Hello, my name is Krystalynn. I am starting the nursing program in the Fall of 2025. In just another week I will be consumed with my cohort's meetings and workshops for week zero of the nursing program. Then, it will be full speed ahead into my first semester as a nursing student. When I was was a kid, my grandfather became very ill suddenly. At the time I couldn't understand how it was possible for him to be sick. We are Navajo, which is a Native American tribe in Arizona. My grandfather was an excellent Medicine Man. He took care of so many people with different illnesses throughout the vast reservation we come from. He never asked for monetary compensation. Instead, he would ask for herbs that came from the areas he was visiting. He took so much pride in his ability to heal people. He was never disrespectful to the gifts he had that allowed him to be a Medicine Man. Because I was so young when he suddenly got sick, and passed approximately 2 weeks later, it is something I have always thought about. My grandfather was the kindest person to my sisters and I. My parents would leave us for days and my grandfather never made us feel like we were interfering with his life. Everyone else did, but he never did. He was our best buddy, my sisters and I. I still miss him so much as I write about this time in my young life. Years later as I got older, with much hesitation, I asked my mother what it was that took him from us. She said that they were told it was stomach cancer. It was never caught early on and by the time he felt sick, he was at the end stage. My grandfather went from being full of energy and life, to suddenly being really sick. This man went to the hospital with a dark head of hair, and when we able to visit him within a week, his hair turned white. My grandfather was the person that held our large family together. My grandparents had 10 kids, so you can only imagine the effort that went into keeping everyone near and included. He did that. Because of this great big loss our family had, I had become more and more interested over the years with Medicine and the healing process. I want to be able to help someone in their most vulnerable state, to advocate for them, to help them heal or recover from an illness or injury. I won't be practicing the same type of medicine as my grandfather, but I will be helping others in their healing journey. Now, I am a mother of four wonderful children. I want to be the person that encourages them to get a higher education after high school. I am teaching them about independence. Their lives have been filled with teachings of caring, kindness, bringing joy to themselves and others, and loving life. The support my husband and I give to our children, is the support and encouragement we never received as we were kids. My family is my happiness in life. I have a great support system in my husband and our four children. I can't wait to be a nurse. Thank you for your time. Always my best, Krystalynn Thompson

Hello, my name is Krystalynn, I am a 41 year old Nursing student. I grew up in various places. The Navajo reservation, different towns and cities. Because my parents have always been financially unstable, my sisters and I grew up with very little. I graduated from a small school on the reservation and was the Salutatorian of the graduating class. I have always loved learning and I never took it for granted. This is what I teach my kids as well. I decided to return to school about 3 years ago and enrolled 2 years ago. I have completed my prerequisites and passed my Nursing entrance exam in the Spring of this year (2025). I am very excited to begin my Nursing school career. I will be a nurse in 2 years, the Spring of 2027. I have been in healthcare, working as a Medical Assistant for almost 21 years, right now I work in the local hospital as a Patient Safety Attendant. Working in healthcare for so long has been so rewarding, in what I have learned over the years. Financially it has been difficult, but what I have learned about people, patience, dignity, understanding, empathy and care outweighs those struggles. I decided to become a nurse so that I can provide Healthcare, at a higher level. The first personal challenge for myself was enrolling into school. Then setting up my first advising appointment to map out my first semester. Keeping in mind, I haven't been in school for approximately 20 years. Then getting my books, both regular and electronic. That was interesting. So far, in the first 2 years of school, I have become comfortable being the oldest student in all of my classes. All my classmates are the same ages as my daughters. I have made the Dean's list twice, had straight As in my public health courses, and had so much fun doing my Bio classes and labs. What I look forward to as a future nurse is the ability to spend more time with my kids and my husband, my family. I cherish every moment I have with them. I look forward to financial stability. I can't wait to be able to provide care to patients at a higher level than what I have done for so many years. I am excited for the knowledge I will gain in the next two years of nursing school. I am more excited about what I will experience in clinical rounds each semester. It's not to late to go back to school, and I am happy to be where I am at today. Being a recipient of this scholarship will help me financially while I pursue this degree in nursing. Thank you for your time. Always my best, Krystalynn Thompson

