My goal from when I was five has always been the same: help others heal. This has been the driving force behind being a physical therapy aide, an EMT, a combat medic, an acupuncturist, and now as a nursing student. With my end goal of being a Nurse Practitioner and a medical officer in the military, I plan to improve the quality of care for soldiers both on and off the battlefield. My journey in healing began in the National Guard as a combat medic, where I treated soldiers for battlefield injuries. In my civilian life, I was an EMT and provided similar care as a medic, where we stabilized the patients and got them to the next stage of care. Later, as a physical therapy aide, I helped treat patients in rehab and long-term care. Finally, as a 5th generation acupuncturist, I learned that healing isn’t just physical, it’s holistic, and can encompass energetic and emotional healing and balance. As a Nurse practitioner, I plan to bridge Eastern and Western medicine; this combination of modern medicine and ancient healing traditions can offer patients more comprehensive and holistic care. I especially want to serve veterans and soldiers, people who often carry both physical injuries and mental scars long after their service is over. My ultimate goal is to return to the military as a medical officer, bringing my unique skillset back to the people who shaped me and giving back to my brothers and sisters in arms. Beyond practicing medicine, I want to educate people about the effectiveness of acupuncture and holistic medicine. Too many patients aren’t aware of alternative therapies that could dramatically improve their quality of life. They are not aware that acupuncture can treat withdrawal, insomnia, trauma, stress, pain, and a myriad of other issues that veterans and civilians all face. I hope to spread that knowledge and educate people through community workshops, teaching, and maybe even starting a clinic one day so that more people can access the healing they deserve. Additionally, as someone of low income, I also want to host free health fairs where I can provide complimentary treatments to give back to the community and inspire the next generation. This scholarship would not just help me financially but also validate the values I’ve built my life around. I am committed to serving others by providing the best quality care, and I hope to spend my career lifting others the way so many have lifted me.

My biggest setback was when I failed my acupuncture board exam on my first attempt. I remember staring at the screen in disbelief when I saw I failed. Later when I got my score, I deflated even more; I received a 69, and I needed a 70 to pass. I literally failed by 1 point. This meant I would need to spend more time studying, more money paying and registering for the exam, and more income I lost out on. My weeks of hard work were for naught. After spiraling for the next 20 minutes, I thought to myself, “What’s the purpose in sulking? It’s not going to make the situation better. Pull yourself together and get it right the second time”. On the way home, and for the rest of the night, I reflected on why I failed and realized it wasn’t a lack of effort, but I had studied the wrong stuff. I had already worked hard; now, I needed to work smarter. Before, I was rereading my textbooks. Now I found a website that had over 7,000 practice questions. With that, I created and dedicated to a regimen of no less than 120 questions every day. Even after 10-hour workdays, I stayed up late to hit my goal. Additionally, I also recorded what questions previously gave me trouble and made sure to review them. That new system worked. I passed the exam with confidence the second time around, with 45 minutes to spare. Even better, I walked away with an important lesson: failure is inevitable, and growth is optional. I will always have failures and setbacks, but I can't let that be the end. I need to use those as opportunities to reflect on what doesn’t work and find what does work. Like my favorite quote from Thomas Edison is, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” I didn’t fail, I had just found a method that didn’t work, now I have to try a different method. This mindset is what drives my next chapter: becoming a nurse. I am about to start an accelerated nursing program, and I know the path ahead will be intense both academically and emotionally. But I also know from past experiences that with the right strategy and work ethic, I’ll rise to the challenge. I would love to participate in a mentorship program with Inspire11. Being part of a community that values resilience, discipline, and going above and beyond would give me the same feeling of comradery as when I was in the army. I would love to help the next generation avoid the same mistakes I made and to motivate them to keep going when they feel like quitting, something I wish I had. Mentorship to me is a like a rising tide that lifts all boats, as I get better, I inspire others to do the same. My setbacks have taught me that turning it up to 11 isn’t always about working harder but working smarter. It’s about not letting setbacks and failures define me but using it as a stepping stone to success. It’s about creating plans and having the discipline to stay consistent to achieve my goals. As I go through nursing school, I know there will be moments of doubt and struggle; but I also know I have the determination to get through every obstacle. With Inspire11’s support, I look forward to learning, sharing, and continuing to turn it up to 11 every single day, and I hope to be a role model for future generations.

