Nursing is a calling, a vocation—a commitment of healing, advocacy, and care—it is not merely a job. I have never felt this sense about anything else but the medical sciences, fascinated by the complexity of the human body and the ways in which it can overcome adversity. But aside from health care science, it was seeing firsthand how nurses affect their patients that really led me to become a nurse. Throughout my time in high school, I have been fortunate enough to observe different types of nurses, including surgical nurses and nurse practitioners, all of whom displayed the strength and dedication required in patient care. To observe a surgical nurse working in the operating room was really an eye-opener into the attention to detail, teamwork, and quick decision-making that are hallmarks of the profession. I not only saw them assist with procedures but also soothe patients pre- and post-op, putting them at ease during some of their most vulnerable moments. Seeing the compassion and expertise they brought to their work solidified my own desire to do the same. Working alongside a nurse practitioner helped me to realize another level of nursing—the independence to diagnose, treat, and educate patients and offer specialist medical care. This experience confirmed my desire to earn a Nurse Practitioner degree, as I was impressed with the manner in which these practitioners blended clinical knowledge with individualized patient care such that patients felt heard and enabled in their medical choices. Their capacity to blend medicine and humanity spoke to me, and it influenced my dream career. Shadowing nurses has merely revealed the tip of the iceberg, and being a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) has provided me with a close-up view of the everyday challenges and victories of patient care. As a CNA, I have been blessed to support nurses and work in close proximity to patients. I have witnessed moments of hope, suffering, and strength, and I have learned that nursing requires strength, empathy, and an unwavering devotion to others. It is nurses who bring comfort, advocate for patients, and walk with them through recovery, rendering nurses a support beam in the health care system. Watching nurses has strengthened my commitment even more. Whereas my experience at the hospital and clinic solidified my commitment to the nursing profession, volunteer experience has solidified my goal to working in non-traditional settings. I was a four-year volunteer at a stable where I taught special-needs children horse riding. I learned the strength of patience, positive reinforcement, and individual differences care, skills that will serve me well in my nursing practice. Additionally, my experience in Guatemala for my mission trip made me realize a broader context of healthcare inequality, which inspired me to want to offer good quality medical care to individuals in disadvantaged communities after I am graduated. I want to be a nurse because I have faith in the potential of healing and advocacy, and how I can make a good lasting difference in people's lives. Whether at a hospital, on a medical mission to Guatemala, or guiding patients along the road to recovery, I am committed to providing compassionate, professional care. Nursing is more than a career—it is a calling, and I am ready to take the next step toward heeding this call.

One community event that resonates the most with me has been a horseback riding program for children with special needs at one of the stables in my community that I have volunteered at for four years. It was organized to introduce children with disabilities to the therapeutic experience of horse riding, confidence-building, motor skills, and the importance of horse bonding. Seeing the firsthand effect of this activity on changing the lives of the riders and their families made it the most rewarding experience of my life. The day that united the volunteers, riding instructors, and families from throughout the community was the day they shared in common: to give an atmosphere where every child—regardless of his or her ability—had the liberty and empowerment of horseback riding. As a volunteer instructor, I was privileged to be able to devote one-on-one time to students, leading them through lessons that were tailored to meet their needs on an individual basis. A few of the children started slowly, with no experience of the big, strong animals in front of them. Others, with physical or mental handicaps, had problems with balance and coordination. But by patience and encouragement, I watched them overcome their fears, sit upright in the saddle, and ride alone for the first time. One of the joys was helping a girl who had autism to try and communicate. She was having difficulty responding to other people at the beginning of the program, barely reacting to commands. But after a few lessons, something was different. She bonded closely with her horse, smiling as she learned to handle it with gentle movements. With time, she gained confidence and began conversing with her instructors and other riders. Her mom told us that she had never heard her daughter so engaged, so relaxed, and so content. Those experiences led me to consider why service is important—it's not about providing them with experiences, it's about enabling individuals to discover strength within themselves they never knew they had. This experience brought a wonderful impact to the families and children. It was a comforting, safe environment where kids could learn new things, gain confidence, and horseback ride. But most importantly, it fostered the sense of community and belonging in our town because we all put our heads together to take care of those outstanding children. In the future, I would like to increase access to this program through campaigns in community awareness and funding. Up to now, financial limitations always deter parents from enrolling their children into horse riding therapy, so I would like to begin working on sponsorships or scholarships that enable more children to join. I also wish to assist in working with schools and disability centers within the community to educate families on the great advantages of therapeutic riding so families know it is an option. In conclusion, this experience reminded me of my dedication to serving others, a dedication that will continue to propel me as I move forward with my nursing career and foreign medical missions. The resilience of community efforts like these reminds us that change starts with compassion, and I am dedicated to continuing to make a difference—one ride, one patient, and one expression of compassion at a time.

