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Isabelle Damian

2,525

Bold Points

1x

Finalist

1x

Winner

Bio

Hi, I’m Isabelle, an incoming first-year at the University of Virginia. I am pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing because my dream career is one that will allow me to directly impact the lives of others. In high school, my extracurriculars allowed me to already begin impacting lives. In 11th grade, I restarted and led the Women’s Club at my school. I was able to create community between girls in all grades by leading discussions on relevant topics, including friendship or societal pressures. Aside from leading the Women's club, I served first as Secretary, then as President, of my school's apologetics club, organizing meetings and events, leading other officers, handling important communication, and serving our community. Outside of school, my interests include reading, travel, self-improvement, fitness, and dancing. In dance, I have trained in ballet, pointe, contemporary, and jazz. For the past three years, I have auditioned and been accepted into my studio's Dance Company. Despite injuries somewhat limiting my dancing this past year, I still actively danced, understudied roles, and helped teach the younger dancers. I have always been driven to excel academically, and I have received the honor of being co-valedictorian of my high school class. In college, I know I will encounter a challenging curriculum, but I am prepared to persevere and work my hardest. Winning scholarships will allow me to more fully focus on my studies as I work towards a nursing degree, which will prepare me for a successful career of impacting lives. Thank you for your consideration!

Education

Saint Thomas More Academy

High School
2021 - 2025

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

  • Majors of interest:

    • Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Nursing

    • Dream career goals:

    • Babysitter

      2023 – Present2 years

    Sports

    Alpine Skiing

    Club
    2012 – 20153 years

    Figure Skating

    Club
    2019 – 20201 year

    Tumbling

    Club
    2020 – 20211 year

    Figure Skating

    Club
    2016 – 20182 years

    Dancing

    Club
    2021 – Present4 years

    Dancing

    Club
    2015 – 20183 years

    Soccer

    Club
    2013 – 20152 years

    Arts

    • Taylor Academy of Dance

      Dance
      Shows twice a year, Outreach/volunteer performances
      2021 – Present
    • Filipino-American Performing Artists of North Carolina

      Filipino Folk Dancing
      Dragonboat festival
      2018 – Present
    • Capital Christian Homeschool Bands

      Music
      Performaces three times a year
      2018 – 2020
    • Private Flute Lessons

      Music
      End of year recitals
      2013 – Present
    • Filipino American School of New York and New Jersey

      Filipino Folk Dancing
      Performaces at festivals, etc.
      2017 – 2018
    • M Studio

      Painting
      Oil paintings
      2014 – 2015
    • Unicorn Dance Ensemble

      Dance
      Shows twice a year
      2015 – 2018
    • St. Thomas More Academy

      Theatre
      The Curious Savage, Passion Play
      2021 – 2022

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      Senior Homes — Volunteer
      2015 – 2024
    • Volunteering

      Meal Train — Meal Train Volunteer Cook
      2024 – Present
    • Volunteering

      Note in the Pocket, CPO — Volunteer
      2021 – 2022

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Volunteering

    Women in Nursing Scholarship
    Winner
    By the age of seven, I was a professional smuggler. When my parents weren’t looking, I would sneak upstairs and hide the forbidden objects in my bedroom. These contraband items, however, were the least thing that you might expect: books. When I was young, my parents instilled in me a love of reading; this love only grew until it reached the point where I would stay up reading far past my bedtime. Consequently, my parents banned books from my bedroom and I resorted to surreptitious importation to feed my hunger for reading. Little did I know how the impact these books would have on my future. As I grew older, I decided that just as I loved books, I absolutely deplored STEM: healthcare was boring, and math was too complicated and confusing. However, my 9th grade algebra teacher completely changed my mind on math: through her clear teaching, she transformed my confusion into deep understanding. To my surprise, I grew to enjoy math; that year it was my favorite subject, and I decided that STEM wasn’t so bad at all. In 10th grade, chemistry was my favorite subject, and I resolved to pursue a career in STEM. While these subjects changed my mind on STEM, what changed my mind about healthcare in particular was, unsurprisingly, books. Often, having devoured all the books I could find, I would turn to reading books that I would have otherwise dismissed as being too young for me. Around 9th grade, this led me to read the Cherry Ames books, a series about a nurse, and the series which completely transformed my perspective on healthcare. Before reading these books, I had dismissed healthcare as boring because I viewed it as merely taking care of a body; however, after reading them, I realized healthcare was about taking care of a person. While nurses play an important role in administering healthcare, they are also some of a patient’s biggest emotional supporters. Whether through encouraging a mother in labor, comforting a lonely child, or reassuring an anxious patient before a procedure, nurses are crucial in helping patients feel that they are not alone. It was the realization of this that drew me to nursing. My dream is to make an impact in the future, not through some breakthrough discovery or achievement, but through the smaller-scale, yet equally important task of easing the mental and physical suffering of a patient through my care. Throughout my life, I have always been a nurturing person: I love playing with and babysitting children, and at school I always feel compelled to reach out to new students. Last year, I even co-founded a Women’s Club at my school to foster community between the girls in my school and to help them find a welcoming group of friends. Being a nurturing person is a critical aspect of becoming a nurse, as they empathize with and care for patients. Through becoming a nurse, I will be able to continue to pursue my goal of making a difference by impacting one life at a time. As I have researched the path to becoming a nurse, I have come to appreciate the crucial role that education plays every step of the way. College, and even my current high school education, will not only teach me knowledge necessary for this career; they will also help me develop the immense discipline, perseverance and hard work which I will need to become a nurse and fulfill the dream inspired by a young smuggler’s love for books.
    Isabelle Damian Student Profile | Bold.org