As a nursing student, I volunteered 48 hours at Well One Health Clinic in Perris, a non-profit clinic that helps provide health services to the under-served community. Most of the patients are undocumented immigrants who do not have health insurance and speak little if any English. Many of the patients that walk through the doors have chronic illnesses and work minimum wage jobs. The clinic is a blessing to these people; offering free medical treatment and food. My role at Well One Health was in patient advocacy and quality control. Some of my responsibilities included uploading patient labs, following up with patients, and helping the facility secure a grant. I have also volunteered over 200 hours at Temecula Valley Hospital. While there I worked the front desk and managed a variety of office tasks and paperwork. I also helped transfer patients and direct visitors. I utilized compassion, encouragement, and active listening skills as well as provided emotional support to distressed patients and family members. In addition, I devoted my time at the Temecula Pantry, a non-profit that provides food to the homeless in the community. I, along with other members from my church, would help by cooking and serving breakfast to the homeless. I have done this almost every month for about 2 years. Aside from volunteering, I also have substantial work experience as a caregiver and certified nursing assistant. I am experienced working with elderly people diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia. As a caregiver, I provided patients with assistance in their activities of daily living and took their vitals. I have worked in high-stress situations, de-escalated aggressive patients, comforted family members, and even held a patient as she died in my arms. I have shared the stress and burdens of co-workers and I have advocated for my patients.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. -Psalm 139:13-16 Becoming a Christian is the singular most important event in my life that has shaped my pro-life position. Reading these Bible verses fills me with love and compassion towards the unborn. The current figure of estimated induced abortions worldwide for 2021 is over 26,000,000 and climbing as I write this- and those are just the abortions that are recorded. As a Christian, it is really difficult and heartbreaking for me to grasp this reality. However, I find comfort in the Bible because it tells me that although the world may reject, despise, and forget these children; God sees them as precious and remembers them. I believe that God does not make mistakes; every life is inherently valuable. The Constitution of the United States declares, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” The very first right mentioned in this statement is the Right of Life because life is the most important as how can a person access the other rights alluded to in the Constitution if their right to life is violated? As for myself, I am currently in my last year of nursing school and actively working towards my BSN. I plan on specializing in obstetrics and/or pediatrics. As a nurse, I want to do my absolute best for both the mothers and the children that I will care for. I also plan to work with pro-life clinics that can provide resources for disadvantaged mothers who may be considering abortions. I would like to take additional courses and training to become certified as an ultrasound technician because I believe that this is a wonderful modern tool that can be used to change a person's decision of seeking an abortion. I don't agree with physicians who perform elective abortions and believe that it goes against the Hippocratic Oath which all doctors must take, promising to never intentionally harm: "Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given to me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God." Children are a gift, a joy, and a blessing. They deserve so much more than to be discarded because they are seen as "inconvenient" or a "burden." I am a firm believer that people should do the right thing and take responsibility for their actions. Abortion is not a solution. Children should be given the opportunity to live. Adoption is always a better option than the alternative.

"Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world." -Louis Pasteur One of my favorite figures from history is Louis Pasteur, the accomplished and renowned 19th century French chemist and microbiologist who developed vaccinations, pasteurization and was a major leader in the germ theory of disease. I am currently a nursing student working towards my BSN degree with some prior working experience in the medical field and I have witnessed the effects of death and disease first hand. Because of these experiences, I understand the importance of disease prevention and the impact Louis Pasteur has made to modern science and the medical field. Pasteur's works have been paramount in understanding disease and the disease process while also promoting health and hygiene amongst the global population. He was one of the fathers of the germ theory which states that diseases are caused by microscopic pathogenic organisms as opposed to the prevailing beliefs of the time that illness occurred as a result of demonic forces or imbalance of the four "humors" (the four humors belief often prescribed treatments such as bloodletting). Pasteur studied the process of fermentation and effectively disproved spontaneous generation, the prevailing belief of the time that living organisms can arise from non-living material, through experimentation using swan-necked flasks. He also developed the process of pasteurization which uses heat to eliminate food-borne pathogens. Pasteur further built on the foundation started by Edward Jenner, the original founder of vaccinology, by developing vaccinations for cholera, anthrax, and rabies. Pasteur's contributions to the science community have saved the lives of millions of people all around the world and are still very relevant today with the current pandemic and push for vaccinations as well as the prioritization of understanding the transmission and disease process of Covid-19.

