Over the past seven years as a Patient Care Coordinator, I have seen the skill and heart that healthcare professionals bring to work each day. Nursing is rooted in empathy and resilience, and pursuing it feels like an authentic expression of who I am. Because of this, I know with confidence that nursing is the career I want to dedicate my life to. Being surrounded by co-workers committed to improving lives has inspired me and deepened my respect for the field. I have also seen opportunities where our system can become more supportive, accessible, and patient-centered. I have always been drawn to advocating for others who are unable to do so for themselves. Patients can fall through the cracks because they are overwhelmed, scared, or unsure of what questions to ask. Seeing the challenges vulnerable patients face has fueled my determination to be a nurse who ensures every person feels seen and valued. I would do this by encouraging safe care plans, providing outside resources to the underserved, validating concerns, and educating on what safe care looks like for future healthcare encounters. I’ve come to understand how transformative it can be to have a nurse who advocates with compassion and conviction. Meeting people at their most vulnerable moments and helping them navigate through it is meaningful to me and is something I want to do more often in patient-facing settings. Preventable health challenges continue to plague our society, and seeing this was the catalyst for my desire to help build healthier communities. However, it wasn't until I shadowed in Labor and Delivery that I confirmed nursing is my calling. Shadowing on this floor was life-changing and allowed me to gain firsthand experience of what it means to be a nurse. I once watched a first-time mom go through delivery. She was terrified and rightfully anxious, but had the support of nurses on each side of her while she pushed. They continuously validated the pain she was experiencing. Every push was followed by supportive words like "c'mon, momma, you're almost there, just a couple more pushes!" which helped keep her grounded whenever panic set in. When the baby was delivered, the room shifted. They placed the baby on her chest, and I watched Mom’s face light up despite her physical pain. The nurses reminded her that the pain is temporary and never left her or her partner unsupported. The nurses held everything together and filled in the overlooked gaps in care, like showing mom how to swaddle, explaining the importance of skin-to-skin, and educating on newborn urinary and stool output expectations. These seemingly unimportant things that may be missed by providers truly make a difference in the connection built between a patient and their health care team, and are differences I cannot currently make in my non-clinical role. Witnessing this connection between the nurses and this couple erased any doubt in my head about becoming a nurse, and it solidified that this is what I want to do. My socioeconomic background, healthcare work, and health battles have shaped my understanding of people. I want to cultivate a healthcare environment where every patient feels safe to advocate for their needs. I’ve spoken with patients who felt lost or abandoned while trying to navigate the system, and it reinforces my belief that compassionate guidance can change patient experiences.

Over the past seven years as a Patient Care Coordinator, I have seen the skill and heart that healthcare professionals bring to work each day. Nursing is rooted in empathy and resilience, and pursuing it feels like an authentic expression of who I am. Because of this, I know with confidence that nursing is the career I want to dedicate my life to. Being surrounded by co-workers committed to improving lives has inspired me and deepened my respect for the field. I have also seen opportunities where our system can become more supportive, accessible, and patient-centered. I have always been drawn to advocating for others who are unable to do so for themselves. Patients can fall through the cracks because they are overwhelmed, scared, or unsure of what questions to ask. Seeing the challenges vulnerable patients face has fueled my determination to be a nurse who ensures every person feels seen and valued. I would do this by encouraging safe care plans, providing outside resources to the underserved, validating concerns, and educating on what safe care looks like for future healthcare encounters. I’ve come to understand how transformative it can be to have a nurse who advocates with compassion and conviction. Meeting people at their most vulnerable moments and helping them navigate through it is meaningful to me and is something I want to do more often in patient-facing settings. Preventable health challenges continue to plague our society, and seeing this was the catalyst for my desire to help build healthier communities. However, it wasn't until I shadowed in Labor and Delivery that I confirmed nursing is my calling. Shadowing on this floor was life-changing and allowed me to gain firsthand experience of what it means to be a nurse. It was the inspiration I needed to commit to my nursing journey. I once watched a first-time mom go through delivery. She was terrified and rightfully anxious, but had the support of nurses on each side of her while she pushed. They continuously validated the pain she was experiencing. Every push was followed by supportive words like "c'mon, momma, you're almost there, just a couple more pushes!" which helped keep her grounded whenever panic set in. When the baby was delivered, the room shifted. They placed the baby on her chest, and I watched Mom’s face light up despite her physical pain. The nurses reminded her that the pain is temporary and never left her or her partner unsupported. The nurses held everything together and filled in the overlooked gaps in care, like showing mom how to swaddle, explaining the importance of skin-to-skin, and educating on newborn urinary and stool output expectations. These seemingly unimportant things that may be missed by providers truly make a difference in the connection built between a patient and their health care team, and are differences I cannot currently make in my non-clinical role. Witnessing this connection between the nurses and this couple erased any doubt in my head about becoming a nurse, and it solidified that this is what I want to do. My socioeconomic background, healthcare work, and health battles have shaped my understanding of people. I want to cultivate a healthcare environment where every patient feels safe to advocate for their needs. I’ve spoken with patients who felt lost or abandoned while trying to navigate the system, and it reinforces my belief that compassionate guidance can change patient experiences.

