At the age of 12, I knew I had a passion to pursue nursing. My grandpa became ill, and I helped my mom take care of him until his death. It was then that I knew being a nurse was something that I wanted to do when I was older. I would go with my mom to my grandpa’s doctor’s appointments and sit there with him while he would get dialysis. He finally got to do dialysis at home, and I would sit and watch television with him. He eventually got a kidney transplant, for which the family was grateful. I was always intrigued by the various machines and wanted to know how each machine worked and what they were used for. I was always asking the nurses and doctors questions. My grandpa passed in 2021, and I am lucky to have had the chance to be by his side and help take care of him. I have a caring nature and becoming a nurse would be the perfect fit for me. Being a nurse is very rewarding and makes me feel like I have a purpose by helping save lives. Being a nurse will give me the opportunity to meet new people, continually learn from experiences and take on opportunities. My goal is to continue to learn from the opportunities I am presented and learn from those with the experience to help me improve my level of care. I would love to someday become a traveling nurse. It would be amazing to travel to different states and countries to help others in need. There are so many different opportunities when it comes to the nursing field. I recently completed the health occupation program in high school, where I really excelled. I enjoyed going to class and always tried to stay focused. I was intrigued with every lesson, especially when I had to go to clinicals and work with patients at Anderson Hospital and at our local nursing home. It also taught me that each person has a unique story and walk in life. I know I will be successful because I am very determined, highly driven, and committed to learning new things. I am always willing to try anything if it helps me get closer to my goal of becoming a nurse. I understand that ongoing education and professional development are crucial to my success as a nurse. I plan to continually improve my knowledge and skills through furthering my education in obtaining my MSN degree. I realize it is important to stay up to date with the latest research and development in the healthcare industry. I feel the nursing program will prepare me for my next stage of life, teach me real life situations and network with others. I plan to give back to my community by actively volunteering at health events, participate at local blood drives and share information through social media. I know that being a nurse people will ask me for help during times of illness and also during the colder months, especially the homeless. I will take a stand to help provide medical knowledge, a warm coat, gloves and hats for those in need. My goal is to go to college and have a successful and rewarding career. I will be the first person in my family to attend college and I view that as a great honor. I would be forever grateful if I was awarded the Breanna Coleman Memorial Nursing Scholarships it will ease the financial burden, as well as helping me pursue my dreams of being a nurse.

In 2020, my grandpa became ill, and I helped my mom take care of him until his death in 2021. My grandpa was my best friend, we were so close that we were literally inseparable, so it devastated me losing him so young. There are only a very few days that I find hard, which for me are my grandpa’s birthday and the day he died. Right now, I’m only about a month away from his birthday, and even though it has been almost four years since I lost him, it doesn’t get any easier. He never will get to see me for huge life events including graduation, birthdays, holidays, marriage, and having children. I know he is still with me spiritually, but it’s not the same as him actually being here with me. I am grateful for all of the memories we made together while he was alive, and I will always cherish them for as long as I live. I have learned that you really can’t take any moments you have with someone for granted because you really don’t know when it will be someone’s last. Losing someone doesn't always get easier as life goes on, and honestly, I've learned that that's okay. It's okay to feel sad and mourn them when you want. It's okay to miss them and want them back. That's just part of the lifelong grieving process, and that's okay. I feel my grandpa has helped shaped me into wanting to become a nurse. I would go with my mom to my grandpa’s doctor’s appointments and sit there with him while he would get dialysis. He finally got to do dialysis at home, and I would sit and watch television with him. He eventually got a kidney transplant, for which the family was grateful. I was always intrigued by the various machines and wanted to know how each machine worked and what they were used for. I was always asking the nurses and doctors questions. I am lucky to have had the chance to be by his side and help take care of him. He would always tell me I was a great help, and he was lucky to have me as his granddaughter. He told me I would be a great nurse when I was older, and I never forgot that. I have a caring nature and becoming a nurse would be the perfect fit for me and my grandpa new that. Being a nurse is very rewarding and makes me feel like I have a purpose by helping save lives. Being a nurse will give me the opportunity to meet new people, continually learn from experiences and take on opportunities. My goal is to continue to learn from the opportunities I am presented and learn from those with the experience to help me improve my level of care. I would love to someday become a traveling nurse. It would be amazing to travel to different states and countries to help others in need. There are so many different opportunities when it comes to the nursing field. What makes me okay is knowing that my grandpa watching over me, and I know he's proud of what I have accomplished in my life so far. I know he is in heaven rooting me on to achieve my goals and dreams. I would be forever grateful if I was awarded the Eden Alaine Memorial Scholarship as it will ease the financial burden, help me pursue my dreams of being a nurse and would make my grandpa extremely proud. Thank you for your consideration. Isabella Rankin

