On December 31st, 2019, I popped the party poppers, kissed my loved ones, and cheered as I looked into 2020. I was optimistic about the change I would experience but unaware of what was truly to come. 2020 was my year. I had plans to grow into a better person and develop great habits that I could take with me into college. Just goes to show that you can never judge a book by its cover. 2020 was supposed to be everyone’s year. Goals were set high and in the first few weeks we thought this was the year. But then life took a turn for the worst and month after month after month damage threatened to destroy the plans we had carefully constructed in our New Year's Resolutions. With the death of Kobe, the wildfires in Colorado and California, COVID, there seemed to be no way out. At least that’s how I felt when I learned school would be remote until further notice. I felt stuck for the first time in my life. I had nowhere to be, nowhere I could be, no one to hang out with, nothing. I had never not been busy and it made me realize how jam packed I always had my schedule. It also made me question if that lifestyle was as beneficial as I had thought it was. I took the summer months carefully. I worked when I could and worked out as much as I could will myself to. But something still felt off with me. I had a lack of motivation. There wasn’t anything boosting me to keep pushing towards the unknown future. In about mid-July, I realized I needed to make something more of my summer. Despite the lack of the activities that I would normally do, I found joy in trying new things. I took up pickle-ball with my grandparents and spent more time with them than I ever had been able to in the past. My siblings and I would head to the park down the street to pass a volleyball and enjoy the time we never got to spend together when our schedules were busy. I built relationships and learned how to properly foster them. All I could think now was; Wow, people are great. A lack of social interaction really puts into perspective how dependent we are on it. Humans function best when communicating with other humans. It’s simple and it’s what my life lacked before everything shut down. I’m a very social person, and I had lots of friends, but I didn’t have lots of solid connections. I didn’t really know everything about each of my friends until that was all we could do. Get to know each other through facetime and phone calls. Self-reflection is a crazy thing. When I sat to think about what I want in my future, should everything return to normal, only one thing came to mind; The ability to look back on this time in my life and thank myself for living in the moment and appreciating everyone around me. I wanted to be able to remember this historical moment as the time in my life where I turned myself around and grew into a better person. When surrounded with negativity I learned to channel my sadness into positivity surrounding new opportunities. I made opportunities for myself and learned to love being my own motivator. 2020 has been a challenge, but a learning curve nonetheless. I don’t think I will ever forget the toilet paper shortage. Or the item purchase limits in grocery stores. The masks. The fear we felt walking next to a stranger and the awkward encounters of avoiding the person next to you. Not the 2020 I expected but the world became a nicer place and I think we all learned how to sympathize with one another. Relationships have always been important to me but if 2020 taught me one thing, it’s that I need to really take the time to get to know my friends and family because they are the ones that will stick with me through it all. On December 31st, 2020, I was just as excited as I was the year before. I popped the poppers, kissed my loved ones, and headed into 2021 with a smile, a mask, and a new outlook on life.

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to enter the field of medicine. My passion for helping others flourished through my involvement in various leadership clubs. My interest in medicine sparked in fifth grade at the career fair and since then I have known what I want to do. In the Fall of 2021, I will major in Nursing. To be a nurse not only means I will be immersed in this world of medicine that has fascinated me for so long, but that I will be able to help people and create change in the world around me. The Mirajur Rahman Perseverance Scholarship would be the catalyst in my journey to create change and leave my mark on the world. I have spent the majority of my life learning. I immersed myself in every avenue possible to explore potential passions. One avenue which has stuck with me is leadership. Since third grade, I have been in some sort of a leadership club. I learned as much as I could about helping others, leading with confidence, and creating a legacy. All aspects of leadership are found in medicine. Helping patients, innovating medicine, and leaving an impact are directly related to the things I have learned in my leadership clubs. This year I was elected Student Body President and this role allowed me to take on more responsibility. With Covid hitting every area of high school, event planning was a struggle and it required me to think on my toes. There was of greater importance that I lead the school with grace and determination. So when it came to choosing my major, I looked for a career path that would allow me to continue my growth through challenges. Nursing is no easy feat, but I plan to head into it with the same grit and determination that carried me through each leadership club. It is the perfect path for me because it will provide me more room to grow and learn. I take planning very seriously and I have not made my decision without care. Instead, I have researched extensively to ensure this is the path I want to take and I am confident to say that I am eager to pursue it. I have decided to attend South Dakota State University to major in nursing. While this decision took a lot of weight off my shoulders, the new challenge was figuring out how to pay. Being the oldest of four children and the first of those four to attend college, it has been a struggle for my parents to decide the best way to tackle the tuition costs. To help them, I have taken to scholarships. These applications are a place where I can highlight my achievements in hopes of winning something that assists me in taking the next step towards my life. The Mirajur Rahman Perseverance Scholarship is not simply a monetary award. It is a dream starter. It is assistance. But most of all, this scholarship is yet another stepping stone in my journey to start my life and leave my mark on the world.