Through my seven years working as a Patient Care Coordinator, I have seen the skill and heart that healthcare professionals bring to work each day. Nursing is rooted in empathy and resilience, and pursuing it feels like an authentic expression of who I am. Because of this, I know with confidence that nursing is the career I want to dedicate my life to. Being surrounded by co-workers committed to improving lives has inspired me and deepened my respect for the field. I have also seen opportunities where our system can become more supportive, accessible, and patient-centered. I have always been drawn to advocating for others unable to do so for themselves. Patients can fall through the cracks because they are overwhelmed, scared, or unsure of what questions to ask. Seeing the challenges vulnerable patients face has fueled my determination to be a nurse who ensures every person feels seen and valued. I would do this by encouraging safe care plans, providing outside resources to the underserved, validating concerns, and educating on what safe care looks like for future healthcare encounters. I’ve come to understand how transformative it can be to have a nurse who advocates with compassion and conviction. Meeting people at their most vulnerable moments and helping them navigate through that is meaningful to me and is something I want to be able to do more often in patient-facing settings. Preventable health challenges continue to plague our society, and seeing this was the catalyst for my desire to aid in building healthier communities. However, it wasn't until I shadowed in Labor and Delivery that I confirmed nursing is my calling. Shadowing on this floor was life-changing and allowed me to gain firsthand experience of what it means to be a nurse and was the inspiration I needed to commit to my nursing journey. I once watched a first-time mom go through delivery. She was terrified and rightfully anxious, but had the support of nurses on each side of her while she pushed. They continuously validated the pain she was experiencing. Every push was followed by supportive words like "c'mon, momma, you're almost there, just a couple more pushes!" which helped keep her grounded any time panic set in. When the baby was delivered, the room shifted. They placed the baby on her chest, and I watched Mom’s face light up despite her physical pain. The nurses reminded her that the pain is temporary and they never left her or her partner unsupported. The nurses held everything together and filled in all the overlooked gaps in care, like showing mom how to swaddle, explaining the importance of skin to skin, and educating on newborn urinary and stool output expectations. These seemingly unimportant things that may be missed by providers truly make a difference in the connection built between a patient and their health care team, and are differences I can not currently make in my non-clinical role. Witnessing this connection between the nurses and this couple erased any doubt in my head about becoming a nurse, and it was solidified that this is what I want to do. My socioeconomic background, healthcare work, and health battles have shaped my understanding of people. I want to cultivate a healthcare environment where every patient feels safe to advocate for their needs. I’ve spoken with patients who felt lost or abandoned while trying to navigate the system, and it reinforces my belief that compassionate guidance can change patient experiences.

