I have always been in love with adrenaline. For others the rush is overwhelming and feels overwhelming. They often characterize it as a racing heart, spiraling thoughts, and overwhelming panic. For me though, adrenaline brings clarity. It quiets the everyday noise in my mind and focuses my thoughts into one. It anchors me. I never understood how deeply this feeling would guide my future until I began working as an EMT. The first time I responded to a major trauma call - “Head-on collision, confirmed entrapment, unknown injuries”- my heart pounded, but not with fear. I was focused. Arriving on scene chaos surrounded us (sirens, engines, bystanders).Yet I was still able to focus on my colleague and my patient. Adrenaline cleared my mind and made this possible. These were the moments I knew exactly where I was needed. Yet, as an EMT, my role ended at the hospital doors. I would transfer my patient to a trauma bay and watch the fight for the patient continue. AFter some time working I began to notice that more often than not, I was handing patients off to a registered nurse and a physician assistant. This team moved together perfectly. They continued our work of stabilizing our patient as they began to diagnose their injuries. One moment I’ll never forget: “Airway compromised,” the PA had said. They didn't yell it though, they said it as if someone might say “ the sky is blue”. . Before I had even noticed the RN had prepared the intubation equipment. It was then that the two of them were able to get the airway secured. That's when it hit me. We were not so different, in the ER we all loved adrenaline. In those moments I realized I didn’t just admire them but I wanted to be them. I wanted to be the provider who could stay with the patient and keep digging for ways to help them. Becoming a PA would help me do more of what I love and help my patients more than I ever could as an EMT. This is what led me to pursue my Health Sciences degree with the goal of becoming a Physician Assistant. I am driven by the desire to work in Emergency Medicine, where I feel like I feel the most of use. There, I can be there for people on their worst of days with the hope that maybe I am making it just a little bit better. The adrenaline that once simply grounded me has now shaped my calling. This scholarship would not only support my educational journey but it would allow me to continue to work towards being the provider I want to be. It would allow me to put more focus on my academics rather than extra shifts. My goal is not easy. Its a long process and it takes a lot of work. I know that . However, that's the beauty of a goal, a good goal is not easy, it's something to strive for every single day until you reach it, and when you do it will be time to set a new goal.

From the books I have read, I have learned that stories are not just for our entertainment but rather they are sources of courage and inspiration. Reading has always been a comfort to me. It brings me joy to be able to step outside of the mundaneness of everyday life and escape into a whole new world. A world that is what you make it, with the characters you get to dream of. In these worlds I can see characters fears, struggles, and triumphs. These are things that as humans we tend to hide from those surrounding us. Being able to connect with a character, see their struggles, passions, and feel their pain has allowed me to feel a little less alone in my own struggles. Now, obviously I am not struggling to save an entire world like some of these characters, but it still gives me a little sense of connection. My favorite series is Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass. This series in particular has really shaped who I am today. The main character, Celaena/Aelin, has such a beautiful sense of bravery and determination to overcome her fears. Yes her fears are massive in comparison to my own, but if she can face her fears then surely I can face mine. This larger than life character has taught me the value of resilience and confidence by simply being herself. Due to her character, I have learned to push past my fears and doubts when it comes to my own goals. When I went into college I feared going into a major other than nursing. My entire high school career I claimed to want to be a nurse. I did not believe I had what it took to go into a Physicians Assistant program at such a challenging college. Aelins courage motivated me to be bold in pursuing my path in college and to embrace the challenges that will come with becoming a female Physicians Assistant. After laboring on the challenges that a character went through and faced and looking at my own, I realized that if Aelin could face what she did and still be an female inspiration then I could change my major and truly be who I want to be. Overall, reading not only has given me an escape but has taught me that fear doesn't have to hold me back. Instead fear can be faced, and overcome. This is lesson has given me the confidence to pursue this career with passion and determination.

