I didn't fully allow Jesus Christ into my life until I was 19 years old. I didn't know what it meant to be a Christian nor did I know how to live a "Christian" life. I know I'm very young, but I was Pro-Choice for my time in high school. I didn't truly understand the gift of life that was given to us from God. I didn't truly understand how cruel it was to just get rid of a gift like that. Today, I attend a private Christian college called College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri. Jesus has worked through my life in so many ways. I genuinely feel very blessed. I look towards him more often in times of joy, stress, and depression. I can lean on him and ask for guidance more confidently. A worry that God often hears from me is my worry about nursing school. I am in the nursing program here on campus and I am grateful for its biblical foundation. We are taught very early on in the program that we need a Christian base to understand why we do what we do as nurses and how to spread the gospel as nurses. The medical field is a secular world, as any other place in this world is. Sometimes, it can be hard to express and show that you are a believer when you work in the medical field, especially when working with women. I plan to work in either labor and delivery or pediatric oncology and I know I will be coming across women who have had abortions in the past. As Christians, we aren't to look at them with judgment and turn from them, but we are to accept them and love them. Honestly, they probably need it the most. None of us can truly understand what those women have gone through and we shouldn't shun them. My faith has impacted my goals in life by having grace and giving mercy to those who are sinners like me. My goal in life is to spread the gospel and spread Christ's love by being a nurse and loving on the sick just as Jesus does. Using the kindness that God has gifted us can be used to help those who need it the most. Having Jesus by my side in times like that will only help me. I will be forever grateful for Jesus and I know with him I can do all things.

Most of the time people have a life-altering experience that pushes the decision of becoming a nurse. I don’t have a story to tell though. I’ve simply had previous nurses in my life so I’ve chosen to pursue this career. However; it has been the most challenging and where I have grown a large amount. I’ve learned so much from just being in pre-nursing and now thankfully, in the nursing program. I’ve been back to back with the idea of continuing nursing, especially a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. However; I believe God put me in this college and this program for a reason. Money will and has always been a big factor in school. I’m very blessed to go to a college where we work for our education on campus, however, the nursing program is very vigorous and still very demanding for books, lab supplies, and test platforms. Having scholarship money to help out would be such a blessing. I know with the trials I have been through and the decisions God has helped me make that I am meant to be in this nursing program. Having just a little bit of financial help would be very much appreciated. I changed my major in the middle of nursing school. Thankfully, this did not go into effect since I did it in the middle of the semester. I failed one of my prerequisites and was very discouraged that I did not pass the class. It was almost an education shock coming to a bigger school. I was used to the high school work. I wasn't ready nor did I know what to expect with college. No matter what anyone says, I will stand by the statement that college is harder than high school. College is demanding and hard, especially with the stage of life most of us are in. Most of us are in our twenties just trying to figure out life and what it means to live life. I found this through Jesus Christ. I believe the best way to be a mirror of Jesus is through nursing. My goal is to work in the pediatric oncology unit. These kids deserve to have a nurse who cares about them. They deserve someone who will be more than someone who pushes medication. I want to be the nurse who goes above and beyond for them so they get to still experience the gift of life God gave us. Having cancer is one of the hardest and scariest things ever, but having someone by your side just to support you goes a long way.

