From a young age, I felt I was meant to work with children. Caring for children has always come naturally to me. I gained experience with kids by spending time with my younger siblings, babysitting neighborhood kids, and reading to the elementary students on Friday afternoons. For a while, I didn't know which career path I wanted to pursue. However, my interest in nursing was sparked at age eleven years old when my six-month-old sister was hospitalized with RSV. I watched as the nurses rushed around her to ensure she would survive. It was inspiring to see how efficiently and effectively they moved during this tense situation. I saw, day and night, the compassion and ethics in which they worked to make a difference not only for my sister but for our entire family. This experience truly opened my eyes to the vital role nurses play in healthcare. This is something I definitely want to do for other children and families. As I got older, I began taking steps to learn more about nursing and healthcare. I attended many college and career days and learned as much as I could. This is where I discovered Tri-Tech, and I was instantly intrigued. I attended the Tri-Tech Pre-Nursing program during my junior year of high school. This experience furthermore confirmed that I wanted to be a nurse. Throughout the program, I learned basic medical terminology and patient care skills, and I also obtained my CNA license. Tri-Tech also allowed me to volunteer over 100 hours in healthcare settings. The hands-on learning helped me better understand the responsibilities and challenges that nurses and healthcare workers face day to day. The experience in both of these healthcare settings only added to my desire to become a nurse. Tri-Tech allowed me to explore healthcare in a real-world setting and showed me that I am confident I want to major in nursing. Once I earn my nursing license, I plan to work in pediatrics. My goal is to work at a children's hospital, such as Sacred Heart Children's Hospital in Spokane, Washington. This hospital holds deep meaning for me, as it’s where my six-month-old sister was life-flighted. That experience shaped my desire to care for children and their families during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. I want to be the kind of nurse who helps children feel safe even in scary situations.

One of the greatest adversities I’ve faced came when I was ten years old, my parents divorced. At that age, I didn’t fully understand the legal definition of divorce, but I understood absence. My dad was no longer consistently there. He wasn't at school events, at birthdays, or during the quiet, normal moments that once felt secure. What followed was a shift in responsibility that changed our family overnight. My mom became a single mother of five, carrying the emotional and financial weight alone. As I grew older, I began to understand the extent of what she was doing. She worked nonstop to keep us afloat, often hiding her stress so we would not feel the same burden she did. But by my Junior year of high school, the struggles became impossible to ignore. Due to financial hardship, my family of six moved into a motel. What was meant to be temporary stretched into months and then the entirety of my junior year. One small room became our bedroom, kitchen, and living space. There was no privacy and little quiet, yet our chaotic life did not slow down. Even in our small motel room, we found ways to celebrate birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and so much more. While this situation was hard, it became motivation to continue my education so I can better myself and my family. Junior year is academically demanding under normal circumstances, but mine felt unyielding. I was balancing cheerleading, a part-time job to help support my family, Tri-Tech Pre-Nursing classes, and my regular high school coursework. I balanced all of this while returning each night to a cramped motel room. My days started before sunrise and ended late at night. Homework was completed on our shared beds or on the floor, often with distractions I had to learn to tune out. I rarely spoke about our living situation. I was determined that my circumstances would not define me or my performance. The emotional weight of that year intensified when my six-month-old sister was hospitalized with RSV which is a respiratory syncytial virus. Watching such a fragile baby struggle to breathe is something I will never forget. My mom was forced to spread herself even further, staying strong for my sister while worrying about the rest of us. And once again, we faced it without my dad’s support. During those long hours at the hospital, I closely observed the nurses. They were more than medical professionals, they were our comfort in the chaos. Their presence sparked something in me. I realized I didn’t just admire what they did, I felt called to it. That experience confirmed my desire to pursue nursing, specifically pediatric nursing. I want to be the person who brings calm to families when their world feels like it’s collapsing. I understand what it feels like to sit in a hospital room unsure of what will happen next. That perspective is something I will carry into my career. Facing these challenges taught me that adversity does not define a person, how you respond to it does. Going through my parents’ divorce, financial struggles, and my sister’s hospitalization taught me how much strength people can find in hard times. I learned to persevere, manage multiple responsibilities, and remain compassionate in moments of stress. My journey has shown me that resilience, empathy, and determination are qualities that carry far beyond personal struggles, and they are the same qualities I hope to bring to my future career as a pediatric nurse, helping children and their families navigate some of the scariest moments of their lives.