Imagine the pressure of holding the lives of others in your hands? The intensity of being left with a stranger’s loved one and being trusted to give them the utmost care possible? I am that person. That stranger that you give all of your trust to. I am a certified nursing assistant in a locked Alzheimer’s and dementia unit. My residents have been separated from their families and are not allowed visits due to COVID-19. On top of their constant memory loss, confusion, and depression, they are lacking the communication with their families they need to survive. My grandfather was diagnosed with ALS, at the young age of 68. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a disease of the nervous system. It causes the loss of muscle in the limbs until you are basically paralzyed. The doctor told us we had 3-5 years left with him. Unfortunately, we only had 2 years left with him. Shortly after, my father was diagnosed with MMN, or multifocal motor neuropathy. This disease also causes loss of muscle in limbs, but luckily is not fatal. Both being very similar to ALS, my family was very scared of this diagnosis. When I was in 7th grade, my appendix ruptured during a school day. My doctor refused to acknowledge my pain because my symptoms were atypical. Due to the incompetence of my physician, my surgeon told me that I could have died of sepsis just because no one believed me. I never want anyone to have to go through the struggle of being deprived of care. All these instances are the many reasons why I want to be the person who takes care of a loved one. Good days come with bad days. Some days I feel like I am the only person that keeps the residents happy and wanting to be alive. Sometimes my patients even remember my name, which is something that rarely occurs with dementia patients. Other days, I get bit, punched, scratched, kicked, and knocked down. But I can tell my residents recognize my presence and love me while they will never understand how much I love them. I get easily attached, which isn't a great trait but isn't a bad one either. I love my patients like extra sets of grandparents. It breaks my heart when their conditions worsen or we lose them. No matter how many times people pass away in my facility, I don't know that I will ever be able to say goodbye without tears. My health careers teacher told me that I was gifted and that someday I would go on to be a great caretaker. It is because of her that I am here and doing what I love today. She put in a good word for me at nursing homes in my area while I finished my certification. By the time I received it, the Genesis Respiratory and Rehabilitation Center of Rhode Island was waiting for me. I am so grateful to my teacher for getting me this opportunity as it is the most special and rewarding experience I have ever had. My job as a CNA has taught me patience, empathy, and most importantly, to cherish each and every day and every important person in your life, lessons that I will carry into life beyond high school.

This is Cleo! She is a tiger cat who loves to play and cuddle. Her instagram is @cleotheprettykitty and her owners instagram is @jenna.mcneil.

Do you know who you are? "Lights Up" by Harry Styles is one of my all time favorite songs. Harry Styles, well known as one of the members from One Direction, took to solo music after his band split in 2015. All of Harry's music is about being proud of who you are despite the way others may feel about it. He always inspires his fans to be happy in their own skin by promoting LGBT+ rights, speaking out against racial injustices, and fighting for the Black Lives Matter movement. "Light's Up" is known as an LGBT+ ally song because Harry is seen in the music video surrounded by both men and women. Harry has also spoken up multiple times on how he does not name his sexuality because he does not have a label on his attraction. He is clearly very supportive of the community and all people, dancing with rainbow flags at his concerts, breaking gender norms by wearing feminine clothes and nail polish, and rocking long hair. He even has black lives matter, pride flags, and End Gun Violence stickers on his guitar. Harry's song "Light's Up" showcases the lyrics, "All the lights couldn't put out the dark, running through my heart, lights up and they know who you are, know who you are, do you know who you are?". Another lyric states, "Shine, step into the light, shine, so bright sometimes, shine, I'm not ever going back". These lyrics explain how sometimes it may be hard to step into the light and showcase yourself with no fear, but this is what it takes to shine and be proud of your own skin. I associate Harry's music with feeling powerful and beautiful in my body. Listening to "Light's Up" reminds me to never forget who I am.

