My name is Isabella DuFau. I am a senior at New Richmond High School and am pursuing an education in nursing. A few of my hobbies include hiking, running, listening to music, reading, painting, and volunteering at American Cancer Society. Ever since I was young I had the inclination to help others; whether that be with tasks as simple as washing dishes or helping raise my neurodivergent sister abigail. Although I have always wanted to help people, I did not always know I wanted to be a nurse. I figured this out my sophomore year of high school. I was at a track meet finishing up my race when my mom pulled me aside to tell me that my grandpa went to the hospital because of this “cold” he was fighting. Later that night we find out that my grandpa had gone septic, giving him a less than seventeen percent chance of survival. For those two weeks that he was in the hospital, all I did was learn, research, and ask questions about his condition to the nurses at the hospital. By the end of his stay I felt like I knew every beep, medication, and procedure that there was. Miraculously, My grandpa is still with us today making a full recovery. This experience made me realize that what I wanted to do is help others through nursing. My junior year I decided to start taking nursing classes through the University of Cincinnati. As of my senior year I have 35 college credits, putting me at a sophomore in college level. None of this would have been possible without my grandpa pushing me to keep trying when it came to my education, allowing me to have a 3.9 gpa. Being a first generation college student was far from easy. I felt so lost when it came to college. Luckily, my high school counselor guided the way for me and helped me apply. I have been accepted into Xavier University, Miami University, University of Cincinnati direct admission, Case Western University, University of Dayton, Ohio University, Thomas Moore University, Mount Saint Joseph University, and Ohio State University. After a lot of decision making and planning, I committed to Ohio University’s nursing program. In the future, once I obtain my bachelor in nursing from Ohio University, I want to work as a geriatric nurse and eventually get my masters in nursing. My end goal is to open a nursing home. I am so excited to see what the future of healthcare has in store.