I am a natural caregiver and love direct service, taking care of people gives me immense satisfaction and purpose. After working in direct service for years I was promoted to non profit management and found it did not align with my passions. I love to be on the floor or in the trenches working with people directly. This has led me to pursue my life long dream of nursing. When I look back, I have always been interested in nursing. I didn’t pursue it earlier due to a lack of confidence in my math and science skills. Traditional school was always a challenge for me and I never felt academically successful or “smart”. Now I know that I am neurodiverse and traditional school models are not designed for students like me. I absolutely love online classes and have been wildly successful at them which boosted my confidence and reinvigorated my passion for pursuing nursing. Growing up in a foster home as the only biological child, I helped to care for other youth with multiple barriers and risk factors. Working in youth non profits allowed me to empower and support young people by teaching them skills including cooking, nutrition, self care, academic success, communication, and resiliency. After giving birth to my daughter in 2016 I was inspired to get my CNA and begin working towards my goal of becoming a nurse. After losing my non profit job in August of 2021, I went back to being a CNA and have been working at Peacehealth Southwest Medical Center full time in the neurosciences department which is also doubling as a PCU Covid floor currently.