Special needs children in my community are provided with limited recreational activities that ensure confidence, autonomy, and emotional well-being. Observing this gap, I aimed to get special needs students involved in horse riding lessons at a local stable where I have been volunteering for four years. My goal was to provide them with an experience that not only encouraged physical activity but also tested their self-esteem, communication, and ability to interact with animals in a therapeutic setting. My inspiration came from seeing the transformative ability of horse riding. I witnessed firsthand how students who were struggling with coordination or confidence blossomed when working with horses. The feeling of empowerment they received from learning to ride increased their self-esteem, and the bond they developed with the animals provided comfort and reassurance. These lessons were not just an activity—they were a place for empowerment, joy, and growth. To this point, I have been successful in enrolling some students with disabilities into the program and ensured they were made to feel at ease and welcomed. I helped teachers in adapting lesson plans to suit different needs and worked towards showing families the benefits of riding as therapy. In order to expand my project, I would like to help establish a scholarship fund or sponsorship program so that more special needs students can ride at a low cost. Also, I hope to spread the word about the program in schools and community organizations so that families can become aware of horseback riding as an outlet. From this experience, I have learned the value of advocacy, patience, and service—exactly those values that will serve me again in nursing and medical missions abroad.

My passion for service has dictated all areas of my life, from my scholarly pursuits to being a nurse someday. I've always believed the greatest impact that we can provide is through the service of others, whether within hospitals, schools, or poverty-stricken communities. This was my driving motive, encouraging me to become a nurse with my long-term plan to become a Nurse Practitioner and provide healthcare services to communities in need through health missions in Guatemala. Service has been at the core of my life, influencing my personality as well as goals. Being a zealous volunteer, I have worked for years to better the lives of others. Key Club and the National Honor Society (NHS) have provided me with avenues through which I have participated in different service activities, from organizing food drives for needy families to serving in soup kitchens and cleaning public spaces. These experiences have left a deep sense of responsibility upon me, making clear that acts of small kindness have the ability to leave a lasting change for many years. Apart from organized volunteering, possibly the greatest experience I've ever had is that of four years spent volunteering at a horse stable where I assisted with the process of instructing children with special needs on how to ride. To see the confidence and happiness that riding horses provided for them was a deeply rewarding experience, and it taught me about patience, being flexible, and understanding. In that stable, working with students through difficulties and sharing in their triumphs, I witnessed, firsthand, the power of empathy and commitment to change lives. Those experiences solidified my intention to make a career of providing care and support, not just through physical rehabilitation but also through emotional understanding. My journey wasn't without setbacks, though. As an endurance runner, I faced one of the most difficult challenges I've ever had—a severe hip injury that threatened my competitiveness and tested my patience. Running was a major part of my life, and to lose it was horrible. It taught me mental toughness and discipline. But instead of letting the failure define who I am, I chose to adapt. I saw doctors, changed my training, and built my strength up again step by step, never letting setbacks discourage me. The experience reaffirmed my appreciation for the healing process, cementing my commitment to nursing, where I will support patients through their own illnesses. In the future, I plan to use my nursing degree to work beyond hospital walls in communities, specifically in Guatemala, where I will provide vital medical care to people who have no access to healthcare. My volunteer experience, combined with my determination to overcome personal obstacles, has prepared me to dedicate my life to caring with compassion and global outreach. Whether I am caring in a hospital, leading medical work in under-served communities, or continuing in volunteer work that brings joy to others, I commit to improving the world. Nursing is not a career—it's a mode of healing, of empowering, of making things better. And I am willing to continue that work.

