I come from a family of healthcare professionals ranging from nurses, home health aides, and doctors. Including my mother, siblings, aunts, cousins, and more distant relatives. My mother, a licensed practical nurse was my biggest inspiration and pusher to be a nurse. Even though she had a heavy hand in pushing me towards it, I fell in love with nursing all on my own. Beginning simply with sitting beside her and asking questions about her homework and what everything means. Then I started watching medical dramas and trying to learn some of the medical terminologies. I absorbed alot and eventually started answering things myself, looking forward to the challenge of how many of her questions I could get right. I wanted desperately to be a part of that, to be a nurse. I'm currently enrolled at Coe College on the nursing track after graduation I plan on taking a gap year to get settled in my new life and career. After the gap, I plan on earning a Master's and becoming a Nurse Practitioner. The specialties I'm currently looking into are neonatal nursing and labor & delivery. Recently, I found further inspiration and confirmation on what I hope to achieve, my values, and my traits. Over the summer I'm taking a CNA course and started clinicals I found them to be very eye-opening. Seeing the condition, mental and physical states of the residents in the nursing home in combination with the attitudes of some of the workers made me feel saddened and sorry for them. Some of the nurses I observed were rude, uncompassionate, and handled the residents poorly. What pinged my heart more is the responses of the residents I encountered they thanked me profusely, complimented my sweetness and compassion, even cried, and told me to continue as I would be a great nurse. This almost brought me to tears especially since it was common cortices and doing what I was taught and was supposed to be doing. I couldn't believe that the things I considered normal or to be expected were rare to these residents. I hope to not only continue this standard but higher to do better than all that I observed. I may not be able to fix or control the behaviors of others but I can control myself. To be a difference to those I interact with, to truly care and show that in every moment and interaction. To see not the condition or the task I have but to see the person. Be compassionate, empathic, diligent, balanced, optimistic, trustworthy, respectful, and so much more.