My dream of pursuing nursing occurred after I lost my best friend to metastatic cancer. My close friend, Tatiana was a Dominican American teenage girl, who did not understand her illness due to poor healthcare access. She was not educated on her health condition, as a result of health disparities and lack of quality care. I remember our English teacher helping Tatiana's family find a pediatric oncologist because her husband was a doctor. Unfortunately, the family did not understand how to navigate this difficult situation. Following Tatiana's death, I became an Emergency Room Scribe/Clerk in a community hospital. It was this life-changing experience that motivated me to serve underserved communities as a nurse. In my role, I saw countless patients visit the emergency room (ER) with acute exacerbation of medical conditions as a result of being unable to afford healthcare or their medications. Several patients were of minority backgrounds, low-income, or uninsured. They utilized the ER for primary care. Unfortunately, these patients are at risk for stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other conditions due to their limited access to healthcare. My goal is to help address health disparities by educating patients and the healthcare community on why we should promote health equity. Becoming a nurse will help me further understand and respond to this issue by advocating for patients. My most meaningful experience was being a medical assistant in an oncology hematology practice. This role allowed me to alongside nurses and build meaningful relationships with patients and helped deliver poor prognoses to patients. This experience taught me how to remain composed, but also express empathy towards patients. I also was a Spanish translator when patients and providers faced language barriers. This role further solidified my goal of entering nursing school and eventually, the desire to be an Oncology Nurse Practitioner. I am currently in the New Jersey City University Accelerated Nursing Program. I am not only an honor student, but a community leader at my school. I work closely with my classmates as we strive for the same goal of becoming compassionate nurses. I believe that nursing is more than a career, it is a calling to make the world a better place by helping patients at their most vulnerable state. Through my personal losses and professional experience, I have gained motivation to continue my dream to become a nurse. During my clinical rotations, especially in pediatric oncology, I have seen many patients receive poor healthcare due to a lack of resources. My clinical rotation in pediatrics at Newark Beth Israel, allowed me to help many oncology patients, as well as provide emotional support to parents. This role showed me that becoming a nurse will help me address help disparities by advocating for my pediatric patient and their family's needs. The pediatric population is a special patient population because children are very curious about the world and resilient despite the negative. Helping pediatric patients get better means they can return back to school and enjoy being children again. Furthermore, as a Spanish-speaking nurse, I can address health disparities by educating and caring for the Hispanic patient population. This patient population often does not receive the care or education needed due to cultural miscommunication, implicit biases, or language barriers; all of which impact patient health outcomes. I would be honored to not only be a part of a dynamic profession that allows me to contribute to the community by providing compassionate quality care but also a recipient of this scholarship that will allow me to continue my nursing education with less financial burden.

My dream of pursuing nursing occurred after I lost my best friend to metastatic cancer. My close friend, Tatiana was a Dominican American teenage girl, who did not understand her illness due to poor healthcare access. She was not educated on her health condition, as a result of health disparities and lack of quality care. I remember our English teacher helping Tatiana's family find a pediatric oncologist because her husband was a doctor. Unfortunately, the family did not understand how to navigate this difficult situation. Following Tatiana's death, I became an Emergency Room Scribe/Clerk in a community hospital. It was this life-changing experience that motivated me to serve underserved communities as a nurse. In my role, I saw countless patients visit the emergency room (ER) with acute exacerbation of medical conditions as a result of being unable to afford healthcare or their medications. Several patients were of minority backgrounds, low-income, or uninsured. They utilized the ER for primary care. Unfortunately, these patients are at risk for stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other conditions due to their limited access to healthcare. My goal is to help address health disparities by educating patients and the healthcare community on why we should promote health equity. Becoming a nurse will help me further understand and respond to this issue by advocating for patients. My most meaningful experience was being a medical assistant in an oncology hematology practice. This role allowed me to alongside nurses and build meaningful relationships with patients and helped deliver poor prognoses to patients. This experience taught me how to remain