My grandfather was a veteran and has been a huge inspiration in my life. After serving in the Korean War, he started his own construction company and built it with the core values of discipline, professionalism, and an unwavering sense of purpose. Additionally, as a way to give back and support others, he often tried to hire veterans, as they shared his values of teamwork, loyalty, and pushing through adversity. Watching him work, I saw buildings rise, lives being rebuilt, communities being served, and veterans being given a second chance. His journey shaped my core values of discipline, perseverance, and dedication. Watching him and his crew, I learned that leadership isn’t about ordering around your subordinates, it’s about taking care of your subordinates so they are motivated in helping you achieve your goals. For example, my grandfather was often the first one on the job and the last to leave, would often buy lunch and breakfast for his crew, and would never hesitate to lend a hand, implying that he was above hard work. Because of this, he never had any issues if he had to ask team members to stay longer or work weekends because they knew it was for a good reason. These values of long hours, hard work, dedication, and integrity are things that I carry with me through my nursing school journey. His military service also inspired me to join the National Guard and experience the sacrifice and camaraderie that he often told me about during his service days. During my time as a medic, I treated battlefield and training injuries, but I always wanted to be more involved after they returned home. This is the basis of why I want to be a nurse and, ultimately, a Nurse Practitioner and medical officer in the military. As a medical officer, I can implement better protocols so soldiers and their families get the best quality care. Just like how my grandfather supported veterans with his construction company, I want to support veterans through healthcare, helping them recover and ensure a better quality of life. My journey in nursing hasn’t been easy, but the work ethic that my grandfather instilled in me has helped me through it. The challenges I faced in working as an EMT and combat medic, returning to school, and balancing life’s responsibilities have been countless and daunting, but keeping my eyes on the bigger picture has allowed me to and continues to push through. My grandfather's journey as a veteran and business owner has given me a roadmap and shown me that success isn’t just what you create but also who you help and who helps you along the way. He has personified the army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage, and I aim to do the same as I continue pursuing my goals of being a Nurse Practitioner and medical officer.

Success for me is about persevering despite experiencing failures. Some of my favorite inspirations and quotes that relate to this are “The billionaire has failed more times than the failure has tried,” Thomas Edison's "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work”, and Jackie Chan in the Karate Kid, where he says “life will knock you down, but you can choose to get back up.” It is about resiliency, being able to face adversity, learning from failures and mistakes, and trying again until my goals are achieved. Life has tested me in many ways, but each challenge has only reinforced my determination to push forward. One of the most significant components of success is resiliency, which I learned in the army. Our time in basic training was designed to push everyone mentally and physically while the drill sergeants constantly tested our limits. My peers and I battled fatigue, frustration, and stress, often to our breaking points; some faltered and cracked under pressure and quit, but I remained focused. I learned to tune out distractions, help my teammates, and accomplish the mission, regardless of the obstacles. This experience and the lessons it taught me I still use to this day while pursuing my goals. The next most crucial aspect of success is maintaining a positive attitude, which I learned during my door-to-door sales job. During this time, I encountered countless rejections and hostility every day. Customers yelled at me and cursed me out, I had the police called on me at least once a week, I had to walk in the snow, subfreezing temperatures, or torrential rain, and I even had a neighborhood talk against me on social media, wanting to tie me to a tree and leave me for the police. Despite all of this, I did not let it affect me, and I still managed to close sales. I had to maintain a positive attitude, as customers would pick up on a negative attitude, which would negatively affect my numbers. My efforts paid off when I was promoted to team leader, validating my ability to thrive under pressure. These two instances of not letting failure hold me back were put to the test when I took my board exams for acupuncture. I actually failed one of my exams on my first attempt by one point, but I didn’t let it deter me. Because of my time in the army and experience in sales, my initial reaction to my failing score was not sadness but composure. I thought about what topics I needed to improve and how my study methods could have been better. With this, I created a plan to study 100 practice problems every night, and I would not sleep until I finished, often staying up until 3 am, and I still had work the next day. This discipline allowed me to pass on my second attempt, with 30 minutes to spare on a 2-hour test. In my current acupuncture job, success is understanding that not every patient will be satisfied with my treatments, but I do my best and retain the patients I have so that they may bring in new patients for me. It is about going above and beyond and organizing outreach events to educate people and bring in new patients. More importantly, I understand that I am new at this, and outcomes may be subpar at first, but I am continuing to improve with each subsequent attempt. As I pursue my nursing degree while building my acupuncture practice, success now means balancing my commitments so that both can prosper. This will not be easy, but I am determined to make it work. My goal is to have acupuncture practice while excelling in my nursing career, proving that persistence can turn aspirations into reality. This scholarship will alleviate some of the financial burdens of my program and allow me to focus on my education and business endeavors, which I will be able to pay forward by being a better teammate in working with my classmates and being a better provider for my patients. This scholarship is also an opportunity for me; if I am selected as a winner, then I have succeeded in earning this award. If not, then the resiliency I have cultivated will allow me to try again with a different scholarship until I get that eventual yes.

