My name is Ngozichukwuka Ejiofor an indigen of Nigeria. I am from a family of five brothers, and I had a sister. I have discovered the state of the healthcare system to be troubling. I envision educating people on preventive health practices and caring for sick or premature neonates. My goal is to become a registered nurse working in a newborn intensive care unit and a volunteer for community-based public health programs. The death of my mother at 50 years old and my sister at 31 years, both due to breast cancer, is my greatest motivation toward preventive care. I was my sister’s and mother’s caregiver, so I experienced the healthcare system in the treatment and management of breast cancer. My mother was treated in Nigeria and my sister in the United States, and I still saw a need for more healthcare workers and accessibility to healthcare resources. I know medical interventions are designed to keep people longer; however, this does not necessarily mean people live better. Another motivating factor is how infants born sick or premature are fragile and vulnerable to many complications. There is also a high risk of mothers who give birth to preterm babies developing posttraumatic stress disorder. Being a nurse that cares for infants in the intensive care unit, I will be able to care for the child and maybe relieve some of the stress experienced by the mother. I am a nursing student at Broward College and have completed a year of study in the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program. I currently have two semesters to graduation, and one of the obstacles I would have to overcome is the exorbitant tuition cost. I pay out-of-state tuition which is 3.16 times the tuition cost. Another obstacle is shuffling between going to school full-time and working part-time. The cost of nursing school, supplies and textbooks are expensive, and the Dr. Ifeoma Ezebuiro Ezeobele Africans in Nursing Scholarship will support my academic progress as I am currently financing my nursing school alone. Being granted this scholarship would be highly appreciated and provide financial relief for me. It would enable me to continue maintaining my excellent academic standing, currently at a 3.88 GPA. I want to attain the knowledge and skills needed to make an optimum impact on society, and this scholarship would help me do that by allowing me to focus on my studies without financial stress.

My name is Ngozichukwuka Ejiofor, and I am from a family of 7, now 6, with five brothers. My goal is to become a registered nurse working in a newborn intensive care unit and a volunteer for community-based nursing education and training. I love going beyond caring for children to caring about them. I believe that patients who have a good care experience will not hesitate to seek care and heals better. I want to be part of a team that consistently touches lives. The death of my mother at 50 years old in 2010 and my only sister at 31 years old in October 2019, both due to breast cancer, is my greatest motivation toward caring about patients. My mother and only sister were my greatest supporters, and their death took a toll on my family physically, mentally, and financially. The medical treatment drained my family’s finances and has left me to support my academic journey alone. Another motivating factor is how infants born sick or premature are fragile and vulnerable to many complications. There is also a high risk of mothers who give birth to preterm babies developing posttraumatic stress disorder. I know medical interventions are designed to keep people longer; however, this does not necessarily mean people live better. My experience makes me actively listen, be culturally sensitive, have empathy and be observant when communicating with patients. Therapeutic communication technique encourages patients to be comfortable when sharing their concerns throughout their wellness journey. In addition, some patients have no one in their vulnerable state, and their only constant contact are health care professionals. I chose to serve others in the capacity of being a registered nurse. One of the obstacles I would have to overcome is the exorbitant tuition cost. I pay out-of-state tuition, which is 3.16 times the tuition cost. Another obstacle is shuffling going to school full-time and working part-time. The cost of nursing school, supplies and textbooks are expensive, and this scholarship will support my academic progress as I am currently financing my nursing school alone. Being the recipient of this scholarship would be appreciated and provide financial relief for me. It would enable me to maintain my excellent academic standing, currently at a 3.85 GPA. I want to attain the knowledge and skills needed to make an optimum impact in society, and this scholarship would help me do that by allowing me to focus on my studies without financial stress. Thank you for this opportunity.

Wisdom is a quality of being wise. Some people view wisdom as the right application of knowledge while some others view wisdom as the capacity to understand various concepts. Regardless of how wisdom is understood, it is one that most people find important in their daily lives. The recent wisest thing I have heard was from an online training. The speaker said that why are we constantly thought to do everything in life hard, work hard, read hard, etc. Why not work cheerfully, read excited, do things in a manner that elevates a person instead of attracting stress and frustration. Positive emotions build resilience, increase problem-solving skills and decreases stress and stress-related health issues. Studies have shown that "people feel and do their best when they have at least three times as many positive emotions as negative emotions." I hold this word to heart because when I started practicing studying my school work with excitement I was able to read longer, understand the concepts easier and looked forward to my next study time. It also affected other aspects of my life, I worry less and approach life most of the time from a more positive point of view. I am still in the process of applying this "policy" to every aspect of my life as I have control over this.

When I think of joy, I think of freedom from all worries. It might seem unreachable for some but one cannot find joy while worrying. One may say joy can only be felt when everything else is perfect; then to feel joy may take too long or never be felt. I seek out joy in my life by doing what I love, making others smile and taking out time to care for myself. In addition, I develop strategies to solve issues that can make me worry and plan to avoid or deal with adverse situations. Adverse life situations can steal joy from people and most of these situations cannot be prevented. However, I always try to move past the situation and regain my joy. Harboring negative emotions do not only make you feel bad, but it also brings depression, anxiety, fear etc. which can lead to illnesses that would need medical attention. Therefore building on negative emotions is not healthy and I avoid it at all costs and try always to regain my joy. There is evidence that shows happiness has beneficial effects on the cardiovascular and immune systems, hormones and healing process. In conclusion, I see joy as an emotion that should be sort after.