Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “ To know one life has breathed easier because you have lived; that is to have succeeded.” I have always had this undying passion to help those in need. My story begins at the age of eight. My cousin had thought it would be smart to push me down the slide while I was distracted. At first she laughed at my shaken expression until she realized instead of sliding down the slide I fell over the slide. At that moment I couldn’t move. My head was spinning and I experienced blurry vision. Once I got in the ambulance it smelled of rubbing alcohol and had that hospital smell. I noticed my chin had burst open and I panicked. Once we arrived at Downstate hospital I was rushed into a room where I met Dr. Smith. She talked to me so that I could understand what exactly was going on and her constant reassurance that everything was going to be okay. I was informed I needed stitches. I recall being conscious while Dr. Smith led me through the procedure. I think she noticed the fear in my eyes. From there on I realized I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field specifically in pediatrics. I’m not sure if it was how comfortable the doctors made me feel or the curiosity now sparked in me. This experience was a blessing in disguise. It had a large impact on my career goal. It made me commit more to my studies and participate in programs that would help me become the type of student that would one day be accepted into nursing school. The dream became bigger and stronger; it started to match my educational ambitions; translating into my decision to major in health science currently. This past year I interned at a doctors office, shadowing a series of doctors and nurses. In doing so I have acquired necessary skills as well as got accustomed to how things work in the health career. I've learned a lot about what it takes to be a nurse because of this opportunity. A nurse's responsibility is not just to provide high-quality care to patients of all ethnic backgrounds; it is also to collaborate in the establishment of innovative policies, remedies, and prevention measures for today's ever-changing society and the global health equity movement. My experiences have given me a better knowledge of the skills and characteristics of an effective and professional nurse, the most essential of which is being a relentless activist for the rights of patients and fellow nurses. Nurses are frequently considered to be the secret to global health, serving as a valuable resource in the attempts to break down cultural, educational, and socioeconomic barriers around the world, allowing for better healthcare demands and needs. They treat not only the physical nature of the problem, but also the soul as part of the holistic recovery period, treating patients as individuals rather than medical conditions or visits. With that said, it serves to invigorate me to pursue pediatric nursing in which I can explore various paths within the practice of nursing while being true to the field's fundamentals. I've always wanted to work with children, and pediatric nursing allows me to combine my passion for children with my desire to serve others. Being a hospital patient can be frightening as I've witnessed personally. As a pediatric nurse, I will offer emotional assistance to children, which I believe has a direct link to a patient's physical well-being. It will be my pleasure to observe their recovery and improvement.

At the beginning of my sophomore year of high school my mother lost her job. That evening, I came home from school and found my mother crying. She told me she was okay but I knew she was not. The next morning we carried on as if nothing had happened - as if everything was back to normal, but also different at the same time. On my way to school she gave me the heartbreaking news. I remember the sadness in her voice, and I saw how distraught she was. She told me not to worry, she reassured me that things would be okay, but I knew that she was trying to protect me from the truth. My mother has always been my rock, and my go-to person. Seeing her so depressed and distant impacted me immensely and I was not sure how to handle it. It has always just been my mother and I. Witnessing the sweep of stress and sadness that came over her pulled me in and no matter how hard I tried to keep a positive attitude around her, I was sinking. The climate of my house changed from happy and blissful to a consistent tone of melancholy and sorrow. What had once been my sacred place was now somewhere I dreaded to be. So, I did what most teenagers wouldn't. I threw myself into my books. I joined a bunch of extracurricular activities such as cheerleading, NAACP, and the sophomore committee to keep me busy and I wouldn't be home as much. It also helped to understand the importance of having positive distractions that can pull you out of hard times - extracurricular activities and positive people to remind you that your troubles will not last forever. I have come to realize that this experience was a blessing in disguise. It had a large impact on my perspective going to college. I had always played around with the idea of going, but the thought of having to experience as my mother did when losing her job pushed me further than ever before. It made me commit more to my studies and participate in programs that would help me become the type of student that would be accepted into any university. I also wanted to show my mother the dedication that she had ignited in me to be someone that she would always be proud of. My mother’s experience revealed to me that no one is exempt from experiencing hardships. My mother works very hard and if being let go is something that can happen to her, it can happen to anyone. The importance of having a career and receiving an education rang true to me through my mother's hardships. The dream became bigger and stronger; it started to match my educational ambitions as I grew older; translating into my decision to major in health science. My mother’s hardships inspired me to strive higher with my career and personal goals to ensure that I never have to share similar sadness and disappointment. I want to be prepared for my hardships and put myself in a financial position that will reflect the hard work that I have put into my goals. I want a career where my family is not in jeopardy if things go wrong. I always knew that I never wanted any job or position to define my version of success, but this experience challenged my ideas about the meaning of success. Due to this experience I now know that none of these goals are reachable or guaranteed without having a degree under my belt.