I would like to see improvement in health services and outreach in my community, the country, and the world in general. I believe that self-sacrifice and putting others before yourself is the highest virtue that we can aspire to and this is why my chosen career path is in the medical field. Nursing is the career choice of givers and nurturers. Often an under-appreciated and un-glorified profession, with the current coronavirus epidemic, now more than ever the world is recognizing the substantial value nurses provide to the community. As a nursing student, I have volunteered 48 hours at Well One Health Clinic in Perris, California. Well One Health is a non-profit clinic that helps provide health services to the underserved community. A majority of the patients are undocumented immigrants who do not have health insurance and speak little if any English. Many of the patients that walk through the doors have chronic illnesses and work minimum wage jobs; most often these people refuse hospital treatment as they would not be able to afford the medical bills. The clinic is a blessing to these people; offering free medical treatment and food. My role at Well One Health was in patient advocacy and quality control. Some of my responsibilities included uploading patient labs, following up with patients, and helping the facility secure a grant for funding. In 2016, I was a volunteer and participant in an event called Reality Rally which is organized by a non-profit called Michelle's Place. The funds earned for this event go to breast cancer prevention and research. I have also volunteered over 200 hours at Temecula Valley Hospital. Temecula Valley Hospital specializes in treating cardiac and stroke patients. While there I worked the front desk and managed a variety of office tasks and paperwork. I also helped transfer patients and direct visitors to the correct rooms. I utilized compassion, encouragement, and active listening skills as well as provided emotional support to distressed patients and family members. While volunteering, I adhered to hospital procedures and instructions to maintain patient safety and privacy such as HIPAA compliance. Outside of the medical field, I have also volunteered at the Temecula Pantry and the Middle Eastern Baptist Conference. The Temecula Pantry is a non-profit that provides food to the homeless in the community. I, along with other members from my church, would help by cooking and serving breakfast to the homeless. I have done this almost every month for about 2 years. Over the years, I have also volunteered in many past community outreach events for my church. The Middle Eastern Baptist Conference is a gathering of Christians of Middle Eastern descent. While volunteering there I worked as a youth leader for middle school girls, teaching them about the Bible. In the past, I have also volunteered at elementary school events such as the annual fall festival. Aside from volunteering, I also have substantial work experience as a caregiver and certified nursing assistant. I specifically have experience working with elderly people diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia. As a caregiver, I provided patients with assistance in their activities of daily living and regularly took their vitals. I have worked in high-stress situations, de-escalated aggressive patients, comforted family members, and even held a patient as she died in my arms. I have shared the stress and burdens of co-workers and I have advocated for my patients. Both my faith as a Christian and my career as a nurse motivate me to give back to my community. My plan to help others and contribute to society is a lifelong commitment. My ultimate career goal is to go into pediatrics or obstetrics because I am particularly drawn to serving children and infants and I can't think of a more rewarding profession than to care for the youngest members of our society. I would like the be the kind of person who makes a significant impact in society and I intend to do so in my future career as well as continuing to volunteer for my community and other communities that are in need.

When I was 18 years old my life and worldview changed dramatically as a result of becoming a Christian. Before coming to faith I was a self-centered and arrogant person and looked down on others that I believed to be beneath me. I think that part of the reason for this over-inflated sense of ego was a kind of defense mechanism because I actually was not very happy with myself and have struggled with bouts of depression in the past. There is a verse in Proverbs that says "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Today, I am not anywhere near perfect but I think that I have come to learn the value of humility, compassion, and a cheerful spirit as a result of growing in faith and maturity. I am currently pursuing my BSN and the reason I choose this field of study is that I believe it will help me to live a productive and self-sufficient life as well as enable me to help others in a profound way while also giving back to the community. I think that nursing is an often underappreciated but beautiful profession that highlights biblical values such as mercy, compassion, empathy, and humility. The more that I read the Bible and learn about the mercy and compassion of Jesus Christ, the more I feel compelled to perform acts of compassion myself. Over the years I have participated in a variety of volunteer opportunities such as serving at church events, feeding the homeless, assisting at my local hospital, and helping at a non-profit clinic for a low-income and high-needs community. I have also attained my CNA license and have patient care experience in skilled nursing and an assisted living setting working with memory care patients. While working as a CNA and caregiver I always felt like I wanted to do more for my patients and subsequently began to pursue nursing school. I feel particularly drawn to obstetrics and pediatrics because I have always loved working with children and I think it would be an incredibly rewarding experience. I know a few of my friends in nursing school have told me that they couldn't stand going into pediatrics and seeing sick children every day but I can only think how much I want to be there for those children and help take care of them to the best of my ability because those kids really deserve to grow up and lead happy healthy lives. I think that the next generation is so incredibly precious and integral to our hope and future as a society and therefore should be nurtured, protected, and given the very best quality of care. I am also considering pursuing further education as a Nurse Practitioner after attaining my nursing license because I think that being an NP would open so many opportunities and possibilities for my career path as well as allow me to help others in ways that I can't as an RN. Nursing is a profession that requires continual learning and I think that nurses should be encouraged to grow and take on more challenging roles that require additional responsibilities and education. I am hoping that opportunities such as the Dashanna K. McNeil Memorial Scholarship will help me to obtain my career goals so that I can make a positive contribution to the lives of others in my community while also fostering growth in character and career success.