Most of the time people have a life-altering experience that pushes the decision of becoming a nurse. I don’t have a story to tell though. I’ve simply had previous nurses in my life so I’ve chosen to pursue this career. However; it has been the most challenging and where I have grown a large amount. I’ve learned so much from just being in pre nursing and now thankfully, in the nursing program. I’ve been back to back with the idea of continuing nursing, especially a Bachelors of Science in Nursing. However; I believe God put me in this college and this program for a reason. Money will and has always been a big factor in school. I’m very blessed to go to a college where we work for our education on campus, however, the nursing program is very vigorous and still very demanding for books, lab supplies, and test platforms. Having scholarship money to help out would be such a blessing. I know with the trials I have been through and the decisions God has helped me make that I am meant to be in this nursing program. Having just a little bit of financial help would be very much appreciated. Thank you I changed my major in the middle of nursing school. Thankfully, this did not go in effect since I did it in the middle of the semester. I failed one of my prerequisites and was very discouraged that I did not pass the class. It was almost an education shock coming to a bigger school. I was used to the high school work. I wasn't ready nor did I know what to expect with college. No matter what anyone says, I will stand by the statement that college is harder than high school. College is demanding and hard, especially with the stage of life most of us are in. Most of us are in our twenties just trying to figure out life and what it means to live life. I found this through Jesus Christ. I believe the best way to be a mirror of Jesus is through nursing. My goal is to work in the pediatric oncology unit. These kids deserve to have a nurse who cares about them. They deserve someone who will be more than someone who pushes medication. I want to be the nurse who goes above and beyond for them so they get to still experience the gift of life God gave us. Having cancer is one of the hardest and scariest things ever, but having someone by your side just to support you goes a long way.

Most of the time people have a life-altering experience that pushes the decision of becoming a nurse. I don’t have a story to tell though. I’ve simply had previous nurses in my life so I’ve chosen to pursue this career. However; it has been the most challenging and where I have grown a large amount. I’ve learned so much from just being in pre nursing and now thankfully, in the nursing program. I’ve been back to back with the idea of continuing nursing, especially a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. However; I believe God put me in this college and this program for a reason. Money will and has always been a big factor in school. I’m very blessed to go to a college where we work for our education on campus, however, the nursing program is very vigorous and still very demanding for books, lab supplies, and test platforms. Having scholarship money to help out would be such a blessing. I know with the trials I have been through and the decisions God has helped me make that I am meant to be in this nursing program. Having just a little bit of financial help would be very much appreciated. My goal in nursing is to work in the pediatric oncology unit. I've always said that I wanted to work in labor and delivery but my heart keeps leading me toward oncology. I hope to contribute to my community by being able to serve with a kind heart. Everyone deserves to feel loved and valued just as Jesus has shown us. Everyone deserves grace and mercy just as Jesus gives us. I believe the best way I can show this is through nursing. I hope to give kids the hope and positivity they need in a time like they are going through. As much as someone doesn't like the situation they are in, the best way to go about it is to have a positive attitude about it. It's crazy because most of the time, those kids are the happiest kids people have seen. We will never truly understand their pain and what they are going through. Those kids deserve the world and they deserve a nurse to care for them above all else. Attending College of the Ozarks has granted me the blessing of getting a Christ-centered education and I hope to spread the love of Christ through my works as a nurse.

Completing my first year of college full of prerequisites for nursing opened my eyes to how hard and important it is to pursue a career in nursing. Nursing school has been something I've been very worried about and nervous about starting. Nursing school is not easy and takes a lot of drive and passion. Prayer and the Lord has only helped me pursue this passion of mine. Attending white coat ceremonies and seeing nursing students ahead of me gives the the courage to continue on. If they can do it, then I can as well. There's something beautiful about nursing when you look at it from a biblical perspective. God gave us the ability to help others in need. Helping people doesn't mean just physically helping them, we can help them mentally and spiritually. A nurse does so much more than take care of you physically. Nurses have the heart to care for others. I want to be the kind of nurse that truly takes interest and care in their patients. I believe that is the most important quality to have in a nurse. Nursing has become a priority and an important part of my life. Studying hard in school will help me become a successful and knowledgeable nurse. I've always said I wanted to become a labor and delivery nurse, but I have been more drawn toward pediatric oncology. Being a kind and gentle nurse is something I want to be. I want to be able to help while maintaining a caring and kind personality. I imagine oncology is not an easy unit to work on because it's hard to watch kids go through the vigorous treatment they have to. It's for sure not easy on the kids so I believe as nurses, it's their job to provide the child with as much care and comfort as possible. If we can give them something to look forward to on a daily basis then that is enough. Keeping their spirits up gives them even more strength to power through. Overall, nursing will and forever will be a hard career. As basic as it sounds, I want to help people. I want to make a difference and giving someone the chance at life again sounds like such a rewarding job. We need nurses, especially kids who have cancer. Nurses provide care and also give them hope for a new happy and healthy life.

