"Terry loves love" - Sergeant Terry Jeffords And so do I. I was thrilled to see a scholarship that emphasizes relationships, because in a culture that prizes independence, it can feel almost taboo to build dreams alongside a partner. Yet my reality is this: my fiancé and I are building a life together, and that partnership shapes both my personal growth and my professional ambitions. We were both essentially raised by single parents. My father has lived in a different country my entire life, and my fiancé has had divorced parents since he was six. Growing up, I've always searched for what love is supposed to look like because my parents didn't show me. My fiancé grew up acting as the mediator between two people who despised each other but were forced to remain involved. The challenges involved with growing this way has influenced our way of seeing relationships. It made us look for a better way. One of my long term goals is to establish a nonprofit coffee shop that employs individuals living with mental health conditions. While that vision feels deeply personal, it was also inspired by fiancé's calling to care for mental health. What began as individual passions - mine in nursing and community health and his is psychiatric care - naturally intertwined into a shared mission. We do not simply support each others goals; we refine and expand them together. However, our shared purpose goes beyond one project. It is rooted in a shared lifestyle. Both of us are deeply committed to holistic health. We explore practical, sustainable ways to live well, often discovering that the healthiest practices are surprisingly simple and reflective of how our ancestors once lived; bathing in the sunlight during a long morning walk, cooking colorful and nourishing meals, not looking at a screen all day, and remaining actively involved in community. These are not abstract ideals; for us, they are daily habits. We walk together. We cook together. We exercise, play music, volunteer, and participate in community events together. These rhythms strengthen our relationship while reinforcing the values we hope to promote publicly: Physical vitality, mental clarity, and spiritual grounding. Our personalities complement each other in meaningful ways. He is naturally extroverted, able to energize a room and sustain conversation with ease. I tend to observe carefully, looking for ways to draw quieter voices into the dialogue and ensure that communication reaches those who might otherwise feel overlooked. Together, we balance enthusiasm with intentionality. Our vision for the coffee shop reflects that balance. We hope to create a space that fosters mental health outreach, open mic nights, and practical, creative workshops. We envision device free incentives that gently encourage guests to look up from their screens and engage with those around them. Board games left on tables, conversation prompts, and designated roles for volunteers would transform passive visitors into active participants. Rather than merely serving coffee, we would cultivate belonging. We believe deeply that healthy couples contribute to healthy families, which in turn strengthen communities, and ultimately, a better world. Health, as we see it, is not limited to physical fitness. It encompasses mental resilience and spiritual stability. Practicing these dimensions together has shown us that growth requires both comfort and challenge. Sheryl Sandberg once wrote, "The most important career choice you'll make is who you marry." That statement resonated with me because love is not a distraction from ambition; it is a multiplier of it. A committed relationship demands courage, adaptation, and shared goals. It requires humility and communication. It shapes your character more than any profession. Through our relationship, I have become more courageous in social settings, inspired by his confidence. He has grown more cultural nuances and individual sensitivities through our conversations. We stretch and sharpen one another, all in the name of a shared purpose. We believe the modern obsession with independence can quietly erode families and communities. Our shared aspiration is to help draw people out of isolation, away from devices, and back into shared spaces. Back into the mindset that "it takes a village." If we can model a partnership rooted in service, health, and faith, if we can create environments where people feel safe enough to connect but empowered enough to grow, then our relationship will have fulfilled a purpose larger than ourselves. Love - when lived intentionally - is one of the most transformative forces for personal growth and community impact.

If you want to play the piano more, what better way than to put the piano in your living room - where you spend a lot of your time? If you want to help underserved communities, what better way to do that than to put yourself in a school in a country like the Philippines? My first medical mission took place during nursing school in the Philippines, and it reshaped my understanding of service. We walked up a mountain carrying medical supplies and food to a remote village where healthcare was limited, and daily necessities were not promised. The physical climb was demanding, but the deeper ascent was internal. I was learning what it truly meant to serve. On a several occasions, a local family would take me in during a weekend where I would spend my days volunteering in missions. One of my first experiences was with my host mother, who patiently showed me how to carry heavy buckets of water from the river, balancing them on her head as if that bucket was just an extension of her body. What felt strenuous to me was just another trip to the grocery store that only sold water. And this grocery store didn't take cash payments. This water is purchased with grit. It was that first humbling day that I realized healthcare cannot be separated from the conditions in which people live. Our nursing team collaborated with the engineering students from my school to help establish a system to bring water into the village. It was my first glimpse into interdisciplinary mission work - where healthcare, infrastructure, and community partnership intersect. On subsequent missions in similar communities, my responsibilities expanded. My roles in the first few missions included organizing people into lines, handing out water bottles and translating for volunteer doctors from other countries. I continued these missions during nursing school and went on to join the No One in Need medical missions after graduation. I started off assessing patients, checking their vital signs, providing education then eventually running triage, where I prioritized care based on urgency - all within constraint of limited resources. Many lived for years without consistent monitoring or care for their chronic conditions. Many had likely been living with those conditions without ever having known due to lack of both education to seek care, and the lack of access once education was provided. I refined my ability to explain complex medical information in simple terms, empowering patient to understand their own health. All these missions reinforced the same truth: access to care changes lives, knowledge sustains them. We were able to bring both. Through these experiences, I have come to understand that mission work is not about short-term relief alone - it is about respect, partnership, and sustainability. Walking up those mountains taught me endurance. Carrying water taught me humility. Serving taught me adaptability. Serving as triage nurse taught me leadership under pressure. As I continue my education, I plan to use this training to help manifest more mission work. My nonprofit coffee shop dream is very focused on mental health, which is often overlooked in underserved communities. With this caffeinated home base as the heart of my career, I hope to bring supplies, education, and a new perspective- one that turns mental and physical health into one- to our underserved brothers and sisters on earth. Those nights under the Philippine sky reminded me that meaningful change often begins with small, faithful steps up difficult terrain. Now equipped with knowledge, grounded in faith, and driven by service, I am committed to continuing that climb.

