Everyone feels they were born to do something extraordinary, me included. I knew I was born to be a nurse, to be a helping hand, a comfort, and caregiver. I knew I was meant for nursing when my brother Michael fell ill to a mysterious, rare illness aHUS. My brother who I fought with, who I didn't get along with, who annoyed me as many younger brothers do was stuck in a bed fighting for his life, while I cried begging God to give him mine instead. My brother made it out, he has grown and so has our bond and relationship. From what my brother went through and told me, his experience changed my perception on life. My brother didn't know if he was going to live or die, he never plans too far ahead afraid that he wouldn't get the life everyone else would get. My brother taught me to never take life for granted, to seize everything, make something of everyday and never regret it. I learned that life is fragile, but that's what makes it so exciting and beautiful, the ability to explore, to see the unknown, and live life to the fullest. I also learned who I was meant to be in this world, and that is a nurse in the ICU. My passion lies with the ICU, with helping those who feel helpless to themselves, to bring peace at mind, a source of comfort, and possibly even laughter within their hard times. It makes me passionate, it drives me to get out of bed and work hard because not only was I born to help, but to those who are in dire need, they deserve to live just as much as I do. Life is so fragile, but if people just help each other it remains a beautiful complex puzzle everyone spends time figuring out. Besides my passion in nursing, I feel I am just a passionate person about living life to the fullest, my family brings me my biggest joy. Playing board games, watching movies or just sitting with them at the dinner table brings me back to Earth after hard days. I love to go to Disneyland, with family or friends, the food, the rides, and the shows bring me joy and balance in my life. My career choice is serious, my life goal is serious, my studies are serious so to spend a day where life becomes unserious and I am a "princess" trying to find the perfect midday snack is my ideal day. However, If I am not with my family, or friends or even at Disneyland, I am watching a show or movies, going to the gym, eating my favorite snacks, and on the days I get to do something I absolutely adore I am on a Zoom call with a Make-A-Wish child, helping them get their dream wish, learning about the child, and getting to participate in an everlasting memory for them and their family. I was lucky enough to be on a Make-A-Wish trip for my brother to meet the Dallas Cowboys, and now I am lucky enough to give back to the organization that gives so much to my family and so many others. To put simply and describe who I am, I am a passionate student nurse, an honorary Disney tour guide, a book lover, movie nerd, and most of all a compassionate older sister/daughter.

I am the oldest child and the only daughter, and although this statement is broad and nothing special it means the world to me. I find myself to be passionate, hardworking, and full of love. When asked what my passions are my true response is nursing and my family, I love them with every ounce of love and blood I have in me. They are my rock, my lifeline, I have a special connection to my parents to my brothers that just allows me to constant smile at the thought out them. I am hardworking, in every aspect of my life, as a daughter I work hard to help my parents in every way I can, making dinner, cleaning, taking my brothers to practice I try in every way I can to lift the weight off their shoulders. In school I strive to get the highest grades I can manage, I strive to work as hard as I can and I truly enjoy school, learning the different subjects. I work hard in basketball, as a basketball player I continued to work hard, I managed to become captain of my college team, leading by example, being responsible and reliable. I work hard in my volunteer work, I have started volunteering for a foundation, Make-A-Wish. I hold this foundation dear to my heart as they helped grant my brothers wish at the age of eight, this organization gave so much to my family and they do so much for many others families that being able to be a small part in their lives lifts me with so much joy. However, out of all the ways I would describe myself, I would say being full of love is the best description of myself. I remind myself to do everything with love, love for the life I have, love for the family and friends that surround me, and love for the opportunities I have. This scholarship would help in so many ways, I truly am blessed I have a home, a family, however education is harder for me to obtain. College is known to be expensive, however my family does not earn enough where my education can just be paid, that responsibility relies on me. As a nursing major, nursing school becomes increasingly expensive with each year, as they require specific equipment. This scholarship would help me obtain those materials and cut down the cost of nursing school for me, relieving myself of much debt but as well relieving my parents of the worry the debt will have on me.