Hello, my name is Krystalynn, I am 41 years old, soon to be 42, and a first generation college student. I grew up in a household that was always struggling. My sisters and I grew up with very, very little, but we always showed our love for each other as siblings. When I graduated from my small high school as a Salutatorian, I felt excited for what my future was going to hold for me. However, I ended up struggling for many years. I had no guidance, encouragement or support from my parents. In fact, they were always coming to me for money to get them through the week. Being their daughter, for a long time I felt like it was my obligation to make sure they were ok, even though I didn't get that from them in my childhood. I became a mother at the age of 20, and have been with the love of my life for 24 years. Our oldest daughter is now 21. Over the years we have not had the support from our families, the same support so many people take for granted. Yet, we have come a long ways. We now have 4 kids, ages 21, 19, 15 and 10. A few years ago, I started to think of what I wanted my life to be like when my kids become adults and after retirement. Would I even be able to retire? I immediately thought of how my parents are still living to this day and immediately felt the need to go back to school. Returning to school at my age and with the technology that I did not grow up using, I have to say I was a little intimidated. This time around with school, I have the encouragement from my husband and our kids. I never thought I could be intimidated by technology. I have been the oldest student in all of my classes. I learned how to upload and use e-books. I have had to use Chat GPT (A.I) for a class, which was a little terrifying to be honest. I have definitely been out of my comfort zone for the past 2 years, and I made the Dean's list twice. In the Spring of this year (2025) I did the hardest test so far, I passed and I have been accepted into my University's Nursing Program. I was able to be 1 of 10 seats for my programs cohort. I am excited to show my kids that anything is possible. I want to continue to encourage them to aim for a higher education. I show my kids the love and support I didn't have in my childhood. I know that I will struggle financially while I finish out the next 2 years of school. Being a recipient of this scholarship with provide myself the financial support I need to complete school. Thank you for taking the time to review my application. Always my best, Krystalynn Thompson

I am 41 years old. I started my college education 2 years ago in the Fall of 2023. I grew up on the Navajo reservation most of my life with my siblings, in my grandmother's home. Throughout my childhood we were treated unfairly at the reservation boarding school because we aren't fully Navajo. In the cities, we were treated differently by many because we are Navajo. My mother is full Navajo and my father is Caucasian, Scottish, and Tlingit. During my childhood and adolescence my parents moved us around alot because of their financial insecurities. They were never financially stable. My 3 sisters and I (4 of us) all slept in one bedroom of an old run down trailer. We grew up receiving our food from shelters or food banks. Finally, we moved back to the reservation to my grandmother's home. This became our home base. This became our permanent home during my teenage years. In high school I was the Salutatorian of my graduating class of approximately 12 students. My parents did not celebrate my accomplishment or my graduation. I spent my graduation night with my older sister. I did not know that I could enroll in college, with my 4.0 GPA. I didn't know that I could apply for funding or scholarships. My parents didn't know about these things to teach me. College was not an option for me as far as I knew. I am now 41 years old and half way through my college career. Enrolling in the University and starting my first semester were the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life. And I am a mother of four kids. I am enrolled at Northern Arizona University and passed my Nursing entrance exam in the Spring of 2025. I was accepted and will start the Nursing program in the Fall of 2025. I returned to school to accomplish a higher education so that I could be a better provider for my kids, more than my parents were for me. I had already worked in the medical field for 21 years...and counting. I have loved working in the medical field, and I look forward to providing care to patients at a higher level. Receiving this scholarship will help me achieve my goals during Nursing school. It will be difficult for me to work during this next semester due to my 7 class schedule. This next semester will be my first semester for the Nursing Program and my schedule is stacked with 7 classes for 20 credits. I know that it will be hard, and I expect myself to do well with my studies. Last semester, I had straight A's and made the Dean's list for the second semester in a row. I appreciate any and all help I receive as well as the time that is taken for this application to be reviewed. Thank you for your time, Krystalynn Thompson

