My name is Mattie Hewatt, and I am a senior in high school. After high school, I plan to study nursing and eventually work in pediatrics or the NICU. It has been my dream since childhood to work in a hospital or doctor’s office. As a kid, many people have those kinds of dreams, but as I got older, my ideas about what I wanted to do with my life changed. I remember being terrified but also so excited to go to the doctor’s office just because I wanted to be one so badly. I remember the smell and the way things ran appealed to me so much. “Doctor” was my favorite game to play as a kid but everyone would always get mad at me because I had to be the doctor. For a while, I considered teaching or maybe dental hygiene, but none of those paths gave me peace or made me feel like that was what I was meant to do. During my junior year of high school, I continued to feel very passionate about becoming a nurse but wasn’t sure which area of the field I would be best suited for. Initially, I planned to go into med-surg right after earning my RN. However, after talking with a mentor and hearing her stories about the NICU, I realized that was where I wanted to be. I then started doing research and asking questions about the field, only to find that I loved it even more! I ended up shadowing at a doctor’s office just to get a feel for what it would be like, and I completely fell in love with the kids. The Nurse Practitioner that I shadowed with was working with babies and toddlers that day. I got to see a lot of things and hear her stories from when she was in the NICU. She told me how much she loved it and that it was so special to her. After working in PEDS that whole day though, I began to wonder if PEDS was something I wanted to do. I am incredibly good with kids and love working with them. So after that experience, it made me start wondering if pediatrics was an option for me. Now, I am torn between working in pediatrics or the NICU. I am hoping and praying that, in time, the right path will reveal itself. Another thing I hope to do is make doctor’s visits a more positive experience for children. As I mentioned before, I used to be terrified to go to the doctor’s office, even though there was a sense of excitement. I know many kids probably feel the same way. I want to help change that by making visits to the doctor’s office or hospital less scary for them. I want to show them that it can also be a fun and welcoming environment, where they feel safe and cared for rather than afraid.