My brother is my biggest inspiration in my life and in my career. When my brother was eight, he fell ill, a once super energetic kid was lying hopeless in my dad's arms as he couldn't walk. I had no clue what to do or even what was happening, all I knew was that my brother who I fought with constantly was on the brink of death. For weeks he laid in a hospital bed, and yet he still smiled through it, for weeks I would visit my brother and pray he would be okay. In those weeks he laid in the bed, in those weeks my parents had no clue if their own son would live or die, I noticed how diligent the nurses were working, to comfort my brother, to comfort my parents. To be the reason he smile that day. I heard many stories of my brothers time in the hospital, how nurses made him laugh, how nurses comforted him, and how he felt so taken care of. I knew in that moment, when I saw him in the bed, when I saw come home after weeks in the hospital I knew that one day I was going to be a nurse. It became my passion in life, I learned how much nurses do in the medical field, how they are caring, compassionate and put others above themselves. It reminded me of how much I love helping others, how when I was a little girl I enjoyed taking care of my parents when they were sick, how I enjoy learning everything the field of nursing has to offer. For me I never considered nursing, it was more of an awakening, a passion, a fire I had within that has made me pursue nursing. Through all the ups and downs when others ask me my major, a light in me just fires up, I become so happy to tell others I am pursing nursing, and it is never because of the praise but, because it is so dear and close to my heart. I love the idea of being able to provide the care for others as those nurses before provided care for my brother, I love being able to know I can choose a speciality and be so committed to helping others. I am thrilled to continue my education, to learn more about nursing, to inform others and to truly fulfill what I believe to be purpose in this life.

As a first generation college student my biggest influence is setting the example for my younger brothers. I am the oldest of three, I am Mexican, and first generation. To me nothing fills me with more pride and validation than seeing my parents proud. I graduated from community college and am moving on to my four year university, and seeing my parents joyful expression made all the hard classes worth while. My parents were not fortunate to go to college, however they paved the way gave me everything I needed to succeed and go to college. As the oldest in my family I took it upon myself to show my brothers that college is not a dream but a reality we can accomplish. No matter how many times college has given me a hard time or nearly made it impossible to see the finish line at the end of a class or semester I remember that yes this is for my future, my career, the little girl in me who dreamed of being a nurse, but its for my family. To my brothers they are able to see the impossible being done, they are given the influence that they can achieve what they want to, it is to my parents to show them that their sacrifices were not going unnoticed, that their hard work is appreciated by me. As well to my future kids that although I was first to go, against the odds in the time and state this country is in that I did it.

When the final buzzer range at my championship basketball game and my team and I came out as second place I knew in my heart that my basketball journey wasn't over. I had a couple of offers from division III NCAA school, however I started to think about not just my passion for basketball but my future career. I always knew basketball was going to help me in college but nursing, nursing was my career, my future. However with nursing schools come the multitude of debt and cost and money spent. My family and I are blessed, we are fortunate to have a home, working water, food, the things we need, however I always knew college was something I was going to have to figure out myself. I am a first generation college student, so I felt by going to community college, I could still play basketball, get my GED done, network, and figure out how to continue the nursing path with as little debt as possibly. I have zero regrets with my decision, I went to LAVC, played basketball with an amazing set of girls, I learned a lot from my professors and now I have two years left in nursing school and as of now I am debt free. My plans is to move onto a four year university, finish my two years of nursing school, pass the NCLEX and hopefully obtain a job in the ICU, from there I will work for about three years and apply to CRNA school. It was not always my dream to go to community college, truthfully I did not want to when I was growing up, however I realized that it gave me the best experience ever. I got to stay close to my family, help my brother navigate college applications and decisions and I got to meet amazing girls who gave me great college experiences, and truthfully I matured, I grew to be more independent than I was before and ready to be on my own and away from my family.