Hello, my name is Krystalynn Thompson. I am currently enrolled at Northern Arizona University, pursuing a degree in Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). I am 41 years old, and I am very excited to be in school for this degree. I am a mother of four with 2 children also attending college. I have been a medical assistant for 21 years and put off returning to school for a Nursing degree while my kids were very young. I want to become a nurse so that I can care for patients at a higher level. It is important for people to be taken care of with the attention to detail that I strive to give when I become a nurse. I want to be able to care for someone in their most vulnerable state and advocate for them when they need it. I was raised within a family that didn't have much at all, except each other. We learned to survive on very little and I have made it my life goal to provide a better future for my children. As an adult I have not had any family support except the family I made with my husband. I grew up on a reservation for most of my life and as a person that was exposed to culture and diversity from another state, I was not treated well. I had to overcome adversity with the people I went to school with. For many years of not being treated well as a child and teenager, I think that I have done pretty well for myself, my kids and my husband. I knew that returning to school would not be easy. It was not going to be easy financially for my family of six. My husband has been a great support system for me and even more over the past 2 years since I enrolled at Northern Arizona University. I remember feeling intimidated when I was enrolling for my first semester of classes. I also had one online class. I grew up at a time when we didn't have computers, laptops, and internet instantly at our fingertips. I had to quickly figure out a completely new way of learning. Lectures, the fastest note taking I've ever done in my life, downloading, uploading, and submitting everything on the school platform. These were all new to me. I've also had the opportunity to speak in front of people, maybe I'll get used to it one day. While I am attending classes at Northern Arizona University I have learned more about myself. I have been able participate with the much younger peers in my classes. We get to compare our perspectives. Myself as a 41 year old, and my peers being anywhere from 18 into their twenties. My classmates are in the same age group at my daughters. To become a nurse I had to go on this life journey to get where I am at today and to be the person that I am today. Becoming a nurse has been a goal of mine for at least 10 to 15 years. I am excited for what the future has on hold for me. I have always worked hard for myself and my family. Being able to show my kids that this can be done is important to me. However, I am encouraging them to go to college right after high school. I like to talk to them about how important it is for them to have their own independence as they get older and become young adults. Over the years, working as a medical assistant I have been able to experience working in different specialties. My favorite thing to do has been wound care and injuries. I would always ask to do the wound care, wound dressings (bandaging). I have gained so much experience in chronic health as well. I have learned how to educate patients with their medical conditions, treatment, and medication. I have also had the opportunity with working at campus Health medical clinic at Northern Arizona University. Working at various places over the years has taught me so much about medicine. I am looking forward to completing the nursing program at Northern Arizona University in the next two years. People have been asking me since I enrolled, if I know or have an idea of what type of nursing I want to go into. At this time I want to go into Trauma. People are so vulnerable in those conditions. I want to learn the skills that will be fast and efficient in case it is needed for a rapid response to a situation. I want to learn to provide the highest level and quality of care that people should have while receiving medical care. I'd like to say thank you for this opportunity and thank you for your time and consideration. Always my best, Krystalynn Thompson

My name is Krystalynn Thompson. I have been a mother since 2004, when I had my first child, my oldest daughter. Then up to 10 years later I had three more children with my husband. I was nearing he end of the Medical Assistant program in Phoenix, AZ. I had moved to Phoenix with my future husband when I was 19 to go to school to get into healthcare. When I was a teenager I never thought that I would be in healthcare. I had always imagined my life as an artist. After high school, thinking about what would be a more economical choice, I decided to apply for my tribes trade opportunity program. I went to this trailer almost daily, four to five times a week to apply and take ridiculous amounts of paperwork to them. Finally, I was accepted into the program. From that moment, I knew the path my future was headed was not going to be on the reservation for the rest of my life. I wanted to make a positive impact in the lives of others. Nearing the end of the 10 month Medical Assistant program, my husband and I welcomed our daughter. I was required to postpone school for one month. After that month I returned and finished my last month of classes and then completed the externship. I ended up graduating with a high GPA. Instead of the 4.0 I aimed for I was just below that because I could not afford interview clothes for my final professional class. But I know I worked hard and was proud of what I accomplished. 20 years later I am still a Medical Assistant at an Internal Medicine private practice. In 2012 I signed up to go to the local community college, I didn't make it to officially enrolling into classes. I did that at least two more times. In January of 2023, I started thinking about where I was seeing myself in 5 more years, when I am in my mid-40s. I actually imagined struggling financially, still living paycheck to paycheck, and not being able to spend time with my family because I am trying to get all the work hours I can. I felt unhappy and overwhelmed with those thoughts. That evening I went home and spoke to my husband about it. I told him that I want to enroll at the University for the upcoming Fall semester. The next day, I remained committed. I logged on the computer, and applied to be enrolled. The next 4 months, I stayed committed to my family's future and continued the enrollment process. Once I knew that school was official, my husband and I called a family meeting with our four children. Our daily routines were about to change in the next 2 to 3 months, for the next 4 years. My husband was a stay at home dad. He took care of everything for our family since our girls were about 3 years old. We chose this option because it would allow me to be able to work as much as I needed to. I could stay later, work my way up the chain in the clinic I was working at. I could be more available for my position. Now my husband is working, I work part-time to help with bills. I go to school full-time. My first 2 semesters were 6 classes each. This semester is 5 classes and working. I am excited for what my family's future holds and the quality of life we will have. I am going to be a Registered Nurse.