Joanette Coogan Memorial Scholarship Essay “Beep, beep, beep.” I rolled off the couch and shut off the alarm. My mom was elevated on the love seat, finally resting. I grabbed her orange pill bottle, shook out a dose, and handed it to her before resetting the alarm for six. Then I went back to sleep until she needed the next round. During my freshman year, my mom became critically ill, and I stepped into a caregiving role to help my dad, who was working full-time. Those months taught me resilience, maturity, and how to step up when my family needed me most. They also planted the first seeds of my interest in healthcare. I realized I wanted to help others the way I helped her. My family has always valued serving others. My parents were constantly helping family members, friends, and even strangers. One of my earliest memories is volunteering at Grandma’s Marathon. I remember people sweating in the sun, handing out water and recovery packs, and still cheering on runners as they passed. Growing up around that kind of environment taught me the importance of giving back and making an impact on individual lives. Those experiences, along with caring for my mom, shaped my decision to pursue a healthcare career. Even during difficult times at home, keeping a strong academic foundation has always mattered to me. Hard work helped me maintain a 4.0 GPA and stay focused on my goals. Classes like Intro to Psychology and Intro to Sociology strengthened my interest in healthcare and taught me how to manage my time while balancing school, work, and responsibilities at home. These habits, discipline, curiosity, and consistency will guide me as I work toward a healthcare degree rooted in compassion and service. My work experience has also helped prepare me for a future in healthcare. I’ve worked as a nanny and now as an aide at a daycare. As a nanny, I organized meals, supervised activities and outdoor play, and kept routines running smoothly. That job taught me responsibility and how to manage many tasks at once. Working as a daycare aide has taught me teamwork and communication. I work closely with other daycare workers and parents, and I’ve learned how to organize tasks to keep classrooms running efficiently. These skills, teamwork, communication, and responsibility, will help me succeed in a healthcare setting. I also enjoy being involved in my school and community. I’m the treasurer of my school’s student council, which has allowed me to be more involved in school events and decisions. Outside of school, I volunteer at food shelves, help with park and roadside cleanups, and volunteer at church. These opportunities have strengthened my desire to help others and confirmed my determination to pursue healthcare. The Joanette Coogan Memorial Scholarship would help reduce financial stress and allow me to focus more on my education. With long-term medical expenses limiting what my parents can contribute, this scholarship would help me spend more time on school and healthcare-related opportunities instead of working extra hours. It would bring me closer to earning a healthcare degree and using it to serve my community. I have seen firsthand how healthcare changes lives. With the support of healthcare workers, my mom recovered. Now she wakes me up not for medication alarms, but to deep clean the house or go on a day trip. Seeing her recovery strengthened my determination to help others through healthcare. With the support of this scholarship, I hope to make a positive impact on the lives of others, just as healthcare workers did for my family.