I was seven years old, and I was scared. The chest x-ray came back and said I had an infection from my Cystic Fibrosis flaring up, which meant I would need to spend the next week or so at the hospital. My dad wouldn’t be back from Army training until the next day, and my little sister was only six months old, so my mom couldn’t stay with me in the hospital that first night. I felt all alone in a strange place…until Joann helped me regain peace. Joann was one of my CF nurses at Tripler Hospital, and she was there that night to hug me and sing to me. I was crying pretty hard, and Nurse Joann stayed with me until I calmed down. She read me a story after I calmed down, and she tucked me in, staying there until I fell asleep. She didn’t even have to be there since her shift ended earlier that day. That simple act of kindness calmed the nerves of a frightened little girl and was the first time I thought about being a nurse so that I could provide the same comfort to those who get scared. I want to be either a pediatric nurse or a NICU nurse and help babies and families realize that the hospital isn’t the end of the world, no matter how scary it may seem. Although I've had other hospital stays with my CF since then, it was this experience at the age of seven that let me know just how serious this genetic illness was. I've had to accept that it can cut my life short, so I need to make the most of it. Since this point, I looked into becoming a nurse, which first meant finding a good nursing school to be accepted into. I also researched what I needed to do to become a nurse, from getting a 68 or higher on the Test of Essential Academic Skills(TEAS), to passing the National Council Licensure Examination(NCLEX) when I graduate. By doing these things, I can make the same kind of impact on families and children facing the unknown that Joann had on me. It's strange how an experience so early in life can affect the way we view the rest of it, but having to come face to face with the unknown, and then finding out the full truth of that unknown, can give us a wider view of life. It certainly made me uncomfortable at the time, but its hard to grow in comfortable circumstances.

“Rangers don’t quit!” I wasn’t sure what my dad meant, and I kind of think he was half talking to himself as we dangled 50 feet above the ground. Going on the high ropes course in North Carolina when we were visiting my gramps and nana is one of the first memories I have, and I was five years old. I’ve always liked doing scary things, and on this day, I was adamant that I was going to tackle this one. Now, however, halfway across the ropes, and at least 50 feet in the air, I was starting to have second thoughts. That I was locked in with a safety vest and carabiner meant nothing to my five year old mind. My dad served in the Army for more than 20 years. He was an infantry officer and a Ranger, something he took no small amount of pride in. He volunteered to go with me, mostly because mom said she would die before she went up. But dad had done stuff like this in the Army, from Ranger School to Airborne School to Air Assault School, and he said he’d love to take me across the ropes. So we climbed up the starting tower, clipped in, and off we went. I was in front, and he was a step behind, his hands split between his own ropes and my body so he could steady me. We shimmied across a series of ropes, unclipping and reclipping ourselves between stations. Then, as we got halfway down one of the longest stretches, and about halfway through the entire course, I got tired. Then I looked down. Never do that. I looked back up at dad and told him I wanted to get off now. He got this puzzled expression on his face, and then he said, “Rangers don’t quit!” I didn’t know what the heck he was talking about – I wasn’t a Ranger, and I had no idea what a Ranger even was. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve since learned that dad had gone through Ranger School before I was born, and that apparently it’s pretty tough Army training that lots of people don't finish. I didn’t even know the Army would let you quit, but dad assured me that they did, and he kept going and passed the course. He always said that the biggest lesson he took away from that was that he can go further than he ever thought, and he was going to make sure I knew I could do the same. I, of course, didn’t quit, and his words kept me going. Looking back, I wonder how much was him trying to get me to keep pushing through challenges, and how much was him also being nervous about being up so high and talking himself into staying the course. As I continue to examine it, I also wonder where I thought I was going to go since not only were we 50 feet above the ground, but we were halfway between junction points. The only place to go was down, and I don’t think that would’ve ended well for either of us. We laugh about the high ropes course now, and I continue to do scary stuff like bungee jumping and roller coasters, but that first lesson in not quitting is something I’ll always remember from my dad.