I like to think of myself as a superhero, and I am so proud of what I have accomplished at age 18. I am a certified nursing assistant in a locked COVID Alzheimer’s and dementia unit. All of my patients have COVID along with other underlying health issues. My residents have been separated from their families and are not allowed visits due to COVID-19. On top of their constant memory loss, confusion, and depression, they are lacking the communication with their families they need to survive. Good days come with bad days. Some days I feel like I am the only person that keeps the residents happy and wanting to be alive. Sometimes my patients even remember my name, which is something that rarely occurs with dementia patients. Other days, I get bit, punched, scratched, kicked, and knocked down. But I can tell my residents recognize my presence and love me while they will never understand how much I love them. I get easily attached, which isn't a great trait but isn't a bad one either. I love my patients like extra sets of grandparents. It breaks my heart when their conditions worsen or we lose them. No matter how many times people pass away in my facility, I don't know that I will ever be able to say goodbye without tears. My‌ ‌typical‌ ‌day‌ ‌at‌ ‌work‌ ‌would‌ ‌be‌ ‌a‌ ‌3:00 to ‌11:00‌ ‌‌shift.‌ ‌When‌ ‌I‌ ‌come‌ ‌in‌ ‌at‌ ‌three,‌ ‌I‌ ‌begin‌ ‌with‌ ‌putting on all of my PPE. Gown, gloves, goggles, face shield, scrub cap, shoe covers, mask. I then pass ‌out‌ ‌towels,‌ ‌linen,‌ ‌briefs,‌ ‌night‌ ‌gowns‌ ‌and‌ ‌blankets‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌residents‌ ‌rooms.‌ ‌After‌ ‌I‌ ‌go‌ ‌from‌ ‌room‌ ‌to‌ ‌room,‌ changing my PPE every time, and ‌I‌ ‌get‌ ‌each‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌residents‌ ‌up‌ ‌and‌ ‌ready‌ ‌for‌ ‌dinner.‌ ‌After‌ ‌dinner,‌ ‌I‌ ‌clean‌ ‌them,‌ ‌shower‌ ‌them‌ ‌and‌ ‌get‌ ‌them‌ ‌changed‌ ‌and‌ ‌ready‌ ‌for‌ ‌bed.‌ ‌The‌ ‌difficult‌ ‌part‌ ‌of‌ ‌my‌ ‌job‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌‌ ‌fact‌ ‌tha‌t‌ ‌my‌ ‌patients‌ ‌have‌ ‌a‌ ‌hard‌ ‌time‌ ‌understanding‌ ‌what‌ ‌we‌ ‌have‌ ‌to‌ ‌do‌ ‌and‌ ‌why‌ ‌we‌ ‌do‌ ‌it.‌ Watching these patients go from healthy happy people to dying in only a few days is heartbreaking, but my‌ ‌job‌ ‌as‌ ‌a‌ ‌CNA‌ ‌has‌ ‌taught‌ ‌me‌ ‌patience,‌ ‌empathy,‌ ‌and‌ ‌most‌ ‌ importantly,‌ ‌to‌ ‌cherish‌ ‌each‌ ‌and‌ ‌every‌ ‌day‌ ‌and‌ ‌every‌ ‌important‌ ‌person‌ ‌in‌ ‌your‌ ‌life,‌ ‌lessons‌ ‌that‌ ‌I‌ ‌ will‌ ‌carry‌ ‌into‌ ‌life‌ ‌beyond‌ ‌high‌ ‌school.‌

My grandfather was diagnosed with ALS, at the young age of 68. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a disease of the nervous system. It causes the loss of muscle in the limbs until you are basically paralzyed. The doctor told us we had 3-5 years left with him. Unfortunately, we only had 2 years left with him. Shortly after, my father was diagnosed with MMN, or multifocal motor neuropathy. This disease also causes loss of muscle in limbs, but luckily is not fatal. Both being very similar to ALS, my family was very scared of this diagnosis. When I was in 7th grade, my appendix ruptured during a school day. My doctor refused to acknowledge my pain because my symptoms were atypical. Due to the incompetence of my physician, my surgeon told me that I could have died of sepsis just because no one believed me. I never want anyone to have to go through the struggle of being deprived of care. All these instances are the many reasons why I want to be the person who takes care of a loved one. I am a CNA on a covid locked Alzheimer's unit, and my dream is to be a PA with psychiatric clients.

I am a certified nursing assistant in a locked Alzheimer’s and dementia unit. My residents have been separated from their families and are not allowed visits due to COVID-19. Some of them have even had to fight the virus. On top of their constant memory loss, confusion, and depression, they are lacking the communication with their families they need to survive. Good days come with bad days. Some days I feel like I am the only person that keeps the residents happy and wanting to be alive. Sometimes my patients even remember my name, which is something that rarely occurs with dementia patients. Other days, I get bit, punched, scratched, kicked, and knocked down. But I can tell my residents recognize my presence and love me while they will never understand how much I love them. I get easily attached, which isn't a great trait but isn't a bad one either. I love my patients like extra sets of grandparents. It breaks my heart when their conditions worsen or we lose them. No matter how many times people pass away in my facility, I don't know that I will ever be able to say goodbye without tears. Having this job is the most special and rewarding experience I have ever had. My job as a CNA has teaches me patience, empathy, and most importantly, to cherish each and every day and every important person in your life, lessons that I will carry into life beyond high school. In the future, I see myself becoming a physicians assistant with a specialty in psychiatric. I enjoy learning about the brain and why people act the way that they do. I have been accepted into Johnson & Wales University to their Health Sciences and pre PA programs. I am so thrilled to have this opportunity.