Persistence is the ability to make it through challenging times in your life. This question asks when I used persistence to overcome an obstacle, but I am still overcoming this obstacle. I have been blessed enough to attend a college where I work for my education. I am doing the summer work program which pays for students' room and board. We work 40 hours a week for 12 weeks. This has no doubt been the hardest thing I have done. Moving two hours away from home while starting a brand new job is overwhelming at its finest. I work in a kitchen, more specifically hotline. The Keeter Center is a four-star restaurant if that tells you anything about the supply and demand. Therefore, it is the most chaotic place I have worked. Especially because I am still not used to how things work up there, it is very overwhelming. When I get overwhelmed I cry. Crying isn't something that makes you look brave or strong. I am having a hard time understanding that it will take time for me to get used to everything up there. I continue every day with persistence to push through the days. Even though it is very hard, it is doable. Many people have done it and I have gained a lot of support through this job. I am very appreciative of all the people, I am still working hard on it though. Maybe a few months will go by and I won't be so discouraged with myself. But for now, I will continue to push through and make the most of it.

My name is Kenzie Lowe. I was adopted from China in 2005, at the age of 1. In total, there are six out of eight of my siblings adopted. Being in an interracial family has made me look at families differently in a good way. My amazing parents have treated us no less than how they treat their biological children. Having them as role models growing up has been a gift. They show me what true selflessness is and that’s the way to live life. I took it upon myself to pay for my college education to show them how appreciative I am. Acquiring this scholarship would mean so much to me and my family. To me, public service is the way one helps serve a community as a whole. Public service is crucial in today's society because without the businesses running, we wouldn’t have access to the goods and services we rely on. Without public services, we wouldn’t have people keeping our towns and cities safe. Having police officers and firefighters is such a privilege that we should appreciate it more often. But safety isn’t the only public service to us. Public service especially includes healthcare workers. Public health is a big part of our world today due to COVID-19. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has made a huge impact on our lives positively. I didn’t even know about them until Covid. As this paragraph concludes, I plan to serve my community by becoming a nurse. Becoming a nurse has been my dream since I was in middle school. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to at first, but after completing one semester of my Health Science course at Waynesville Career Center, I know now that I am meant to be a nurse. Partaking in clinical at my local long-term life care facilities has shown me who heroes are. The hardest working and kindest people I know work here. Not everyone can confidently say they are comfortable working at a nursing home but it’s the nurses and certified nursing assistants who stand up. Without them, our elderly wouldn’t have the care to continue life. I want to help my community and make a difference in society. Having people there to care and tend to you is a relief, therefore I would like to become that relief to future generations. We will always need nurses, especially right now. The demand for nurses keeps growing every day and I plan to take my part and step up. Nursing is in no doubt one of the most rewarding but hardest jobs to pursue. Someone with the heart and determination more than likely will perform more efficiently. Therefore, I believe I hold these characteristics. I may have a tender heart, but I know that makes it an even better choice of work for me. I am continuing my education at the College of the Ozarks pursuing a degree in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The first book that comes to mind when I think about the most important life lessons I have ever learned is "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. This book follows Angel the prostitute and Michael the regular farmer. It is a biblical book that shows the beauty of learning more about God. It teaches us that we shouldn't be ashamed of our past, yet we should take pride in our past and learn from our mistakes or regrets. This book has shown me the beautiful possibilities in life and what you can accomplish if you just keep trying and don't give up.