composed, but also express empathy towards patients. I also was a Spanish translator when patients and providers faced language barriers. This role further solidified my goal of entering nursing school and eventually, the desire to be an Oncology Nurse Practitioner. I am currently in the New Jersey City University Accelerated Nursing Program. I am not only an honor student, but a community leader at my school. I work closely with my classmates as we strive for the same goal of becoming compassionate nurses. I believe that nursing is more than a career, it is a calling to make the world a better place by helping patients at their most vulnerable state. Through my personal losses and professional experience, I have gained motivation to continue my dream to become a nurse. During my clinical rotations, especially in pediatric oncology, I have seen many patients receive poor healthcare due to a lack of resources. My clinical rotation in pediatrics at Newark Beth Israel, allowed me to help many oncology patients, as well as provide emotional support to parents. This role showed me that becoming a nurse will help me address help disparities by advocating for my pediatric patient and their family's needs. The pediatric population is a special patient population because children are very curious about the world and resilient despite the negative. Helping pediatric patients get better means they can return back to school and enjoy being children again. Furthermore, as a Spanish-speaking nurse, I can address health disparities by educating and caring for the Hispanic patient population. This patient population often does not receive the care or education needed due to cultural miscommunication, implicit biases, or language barriers; all of which impact patient health outcomes. My goal is to bridge the gap and help promote health equity despite the patients' cultural or socioeconomic differences. I would be honored to not only be a part of a dynamic profession that allows me to contribute to the community by providing compassionate quality care but also a recipient of this scholarship.

My dream of pursuing nursing occurred after I lost my best friend at the age of 19 to metastatic cancer. My close friend, Tatiana was a Dominican American adolescent, who did not understand her illness due to poor healthcare access. She was not educated on her health condition, as a result of health disparities and lack of quality care. I remember our high school English teacher helping Tatiana's family find a pediatric oncologist because her husband was a doctor. Unfortunately, the family did not understand how to navigate the situation. Following Tatiana's death, I became an Emergency Room Scribe/Clerk in a community hospital. It was this life-changing experience that motivated me to serve underserved communities as a nurse. In my role, I saw countless patients visit the emergency room (ER) with acute exacerbation of medical conditions as a result of being unable to afford healthcare or their medications. Several patients were of minority backgrounds, low-income, or uninsured. They utilized the ER for primary care. Unfortunately, these patients are at risk for stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other conditions due to their limited access to healthcare. My goal is to help address health disparities by educating patients and the healthcare community on why we should promote health equity. Becoming a nurse will help me further understand and respond to this issue by advocating for patients. My most meaningful experience was being a medical assistant in an oncology hematology practice. This role allowed me to alongside nurses and build meaningful relationships with patients and helped deliver poor prognoses to patients. This experience taught me how to remain composed, but also express empathy towards patients. I also was a Spanish translator when patients and providers faced language barriers. This role further solidified my goal of entering nursing school and eventually, the desire to be an Oncology Nurse Practitioner. I am currently in the New Jersey City University Accelerated Nursing Program. I am not only an honor student, but a community leader at my school. I work closely with my classmates as we strive for the same goal of becoming compassionate nurses. I believe that nursing is more than a career, it is a calling to make the world a better place by helping patients at their most vulnerable state. Through my personal losses and professional experience, I have gained motivation to continue my dream to become a nurse. During my clinical rotations, I have seen many patients receive poor healthcare due to a lack of resources. Becoming a nurse will help me address help disparities by advocating for my patients' needs. As a Spanish-speaking nurse, I can also address health disparities by educating and caring for the Hispanic patient population. This patient population often does not receive the care or education needed due to cultural miscommunication, implicit biases, or language barriers; all of which impact patient health outcomes. My goal as a nurse is to bridge the gap and help promote health equity despite the patients' cultural or socioeconomic differences. I would be honored to not only be a part of a dynamic profession that allows me to contribute to the community by providing compassionate quality care but also a recipient of this scholarship.

