients I take care of directly. Getting a chance to spend time with my patients will allow me to notice any changes and to watch the healing process first hand which I think would be very rewarding to witness.

My dream is to make a career out of doing something I love, and one thing I have always loved doing is helping people in need. I have grown up surrounded by parents, and now an older sister, who helps people every day while working in healthcare. My mom works in a hospital as an occupational therapy assistant and my older sister is an MRI tech. My dad works at the hospital where I grew up as the Director of Facilities, and that's where I used to walk to and from school. Because of this, I was able to catch a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes, and I have been fascinated ever since. I now work for the same hospital I used to walk to school from and have met a lot of amazing people who have always been willing to share their insights. I first worked as a groundskeeper, which meant I did tasks such as mowing, painting, changing ceiling tiles, and cleaning room units. I have since gotten my CNA license and now work as a CNA at the hospital. Through my experiences, I have a good understanding of what goes on behind the scenes of healthcare and I have a lot of respect for all the working parts that come together to help others, and I am certain that I want to be an active part of it. I have had the honor of being able to shadow different professions such as M.D., P.A., NP, and RN which has provided me with great insight. I have many family members with challenging health issues, and I have seen how much of a difference their providers have made in their well-being and quality of life. Without their help, I would not be able to share as many great memories with them. I have been able to recognize the difference they have made in my and my family's life and I hope to one day be able to make that difference in someone else's life. I have plans of continuing past my bachelor's degree and becoming a Nurse Practitioner and providing primary care. By doing this I will be able to help people in all stages of life through any ailment or milestone they may face. To reach my goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner I must first get my degree in Nursing, where I can make a large impact with the patients I take care of directly. Getting a chance to spend time with my patients will allow me to notice any changes and to watch the healing process first hand which I think would be very rewarding to witness.

My dream is to make a career out of doing something I love, and one thing I have always loved doing is helping people in need. I have grown up surrounded by parents, and now an older sister, who helps people every day while working in healthcare. My mom works in a hospital as an occupational therapy assistant and my older sister is an MRI tech. My dad works at the hospital where I grew up as the Director of Facilities, and that's where I used to walk to and from school. Because of this, I was able to catch a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes, and I have been fascinated ever since. I now work for the same hospital I used to walk to school from and have met a lot of amazing people who have always been willing to share their insights. I first worked as a groundskeeper, which meant I did tasks such as mowing, painting, changing ceiling tiles, and cleaning room units. I have since gotten my CNA license and now work as a CNA at the hospital. Through my experiences, I have a good understanding of what goes on behind the scenes of healthcare and I have a lot of respect for all the working parts that come together to help others, and I am certain that I want to be an active part of it. I have had the honor of being able to shadow different professions such as M.D., P.A., NP, and RN which has provided me with great insight. I have many family members with challenging health issues, and I have seen how much of a difference their providers have made in their well-being and quality of life. This is truly where my inspiration comes from because, without their help, I would not be able to share as many great memories with them. I have been able to recognize the difference they have made in my and my family's life and I hope to one day be able to make that difference in someone else's life. I have plans of continuing past my bachelor's degree and becoming a Nurse Practitioner and providing primary care. By doing this I will be able to help people in all stages of life through any ailment or milestone they may face. To reach my goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner I must first get my degree in Nursing, where I can make a large impact with the patients I take care of directly. Getting a chance to spend time with my patients will allow me to notice any changes and to watch the healing process first hand which I think would be very rewarding to witness.

My dream is to make a career out of doing something I love, and one thing I have always loved doing is helping people in need. I have grown up surrounded by parents, and now an older sister, who helps people every day while working in healthcare. My mom works in a hospital as an occupational therapy assistant and my older sister is an MRI tech. My dad works at the hospital where I grew up as the Director of Facilities, and that's where I used to walk to and from school. Because of this, I was able to catch a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes, and I have been fascinated ever since. I now work for the same hospital I used to walk to school from and have met a lot of amazing people who have always been willing to share their insights. I first worked as a groundskeeper, which meant I did tasks such as mowing, painting, changing ceiling tiles, and cleaning room units. I have since gotten my CNA license and now work as a CNA at the hospital. Through my experiences, I have a good understanding of what goes on behind the scenes of healthcare and I have a lot of respect for all the working parts that come together to help others, and I am certain that I want to be an active part of it. I have had the honor of being able to shadow different professions such as M.D., P.A., NP, and RN which has provided me with great insight. I have many family members with challenging health issues, and I have seen how much of a difference their providers have made in their well-being and quality of life. Without their help, I would not be able to share as many great memories with them. I have been able to recognize the difference they have made in my and my family's life and I hope to one day be able to make that difference in someone else's life. I have plans of continuing past my bachelor's degree and becoming a Nurse Practitioner and providing primary care. By doing this I will be able to help people in all stages of life through any ailment or milestone they may face. To reach my goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner I must first get my degree in Nursing, where I can make a large impact with the patients I take care of directly. Getting a chance to spend time with my patients will allow me to notice any changes and to watch the healing process first hand which I think would be very rewarding to witness.