Your house is clean, organized, and full of furniture. Bills are paid, water is running, and you're clothed. This is the independence I strive to have someday. To be independent means to have the strength to be fully capable of keeping you and maybe a family afloat. Being able to go through life without relying too heavily on your parents or guardians. From a young age, I have shown my understanding of being independent. Out of six sisters, my mom would hand me the lunch money because she knew I would get it to the right place. Though that shows responsibility, it does tie into independence. From that I was able to gain that confidence in myself and that I was independent. Over time I have been more interested in the independence of adulthood. I admire the ability of others to just go out to live their lives. Independence does come with good morals though. Knowing right from wrong, and knowing how to financially handle living. This all comes into play with independence. Having bits and pieces of the independence I wish to pursue someday helps me tremendously in figuring out the world. I can confidently say I could go out to the world and achieve greatness by being independent someday.

Living the dream life is not the same across the board. Being someone who grew up in the midwest of the United States, I know I want to go somewhere else. And not just anywhere else, I want to travel everywhere. Being able to travel to any place in the world would be a dream come true. Traveling by yourself or with one other person would be my all-time dream. Though I would have to get a job and my dream career is currently a travel nurse, being able to work while experiencing the world would be very rewarding. Also, I would be living life with my favorite person as well. I would live close to a city in my own house when I got done traveling as often. Kids are in the picture as well as a great dane. I would live in a decent-sized house with a comfortable income while living a physically healthy life. Aside from the physical aspect, I want to live a life full of kindness and less worry. I don't want to be so worried about the future. That's why I need to have a steady income so I at least don't worry about money. I would go to church and hopefully become an even better person all around. That is my dream life.

Ten-year-old me would think golf was the easiest sport ever. I would say, "Golf is so boring", "Old people play golf," etc. Eighteen-year-old me would say the complete opposite. My name is Kenzie Lowe, and I started playing golf my freshman year of high school. I never really thought about playing golf growing up, but once high school started, I wanted to do something out of my comfort zone. And golf so happened to be one of my options. My school offers golf, but it isn't a big sport like basketball and soccer. If I am being completely honest, I was embarrassed to play at first. Carrying my huge golf bag around the school to practice wasn't something I looked forward to. Over time, nothing has ever taught me more life lessons than this sport. I could name so many different life lessons golf offers, but I am going to have to go with patience. Patience is something I have grown more and more terrible in throughout my golf years. I would always get upset if I didn't swing correctly, had a horrible hit, or just completely bombed the match. It was no doubt the hardest part of golf to conquer. Golf is such a mental sport and with that said, I believe it is one of the hardest sports to ever exist. Any tiny change in your swing can affect the entire course. Patience is something every golfer needs. Finishing my senior year of golf was my hardest mentally. There were a lot of mental barriers for me to get over. I was never patient with my matches, I would always want them to be done as quickly as possible. This was a lesson I learned, having no patience gets you nowhere. With patience, you can learn to accept reality and go on with your day in peace. I learned to take in the moments when you're playing golf more often than you do. Enjoy playing golf or it won't be fun. If you live trying to be the best at everything you do on the course, it's not worth your time. I believe having fun is the most important aspect of golf, and that's the true beauty in that. Having said that, golf has taught me a forever life lesson I will continue to carry with me throughout life. As an aspiring nurse, patience is crucial. Having that patience can benefit you mentally in the workplace. It will also help benefit me in nursing school. Nursing school is not easy, just like any other career. It is hard to get the hang of and that is okay. Patience will help me realize that I am just learning and I need to be easier on myself when I am learning a new skill. This doesn't just apply to nursing. Patience applies to everything in life. Having kids, waiting on a call back from a job, and simply waiting on hold for someone to talk to you about taxes. Golf has been a blessing for me and my mentality. I don't think anything could've taught me patience, as well as this sport, has taught me. There have been many hardships I have had to climb over, but it has been worth it. And golf is a forever sport, I could be in my seventies and probably still go out and hit a few balls, you never know. I will forever be grateful for this sport and I will continue to live by the lessons it has and will always teach me.

