For the longest time, I was a lukewarm Christian, that is until I attended NYC 2023 (Nazarene Youth Conference) in Tampa Bay Florida. Jesus had begun to open my eyes the day that trip started. We had so many bus problems and got to places late and everything seemed to go wrong. I've never felt I was in the right place, but NYC showed me I had a place in the house of the Lord. Through all the delays we encountered, Jesus helped us through every moment and we still had a life-changing experience. Jesus changed my perspective on things because I got to listen to godly speakers, hear Christian singers such as King and Country, blessing Offer, and Lecrae, have the privilege of doing a bible walk, as well as perform community services. In every chapel service, I grew closer to Jesus and fully understood what it meant to be a follower of Jesus. One reason my perspective changed included simply hearing 10,000+ brothers and sisters in Christ just singing their hearts out. It was such a beautiful moment and that made me realize they were all there because of Jesus. I was there because of Jesus! Jesus also opened many doors for me while on this trip. I had the opportunity of meeting Zach Williams as well as blessing offor and that is by the good grace of God. After my trip to NYC, I decided to shift my life around. I wanted to deepen my relationship with Jesus and I started this journey by reading my bible more often. I now try to read in the morning before school and in the afternoon before bed. I write a prayer to Jesus every morning before I start my day and try to find moments to talk to God, even in silence. Since NYC, I have also started helping my boyfriend deepen his relationship with Jesus. Now we send bible verses to each other morning and afternoon. I believe God opened his heart because I influenced him. Ever since I got a better relationship with Jesus Christ, I have been happier. I can talk to Jesus in many ways now and want to spread his love. I want to be like Jesus and show kindness, forgiveness, and love. As I begin to go off to college and start a new journey, I want to continue having a strong relationship with Jesus. I will make time to worship him through music or scripture. I will also read my bible when I feel stressed or worn out. College can be difficult, but if I have Jesus right by my side then I can get through anything.

I currently attend nursing school and there have been many challenges, to say the least. We have a test every week and sometimes I'm on top of the world and other times I feel like a failure. Sometimes whenever I have a golden streak and pass every test, it feels like nothing can stop me. However, one test score can make you feel like a failure. My whole class just got done with the test, and as I clicked submit and finalize, my heart started racing. I saw that I had failed that test and I was in disbelief. I studied the whole night before and many nights period however I just slipped up. While I had failed my test, everyone around me seemed to pass and be happy with the outcome of their score. I felt defeated. After testing was over, I had three stages consume me. The first was disbelief. After time to feel bad for myself, I realized something. Things just happen and that's okay! I will fail a test or two or even three, but those scores do not define me. The second stage that came upon me was independence. I felt like a failure because I started comparing myself to others in my classroom who had a different score than I did. What I didn't realize is I am not them. I am good for myself and I don't need to get the same score as someone else. I was not better than them and they were not better than me. We all got into the same nursing class and took the same test. The final stage that came over me after failing that test was revenge. I decided to get some adrenaline pumping and do things differently to pass that next test. I studied longer, tried a different study technique, and had a different attitude about studying. The week after failing, I took the test and it was one of the best scores I had. Needless to say, I overcame challenges by finding confidence in myself, and knowing it's okay to make mistakes as long as I learn from them, which I did. This highlights my determination in healthcare because if something goes wrong in the facility, it shows I will do something to fix the problem. I will look at things differently and change my attitude toward my patients. Despite the challenges I may face, I will always come back stronger than I did before. Even if I make a mistake after mistake, if I don't find confidence in myself, how can I expect to see it benefit me through others?

I was just like any other sophomore in high school. I did my work, went on tours, and was kind of shy. However, one tour of our votes center changed my life completely. I got to see the health career certifications class at MNTC and my love for nursing sparked. I knew I immediately wanted to apply for this program. I got accepted and it was the best decision of my life. I met my best friend through this program and my love for nursing continued to grow because of how the human body works and what we can do to help maintain it. During my time in this program, I had the opportunity to go to clinicals at the VA only as a junior in highschool. I loved getting to see what I had learned in the classroom, actually being fufilled in the real world. I graduated from that program, as well as was eligible for the National Technical Honor Society. What this means is I maintained an A in both semesters, had 5 or fewer absences throughout the whole program, had a positive attitude every day when I got to class as well, and had a wonderful letter of recommendation from my teacher. From that program, I applied for PN Select, which is called practical nursing select. I was one of nine that got in and have learned so many great skills, even from day one. This class was for high school seniors only so I was eligable for that. I have gotten to see and study many different topics throughout anatomy and physiology, concepts of nursing, and fundamentals of nursing. I'm so excited to attend clinics this summer. We will be at OU from June through August, then different norman clinics from august to november. I will get to work on real patients and have the opportunity to take care of real people. PN select has been wonderful for me because it challenges me, yet allows room for growth. I don't think my love for nursing will ever diminish because I learn something new every day. One reason I chose a health profession is I love helping other people. I will do anything I can to help a person out. Big or small I'm always the first to volunteer. The program I am currently enrolled in (PN select) never has a boring day. We are either learning in the classroom or in the lab. While in the lab we get to practice skills on a maniquinn but treat it like a real patient. I will graduate this program on December 19th, 2024, then head straight to college in January to obtain my B.S.N. Going to the trade school has really shaped me as a person, as well as changing my perspective on the world.