The new chapter of my life would be called “Breathing Free.” This would be the title because it encompasses everything I am, where I came from, and how my life changes as I start my college journey. Everyone faces some fear and uncertainty when they leave home and chart their own course. However, my journey will be a little different, because not only will I be setting out on my own, I will be taking complete charge of my health. I have Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic condition that affects the lungs and digestive tract. I do two sessions of chest therapy every day to shake loose built up mucus and help me breathe easier, and I also take a variety of medications that help me digest food and stay healthy. Up to this point in my life, I’ve had my parents as a kind of back-stop to make sure I’ve been doing what I need to do. Sure, I’ve been taking charge of more and more of my treatments since I can remember, but if I missed something, my mom and dad have always been there as both reminders and drill sergeants to keep me straight. Truth be told, there have been times it has been quite aggravating – I’ve been tired and want to go to sleep, but my dad reminds me I still need to do my 30 minutes of chest therapy before I crawl in bed; or we’ll be out somewhere getting ice cream, and my mom will ask if I’ve taken the enzyme pills I need so my food properly digests and I don’t get a stomach ache. It can be embarrassing, especially if it happens in front of my friends, no matter how discrete my parents try to be when asking. Still, this level of diligence has kept me healthy for almost 18 years. Now, however, I’ll be on my own, and my health will be entirely my responsibility. I'll have to wake up early so I can do chest therapy before I go to class, and I’ll need to make sure I have my pills with me when I go. I’ll be responsible for making sure my medicine comes to me at school, and to make arrangements for anything that happens that might keep me out of class. I’ll be free from the nagging of my parents, but that also means I’ll be responsible for myself a great deal more. I can choose when, or even if, to do my treatments, but that freedom entails me taking charge of my own health, free of the safety net of mom and dad. As I leave for college, I’ll finally be “breathing free.” I just need to make sure those breathes incorporate the responsibility that comes with such freedom if I want to not only keep them free, but healthy as well.

My name is Rachel Meyer, and although I haven't served, my dad has. One of my earliest memories is of my dad leaving for a tour of duty in Iraq. I was four years old, and I didn't really know what was happening except that my mom was sad. The day he left, I laid in bed with my mom and stroked her face as she cried. She kissed my forehead and told me that dad would be back soon, but we would have to be strong for him until then. And that's what I've been doing, learning how to be adaptable and grow up earlier than most. Dad has gone away twice that I can remember(mom told me he also deployed when I was two, but I don't remember that at all). Whether he was serving in Iraq or in Saudi Arabia, it has been up to my mom and I to hold down the fort at home. If nothing else, I have learned how to be responsible at a young age since my mom needed my help, from cleaning around the house, to taking care of my baby sister(she's seven years younger than I am) in 2015-2016. I picked up extras chores, helped cook dinner, and learned how to change diapers(phew that stinks!). While my friends were talking about the recent episode of Adventure Time, I was learning how to shovel snow off of the front walk or packing care packages for my dad and his fellow soldiers overseas. Admittedly, I didn't like it very much at the time, but looking back, it has helped make me the self-sufficient young woman I am today. Those same friends of mine are caught up in boys or Stranger Things, and although I enjoy some of that stuff too, I also devote myself to more serious pursuits, which is how I've already been admitted to the nursing school at my college of choice(Austin Peay State University) while most of my friends are still figuring out what to do after high school. Being a military brat - I've never liked that term, but I haven't found another to replace it yet - has also meant that I've moved around and had to be assertive in finding friends everywhere. I've moved from Hawaii to Kansas and now to Tennessee. I could look at it as hard, leaving friends I've made in other places, or I can look at it as personal growth, keeping friends across the country while needing to learn how to make friends elsewhere. Obviously, I've chosen the latter. After all, if my dad can go get shot at in Iraq, or be in an unfamiliar place like Saudi Arabia, then I can make new friends without griping about it. As outlined above, the biggest impact the military has had on my life has been making me adaptable. This should come in handy as I get my nursing degree and figure out my place in life. A head start in gaining the skills I won't learn at school but will need in life always helps.