Among all of my hobbies, reading is and will always be number one. Being able to ponder about a whole different universe is beyond amazing to me. Mystical creatures, crazy lives, and even books about mental health. I enjoy reading every bit of literature the world has and continues to offer me. Nothing boggles my mind more than a simple human being that can come up with wonderful ideas. Nothing I could have ever imagined. My favorite genre has to be romance/fantasy. Of course, I enjoyed well-known books such as the Harry Potter series, To All the Boys I've Loved Before series, and so on. This question has me thinking so much because I love so many books it is just too hard to choose. But late last year I found a book that I absolutely adored. It is called "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. A religious book, yes, but has amazing storytelling and life lessons. This book is based in the 1850s and tackles controversial topics and religion altogether. No one would ever think a book is going to be about a prostitute and God in one. I won't lie, I was a little nervous to read it because of its topics but nothing made me feel more open-minded. Michael, the main male character in the book, is a Godly man. God is telling him to go for Angel, the prostitute. Throughout the book, Michael never gives up on God and Angel. He consists follows God's word and does not force his religion on Angel all at once. After reading this book, I learned not to judge anyone, ever, based on their lifestyle. You never know why they are in the position they are in. It is so beautifully written I highly recommend to anyone.

Being someone who experiences anxiety and self-doubt, this question is no doubt hard for me to think of an answer for. Especially in our society today, I struggle with mental health just like any other teenager. As my senior year comes to an end it has been even more difficult. Having to think about my future, how I am going to get there, and how drastically my life is going to change due to the fact I have chosen to go to a four-year college two and a half hours away from my home. Then, of course, the leaving my friends I have grown up with since preschool aspect. It has been hard. But I can say wholeheartedly I have learned to accept and love this part of me. The quality I admire so much about myself is my sensitivity and caring heart. It has been hard to come to terms with the fact I tend to struggle more with leaving things behind and starting a new chapter, but I have seen the beauty in that. Not everyone has that attachment to their childhood. I have been blessed by having an amazing family to grow up with and having the same friend group I have had since my elementary school days. Having my sensitivity comes with empathy. I hold a lot of emotions in my heart. Just thinking about graduation makes me happy but sad to the point I want to cry. And I love that part of me. It truly is a beautiful idea that people can just think about something that can make them smile or something that can make them cry. I know not a lot of people have this ability and I will forever cherish and admire this about me. With this quality, I see a loving life laid out for me. I know there will be rough patches just like any other person would say but I am ready for it. Just because I have a soft heart doesn't mean I don't have goals and a drive to have success in my life. But my soft heart will help me along the way. I can see myself making friends in college and making friends in my career field of choice. Having all of these qualities have helped me decide to pursue my career in nursing. A great trait in nursing is empathy. In my Health Science class at my local career center, one of the top character traits we have learned about is empathy. Empathy is the ability to feel and understand one's emotions. This has helped me tremendously learn to love my empathetic soul. I know with this trait, I will be able to connect to my patients on another level, especially because I wish to pursue a career as a labor and delivery nurse. I hope to provide my patients with as much love and comfort as possible. Overall, I know learning to love this quality of mine will help me in the future. With sensitivity, I can be sentimental towards patients who may be going through times of distress or even times of happiness. I hope someday I can make at least one person's day just by them feeling like I understood them and that I cared for them. That is truly all that matters to me. I feel called to bring more love into this world and I dream one day to make a change.