When I was five, I told my mother that I wanted to go into the medical field because I wanted to take care of her when she was older. This is the foundation for my pursuit of service and healing as a physical therapy aide, a combat medic, and an acupuncturist. Though these fields were great and provided much experience, I found myself wanting more. As a medic, I stabilized patients in the prehospital phase. As a physical therapy aide, I treated patients in the rehabilitation phase of care, and as an acupuncturist, I treat patients in the long-term phase of care. As a nurse, I am able to treat patients from acute to long-term care. This flexibility is why I wish to pursue nursing. My goal to become a nurse stems from my commitment to patient care, perseverance, and military service. As a combat medic, I saw how little emphasis was placed on wellness and injury prevention among soldiers. This caused injuries to go untreated and soldiers to get medically discharged, which affected morale and mission success. This drove me to learn how to heal people, and with acupuncture and physical therapy, I was able to do just that, with a focus on pain management and rehabilitation. While these fields allowed me to help patients recover, I realized I wanted to do more—to provide both acute and long-term care and be with patients through their entire journey to recovery. Nursing allows me to do all this and more. A nurse is very similar to a combat medic, just in the civilian sector. As a medic, I was stationed in different settings, such as an aid station, on the battlefield, overseeing training environments, and in military hospitals, and required to render different types of services, such as establishing IV lines, giving vaccinations, taking vitals, and even performing surgical cricothyroidotomies. This flexibility is why I am drawn to nursing, as nurses are able to have so many specialties, such as oncology, emergency medicine, and dermatology. I aim to bridge the gap between prevention, treatment, and wellness. Whether I am working with young injured athletes, veterans, or patients from underserved communities, my goal as a nurse is to provide care that not only treats illness and injury but also empowers patients to lead healthier lives. Additionally, I wish to become an NP and return to the military as a medical officer so I can improve protocols and education for soldiers to ensure their long-term well-being.

When I was five, I told my mother that I wanted to go into the medical field because I wanted to take care of her when she was older. This is the foundation for my pursuit of service and healing as a physical therapy aide, a combat medic, and an acupuncturist. Though these fields were great and provided much experience, I found myself wanting more. As a medic, I stabilized patients in the prehospital phase. As a physical therapy aide, I treated patients in the rehabilitation phase of care, and as an acupuncturist, I treat patients in the long-term phase of care. As a nurse, I am able to treat patients from acute to long-term care. This flexibility is why I wish to pursue nursing. My goal to become a nurse stems from my commitment to patient care, perseverance, and military service. As a combat medic, I saw how little emphasis was placed on wellness and injury prevention among soldiers. This caused injuries to go untreated and soldiers to get medically discharged, which affected morale and mission success. This drove me to learn how to heal people, and with acupuncture and physical therapy, I was able to do just that, with a focus on pain management and rehabilitation. While these fields allowed me to help patients recover, I realized I wanted to do more—to provide both acute and long-term care and be with patients through their entire journey to recovery. Nursing allows me to do all this and more. A nurse is very similar to a combat medic, just in the civilian sector. As a medic, I was stationed in different settings, such as an aid station, on the battlefield, overseeing training environments, and in military hospitals, and required to render different types of services, such as establishing IV lines, giving vaccinations, taking vitals, and even performing surgical cricothyroidotomies. This flexibility is why I am drawn to nursing, as nurses are able to have so many specialties, such as oncology, emergency medicine, and dermatology. I aim to bridge the gap between prevention, treatment, and wellness. Whether I am working with young injured athletes, veterans, or patients from underserved communities, my goal as a nurse is to provide care that not only treats illness and injury but also empowers patients to lead healthier lives. Additionally, I wish to become an NP and go back into the military as a medical officer so I can improve protocols and education for soldiers to ensure their long-term well-being.

