My name is Olivia Nelson, but I often go by Lulu. In my last year of high school, many people often ask me, "What are you going to do after you graduate?" I have contemplated this question, wondering to myself what makes me the happiest. Every time, I always come back to a moment in my life. I would like to share it with you to explain why I have chosen to pursue my career path. Growing up, I always imagined myself as indestructible, never breaking bones or getting injured. I was the fittest in my age group, and my confidence soared high. This confidence stayed with me throughout my youth until COVID-19 occurred. I hit a massive wall and fell into a hole of depression and insecurity. I tried everything to fix it, but nothing would help. I was convinced that this would be with me the rest of my life. A couple of months later, my knee swelled up, and I was unable to walk. I would sit in my dark room all day, injured, watching my friends run around and play outside. This was the worst moment of my life. My parents soon caught on to what was occurring, and they took me to the doctor. After that, everything spiraled downward. I was diagnosed with juvenile Rheumotid Arthritis, Uveitis, Hashimoto's disease, and Vocal Chord dysfunction all within a few weeks. I was at the hospital multiple times a week getting tests, screens, and MRIs done, trying to figure out how to fix me. It soon felt like the hospital was my home. My symptoms just kept getting worse, and it got to the point where I was unable to move any part of my body due to the arthritis spreading to every joint. My mom would have to feed me and help me take my medications. Unfortunately, the doctors I needed were not available in Alaska, so I was required to fly down to the lower 48 for my care. This was required every 3 months for the first couple years of my treatment. Every trip we took down just gave us more bad news. It seemed like nothing was going to fix me. But then, I healed. Slowly, but still, I healed. Every day, I could feel myself getting stronger, the weight of depression dripping off my back. I could be with my friends again and have that joy and confidence I once had. The doctors and nurses saved me and gave me my life back. What had felt impossible had become possible. That's why I strive to become a pediatric nurse and work in the medical field: to give children the joy that I experienced, to feel your life change when it feels impossible, to help kids live again. So, when people ask me that question that most seniors dread to hear, "What are you going to do after you graduate?" I tell them this story. My goal is to make a positive difference in this world, and I believe that I can do that through the medical field. I can give children another chance at a happy and healthy life, just like I had.