Growth is something that I am on a constant journey to achieve. Growth can mean many things for different people and their experiences very vastly. We are constantly growing and evolving throughout our lives. I am proud to have grown, in what I find, in an exponential way. I have grown in my religion, something I have struggled with being consistent with for the past 10 years. This growth has led me to be more patient with my two young children, it has made me a better partner, and a better daughter. My religion was able to flourish through finding a church home that I felt comfortable with, this was the inspiration that started the cascade to personal growth. Despite seeing obvious self-growth, I have had times of setbacks. There have been times when I questioned my faith, questioned my ability to commit to my journey, and I have even wondered if my choices are the "right" choice. Through my journey I have learned to trust the process; this journey is not overnight and to this day I am battling the same struggles. Teaching myself that it is okay to not be okay, it is okay to ask questions and seek answers, it is okay to be proud of myself as well. When I became a mother I was not able to see any way to do anything for myself ever again, I was so overwhelmed that I believed the only growth that I would ever achieve was through my children. I felt selfish for reading the Bible; instead of reading the nursery book or waking the kids up early on Sunday for church, it seemed like when I tried to do something that nourished me and what I needed that is when the guilt took over. I have had to learn that it was okay for me to be doing activities that supported me. Growth is a marathon, it is not something that is overnight, nor is it linear. Growth can be full of ups and downs and times of wondering if what you are doing is the right thing. Personal growth is only measured by yourself, no one can take what you see as growth away from you nor can anyone discredit your progress. My growth has been a struggle, my growth has been but a chapter in this book of life, it will continue to be edited and there will be different heroes and villains, but it will continue on.

Nursing is a passion for me, so much so I am doing nursing school twice. I am an unfortunate product of a nursing school closure; no credits transferring, lost time, money, and effort. Have you ever been so close to something and thought that you were at the finish line, just to have it snatched from you? Well, I have, I was only 3 courses short of obtaining my BSN degree and my nursing school shut down unexpectedly and left us with no reasonable alternatives to completing our degree. I had accepted a job on a medsurg unit at the hospital that I have dedicated my life to for the past 4 years. I am a mother of two young children and worked as a clinical technician through school, parenting, and of course, COVID. Through shortages, a pandemic, taking care of refugees and all the politics of hospitals I still wanted to be a nurse. Through my “first round” of nursing school I obtained a 3.88 GPA, I went back 3 weeks post-partum and gave it my all even obtaining a scholarship and a prestigious award at my hospital. Nursing is something that has shown me its ugly side, I hear many complaints every day at work about how nursing has gone from a work of heart to a business. Some nurses have encouraged me to join another field instead of starting nursing school over. Despite being told no, I love nursing and making the difference in peoples lives. I have been in a room, too many times, when patients have taken their last breaths, I have been there as a shoulder to cry on and someone to laugh with. I have many great compliments of patients telling me how great of a nurse I will make. Nurses hold such an honorable title, they are seen as healers and people who you can trust, that is someone I see myself as. As a mother I like to see myself not only as a physical healer of all boo boos but as an emotional healer and I truly believe I bring that into this profession. I have loved nursing for the past 4 years, when I got to see the inner workings of being a nurse. I fell in love with the struggle, with running from a code to running to a patient who is passing away and may be alone. Nursing takes adaptation, care and guts something that I have and want to use to enhance the wonderful profession of nursing.

Nursing is a passion for me, so much so I am doing nursing school twice. I am an unfortunate product of a nursing school closure; no credits transferring, lost time, money, and effort. Have you ever been so close to something and thought that you were at the finish line, just to have it snatched from you? Well, I have, I was only 3 courses short of obtaining my BSN degree and my nursing school shut down unexpectedly and left us with no reasonable alternatives to completing our degree. I had accepted a job on a medsurg unit at the hospital that I have dedicated my life to for the past 4 years. I am a mother of two young children and worked as a clinical technician through school, parenting, and of course, COVID. Through shortages, a pandemic, taking care of refugees and all the politics of hospitals I still wanted to be a nurse. Through my “first round” of nursing school I obtained a 3.88 GPA, I went back 3 weeks post-partum and gave it my all even obtaining a scholarship and a prestigious award at my hospital. Nursing is something that has shown me its ugly side, I hear many complaints every day at work about how nursing has gone from a work of heart to a business. Some nurses have encouraged me to join another field instead of starting nursing school over. Despite being told no, I love nursing and making the difference in peoples lives. I have been in a room, too many times, when patients have taken their last breaths, I have been there as a shoulder to cry on and someone to laugh with. I have many great compliments of patients telling me how great of a nurse I will make. Nurses hold such an honorable title, they are seen as healers and people who you can trust, that is someone I see myself as. As a mother I like to see myself not only as a physical healer of all boo boos but as an emotional healer and I truly believe I bring that into this profession. I have loved nursing for the past 4 years, when I got to see the inner workings of being a nurse. I fell in love with the struggle, with running from a code to running to a patient who is passing away and may be alone. Nursing takes adaptation, care and guts something that I have and want to use to enhance the wonderful profession of nursing.

Nursing is a passion for me, so much so I am doing nursing school twice. I am an unfortunate product of a nursing school closure; no credits transferring, lost time, money, and effort. Have you ever been so close to something and thought that you were at the finish line, just to have it snatched from you? Well, I have, I was only 3 courses short of obtaining my BSN degree and my nursing school shut down unexpectedly and left us with no reasonable alternatives to completing our degree. I had accepted a job on a medsurg unit at the hospital that I have dedicated my life to for the past 4 years. I am a mother of two young children and worked as a clinical technician through school, parenting, and of course, COVID. Through shortages, a pandemic, taking care of refugees and all the politics of hospitals I still wanted to be a nurse. Through my “first round” of nursing school I obtained a 3.88 GPA, I went back 3 weeks post-partum and gave it my all even obtaining a scholarship and a prestigious award at my hospital. Nursing is something that has shown me its ugly side, I hear many complaints every day at work about how nursing has gone from a work of heart to a business. Some nurses have encouraged me to join another field instead of starting nursing school over. Despite being told no, I love nursing and making the difference in peoples lives. I have been in a room, too many times, when patients have taken their last breaths, I have been there as a shoulder to cry on and someone to laugh with. I have many great compliments of patients telling me how great of a nurse I will make. Nurses hold such an honorable title, they are seen as healers and people who you can trust, that is someone I see myself as. As a mother I like to see myself not only as a physical healer of all boo boos but as an emotional healer and I truly believe I bring that into this profession. I have loved nursing for the past 4 years, when I got to see the inner workings of being a nurse. I fell in love with the struggle, with running from a code to running to a patient who is passing away and may be alone. Nursing takes adaptation, care and guts something that I have and want to use to enhance the wonderful profession of nursing.