Since I was a child, I have known of the gaps in our healthcare system, specifically in underprivileged communities, and their lack of access to affordable and effective healthcare. I’ve also seen people put off going to the doctor because of financial reasons, causing them to develop conditions that could have been prevented, such as my aunt and her arthritis and my uncle with his sciatica. My training as a combat medic taught me to remain calm while providing emergency care in high-pressure situations. Still, all I was allowed to do was stabilize a patient in the prehospital phase of care and prepare them for transport to an emergency care setting. I found myself wishing I could do more for my patients instead of just stabilizing them. This experience reinforced my passion for healthcare and my goal to create meaningful changes. Nursing represents an opportunity to expand my skill set and provide more comprehensive, continuous care to those in need. As a nurse, my goal is to serve underserved populations in the civilian sector, as well as serve soldiers as medical officers in the military sector. For underserved communities, I wish to implement programs that make accessing preventative and rehabilitative care easier. For the military sector, I want to improve protocols and access to resources for service members, ensuring they receive high-quality care in the field and at home. I hope my commitment to civilian and military healthcare will allow me to make a substantial impact on individuals from all walks of life. In my local community, I currently volunteer as an acupuncturist at pop-up clinics for the Tzu Chi Buddhist Association and provide free acupuncture sessions to people for my job. As a nurse, I wish to establish outreach programs in low-income areas, such as organizing health fairs that offer screenings and early intervention services. I also hope to mentor future healthcare providers, especially those in underprivileged communities, as another form of giving back to the community. Maureen C. Pace’s legacy was championing innovative technologies to improve patient care. I aim to carry on Maureen’s values by incorporating my experience in acupuncture and Chinese Medicine into my patient care to offer a holistic viewpoint to my patients. In addition, I want to use my affiliations with other healthcare professionals to provide resources to my patients for long-term care. I will also continue to volunteer at pop-up clinics to provide services for the needy. I am committed to using my knowledge and experience to help individuals and progress the healthcare system. With this scholarship, I can come one step closer to fulfilling my mission of providing the highest quality of care as I carry on Maureen’s legacy and look to her as a guide.

The first time I saw the impact of quality pediatric care was during my time as a physical therapy aide. An 8-year-old boy who was playing youth soccer had been hit by a car and was in a cast for two months. During his time in therapy with me, I saw his frustration turn to confidence as he overcame the atrophy in his leg and regained his strength. That experience solidified for me the importance of healthcare providers in shaping a child’s future. Now, as I transition to nursing, I want to ensure that children not only recover properly from illness and injury but also receive preventive care and support to thrive. My path to nursing has been shaped by resilience and an unwavering commitment to service; when I was 5, I told my mother that I wanted to go into the medical field to take care of her when she gets old. This dedication has not waivered, as seen in my military service. As a combat medic, I witnessed how physical strain, untreated injuries, and lack of preventive care can negatively impact both mission success and the long-term health of troops. This led me to pursue a career in acupuncture and physical therapy, where I focused on pain management and rehabilitation. While these fields enable me to help patients, I want to expand my scope of practice to a broader scale, which nursing allows for in terms of patient advocacy and acute and long-term care. While I am in my accelerated nursing program, I aim to develop the skills to treat patients in high-pressure situations while maintaining compassion and composure. My long-term goal is to become a nurse practitioner, working in both military and civilian settings, where I can serve as the bridge between prevention, treatment, and wellness. While I have worked extensively with adults, my experience with pediatric patients has been the most rewarding. Children possess incredible resiliency but require specialized care that acknowledges their developmental, emotional, and physical requirements. Pediatric nursing is not just about treating their symptoms and issues; it is about creating a foundation for wellness by educating them on healthy habits and preventative measures. In the military, I witnessed preventable injuries impacting someone’s future. The same holds true for children. Whether it is helping a child with a chronic condition, teaching their parents about proper nutrition, or providing reassurance during visits, pediatric nurses play a crucial role in guiding a child in their health journey. With my background in physical therapy and holistic health, I (hope) to contribute to this cause by focusing on injury prevention, recovery, and overall wellness in pediatric care. This scholarship would help me achieve my goal by shouldering some of the financial obligations of my program, allowing me to focus entirely on my studies and clinical experiences. Additionally, this scholarship would bolster my dedication to pediatric care and the impact I hope to make. Every challenge I have encountered, whether in the army, in healthcare, or in my studies, has strengthened my belief in perseverance and service to others. Nursing is not just a career goal; it is a calling to provide skilled and compassionate care to those who need it most. With this scholarship, I will continue my journey to becoming a pediatric nurse who not only treats children but empowers them and their families toward a healthier future.