Nursing is not just a future profession for me—it is a calling, a means of serving and advocating on behalf of others during their most helpless times. My interest in healthcare stems from my interest in anatomy as well as the human body's capacity to heal. But apart from the science of medicine, what really motivates me is being able to offer patients comfort, reassurance, and kindness during adverse times. As a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), I have had the good fortune to work alongside nurses, observing firsthand the remarkable impact they have on patients' lives. Those experiences solidified my ambition to become a nurse for a lifetime. My journey has been guided by discipline and persistence, values that I have acquired as a distance runner. Running has also taught me resilience—the ability to withstand unpleasantness, move towards long-term goals, and remain resolute in the face of adversity like my ongoing hip injury. That mindset will be valuable in nursing, where there are always issues to be solved and tenacity is the difference maker. As I strive to challenge myself as a competitor, I strive to keep developing as a health care provider and ensure that every patient is treated to their optimal care. I will strive to get my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at Dordt University where I will engage in the training required to become a Nurse Practitioner. Nurse Practitioner status suits me as it fits into my passion for extended patient care, where I am able to take on more responsibility in diagnosing, treating, and counseling patients towards better health. Since I excel at mental challenges and in direct patient interaction, this role will enable me to combine analytical thinking with taking care of people. Beyond hospital and clinic settings, I am highly interested in medical missions. My volunteer work in Guatemala, helping to build houses for needy families, exposed me to the drastic healthcare inequalities that are present. That experience created a strong need within me to serve in underserved populations, ensuring that those with limited medical care access are provided the assistance they need. After gaining some experience in the U.S., I plan to work as a nurse for several years in Guatemala, providing rudimentary healthcare services to individuals who otherwise would have gone untreated. As a future Nurse Practitioner, I will work to leave a lasting legacy on patients as well as communities. In clinics and hospitals, I will provide competent diagnosis, treatment, and preventive care so that patients can be taught what they need to maintain health in the long term. Through medical missions, I will bring healthcare to remote communities, delivering treatment, education, and advocacy to those in need. Lastly, nursing is service—be it comforting a patient, leading medical crusades in developing areas, or simply being there for others in times of uncertainty. My career must proclaim those virtues, combining scientific consciousness, compassionate care, and international breadth. There are miles to go in my way, but I am ready to take every step forward with purpose, determination, and the unwavering commitment to make an impact.