My dream is to make a career out of doing something I love, and one thing I have always loved doing is helping people in need. I have grown up surrounded by parents, and now an older sister, who helps people every day while working in healthcare. My mom works in a hospital as an occupational therapy assistant and my older sister is an MRI tech. My dad works at the hospital where I grew up as the Director of Facilities, and that's where I used to walk to and from school. Because of this, I was able to catch a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes, and I have been fascinated ever since. I now work for the same hospital I used to walk to school from and have met a lot of amazing people who have always been willing to share their insights. I first worked as a groundskeeper, which meant I did tasks such as mowing, painting, changing ceiling tiles, and cleaning room units. I have since gotten my CNA license and now work as a CNA at the hospital. Through my experiences, I have a good understanding of what goes on behind the scenes of healthcare and I have a lot of respect for all the working parts that come together to help others, and I am certain that I want to be an active part of it. I have had the honor of being able to shadow different professions such as M.D., P.A., NP, and RN which has provided me with great insight. I have many family members with challenging health issues, and I have seen how much of a difference their providers have made in their well-being and quality of life. Without their help, I would not be able to share as many great memories with them. I have been able to recognize the difference they have made in my and my family's life and I hope to one day be able to make that difference in someone else's life. I have plans of continuing past my bachelor's degree and becoming a Nurse Practitioner and providing primary care. By doing this I will be able to help people in all stages of life through any ailment or milestone they may face. To reach my goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner I must first get my degree in Nursing, where I can make a large impact with the patients I take care of directly. Getting a chance to spend time with my patients will allow me to notice any changes and to watch the healing process first hand which I think would be very rewarding to witness.

My dream is to make a career out of doing something I love, and one thing I have always loved doing is helping people in need. I have grown up surrounded by parents, and now an older sister, who helps people every day while working in healthcare. My mom works in a hospital as an occupational therapy assistant and my older sister is an MRI tech. My dad works at the hospital where I grew up as the Director of Facilities, and that's where I used to walk to and from school. Because of this, I was able to catch a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes, and I have been fascinated ever since. I now work for the same hospital I used to walk to school from and have met a lot of amazing people who have always been willing to share their insights. I first worked as a groundskeeper, which meant I did tasks such as mowing, painting, changing ceiling tiles, and cleaning room units. I have since gotten my CNA license and now work as a CNA at the hospital. Through my experiences, I have a good understanding of what goes on behind the scenes of healthcare and I have a lot of respect for all the working parts that come together to help others, and I am certain that I want to be an active part of it. I have had the honor of being able to shadow different professions such as M.D., P.A., NP, and RN which has provided me with great insight. I have many family members with challenging health issues, and I have seen how much of a difference their providers have made in their well-being and quality of life. Without their help, I would not be able to share as many great memories with them. I have been able to recognize the difference they have made in my and my family's life and I hope to one day be able to make that difference in someone else's life. I have plans of continuing past my bachelor's degree and becoming a Nurse Practitioner and providing primary care. By doing this I will be able to help people in all stages of life through any ailment or milestone they may face. To reach my goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner I must first get my degree in Nursing, where I can make a large impact with the patients I take care of directly. Getting a chance to spend time with my patients will allow me to notice any changes and to watch the healing process first hand which I think would be very rewarding to witness.

My dream is to make a career out of doing something I love, and one thing I have always loved doing is helping people in need. I have grown up surrounded by parents, and now an older sister, who helps people every day while working in healthcare. My mom works in a hospital as an occupational therapy assistant and my older sister is an MRI tech. My dad works at the hospital where I grew up as the Director of Facilities, and that's where I used to walk to and from school. Because of this, I was able to catch a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes, and I have been fascinated ever since. I now work for the same hospital I used to walk to school from and have met a lot of amazing people who have always been willing to share their insights. I first worked as a groundskeeper, which meant I did tasks such as mowing, painting, changing ceiling tiles, and cleaning room units. I have since gotten my CNA license and now work as a CNA at the hospital. Through my experiences, I have a good understanding of what goes on behind the scenes of healthcare and I have a lot of respect for all the working parts that come together to help others, and I am certain that I want to be an active part of it. I have had the honor of being able to shadow different professions such as M.D., P.A., NP, and RN which has provided me with great insight. I have many family members with challenging health issues, and I have seen how much of a difference their providers have made in their well-being and quality of life. Without their help, I would not be able to share as many great memories with them. I have been able to recognize the difference they have made in my and my family's life and I hope to one day be able to make that difference in someone else's life. I have plans of continuing past my bachelor's degree and becoming a Nurse Practitioner and providing primary care. By doing this I will be able to help people in all stages of life through any ailment or milestone they may face. To reach my goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner I must first get my degree in Nursing, where I can make a large impact with the patients I take care of directly. Getting a chance to spend time with my patients will allow me to notice any changes and to watch the healing process first hand which I think would be very rewarding to witness.