My why for entering a nursing program stems from my younger brother Michael. When my brother was eight, he was diagnosed with a super rare kidney disease and given three months to live. Michael who was once super energetic just laid on the hospital bed and I at that moment knew I needed to work in the medical field. I tossed around ideas on what to do who to become but I observed how the nurses took care of my brother, during his dialysis, during his diagnosis, his stay throughout everything the nurses took the best care of him. I have chosen to become a CRNA at least that is what I envision for myself. I know that during school it can change so I am so open to that idea but I truly want to be a CRNA because these are typically the last people you see, or the people that help when you are in the most pain and I want to help those who in these situations cannot help themselves. To ensure I continue on my path honestly it is my passion. I am so passionate about becoming a nurse no matter how hard it has gotten I continue to envision my end goal. It has taken countless hours of studying, missing event, truthfully tears and anger when I do not understand but I have never thought about giving up. This has been my dream since I was ten, to me nursing is not a job I am going to hate but my passion my true calling in life. To remind myself I can do it, I lean on my family who encourage me, I give myself affirmations that everything is possible. I continue to envision my goals, getting my BSN, passing my BNLCEX, working in the ICU and applying to CRNA school. I understand it only gets harder, the days get longer, and sometimes its hard to see the finish line, but for me this is what I have been working, studying, practicing for all my life. I don't just want to be a nurse because the pay or because it is admirable, I want to be a nurse because I love taking care of others, I know what it feels like to be on the end wondering if you or a loved one is okay or fighting for their life, I want to provide comfort, answer, treatments, the best kinds of nurses are those who help, who smile, and who understand the fear of the unknown.

I have wanted to become a nurse since I was in the fifth grade. It isn't a job in my eyes but a passion, a calling I have. When I was ten years old, my brother at the time was eight, and he was battling an unknown, life ending disease called aHUS. aHUS is Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Disease, this disease is a complex medical condition, that can affect multiple systems in the body but it primarily affects, the kidneys, blood, and blood vessels. When my brother was admitted the doctors had no idea what was wrong with him all they knew was he was urinating the color of Coca-Cola, when they finally figured out his diagnosis his kidneys were functioning at 20%, he had a central line. I remember that day like yesterday, my brother the energetic kid laid still on the hospital bed, I wanted to do something I wanted to help I wanted to find a solution, find something give comfort to my brother. When i went to visit my brother I saw the nurses do everything to make him feel better, to make him smile, make him feel like a normal kid and that his life is not about to change. When I saw my brother in that hospital bed, and my parents worried sick on his side, I knew right then that I needed to work in the medical field, my parents were clueless as to what was happening, and I knew I wanted to help people just like my brother or parents who had no idea what was wrong. I want to be the comfort, to help aide them, provide answers. To my community I hope to be caring and compassionate, I feel these are special attributes all nurses need. I have seen my share at being by my brother side, there are good and bad nurses but the ones that help you, smile with you, do not judge you for asking questions that do not exactly make sense they make all the difference in the world and that is who I want to be. I have a lot of passion, I am very compassionate, I work extremely hard and never quit. I feel I would make a great nurse, I could help my community in the best way possible. I know what it feels like to be scared of the doctors, scared of shots, scared of the unknown, but I also know that by knowing those feelings I can help those navigate what to do by feeling comfortable and heard. This is my passion in life, my calling, I know I will love my job as a nurse.

I am so eager, proud, and honestly blessed to have my platonic soulmate, my best friend Claire. Claire and I met our senior year of high school, we had the same AP Psych class, but we weren't exactly friends but just acquaintances, it wasn't until our second semester of senior year we became close. We began talking more, even making plans but as most do after high school I thought we would eventually grow apart. That is the exact opposite, although going to two different university, we still managed to hangout every summer and talk every once in a while. I truly cannot remember what exactly made our bond so tight but all I know is she was put in my life at the right time. Earlier this year i went through a breakup and at this time Claire and I were absolutely best friends, we talked almost everyday, sent Tiktoks or silly memes and made so many plans for this summer. She was the first person I called, and her first reaction was let's go to Disney. It is my absolute favorite place and she got a pass with me so we could go together. She was there for me, talking to me everyday, hanging out with me, helping me fully feel better and feel my worth. Claire isn't just my best friend but she has become a sister to me, in the short time we have been best friends with each other we have had countless memories. We have had so many Disney days, and I think my absolute favorite has been when we went down to Laguna Beach for the day and since we drove past Disneyland we decided to stop after our day in Laguna to finish off the perfect day with beignets and fireworks. Another memory I cherish with Claire is the amounts of times I go to her house and we just hangout, I am a shy person when it comes to singing or dancing but somehow with Claire we did karaoke all night and Just Dance battles. She has become close to my family and if people know, dads never remember the names of their daughters best friends but I talk about her so much that my dad actually remembers her name. I feel everyone deserves a Claire in this world, she has not once judged me, and i have shared all my stories with her, she makes me feel powerful, happy, and perfectly me. She is never opposed to any plans we make, she has never flaked on me or decided our friendship isn't enough. As I transfer schools this Spring from a CC in California to HPU in Hawaii she is not afraid our friendship will not last, she has made plans to come out and see me and I come see her at UCI. Claire has only been my best friend for about two years, but I know she will be my best friend forever.