Everyday I make it a goal to put a smile on someone's face. I love making other people happy and I love seeing people happy. Personally, I tend to have a lot of empathy. I care so much about other's well being. I can physically feel when another is upset or hurt. It saddens me, so I take the role of making others happy. Giving out compliments is a top on my list. A simple, "your outfit is so cute" can go a long ways. But I really mean it when I say it. Though, I know some people don't want to be bothered. So I always get a feeling off of someone before I say something. If they clearly don't want to be bothered, I always do a simple smile or a wave. It doesn't hurt anyone to just smile. Overall, I believe treating people with kindness can go a long ways. You never know what others are going through so empathy can show others that you deeply care about them. Having the ability to maybe make one person happier throughout the day is such a reward.

Everyone has a bucket list. Some include places people want to go, food they want to eat, or just how they want to live life. Since I was young I have always seen a place on television and would put that on my bucket list. Of course, I don't have a literal bucket list, but it tattooed in my brain. Some things on my bucket list is to go drive around Europe for a summer, visit Niagara Falls, visit Mount Rushmore, visit the Redwood National Park, see the northern lights, and visit Asia. I was actually born in China and was adopted when I was one, so I don't remember a thing. I would love to visit again and see how life was like from where I was originally from. Other than that, I haven't achieved much. My favorite thing I have achieved on my bucket list though, is to visit Winter the dolphin. Winter was a dolphin that was in an accident and lost her tail out of it. They had to remake her a tail and she had to learn to use it. I loved her and dolphins are still my favorite animal. I got to visit her when I stayed with my aunt and I absolutely loved every second of it. I didn't get to physically touch her but I enjoyed everything. I believe having bucket lists are important because you have to have something in life to make you excited. This doesn't have to include travel too. It can truly be anything, only if you put your mind to it.

Nature is something you see and appreciate. But it's not just that, it is so much more. Thinking about what the world is capable of is just amazing. Once you learn to appreciate it, you realize how much is actually going on behind the pretty picture. Nature is like it's own world. Animals have their way of living, and plants know exactly what they are meant to do. It blows my mind. Especially when you go somewhere that has a waterfall, or a beautiful lake. You learn to not take life for granted and really think about the privilege we have to experience the nature now. I would absolutely love to travel. Traveling not just to big cities, but small countries. Older places such as Europe hold so much history. Fossils in nature can tell a whole story. Taking the time to just observe the magical things the world can do is very rewarding. Personally, I enjoy watching lightning in a big thunder storm. I enjoy this because it is gorgeous and crazy how the sky works like that. Everyday I try to look outside and just appreciate any tiny thing about it. Live in every moment.

Starting work at the age of fifteen was a huge change in my life. Especially, at the only grocery store in our town. After almost three years of working there, I grew to know almost everyone in town. And I love every second of it. Getting to know the true heart and soul of my town has been such a rewarding part in my life. After becoming a manager at Town and Country, at sixteen, I became a well known face in town. I greeted customers, told stories, listened to others, and laughed with them. They quickly became family to me. I am truly very lucky to have a job where I just interact with people I consider very close family friends to me. Having a true smile on my face helps and I try my best to be happy around others. Everyone knows you go to the grocery store after work, and not everyone is happy after work, but I know after a little kindness and positivity, I have the power to put a smile back on their face. I can say with my whole heart that this is a true blessing to have.

After being adopted, my grandparents haven't treated me any less than a blood related granddaughter. And I have wanted nothing more than to repay them for how they have been towards me. Giving elderly people a better look out on life is so very important to me. In my Health Science class, I have been given the opportunity to work with fellow nurses at the local Nursing Home. This has been such a privilege to be able to help out. In my way of helping out elderly people, I have been assisting them in everyday activities. These include changing, providing basic hygiene for them, and even just talking to them. My favorite thing to do in the nursing home is talking to the residents. They love talking about their lives. And I love listening because they truly give the best advice. And they have the best look on life because they know so much more. I think it is so important to give residents social time. Due to COVID-19, they were not even able to see family in person besides through a window, which is not the same. This would really harm me mentally, and especially for dementia residents, they wouldn't understand what was going on. Therefore, I will continue to step up in the nursing home and help whenever I can.