Jack Terry has a story of unimaginable hardship and unbreakable will. His path—from surviving the horrors of concentration camps to building a new life in America—is one of human strength. With nothing, he struggled on, beyond language barriers, educational gaps, and emotional scars to seek academic and professional achievement. More than that, he dedicated his life to sharing his experiences, so that history would not be lost and so that future generations would learn from his struggle. His ability to take tragedy and make it purposeful inspires me to face my own challenges with strength, reminding me that adversity does not define a person—it is how they respond to it that makes them who they are. While my struggles are insignificant compared to Jack Terry's, I've struggled with my own issues with a nagging hip injury that was threatening to ruin my ability to run. Running has been a major part of my life since I was in 3rd grade. It has controlled my discipline, pushed my mental toughness, and taught me a deep respect for the potential of the human body. But dealing with injury has been one of my greatest struggles. After months of hard work, setbacks would force me to stop, testing my patience and determination. Each time I felt I was making progress, the pain would return, and I would have questions about being able to recover ever again. Through this experience, I learned the importance of persistence. Like Jack Terry did not let his circumstance decide his fate, I did not let my injury shape who I am. I adapted, went through rigorous physical therapy, and gradually regained my strength. The experience taught me patience and perseverance—two qualities that will benefit me in my career as a nurse. Injury taught me healing is not always simple. It requires effort, setbacks, and unbreakable resolve, much like the journey Terry undertook in rebuilding his life. Medicine is not merely the cure of wounds and illnesses; it is imparting comfort, guidance, and hope to those with physical and emotional crises. My passion for anatomy, combined with my own experience of having overcome challenges, will make me able to relate with patients who are struggling with their own rehabilitation. In addition, I would like to make a difference in underprivileged communities through medical missions in Guatemala and make sure that the people with limited access to healthcare receive the help they deserve. Jack Terry took his pain and made it something greater than what it was—he became a healer, an advocate, and an educator. Likewise, I would like to do the same. My student-athlete experiences have taught me about perseverance, my experiences as a CNA have taught me the importance of humane care, and my injuries have impacted my appreciation of perseverance. Whether on the floor of a hospital or in caring in Guatemala, I will carry these lessons with me, dedicated to creating a positive impact. Difficulty doesn't define a human being's destiny—strength, determination, and the desire to assist others do. Jack Terry's life is proof of that, and I hope mine will tell the same story.

The student-athlete experience has greatly contributed to my discipline, perseverance, and capacity to push beyond personal limits. As a serious long-distance runner, I consistently run over 1,200 miles annually, which comes with overcoming physical and mental obstacles. The resilience built through my running experiences has greatly influenced my college aspirations, reinforcing my passion for nursing and my dedication to delivering compassionate care. Running has taught me hard work and consistency—values essential to nursing. In the same way that running requires early morning training, strategic pacing, and unwavering dedication, nursing requires stamina, mental toughness, and remaining composed under pressure. The discipline I have developed through my years of participation in sports will also be beneficial in medicine, where rational thinking, quick responses, and being able to provide reassurance to patients are highly valued. Moreover, my experience in competitive sports has enhanced my teamwork ability—a vital skill in nursing, where teamwork is a significant contribution to effective patient care. Beyond the physical, running has deepened my interest in health and the human body. Understanding how my body functions—how muscles function, how nutrition impacts performance, and how injuries recover—has intellectually stimulated my interest in medicine. My interest in anatomy has also reinforced my decision to pursue nursing, where I can apply this to help patients recover and regain strength. In my future career as a Nurse Practitioner, I am excited to assume higher levels of responsibility in diagnosing and treating patients, reflecting the expertise I have developed in monitoring my own health as an athlete. My dedication to serving others has fundamentally influenced my life's mission. I have gone on missions trips in Guatemala, assisting in the construction of homes for needy families. These trips have cemented my dedication to delivering healthcare to underserved populations. In the future, I hope to utilize my nursing degree by going out of the county for medical missions, bringing vital care to individuals who lack access to medical attention. Moreover, I am deeply involved in volunteering and leadership, particularly in my church and Key Club. By being a Sunday school teacher and youth group leader, I guide middle schoolers in their faith and personal development. Doing volunteer work in soup kitchens and organizing food drives has solidified my dedication to service, and it has made me a compassionate and community-driven individual. These events have instilled a strong sense of responsibility, and I am motivated to pursue a career in which I can make a significant impact. Being a student-athlete has instilled in me the values of discipline, perseverance, and a sense of service—qualities that will inform my nursing practice. The toughness I've honed from running will enable me to deliver top-notch care to patients, and my dedication to community service will motivate me to make a difference. As I move forward, I am excited to apply what I have learned as an athlete to my professional life in healthcare. Whether in a hospital, clinic, or on a medical mission in Guatemala, I am sure that the discipline, teamwork, and perseverance I have gained through athletics will enable me to care for others with excellence and compassion.