Watching my mother complete her degree as a single parent with no car, no partner, and working a job making $16 an hour after being laid off from a well-paying job while taking care of 3 kids was an experience I will never forget. As a teen back then, I could not truly appreciate the work ethic she had to have to do what she was doing. I thought, "This is just the typical life as an adult with kids". No adults I knew seemed to be truly happy so my mother did not stray too far away from my cognitive schema of what an adult life looked like. The struggle, the tiredness, and the constant lack of patience all seemed normal to me. Nothing out of the ordinary, this is the life that's waiting for me in adulthood, so I thought. Now that I am an adult who is in school and working full time, I have a newfound respect for what my mother was doing as a single parent pursuing her degree as I could not even imagine having to add on the additional challenges she was facing to my own life right now. Watching someone do the impossible changes you. It may not be immediate, but eventually, it catches up to you and influences your choices and commitment to further growth and development. I always wanted to be a doctor growing up but for some reason, this goal always seemed unattainable. I was positive I did not have the money, time, or intelligence to pursue a career like this so I settled for a major I believed to be easier and still struggled even with all the support imaginable. Sitting in a cold hospital bed after a devastating mental health episode was extremely humbling for me. Previously, I thought I was the unstoppable golden child who was to meet no roadblocks. I believed life would be easy for me and quickly realized, no. Life has no favorites and I must work my tail off to pursue the career of my dreams. My mom's journey was, and always will be the fuel I need to keep me on track. Her path to success did not come easy, so why would it come easy for me? Yes, our circumstances were different, but having a good work ethic is a circumstance that will never lose value. Without having seen what my mom went through to graduate college, I can not guarantee that I would still be trying to cross my finish line 6 years into my journey of getting my bachelor's. She showed me that anything is possible if you truly commit and utilize all your resources. Proving to me, that being a physician is an achievable goal. I believe I owe it to my mother and community to prevail through all adversities I face to be able to contribute to society in a meaningful way both in college and out of college. Work ethic is not just applicable in school but in everyday life. Who are you and what will you do when facing adversity, pain, and exhaustion? Do you quit, or keep fighting the finite fight? If there's anything I learned growing up with my mom, it's that you fight. You fight for your education, fight for your worth, and help fight for those who can not fight for themselves. I believe this will be achievable for me as a physician and I owe it to my upbringing for making this path a possibility for me.

The slaughtering of an entire nation in order to gain power is all to real in our current climate. Genocide, being an extremely vile and cruel act of violence is often hard to depict without relying too heavily on a pathos approach. However, Avatar: The Last Air Bender makes this feat look easy with its perfect blend of comedy, innocence and fantasy action in a world who has been burned by the fire nation for over 100 years. Hope and determination keep team avatar from falling into despair and allows them to push past all obstacles that come their way. Avatar caught my attention as a child when I was about 9 years old. I began watching in its 3rd season as the series finale was coming to a close. I was captivated by the bending scenes. Especially because as a then 9 year old, why wouldn't I want to shoot fire out of my finger tips? The graphics were ahead of its time and all the main characters had a youthfulness to them that made me feel safe. The writers and artistic developers did an amazing job at making team avatar look like children traveling across the world fighting fire lord Ozai's minions while still being able to have fun in their off time. This made me feel comfortable, like I could be apart of this team and I could be apart of this world without having to be fearful of pain and suffering. Fast forward to my teenage years. This show was just as captivating as it was for me as a child, but for different reasons. The agony the 4 nations felt from the fire nations attacks became more dramatic to me. While the bending was of course was just as incredible in my teenage eyes, social issues within the show began to stick out to me more. Katara not being allowed to water bend, Princess Yue being forced to marry a guy she does not love, individuals losing their homes and being forced to flee to Ba Sing Se for safety and more. I began to develop a new level of awareness of how these issues shaped the identity of the characters and how the issues found in the world of Avatar were not contained to just this show, but could be found in our real world. In human history, there is a vast history of gender inequality, genocide occurring due to an individual or group of people in hope to cease power as well as the the destruction of communities that lead to the displacement a large body of people. Every social issue in Avatar has a real life counter part and I believe this is what makes this show so timeless and special. Anyone, at any age can watch this show can find value and comfort. A kid can watch and for a second feel like they can be a bender on team avatar and hangout on ember island on their off day. A teen can watch and begin to appreciate the character develop that unfolds throughout the series and an adult can watch and admire how the humor, horror and action all come together in a way that provides entertainment for any audience member. This show has purpose, heart and soul which I believe is what makes it work so well and allows me to continue watching it now that I am 25. There are always new lessons that can be found in this show and overall, its impact on its viewers has no limits.