My dream of pursuing nursing occurred after I lost my best friend at the age of 19 to metastatic cancer. My close friend, Tatiana was a Dominican American adolescent, who did not understand her illness due to poor healthcare access. She was not educated on her health condition, as a result of health disparities and lack of quality care. I remember our high school English teacher helping Tatiana's family find a pediatric oncologist because her husband was a doctor. Unfortunately, the family did not understand how to navigate the situation. Following Tatiana's death, I became an Emergency Room Scribe/Clerk in a community hospital. It was this life-changing experience that motivated me to serve underserved communities as a nurse. In my role, I saw countless patients visit the emergency room (ER) with acute exacerbation of medical conditions as a result of being unable to afford healthcare or their medications. Several patients were of minority backgrounds, low-income, or uninsured. They utilized the ER for primary care. Unfortunately, these patients are at risk for stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other conditions due to their limited access to healthcare. My goal is to help address health disparities by educating patients and the healthcare community on why we should promote health equity. Becoming a nurse will help me further understand and respond to this issue by advocating for patients. My most meaningful experience was being a medical assistant in an oncology hematology practice. This role allowed me to alongside nurses and build meaningful relationships with patients and helped deliver poor prognoses to patients. This experience taught me how to remain composed, but also express empathy towards patients. I also was a Spanish translator when patients and providers faced language barriers. This role further solidified my goal of entering nursing school and eventually, the desire to be an Oncology Nurse Practitioner. I am currently in the New Jersey City University Accelerated Nursing Program. I am not only an honor student, but a community leader at my school. I work closely with my classmates as we strive for the same goal of becoming compassionate nurses. I believe that nursing is more than a career, it is a calling to make the world a better place by helping patients at their most vulnerable state. Through my personal losses and professional experience, I have gained motivation to continue my dream to become a nurse. During my clinical rotations, I have seen many patients receive poor healthcare due to a lack of resources. Becoming a nurse will help me address help disparities by advocating for my patients' needs. As a Spanish-speaking nurse, I can also address health disparities by educating and caring for the Hispanic patient population. This patient population often does not receive the care or education needed due to cultural miscommunication, implicit biases, or language barriers; all of which impact patient health outcomes. My goal as a nurse is to bridge the gap and help promote health equity despite the patients' cultural or socioeconomic differences. I would be honored to not only be a part of a dynamic profession that allows me to contribute to the community by providing compassionate quality care but also a recipient of this scholarship.

It would be a privilege to be a recipient of the Sigirici-Jones Scholarship. I was inspired to enter nursing after I lost my best friend, Tatiana, to cancer at 19. I remember rushing to visiting hours to see Tatiana, who always spoke highly of her nurse. I still remember the dancing and silly teenage jokes my friends and I made to lift Tatiana’s spirits. I could notice at times the nurse was annoyed by our loudness, but she allowed us to continue because she knew Tatiana needed this. At 17, we did not realize our friend was running out of time, but her nurse did and took great care of her. Tatiana died the first day of spring; that following summer, I was motivated to enter medicine and became an Emergency Room (ER) Scribe/Clerk in the same hospital. This life-changing experience motivated me to become a registered nurse. In my role, I saw countless patients visit the ER with acute exacerbation of medical conditions as a result of being unable to afford medical care or their medications. Many patients were of low-income, uninsured, and/or minority backgrounds. They utilized the ER for primary care. Unfortunately, this patient population is at greater risk for stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other conditions due to their limited access to healthcare. As a future nurse, my goal is to help address health disparities. I aim to educate my patients and the healthcare community on why we should promote health equity and put patients first. Becoming a nurse will help me further understand and respond to this issue by advocating for patients and serving underprivileged communities. I am currently pursuing my bachelor's degree in an accelerated nursing program. One of the greatest hardships I have faced in my academic journey is the lack of minority mentors and support services for first-generation college students. It is a difficult process to navigate, and often daunting when students do not have mentors with similar backgrounds or life experiences. Representation matters. Nevertheless, this has fueled me to network with nurses during clinical rotations and find my own mentors that can provide guidance. The lack of minority representation in nursing has also motivated me to work diligently in my nursing studies in order to become a clinical preceptor or mentor for future nursing students. This will allow me to give back to underprivileged students by providing them with tools to ease their nursing school journey and thus promote confidence. The lack of diversity in nursing education and the presence of health disparities, especially within minority communities are significant issues in our society that must be addressed. In order to address these issues, change must occur. Change can be accomplished by starting initiatives within nursing schools addressing cultural competence in education and in the clinical setting. As a nurse, I want to make sure patients feel comfortable and have access to culturally competent healthcare, despite their socioeconomic status. I also want to make sure nursing students feel supported while pursuing careers that aim to help people in their most vulnerable states. The most motivating aspects of nursing are the impact that nurses have on their patients and the trust patients place in nurses due to their level of expertise. I aspire to assess my patients with confidence, but also compassion and optimism to ensure the best outcome. I have a strong interest in entering nursing as a bedside nurse, and eventually becoming a Nurse Practitioner. I would be honored to not only be a part of a dynamic profession that models compassion and quality care, but also a recipient of this scholarship.

