From the time I was three years old, I knew I wanted to enter the medical field. For proof, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY0VVkml94E. Perhaps this knowledge didn't exactly help me with my anatomy and physiology final exam, but it shows my passion for the human body from a young age. Growing up, both my parents were medical professionals, and our house was always full of a mixture of "body fluid talk" and Chessed (kindness). My father is a pediatrician, and many a time on Shabbat afternoon, we would hear a knock on the door- a parent and a child, seeking medical help, but who could not drive to a local clinic, would instead stop by our house. His go-to question was: "Is your blood flowing round and round? Is your breath going in and out?" If so, it's not an emergency. I remember his pager going off at odd hours of the night, and him immediately calling back to help that mom in distress. My father also works in a lower-class neighborhood, and many of his patients are low-income, single-mother families on federal insurance. But that doesn't stop him from giving high-quality care to those individuals. Living in a house surrounded by medical terminology and the value of helping others has influenced my career decision to become a nurse. Aside from growing up in a house with these values, my faith as a Jewish woman has also played a part in my nursing journey (and perhaps, these two points are interconnected). The Jewish religion emphasizes two things: the importance of Chessed (kindness, volunteering) and the concept of "Ve'nishmartem meod le'nafshoseichem," which loosely translates to, "You should guard your souls (your life) very much." From this verse in the Torah, we understand the idea of prioritizing our health and taking care of our bodies. The nursing field is a perfect combination of these two ideas. As a nurse, you are constantly on your feet helping others by taking care of their medical needs. However, nursing school is expensive! It will require years of paying back student loans and hard work before I am fully debt-free. I was shocked when I saw the price tag for my nursing education. But I thought about it, and I decided my values and passion overwhelmed the steep investment. Because that's really what it is- an investment. An investment for my future, a sacrifice for my values, and a service to others. So thank you for considering me for your scholarship. My three-year-old self practicing what's inside her body thanks you, and my future self, living a life of purpose according to her faith, does as well.