The rain poured down as I moved through yet another neighborhood, knocking on doors as a door-to-door salesperson. That day, the police had been called on me twice, and I was drenched. I had misplaced my map and had to backtrack through ten houses to find it. My lead sheet was soaked, making my notes unreadable. As I was about to knock on a door, someone slammed it from the inside, startling me. But what I remember most was a man walking his pit bull who confronted me, demanding to know what I was doing. Confused but with nothing to hide, I showed him my brochures. He asked if I was the guy being talked about in a local Facebook group. Confused, I told him I didn’t know but that I was only doing my job. Later, when I checked, I saw the post: people were calling me suspicious and saying I should be tied to a tree and left for the cops. Despite all of this, I closed a deal that day. That experience, like many others, could have made me quit. Constant rejection, people yelling at me, and/or cursing me out while I was cold, wet, and exhausted could have broken my spirit. But it didn’t. Instead, it reinforced a lesson I had already learned in the military: perseverance matters more than anything else. No matter how often you fail, success is inevitable as long as you keep pushing forward and adapting. The next day, I was back in a new neighborhood, knocking on doors, facing more rejection, but also finding new opportunities. I learned to separate emotion from setbacks and to stay focused on the bigger goal, with the knowledge that every “no” just brought me closer to a “yes.” The military had already instilled this mindset in me. The training was grueling—constant pressure from leadership, physical exhaustion, lack of sleep, and moments of strained teamwork. But the key to success was simple: keep moving forward. That mentality carried over when I was preparing for my acupuncture board exams. I failed one of the exams by just one point. Instead of dwelling on the failure, I treated it like a military training exercise; I analyzed what went wrong, adjusted my study methods, and set a nightly study goal that I wouldn’t sleep until I met, often studying until 3 a.m. This dedication paid off, and I passed my exam on the second attempt. These moments reinforced my belief that success isn’t about talent or luck; it’s about persistence and discipline. Now, as I pursue my goal of becoming a nurse practitioner in both the military and civilian practice, I carry these lessons with me. During my service, I saw firsthand how little emphasis was placed on wellness and injury prevention among soldiers. In healthcare, we say that a dollar in prevention is worth ten in treatment, yet many service members lack the knowledge to keep themselves healthy. With my background as a physical therapy aide and an acupuncturist, I want to change that. I aim to educate soldiers on injury prevention, recovery, and wellness so they can maintain peak performance while minimizing long-term health risks. I am enrolled in an accelerated nursing program, which is demanding both academically and financially. This scholarship will help me stay focused on my studies rather than splitting my time between work and school. Just as I pushed through the challenges of military training and relentless rejection in sales, I will move forward in my medical career, ensuring that I can give back to those who have served alongside me. Every challenge I’ve faced only strengthens my determination. Whether enduring a brutal training regimen, powering through late-night study sessions, or pressing on after countless rejections in sales, I have learned that resilience is my greatest strength. With this scholarship, I will continue working toward my goal, goals that are not just for my own success but to improve the lives of the soldiers and patients I will serve in the future.