All my life, I had heard the mention of the American Dream. But what does the American Dream actually mean? At 26, I realize that the American Dream is not easily attainable for all, especially the immigrant population. I moved to the United States when I was 10 from Latin America, as my family was struggling to make ends meet. There was also political tension, which caused the job market and cost of living to rise exorbitantly. These factors pushed my mother to move to the U.S. to give my brothers and me the best chance to live and be successful. We lived in a rough part of town, and my mother took the first job she could because she had no formal education. She worked at Payless as a cashier to provide for us. She worked tirelessly until she transitioned to the medical field, where she was challenged but found stability. I admire her work ethic because she worked endlessly to provide the necessities we needed while neglecting herself. I remember my mother buying a small dinner to split among three young children, while she ate nothing. She was thin, but still happy. She never showed her stress or shed a tear in front of us, despite the hardships we faced. This further motivated me, as her daughter, to work hard in school. My dream is to pursue higher education, so my children would not face this type of hardship. Currently, I am a nursing student working toward my bachelor's in nursing. My dream is to become an oncology nurse practitioner and help underserved patients in their medical care. Through my experiences working at a community hospital in the emergency department, I have seen how the Latino community is affected by health disparities. Many of our patients are low-income and are unable to afford their medical treatments. As a result, this patient population is at higher risk for certain medical conditions, and they are unable to receive the care they need. Ultimately, what I learned is that it does not matter where you come from. What matter is what you contribute to society. Although, I am the first in my family to attend college, what makes me successful is not academia, but the strong willpower and grit to never give up. Being raised by a single mother taught me that life does not become easier, but you need to adapt and work hard for the things you want, whether it be the American Dream or finding your purpose.

It would be a privilege to be a recipient of the Cindy J. Visser Memorial Scholarship. Cindy devoted 37 years to helping patients and shared the values of compassion and care. Although I never had the honor to meet Ms. Visser, her caring persona placed her loved ones and patients first and shared her love for the community, as do I. I was inspired to enter medicine after I lost my best friend, Tatiana, at the age of 19 to cancer. I remember rushing to visiting hours to see Tatiana, who always spoke highly of her nurse. I still remember the dancing and silly teenage jokes my friends and I made to lift Tatiana’s spirits. I could notice at times the nurse was annoyed by our loudness, but she allowed us to carry on because she knew Tatiana needed this. At 17, we did not realize our friend was running out of time, but her nurse did and took great care of her. Tatiana died the first day of spring; that following summer, I was motivated to enter medicine and became an Emergency Room Scribe/Clerk in the same hospital. It was this life-changing experience that motivated me to become a registered nurse. In my role, I saw countless patients visit the ER with acute exacerbation of medical conditions as a result of being unable to afford medical care or their medications. Many patients were of low-income, uninsured, and/or of minority backgrounds. They utilized the ER for primary care. Unfortunately, this patient population is at greater risk for stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other conditions due to their limited access to healthcare. As a future nurse, my goal is to help address health disparities. Like Cindy, I aim to educate my patients and the health care community on why we should promote health equity and put patients first. Becoming a nurse will help me further understand and respond to this issue by advocating for patients and serving underprivileged communities. After gaining experience as a nurse, I would like to start a non-profit organization where I can partner with nurses and Advanced Practice Providers to provide patients with free health counseling to educate them on their health conditions. Educating patients will promote a greater understanding of their medical conditions and, as a result, may lead to better health outcomes through medication compliance and lifestyle changes. Although health disparities are a complex issue in our healthcare system, I believe change starts from the bottom up. Change can be