1. My senior year of high school was a big one for me, because I knew I still wanted to play college basketball. I took basketball very seriously, in the middle of November we had tough preseason games, we were going to play Wilson High, a school we played in the semi finals of CIF and then we were going to play Verdugo High a team we lost to in the championship at CIF. This was a big game to me because I genuinely do not enjoy losing so to me my team and I had something to prove that we developed and got better over the summer and fall. As i was gearing up for my first game that Tuesday against Wilson, I found out my brother fell out of remission and was in the hospital for his sickness, it truly was devastating because my brother was told he was going to die. During this time I had to take care of my youngest brother while my parents where at the hospital with my other brother. My coach offered to let me leave but as captain I knew I needed to be there for my team, so I stayed I played the game to the best of my ability and cheered on my team and we won. This truly was the hardest week and challenge of my basketball career. I had the constant worry that my brother was going to pass away, the worry of letting down my team, and the reminder that my youngest brother is just as scared as I am and I need to take care of him as much as I can. 2. I play basketball, I have played basketball since I was four, I am a left handed shooting guard and have played collegiate basketball at Los Angeles Valley College, I have been named captain of my travel ball team Socal Ohana, named captain 2x All City First team and 1x All League Second Team of my high school team Chatsworth. Out of my college team I was also named captain my sophomore year, was Honorable Mention for League and on my team I was two time defensive player of the year. 3. Going into college I played community, everyone thought they were the best, even I did, but the truth is you come to play with the best of the best all competing for not only a spot on the team but a spot on the starting five. I thought I was one of the best players, going to be a starter for sure. I was a bench player, down on the bench, I never played offense and only came in to play defense, it was hard btu it was a challenge a reminder of how hard I am willing to work to prove i deserve a spot on the starting five. I silently worked, I worked on the things that I wasn't very good at and further developed my skills in the things I were good at. I learned how to help my teammates from the sideline until I could help them on the court. 4. I admire Kobe Bean Bryant, his work ethic, he determination and most of all his true hardcore passion. 5. This scholarship would help me pay for college, my dream is to be a nurse, but i still advocate women's sports, I feel there are so many unseen problems within the sports world, although I want to be a nurse, I will forever love sports, I love sports media, outreach and helping the sports community.

I am 19 years old, I am attending Los Angeles Valley College and will be transferring out and pursuing my BSN. I have wanted to be in the medical field since I was 10 years old. When I was 10, my brother fell ill and he was hospitalized for a rare autoimmune disease called aHUS, my brother was given three years left to live at the age of eight. I am so proud to say he beat the odds and my brother is still here. When he was in the hospital he got a central line, and his scar made him insecure, so I wanted to be a psychologist, I wanted him to talk to me about it and my dream school was Stanford, and it still is. Soon after I pretty much figured out that I couldn't be a psychologist because I am very emotional and I knew that profession would not be the best for me. I then decided that I wanted to be an Orthopedic Surgeon, I am a basketball player and I find orthopedics so fascinating, how can our body fight infections, protect us from the environment but still be weak enough to be brittle and break. I was dead set, figured out my life, until my brother fell ill one last time during my senior year of high school. I panicked I was so scared and that's when my mom told me all the amazing stories about how the nurses took care of him. How when he made jokes they laughed, when he needed anything they were there, they were the first to respond. That made me think, I have been told to be very reliable, helpful ,and charismatic a good person if you will, that is when I did a deep dive on nursing, what could I do what could I become? It hit me I want to be a CRNA, When my brother when under the nurses where so careful, when he woke up confused and scared they were there for him. I want to be a nurse more than anything, I appreciate the doctors and surgeons but truly the nurses are the backbone of the operation. Everyone has a job and a role but nurses are always there and so underappreciated, they set everything up, get everything ready, respond before anyone else does, they lift everyone up. My brother Michael is my biggest inspiration, he is the reason I want to be a nurse, he is the reason i keep pushing forward to help those just like him.