I am a fan of Wicked because it deals with friendships, diversity and appearance. Those are all things people deal with in the world today so I feel many can relate. I went to The Fabulous Fox Theater in St. Louis, Missouri to see Wicked on Broadway. Seeing it on Broadway was simply amazing. It was magical, powerful and funny. I even had chills and got teary eyed during some scenes. One thing I really like about the Wicked is that the story is about the relationship between two strong, independent women, Elphaba and Galinda. They are both desperate to meet the Wizard, but when they meet him, they learn he is not the great leader he seems. Wicked is my favorite musical and I would absolutely recommend to anyone to get tickets when it comes to a city near you. I know when it comes back to my area, I will see it again. However, I recommend watching the Wizard of Oz before Wicked, so you have a better background and understanding. After seeing the musical, I went out the next day and bought the soundtrack. I still listen to it over and over when I need a pick me up.

My name is Isabella, and I am a senior at Collinsville High School. Tamurai's Adventure Scholarship would have a significant impact on assisting me being able to pursue my dreams. I have high aspirations of becoming a traveling nurse as I love helping people young and old. I have a caring nature and becoming a traveling nurse would be the perfect fit for me. I feel I would have a positive impact on the world through my medical career as being a traveling nurse since I would be helping people all over the world. Being a nurse is very rewarding and makes me feel like I have a purpose by helping save lives. Being a nurse will give me the opportunity to meet new people, continually learn from experiences and take on opportunities. My goal is to continue to learn from the opportunities I am presented and learn from those with the experience to help me improve my level of care. There are so many different opportunities when it comes to the nursing field. At the age of 12, I knew I had a passion to pursue nursing. My grandpa became ill, and I helped my mom take care of him until his death. It was then that I knew being a nurse was something that I wanted to do when I was older. I would go with my mom to my grandpa’s doctor’s appointments and sit there with him while he would get dialysis. He finally got to do dialysis at home and I would sit and watch television with him. He eventually got a kidney transplant, for which the family was grateful. I was always intrigued by the various machines and wanted to know how each machine worked and what they were used for. I was always asking the nurses and doctors questions. My grandpa passed in 2021, and I am lucky to have had the chance to be by his side and help take care of him. I recently completed the health occupation program in high school, where I really excelled. I enjoyed going to class and always tried to stay focused. I was intrigued with every lesson, especially when I had to go to clinicals and work with patients at Anderson Hospital and at our local nursing home. It also taught me that each person has a unique story and walk in life. I know I will be successful because I am very determined, highly driven, and committed to learning new things. I am always willing to try anything if it helps me get closer to my goal of becoming a nurse. I understand that ongoing education and professional development are crucial to my success as a nurse. I plan to continually improve my knowledge and skills through furthering my education in obtaining my MSN degree. I realize it is important to stay up to date with the latest research and development in the healthcare industry. I feel the nursing program will prepare me for my next stage of life, teach me real life situations and network with others. Receiving the Tamurai's Adventure Scholarship will also help boost my confidence, knowing that I not only completed an important task, but took responsibility of creating a foundation of getting closer to my career goals. This scholarship award will push me further towards my nursing degree and my dreams of one day having a successful career as a nurse. I will be the first person in my family to attend a university, which means the world to me. Thank you for your consideration, Isabella Rankin