During the course of my high school XC and track career, I experienced considerable adversity in the form of recurring hip and shin injuries. These injuries frequently disrupted my capacity to train consistently and perform at my best during competitions. Regardless of my passion for running and my determination, the persistence of injuries made the process of realizing my goals an uphill battle. I fought for so long with the challenges of coping with my injuries. As soon as I thought I was improving, another injury would come up, and I would have to take a break from training. The frustration of being taken out of races and watching my teammates progress without me was incredibly de-motivating. Nevertheless, I remained firm. I knew that in achieving my dreams, I had to find ways to overcome these barriers. Juggling a demanding school schedule along with maintaining a 4.0 GPA was difficult. On top of that, I was heavily committed to community service, serving as a middle school youth group leader and participating in a series of community service projects. Staying with those responsibilities along with my rehabilitation required good time management skills and unyielding perseverance. In order to overcome my injuries, I had to see a physical therapist several times. I also put in numerous hours of therapy exercises, stretching regimens, and strength training programs to tackle the causative factors behind my injuries. I stuck with the plan persistently, even during periods of high pain levels and low motivation levels. In the process, I learned to appreciate patience and determination. I had to learn to accept that healing was a slow and incremental process and that setbacks would occur along the way. My focus shifted from quick results to cultivating long-term growth and maintaining my overall well-being. This mindset allowed me to stay positive and committed to my rehabilitation program. In addition to physical therapy, I also made some significant changes in my training program. I incorporated cross-training exercises, such as swimming and cycling, to avoid putting excessive stress on my joints without compromising my overall fitness. I also worked closely with my coach to develop a training program that included adequate rest and recovery time and avoided injuries from recurring. Despite the adversity, my determination and commitment paid off. This year, I competed in the XC state championships and finished all-state, 6th place without getting hurt. It was a moment of immense pride and satisfaction, realizing that I had overcome my physical limitations and withstood thousands of hours of rehab. This experience had valuable lessons about resilience, hard work, and the importance of a positive mindset. I came to understand that, in spite of the several disappointments that I faced, success is truly possible through mere determination and hard work. I now apply these values to different aspects of my life and come to understand that with determination and with the right support, every obstacle can be overcome.

To most individuals, community service is just a requirement, something that must be done to fulfill their desire for a sense of moral righteousness. However, through some of the events of my life, the perception regarding community service has changed greatly in me, solidifying the belief that serving the community is not just an honor but a responsibility as well. Community service is a powerful means of creating change through giving care, and assistance to those in need. Community service may range from something as basic as picking up litter on public properties to more complex efforts like volunteering for foreign medical missions. No matter the nature, community service can be a means of improving people's well-being as well as building the community at large. I learned at an early age the importance of helping others. My parents have been engaged in several types of community service, and that has made me see the importance of giving back to society. I remember very clearly my first volunteer experience at a soup kitchen in the community. That made me aware of what people endure every day and made me want to make a difference in any way that I could. My personal goal for the future is to be a nurse and perform medical missions in Haiti. The poverty rate in Haiti is almost 40% and they are desperately in need of food and medicine. Through NOVA Hope for Haiti, I will get to work with local medical personnel in the town of Cavaillon to serve the people and care for them. Medical missions not only help to meet the immediate physical needs of patients but also to open the doors for long-term positive impacts on communities. Aside from that, the missions also bring hope and show the residents that the community is loved and cared for. Lastly, personal relationships formed during the process of these missions have the potential to change the general attitude of a community through genuine acts of love and kindness. Along this path, as I walk, I continue to make a difference in each opportunity and situation presented to me. Having been involved in community service in its many forms has shown how profound the effect of compassion is and how much this affects the life of another. Regardless of whether these are small acts of kindness or massive undertakings such as medical missions, each endeavor aimed at serving our community is worthwhile. Community service is not only a procedural requirement but also an embodiment of humility and generosity. By doing acts of community service, one helps strengthen communities, encourages sympathy, and sparks lasting change.