accomplished by starting initiatives within nursing schools addressing cultural competence in medicine. As a nurse, I want to make sure patients feel comfortable and have access to quality care, despite their socioeconomic status. In my medical experiences, I have been a medical Spanish translator, helping patients with language barriers. Effective communication between providers and patients is crucial, as it ensures patients understand their treatment plans and conditions. As a growing/diverse nation, nurses continue to advocate for their patients by ensuring certain resources are provided. This may include connecting patients to interpreters, transportation, and affordable clinics for preventive care screenings. One of the most motivating aspects of the nursing profession is the impact that nurses have on their patients and the trust patients place on nurses due to their level of expertise. Like Nurse Cindy, I aspire to be able to assess my patients with confidence, but also compassion and optimism to ensure the best outcome. I would be honored to not only be a part of a dynamic profession that models compassion and quality care, but also a recipient of this scholarship.

Mental health wellness is crucial to living a happy and healthy lifestyle. Some activities that help boost my mental health include journaling, music/dancing, and finding my purpose. We live in a society that often glamorizes hard work and prestige, but we rarely see strategies on how to combat stress or find happiness on bad days. We also live in an age of technology, where social media platforms only showcase people's successes and rarely do we see mental health struggles related to prestigious roles and hard work. I hope that someday social media and the public can normalize mental health discussions for the benefit of our society. I have struggled with my mental health by linking my identity with success and overworking myself. But, I have learned simple, yet effective techniques. Even on busy days, I journal my feelings or thoughts, which reduce my stress and anxiety. Reducing stress is needed in order to achieve good mental health, and thus we must make time for activities that make allow us to de-stress and “recharge.” Recharging or replenishing my mental health involves dancing or making time to see a musical event. Not only is there scientific evidence that shows that dancing improves your overall physical and mental health, but it helps you live in the present moment. Music provides auditory stimulation that activates certain areas of the brain, such as the hippocampus, where memories are stored. This is why music often triggers memories and even helps us create new memories. Music also helps strengthen memory formation by eliciting positive emotions. The beauty of music and dancing is that physical activity can release endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin, which helps us have more “feel good” moments that reduce stress and chemically happy our brains. I have recently been a part of a community salsa dancing class. The class overlooks the Hudson River, which is scenic and also helps me as I admire the New York Skyline. This hobby allows me to enjoy my leisure, dance with my friends, and also interact with new people from different backgrounds. This leads me to another essential tip, which is social interaction. Arranging time for social interaction outside school and work is vital. Spending quality time or even five minutes speaking to a colleague or friend adds value to our day. It also allows an outlet to share your troubles or positive experiences throughout the day. Furthermore, developing quality relationships can also give us something meaningful to look forward to when we have a difficult day. In addition, seeing a friend or relative can often boost serotonin, our happy neurotransmitter, and improve our emotional wellbeing. Lastly, one of my favorite tips is finding purpose. Find a job/activity that is something you are passionate about. For example, volunteering at an animal shelter if you love animals can help boost your self-esteem by being part of something that is important to you. This meaningful experience not only speaks to your values, but also adds a sense of belonging and value to the community. Caring for animals may help you see the positive side in small things, and you will be able to share this joy with others in your field. In my life, I have found purpose in healthcare by helping patients when they are uncomfortable or vulnerable. I enjoy working with others to achieve a common goal, while also building meaningful relationships with my patients. I have learned that I love teaching, so I try to teach my patients about being positive and achieving mental wellness. Once you find your purpose, it allows you to spread positivity to others.