I am passionate about being a first generation, Mexican-American college graduate because it helps mi communidad. I live in the San Fernando Valley where many people like me, Hispanic first generation and living in poverty are not expected to go to college but rather succumb to the statistics and fall into addiction, become a teen mother, or become another headstone in the cemetery. I am a 19 year old Mexican American, my parent had me at the young age of 19, straight after high school. Looking at the stereotype I should be pregnant now, but I am not. This is because of my parents because of them and their sacrifices i have the ability to write you and pursue a degree and hopefully get my Bachelors of Science in Nursing. I am so passionate about graduating because this is not just for me but for my family, my parents who were never given the support to go to college but rather the handbook on how to be parents at a young age, I am doing it for my younger brothers to prove that they are so much more than just a Hispanic boy, but most of all I am doing it for my ancestors, my grandparents who crossed the border to give my family better life, for my family stuck in Mexico and for those are detained for wanting to pursue a better life in America. There have been moments where I felt like giving up, where I wondered if it truly is possible where I suffered from imposter syndrome because i didn't know how to register for classes, or I did not know where to get my textbooks how to fill out FASFA and neither did my parents. Those were the moments where I felt out of place, explaining to my friends that my parents didn't go to college where I had no idea where to start in my own journey. Being Mexican is my badge of honor, my people are full of life, aspirations, they are not statistics, they are not drug dealers, gangs, but rather scientist, doctors, motivational speakers, my people change the world and I want to be apart of that change. I want people to know that we are more than what the stereotype says we are, that we are more than what the president makes us seem. We are constantly having to pave the way I am paving the way, I am not the only one in my family graduating my parents are, because they at the end of the day helped me study, they helped me get to class, they gave me motivation during those late night study sessions. I am more than a statistic, I am more than the color on my skin, I am a future CRNA, I am a first generation college graduate btu i know for a fact that my parents sacrifice, my sacrifice i will not be the last college graduate in my family.

My greatest achievement to date isn't even one so big but it means the most to me because it shaped who I became. My greatest achievement was when I was 8 and on my basketball team I own defensive player of the year. That year we had gone undefeated and our coach all gave us individual awards, I was never exactly good at basketball, I was never a scorer or a great rebounded but I loved defense and I love playing and being that role. I remember being so happy that I got defensive player of the year I was so proud of myself. That award shaped me to who I am, although my skills were lacked in basketball my coach always knew I had the IQ, whenever he asked a question I was the first to respond, whenever he asked of an assignment I made sure to do it to the absolute best of my ability. To this day I am 19, still playing collegiate basketball and defense is still my favorite part of the game and I can proudly say I have gotten defensive player of the year on all my teams since my very first award. With this I new that your name doesn't have to be the biggest or your stats sometimes helping anyone comes behind the scenes, sometimes it is making someone cause a turnover but it doesn't count as a steal, sometimes its playing such great defense the other team is fatigue and annoyed. I learned to use that throughout my everyday life, that it doesn't have to be big or shouted to everyone your stats or how well you do or are doing what truly matters is how you help others how you made others achieve this goal, because although offense wins games defense wins championships, its the little details that help me remember that the world doesn't need to know my "stats" I just need to know my worth on my own. I hope to achieve a lot in the future, I hope to continue playing collegiate basketball, go to nursing school, become a CRNA, travel the world and eventually have a family. In the future I want to be as successful as I can be and always remember my goals an my upbringing, how it took one little minor accomplish that no one but my parents saw to make me become the person I am today.