I really need this scholarship to help me pay for my last year of nursing school. Throughout my college career, I have constantly been working to pay for my school tuition. Back when I was taking classes at affordable community colleges this was not as much of an issue for me, but now that I'm in university with nursing tuition totaling about $60,000 I'm really struggling to keep up with payments. In the past, I have worked two jobs at a time (Certified Nursing Assistant & caregiver) while also babysitting on the side to help pay my tuition. Sometimes I would work both jobs in one day, totaling 17 work hours. There was one month that I worked every day except for 2 days just to save up for money for nursing tuition. All throughout the exhausting work experiences, I have been able to maintain a competitive GPA of 3.8. The work of a CNA and caregiver can be very physically demanding and I have injured my back twice while working in skilled nursing but did not call off and continued to work through it. Through my own perseverance and tenacity, I have been able to pay off about $30,000 on my own (about half of my nursing school expenses) without resorting to a student loan. I am hoping to receive some help with my remaining school expenses through scholarship opportunities such as yours, as I really do not want to have to take out a student loan. I am really passionate about the medical field and it is my dream to finish nursing school so I can go out and help others in my community. I was very impressed reading about India's many accomplishments along with her ability to earn over $50,000 worth of scholarships on her own merit. I think she is a beautiful example to women of how we can achieve our goals if we put in the effort and dedication. I am hoping to take her example to heart and apply for as many scholarships as I can to help me reach my career goals.

"Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world." -Louis Pasteur My favorite scientist is without a doubt Louis Pasteur, the accomplished and renowned French chemist and microbiologist who developed vaccinations, pasteurization and was a major leader in the germ theory of disease. His works have been paramount in understanding disease and the disease process while also promoting health and hygiene amongst the population. Pasteur's contributions to the science community have saved the lives of millions of people all around the world and are still very relevant today with the current pandemic and push for vaccinations.

My name is Justine Reiss and I am a Christian and also a nursing student. I was not raised a Christian, but I became a Christian when I was 18 years old after a close friend shared the gospel with me and I later got baptized and became an active church member- helping with children's ministry and cleaning up after communion. My goal is to enter the medical field and help heal and encourage others. I would especially like to work with children and infants. I am also considering pursuing further education to become a Nurse Practioner after I get my BSN. My biggest hope is to be able to make a positive difference in the lives of my future patients and to show them the love that God has shown towards me. I strongly believe in biblical principles such as humility, compassion, and self-sacrifice. Jesus is my inspiration to go into the medical field, as he is known as the Healer and the Great Physician. I am nowhere near perfect and I acknowledge that I make mistakes, but I want to live a life that is godly and strive towards being Christ-like. "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." -Psalm 147:3 This verse, in particular, gives me motivation and inspiration. I want to be the kind of nurse that does not only patch wounds, but touches hearts.