The man had excellent vital signs, but his hands were trembling. He had been taking all his medication, but his heart still cried out for help. He laid in bed for eight hours a night to sleep but couldn't find a moment of rest. Stories like this were unfolding all around me-quiet struggles hidden behind stable charts and normal lab results. My admiration for our healthcare system turned into a desire to strengthen it. My interest in holistic health turned into a disciplined pursuit to master it. My desire for improvement turned into action. That's why I pursue nursing. Nursing placed myself and this man on the same road where I was able to offer him the simplest guidance. I suggested he meditate in the morning before eating, stretch gently during the day and read before bed instead of scrolling on his phone. The next day, he tells me that he just had the best sleep he's had in months. A small victory, but it mattered. Later, I noticed his breakfast tray. All his fruits sat untouched. "You didn't eat any of your fruits today." I said gently "I've never liked fruits much," he admitted. Internally, I cringed at the thought of a lifetime without fruits. I say steadily, "I understand. I would just suggest eating some of the fruit first, then you can enjoy the rest of your meal without the taste lingering." He sighs, then smiled. "Well, your sleep advice worked. I ought to give it a try." He did. That afternoon, he has the most productive physical therapy session he's had since his admission. Moments like this may seem minor - sleep routines and fruit choices- but I have learned that healing often begins with small, consistent changes supported by trust. Nursing is not just administering medication and charting assessments. It is about noticing what others overlook. It is about creating safety. It is about empowering patients to participate in their own healing. Nursing, to me, is more than a profession–it is a calling to serve with compassion, dignity, and practical wisdom. It is an opportunity to treat the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. Yet my vision extends beyond the hospital walls. As a woman deeply aware of the mental health challenges facing our society and a woman grounded in faith, I aspire to one day open a nonprofit coffee shop that employs individuals living with mental health conditions. The space would provide more than beverages; It would offer meaningful work, stability, and belonging. It would serve as a bridge between clinical care and community restoration. The environment would be intentionally designed with accessible health resources and messages of hope. Open mic nights and art exhibits would encourage creative expression as a healthy outlet. Community partnerships would support outreach and education initiates. Customers would not simply purchase a drink – they would participate in a culture of encouragement and forward-giving. I love helping people feel safe, then challenging them to grow. I have seen what happens when someone feels secure enough to heal yet encouraged enough to move beyond complacency. True health requires both compassion and accountability. Every effort I have made to study and apply holistic health has affirmed this truth: when we care for the person, change is possible. Through nursing, and through the community initiatives I hope to build, I intend to expand access to that kind of healing. Healing begins with presence. It grows through trust. And it flourishes when we remind people that they are capable of more than they believe. That is the nurse-and the leader-I am becoming.

Academia and career goals go so much further than just a degree and a job. To me, academia ventures into philosophy, delving into the mysteries of the world and the ancient wisdom surrounding them. Career is my legacy. My academic and career goals are ultimately inspired by the idea of leaving the world better than how I entered it. My goals include getting my master’s in healthcare business administration so that I can pursue my career goal of opening a nonprofit coffee shop employing people with mental health disabilities, which would also lead to fundraising events and community outreach programs with a focus on mental health. One of my passions is cultural awareness. This passion is the bag I bring with me to other countries as I carry academia with me across the world. I often actively speak to locals to see how they view the world, how they give and interpret respect and how they view success and happiness. Speaking to people who experienced such different lives than myself opens a world of imagination. In El Salvador, I experienced the care and respect that goes into preparing food. In Italy, I witnessed the value of a close community. In the Philippines, I admired a population that struggled to eat but smiled every day in the light of God. These are the kinds of studies that I keep in mind as I chase my career goals. I have found that basic wisdom is often left untold to many people around us. In school, we aren’t told about the importance of seeing the sun every day, practicing mindfulness and spirituality, and cooking with attention to aesthetic detail and nutritional value. I have also found that when one discovers wisdom, they are often discouraged by their inability to apply that wisdom to their lives. That is why cultural awareness is so important to me. People are less likely to accept help from a person when they don’t think they understand them, but when someone can express understanding for their situation and thoughts around it, it lowers that person’s guard and makes them more vulnerable to positive change. I strive to bring the knowledge and power to change. It requires a versatile understanding of how people think. I want to become a resource for the community. I want to reach out to citizens among us who are marginalized and forgotten. Diamonds in the rough that would otherwise never be polished to shine. I want to pull my brothers and sisters way from the new normal of staying inside the house all day, giving kids devices, eating the most convenient food, avoiding the challenge of spiritual journey, and treating relationships as a transaction. I imagine a world where people take better care of their own health, leading to improvement of their personal relationships and family units, which strengthens community togetherness and ultimately brings the world together.