My name is Madison Guerrero, I am 19 years old, a college sophomore at Los Angeles Valley College I am studying nursing and play collegiate basketball. This scholarship would immensely help me, although I am blessed to have a home I am not fortunate to have that much assistance. In this last year my father suffered cuts in his hours at work and my mother had a severe pay cut at her job as well so this year was harder than others. I choose to go to community college to make it easier on my parents and myself, however now both my brother and I will be in college together at the same time, him an incoming freshman and me a junior. I want to become a CRNA, since this requires additional school I knew going to a Community college would allow me two year of free education, then transfer to get my degree and move on to my specialty without having suffered much debt. To help my community I volunteered at a non-profit organization Unidas pro Ella, it is an organization that is dedicated to helping young girls in their basketball journey but Las their self journey in learning confidence and how to love themselves. We help girls from the youngest age possible until senior year of high school, after that the college students become the teachers. A time I failed was my sophomore year of high school, it wasn't on a test or on a project, it wasn't even on my team I failed myself. My sophomore year of high school I was playing basketball, and the coach was demeaning towards me, but I felt so proud to be on varsity on a winning team so I stated silent. I failed myself because I failed to speak up, it wasn't until my parents could visibly see that I no longer loved basketball but resented it, I hated going to practice because I just new I'd be the target of my coach that practice and if I wasn't a target I wasn't even a person on the court but rather just a drag. However, I would say by biggest strengths are my adaptability and my perseverance. No matter how hard it gets I find just a little more I can give to keep telling me I can do it. I never give up, I get knocked down and I get up and I attempt it all over again. I know that I can do it, to me it is just a matter of how and when, nothing is impossible it is just a persons willingness to keep going no matter how hard it gets. This is my biggest strength.

One is "Ocean Eyes" this song got me through my breakup, it just was such a soothing melody and it resonated with me because I felt so alone during this hard time and just her tone, her emotion, the direction f it made me just feel seen and not alone. It felt personal and helpful it made me feel better in a way that is harder to explain. Another is "What Was I Made For?" Not only did the movie touch me but this song was on constant replay, as a woman, a Mexican American young girl it is hard and after what has in the recent election I feel threatened. However because of this song I feel somewhat put to peace that change can happen and that I am not and will never be alone, although being a woman is so tough and it comes with rules and regulations I eel no one captivated that message of the tone or even the emotion as well as Billie Eilish did. My last favorite is "Lovely" which features Khalid, when this song came out in 2018 I was 13 years old. I was barely figuring out who I was, who I want to be, and overall going through teenage years. This song was almost a tribute I made to myself that no matter how hard it got I was always going to find a way to make something of myself and make it out of just the stereotype that Mexican girls get pregnant and start a family rather than go to college.

When my brother back in 2016 at the young age of eight was diagnosed with a super rare disease called aHUS and was given only three years left to live I had found my calling. Since his diagnosis I knew I wanted to be in the medical field, I wanted to help others who did not know what to do to help themselves in these situations. I want to be the person they come to when something is wrong. For the longest time I didn't know what part of the medical field I wanted to get into it started with psychology to be a person that others knew would listen and help them it was because I knew my brother had a hard time talking to others about what he had gone through or even how the scar from his central line made him insecure. For the longest time I felt that was my true calling, however knowing the dark truth in psychology that it is a hard job I knew mentally I could not handle that position. Then I started dabbling into what I thought would be many different things. At first I wanted to go into orthopedics because as an athlete I am constantly at risk of injuring myself and currently I have a torn labrum in my left shoulder. I wanted to be the person for athletes that could fix them and get them ready for a new season. I found it interesting how fascinating the body and how it works and just how it can be repaired by taking a different tendon or ligament to make a new one yet how meticulously and carefully they do it. Part of me still loves this career option, however it is down to my core I am meant to be a CRNA. A CRNA’s job is so important and fascinating, their job helps people not feel a thing by putting them to sleep or giving them other medication to help them not feel pain. I love the stories and even one from my brother's surgery in which the moment he said ten he knocked right out. With being a CRNA I play a vital role in surgery, and I get to be a part of many operations I find fascinating in the medical field. Although it is small it requires loads of focus, intellect, attention to detail. I am not limited in the job of being a CRNA, although yes a particular role I am involved in many different aspects, the job would keep me engaged and throughout the process I will never stop learning. I am a first generation college student, I am second generation Mexican American as my grandparents migrated here. By applying and already being in community college I am breaking down barriers that prevented my parents and family from going to college. I have paved the road for my siblings to have an opportunity by being the first and going through this process not alone but without help from a parent or family member. I want to build a better life not just for myself but for my parents to show them that their sacrifices were not taken advantage off but rather used as a lesson and stepping stone to being better.