My faith has been the foundation of my character, the lens through which I see the world, and the anchor that keeps me steady in times of uncertainty. Growing up in a Pentecostal household and being born into a missionary family in Guatemala, I learned early on that leadership is not about authority—it is about service.Serving other people is serving the lord and LEADING people to the lord. My understanding of leadership is deeply tied to the conviction that we are supposed to be servants of the lord. A turning point came during my freshman year of high school. This was the year I decided to attempt to lead a bible study at school. At first, I wasn’t sure anyone would come. I knew very few people and honestly I had no confidence in my speaking abilities, but I felt God calling me to step forward anyway. So I gathered a group of like-minded friends and started the group. It group began with just the 5 of us, yet that time was still treated as if we were speaking to other people. We prayed together, read Scripture, and shared stories of how God was working in our lives. Slowly, the group grew—not because I pushed people to join but because people saw us sitting in the room every Friday sitting in the presence of the lord. They saw us having a time to become closer as people and they saw how it impacted our day at school. In fact, by simply spending the morning in the word we were having much more positive days. One afternoon, a student I barely knew stayed behind after our study. She told me she had been struggling silently with depression and had almost given up hope. But something she heard in the meeting had given her the strength to keep going. In that moment, I realized leadership through faith isn’t about grand speeches or perfect plans but rather it is it’s about being presenting gods presence instead of the worlds. Doing those groups helped shape a vision of how I wanted to lead in my future career. I want to become an advocate for those who are not seen, who feel left out, nd for those who just need a voice. Whether in a hospital room, a mission field in Guatemala, or a small group of students in a classroom, I hope to lead in a way that points people toward him.

I love math because it is the one thing in the world that has an answer. Being human in a world we do not know much about I struggle with the need for answers. Ever since I was little my favorite equation was "why?". Why is the world the way it is? There are no answers to many of these questions. There are, however, answers in math. Now you may be sitting there saying but what about when the answer is "no solution"? What you have yet to realize is that no solution is an answer. So is "all real numbers". They are answers, maybe not the ones you want, but they are. The world instead of giving us that 'all real numbers "answer or the " no solutions", leaves us wondering. Math is also very exact, from the beginning to the end you do the same steps, and all that changes is you build upon it. From a young age you are taught the numbers, then how to add them, subtract, multiply, divide, root, add in letters, then imaginary numbers. You take everything and grow upon it. It's a never-ending cycle. You then take the same steps for each problem. It's a formula for everything. You have a question, an exact way to solve it, and an answer. What more can you want?

In my family, mental illness seems to be genetic. From my mother to my youngest brother we all suffer in some way. For my mother, it's depression and anxiety so horrible she would work her days away. Working 10-12 hour shifts only to come home to crash before waking to do it again the next day. For my brother, Jeremiah, it's Bipolar Depression causing him to crash his car into a telephone pole. By the grace of God, they have survived. They got through it. As far as my experience goes, ever since I was 12, I battled with my mental health. Societal pressures caused me to lose sight of who I was. Starting at 12 years old, I began questioning what I should and shouldn't eat. What foods would make me look like those models on my Instagram feed? How could I look like them? What I didn't know at the time was many of my peers also were going through these thoughts... Later, something as small as those questions began to get darker. At 13, I began to wonder, what if I cut some skin off? Would it make me feel better? Would it make me smaller? I went from not eating down into a path of self-harm. What's not talked about a lot is how self-harm is addictive. Many teens who start have trouble escaping that path. It makes them feel good, makes them feel better, and makes them feel something much like a drug addict who uses marijuana or alcohol. Continuing my life as a teen with the eating disorder and depression now prevalent I began developing social anxiety. What if they notice? What do they think of me? How do I look to them? It started once again small with a few questions and would lead to panic attacks in the bathroom choking on air because the classroom had many people, who could judge me. The world was hard to face, School was hard to face, and my parents were hard to face. How could I look them in the eye thinking if they knew it would break them? How dare I struggle with this? I was placed in a bubble believing I was the only one. No one else could feel like this right? Am I just the problem? At fourteen, I sat on my bedroom floor and took every prescription medication I could find, in hopes that if I just died, my family wouldn't have to suffer when they realized what was under the surface. That night ended up saving me most cruelly. What I didn't know at the time was my father was asleep on the couch because he was sick. As I began to experience the symptoms of OD he heard me puking and gasping for breath. Calling 911, I was able to be admitted and get the help I needed. I found out about my mom's and brother's illnesses, and as a family, we vowed to be open about mental health. If we were more open about it might I have reached out for help sooner? I do not know, but I hope one day the world can get to a place people do not feel like they cannot share their stories. I have recovered, but many would have lost their lives. One switch of fate and I wouldn't be here today, sharing with others how they are not ALONE.