At dinners at my grandma’s (or Lola’s), I often ate in my grandfather’s room, or my Lolo’s room. He had multiple health problems, ones I didn’t fully understand as a 5-6-year-old. Seeing my Lola take care of Lolo made me want to help her with these tasks. I distinctly remember taking my Lolo’s blood sugar and the pin pricking his skin. It was that moment I knew I wanted to help in another person’s healing, both in lessening my grandma’s burden of caring daily for Lolo and medically for Lolo himself just with the simple task of taking vitals. His small bedroom was basically a mini hospital room, consisting of a shelf of bandages, urinals, a blood pressure machine, and much more. This gave me exposure to medical equipment as well, and my curiosity grew on how to use them to improve and maintain a person’s health, drawing me toward a career in nursing. My Lolo was also particular in music preferences when lying in his bed, as he was too weak to get up and do physical activity. He always asked me to play music by the Filipino group Mabuhay Singers to go to sleep at night or during quiet hours of the day. This routine moment made me realize that maximizing a person’s comfort is another factor in healing them. Although he was uncomfortable in his bed all the time, the music served as an escape and distraction from his pain. This built the foundation of my natural ability to also prioritize a person’s comfort, unknowingly guiding me through a nursing pathway. As I grew older and my Lolo eventually passed away after succumbing to his health conditions, I grew closer with my mother, who is also a nurse. Occasionally, she would start talking about new stories of her time as a nursing student in the Philippines. Although she has had many not-so-great experiences throughout her clinicals, such as the unforgettable smell of a newborn delivery, her greatest memories as a nurse was the community within her cohort of student nurses. With them, she has built a greater sense of empathy and kindness which later applied to her co-worker friends now. I most admire seeing how easy it is for my mom’s friends to talk to her, and how they don’t hesitate to ask her for anything, reflecting how friendly and honest she is in the hospital. With nursing, I hope to gain similar friendships to this, whether it be with other nurses or healthcare staff or even patients themselves. Higher education and being surrounded by other ambitious and like-minded students would gradually prepare me for many more interactions within the hospital with a full nursing career.