At the beginning of my sophomore year of high school my mother lost her job. That evening, I came home from school and found my mother crying. She told me she was okay but I knew she was not. The next morning we carried on as if nothing had happened - as if everything was back to normal, but also different at the same time. On my way to school she gave me the heartbreaking news. I remember the sadness in her voice, and I saw how distraught she was. She told me not to worry, she reassured me that things would be okay, but I knew that she was trying to protect me from the truth. My mother has always been my rock, and my go-to person. Seeing her so depressed and distant impacted me immensely and I was not sure how to handle it. It has always just been my mother and I. Witnessing the sweep of stress and sadness that came over her pulled me in and no matter how hard I tried to keep a positive attitude around her, I was sinking. The climate of my house changed from happy and blissful to a consistent tone of melancholy and sorrow. What had once been my sacred place was now somewhere I dreaded to be. So, I did what most teenagers wouldn't. I threw myself into my books. I joined a bunch of extracurricular activities such as cheerleading, NAACP, and the sophomore committee to keep me busy and I wouldn't be home as much. It also helped to understand the importance of having positive distractions that can pull you out of hard times - extracurricular activities and positive people to remind you that your troubles will not last forever. I have come to realize that this experience was a blessing in disguise. It had a large impact on my perspective going to college. I had always played around with the idea of going, but the thought of having to experience as my mother did when losing her job pushed me further than ever before. It made me commit more to my studies and participate in programs that would help me become the type of student that would be accepted into any university. I also wanted to show my mother the dedication that she had ignited in me to be someone that she would always be proud of. My mother’s experience revealed to me that no one is exempt from experiencing hardships. My mother works very hard and if being let go is something that can happen to her, it can happen to anyone. The importance of having a career and receiving an education rang true to me through my mother's hardships. The dream became bigger and stronger; it started to match my educational ambitions as I grew older; translating into my decision to major in health science. My mother’s hardships inspired me to strive higher with my career and personal goals to ensure that I never have to share similar sadness and disappointment. I want to be prepared for my hardships and put myself in a financial position that will reflect the hard work that I have put into my goals. I want a career where my family is not in jeopardy if things go wrong. I always knew that I never wanted any job or position to define my version of success, but this experience challenged my ideas about the meaning of success. Due to this experience I now know that none of these goals are reachable or guaranteed without having a degree under my belt.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “ To know one life has breathed easier because you have lived; that is to have succeeded.” I have always had this undying passion to help those in need. My story begins at the age of eight. My cousin had thought it would be smart to push me down the slide while I was distracted. At first she laughed at my shaken expression until she realized instead of sliding down the slide I fell over the slide. At that moment I couldn’t move. My head was spinning and I experienced blurry vision. Once I got in the ambulance it smelled of rubbing alcohol and had that hospital smell. I noticed my chin had burst open to the point where flesh was visible. I panicked, I begged them to help me. Once we arrived at Downstate hospital I was rushed into a room where I met Dr. Smith. She talked to me so that I could understand what exactly was going on and her constant reassurance that everything was going to be okay. I was informed I needed stitches. I recall being conscious while Dr. Smith led me through the procedure. I think she noticed the fear in my eyes. From there on I realized I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field specifically in pediatrics. I’m not sure if it was how comfortable the doctors made me feel or the curiosity now sparked in me. This experience was a blessing in disguise. It had a large impact on my career goal. It made me commit more to my studies and participate in programs that would help me become the type of student that would one day be accepted into nursing school. The dream became bigger and stronger; it started to match my educational ambitions; translating into my decision to major in health science currently. This past year I interned at a doctors office, shadowing a series of doctors, nurses, and PA’s and in doing so I have acquired necessary skills I will use in the future as well as got accustomed to how things work in the health career. I've learned a lot about what it takes to be a nurse because of this opportunity. A nurse's responsibility is not just to provide high-quality care to patients of all ethnic backgrounds; it is also to collaborate in the establishment of innovative policies, remedies, and prevention measures for today's ever-changing society and the global health equity movement. My experiences have given me a better knowledge of the skills and characteristics of an effective and professional nurse, the most essential of which is being a relentless activist for the rights of patients and fellow nurses. Nurses are frequently considered to be the secret to global health, serving as a valuable resource in the attempts to break down cultural, educational, and socioeconomic barriers around the world, allowing for better healthcare demands and needs. They treat not only the physical nature of the problem, but also the soul as part of the holistic recovery period, treating patients as individuals rather than medical conditions or visits. With that said, it serves to invigorate me to pursue this fulfilling career in which I can explore various paths within the practice of nursing while being true to the field's fundamentals. My diverse experiences will allow me to perform effectively as a student and baccalaureate prepared nurse in the ever-changing world of healthcare, much like many of today's practicing nurses, as an advocate for exceptional patient care, patient education, and improved quality and affordable care both locally and globally.