About a year ago, I lost my grandfather. Although some time has passed, the experience is still vivid in my head. I happened to be staying overnight with my grandparents and I remember my grandmother, distraught and panicked, waking me at around 3 am and telling me there was something wrong. I rushed to the room and saw him, barely conscious and struggling to breathe, with a far-off look in his eye. 'He looks like he's having a heart attack' I thought to myself. I rushed to get 911 on the line and after he slipped out of consciousness and his breathing stilled I began to hastily perform CPR. My head was reeling as I had never done this on anything but a dummy before. As I pushed on his chest, I heard a popping sound and knew that it was his ribs cracking under the force of my compressions but having taken CPR many times I knew that it was necessary to crack ribs. I felt adrenaline rush through my body as I counted compressions and encouraged my grandfather to wake up. I felt the sweat build up from my exertion. 'What is taking the paramedics so long?' I thought to myself as I heard my grandmother sobbing and inconsolable in the background. I lost all track of time, how long was I doing CPR for? 15 minutes, 20 minutes? I was not sure. I did not even have time to cry, I was so focused on trying to revive my grandfather. When the paramedics finally arrived and took over I was physically exhausted and shaken. I hoped against hope that they could do what I couldn't and get him to breathe, get a pulse. I watched as they moved him from the bed and onto the floor, cut off his shirt, and hooked him up to the AED. The paramedics counting compressions and working in unison, their experience evident. I remember praying, calling family members, and holding my grandmother at this time. After what felt like an hour, the paramedics finally gave up and the coroner was called and shared his condolences. Losing a loved one is always hard, but it's a different kind of sadness you feel when you are the person who is also fighting for their life; trying to make their heartbeat return and trying to breathe life into their dead body as you feel a kind of responsibility. After that, I had a hard time sleeping at night. I thought to myself, perhaps if I had done something different- if I rushed in quicker or if I gave better compressions - would he still be alive? It took some time for me to come to peace with that. I am currently a nursing student. A couple of days before my grandfather's death I remember him telling me how proud he was of me for getting into nursing school and that he better be invited to my graduation. It's painful for me to think that I won't have my grandfather there on that day, but I know that I will carry a piece of him with me. The weight and responsibility of being a nurse and a first-responder hit me that day. It opened my eyes to how precious and fleeting life is. This experience taught me the importance of fighting to preserve life and helping others. I may not have been able to save my grandfather, but I know that in my future profession I will fight for the lives of my patients while thinking of the love and loss of my own grandpa.

I have heard it said that if a person wants the secret to eternal beauty they must have hands that are open, gentle, and generous. I believe that self-sacrifice and putting others before yourself is the highest virtue that we can aspire to and this is why my chosen career path is in the medical field. Nursing is the career choice of givers and nurturers. Often an under-appreciated and un-glorified profession, with the current coronavirus epidemic, now more than ever the world is recognizing the substantial value nurses provide to the community. As a nursing student, I have volunteered 48 hours at Well One Health Clinic in Perris, California. Well One Health is a non-profit clinic that helps provide health services to the underserved community. A majority of the patients are undocumented immigrants who do not have health insurance and speak little if any English. Many of the patients that walk through the doors have chronic illnesses and work minimum wage jobs; most often these people refuse hospital treatment as they would not be able to afford the medical bills. The clinic is a blessing to these people; offering free medical treatment and food. My role at Well One Health was in patient advocacy and quality control. Some of my responsibilities included uploading patient labs, following up with patients, and helping the facility secure a grant. I have also volunteered over 200 hours at Temecula Valley Hospital. Temecula Valley Hospital specializes in treating cardiac and stroke patients. While there I worked the front desk and managed a variety of office tasks and paperwork. I also helped transfer patients and direct visitors to the correct rooms. I utilized compassion, encouragement, and active listening skills as well as provided emotional support to distressed patients and family members. While volunteering, I adhered to hospital procedures and instructions to maintain patient safety and privacy such as HIPAA compliance. Outside of the medical field, I have also volunteered at the Temecula Pantry and the Middle Eastern Baptist Conference. The Temecula Pantry is a non-profit that provides food to the homeless in the community. I, along with other members from my church, would help by cooking and serving breakfast to the homeless. I have done this almost every month for about 2 years. The Middle Eastern Baptist Conference is a gathering of Christians of Middle Eastern descent. While volunteering there I worked as a youth leader for middle school girls, teaching them about the Bible. Aside from volunteering, I also have substantial work experience as a caregiver and certified nursing assistant. I specifically have experience working with elderly people diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia. As a caregiver, I provided patients with assistance in their activities of daily living and took their vitals. I have worked in high-stress situations, de-escalated aggressive patients, comforted family members, and even held a patient as she died in my arms. I have shared the stress and burdens of co-workers and I have advocated for my patients. Both my faith as a Christian and my career as a nurse motivate me to give back to my community. My plan to help others and contribute to society is a lifelong commitment. My ultimate career goal is to go into pediatrics or obstetrics because I am most drawn to serving children and infants and I can't think of a more rewarding profession than to care for the youngest members of our society. To conclude, my goal in life is to find that secret to eternal beauty by living my life with my hands - and my heart - wide open.