Acts of services is one of my top love languages, so it comes to no surprise that helping others is what I love to do. Helping others has always been something important to me. I believe that what you put into this world is what you will gain from life. When I was twelve years old, one of the teachers at my elementary school was diagnosed with cancer. Upon hearing this, I was nervous as to how they would pay for treatment. Within the next hour, I was plotting a way to help my teacher and her family. I began braiding small threads to create colorful bracelets, and proceeded to travel around the neighborhood selling these bracelets with all proceeds going toward my teacher. I ended up raising five hundred dollars within my small community. I know that this wasn't an astounding number, but I felt as if I had really tried to help my teacher and her family during this difficult time. Growing up, I continued to accomplish several different acts of services around my community. In high school, I created a tutoring program for a few small children who were missing too much class due to chronic illness. Those children were able to continue on their education without any educational barriers. While in college, I created a volunteer program that entails creating dog toys out of old t-shirts for shelter dogs. College students could make dog toys in exchange for necessary community service hours. It is apparent that giving back to my community is an important aspect in my life. Being able to see a need not being met and creating a solution is something that I value greatly. I believe that you are only as good as the things that you do for others, not yourself.

I believe that simple pleasures in life are more valuable than the large, life changing events. Being able to appreciate the small victories and moments in life is so important to me. One of my favorite simple pleasures in life are when the weather starts to get warm, and the honeysuckle vines near my house start to bloom. In the afternoon when the sun starts to set, I love to sit out on my porch and close my eyes and smell the sweet blooming honeysuckle. When I open my eyes, the last golden rays of the sunset peek through the trees in my yard. This scene with these aromas bring the most peace to my life. I feel at ease. Another simple pleasure in life that I enjoy is taking my little brother to get snow cones. It is a known ritual between the two of us to always try a different flavor with each visit to the snow cone shop. Watching his eyes light up at the flavors that he loves and his lips pucker at the ones that he does not is one of the purest forms of joy within my life. Seeing his child-like wonder makes me appreciate this life.

Giving is important to me in several different ways. I believe that what you put into the world is what is received. The aspect of giving is something that I will be implementing within my every day life while pursuing my career. As a nurse, you are giving your time, energy, and compassion to those who are faltering in health. Giving is a vital characteristic that you must encompass to be a good nurse. Until I am able to practice with a license, I always try to give back in various ways. When in high school, I was able to give tutoring services to children who had missed too many days of school as a result of chronic illness. I saw that a need was not being met for these children, as they were falling behind in school. Once graduated from school, I created a small nonprofit business that included making dog toys out of old tee shirts for shelter dogs. College students could participate in making these toys in exchange for necessary community service hours. Now as a senior in college, I give my time to a local hospitals by acquiring clinical hours on the Medical-Surgical floor. Being able to give to others builds a sense of character and appreciation for the opportunities and things that I have been given in this life. It is important to find areas in the community that could use improvement, and create solutions to those issues. This is why furthering my education as a nurse is important to me, because my profession is a source of giving each day.

I plan to leave an impact on the world within the healthcare field. I believe that bedside nursing has faltered within the healthcare world. I would like to be able to leave a legacy as a nurse who is kind, compassionate, and caring. It is well known within the "nursing world" that nurses become desensitized to grief and loss. This can result in a lack of empathy and emotional support provided to the patient. I would like to leave a positive mark on the world by being remembered as the nurse who was an advocate for their patient. I plan to do so by treating every patient as if the are someone's mother, father, sister, or brother. Because at the end of the day, that is what they are. They are loved, and deserve respect and integrity during the most vulnerable state at a hospital. I hope that by treating every person with compassion regardless of their race, background, illness, or mistake, I will be leaving an impact.

As a child, my dream professions never fell under the rock star or princess category. I have always wanted to be a nurse. Caring for others seemed to be second nature. The nickname "Mother Hen" was frequented when my name was brought up in conversation. When playing with dolls, there was always a nurse and a patient with a health issue that absolutely needed to be solved. When my grandmother was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2012, I got to see a side of healthcare that I had never experienced before. It was apparent that the illness itself and chemotherapy treatment brought dark, stormy clouds over my grandmother. She laid quietly and solemnly on most visitation days. However, when her nurses came into the room, it was like the sun itself had entered. The mood in the room instantly lifted and her morale was boosted. It was almost as if the compassion and love for helping my grandmother radiated off the nurses caring for her. It was infectious. Although my grandmother lost her battle with cancer within the year, the impression that the nurses left stayed with me. I was able to see that these women and men served not only as caregivers, but also beacons of hope for patients like my grandmother. They treated my grandmother as if she were their own grandparent, with the same tenderness and empathy. This experience aided in realizing that one day I would like to be apart of families' journeys through illness. I want to be there to care for those who cannot care for themselves. I am passionate about dedicating my life to caring for and advocating for patients in their most vulnerable state. This is what steered me toward nursing. I became interested in pursuing a career in pediatric nursing after spending some of my clinical hours this semester at Arkansas Children's Hospital located in Little Rock, Arkansas. I had the opportunity to shadow nurses on the Hematology/Oncology floor as well as the PICU floor. There, I was able to gain clinical experience with children. It was awe-inspiring to be able to follow nurses throughout the day and see what their day-to-day schedule looks like. I had the opportunity to gain experience with sickle cell disease patients, oncology patients, and burn patients of varying ages. Once I completed my clinical hours, I went home with a different fire in my heart for nursing. I now know that the area of nursing that I would like to specialize in will be pediatrics. I would love to be able to be a hand to hold during a fearful time, and someone to celebrate small victories with while caring for someone.