My name is Rachel Meyer, and I have Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic condition that creates thick sticky mucus in my lungs. This mucus invites infection, and I have had to go to the hospital to take extra IV antibiotics in order to get rid of the germs making me sick. I’ve worked hard to overcome this challenge since CF affects my entire life. I’ve been hospitalized several times for infections, each time for nearly two weeks. However, CF is something I have, not who I am. I’ve done a lot of things to turn this struggle into a strength, and the biggest thing I’ve learned is discipline. I have several things I have to do every day in addition to studying for school. The first routine things I do to stay healthy (and out of the hospital) are daily treatments. During school days, I get up at 5 am to do the first of two daily sessions of chest therapy. I use a vibrating vest that helps shake loose the mucus in my lungs so I can cough it out and I don't get lung infections. I also use a nebulizer with inhaled medicine to help make the mucus thinner so I don’t get as many infections. During this, I read or look over notes for my classes so I don’t lose too much time and can be ready for tests and other assignments. To help me further overcome the challenge of CF, I play sports and exercise. I started playing volleyball when my dad was stationed in Hawaii, and I played on my middle school and high school teams. I’m not very tall, so I have to hustle to show I belong on the team. This means sprinting all over the court to make a pass or save. I also run track and cross country. In order to be a better runner, I make time to run on our treadmill at home or around our neighborhood. I wish I could say that this struggle will be completely overcome one day, but since CF is a genetic condition, it’s a challenge that I will face my entire life. However, it helps keep me focused on my goals so that I can become a nurse, specifically a NICU nurse. I’ve been able to use the discipline I've gained in other areas of my life so that I can achieve my nursing goal. Because of my treatment regimen, I stay scheduled. That means I come home and get my homework done right away so I have time for my treatments. I go to bed at a good time, usually by ten o’clock, so I can wake up early to do chest therapy. I eat the right things to stay healthy. And I study hard to get into nursing school so I can help others who may need extra care, whether in the NICU or in life in general. In conclusion, having a disease that stresses my immune system the way CF does has given me the strength and discipline I need to stay focused. This focus will pay off down the road as I become a nurse and am able to help others overcome their own challenges.

My name is Rachel Meyer, and I have Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic condition that creates thick sticky mucus in my lungs. This mucus invites infection, and I have had to go to the hospital to take extra IV antibiotics to get rid of the germs making me sick. I’ve worked hard to overcome this challenge since CF affects my entire life. I’ve been hospitalized several times for infections, each time for nearly two weeks. However, CF is something I have, not who I am. I want to be a nurse, and that will give me the direct ability to help others with a disability, whether that disability is a chronic genetic condition like the one I have, or a physical disability they've incurred as the result of some life circumstance. I can treat those with disabilities and show empathy towards them since I know what it's like to cope with a disability myself.

One of my first memories is of my dad deploying to Iraq when I was five years old. My mom and I had to drive him to the post theater at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, which was the gathering point the unit departed from. Going home that night was sad - my mom was crying, and all I knew was that my dad wouldn't be home for a while. Mom and I slept in the same bed that night, and I stroked her face while telling her it would be alright. Being a military child - I've always hated the term military brat - has helped me be more independent. My dad deployed three times in my youth, twice to Iraq and once to Saudi Arabia. This has made me grow up a bit faster so that I could help my mom around the house while dad was overseas. I was doing the dishes by the time I was five, I was doing my laundry by the time I was eight, and I've been helping my family by cooking dinner since I was ten. It helped prepare me for life on my own, learning skills that most kids my age don't get until after they leave home. Like most military kids, I've also had to learn how to make new friends quickly since we've moved around. Unless I wanted to spend all of my time either alone or with my parents, I had to be assertive and introduce myself to others. This was much easier when I was five or six, as most friendships began with something simple like, "Want to be my friend? Let's play tag!" However, as I've gotten older, it has grown more difficult since we've all developed varying interests. My own interests revolve around crocheting and drawing, as well as volleyball. Volleyball makes it easier to make friends since I can join a team, but my other interests are more challenging to seek out in others, but the confidence I've gained as a result of needing to be more assertive has made that fun. Finally, being a military child has given me more of an appreciation of our veterans. My school in Tennessee has an assembly every year for Veterans Day, and most kids just stare off into space or check their phones when the speakers are talking. However, knowing what veterans have done, I pay attention and try to get my friends to understand the significance of service. I'm sometimes successful, and I'm sometimes not, but I think my experience, and relaying that experience, has made them more aware of more than just their own little world.

My career goal is to be a nurse in order to help people. I was born ten weeks early, starting life off at just over three pounds, and I would like to be a NICU nurse so that I can help preemies go home to their families. I also have Cystic Fibrosis, so I’ve gotten to be with nurses all my life, and I love the way most take an interest in helping people get better. I would first become a pediatric nurse in my first job after school to gain experience before getting NICU certified. The most positive aspect of nursing I’m looking forward to is helping patients go home to their families. My parents always talk about what it was like when I was in the NICU. They would often look at the collages on the walls outside of the NICU that showed how preemies once being cared for there grew up and stayed in touch with their nurses. They said that the day they got to bring me home was one of the happiest of their lives. I want to be able to give families that same gift, the gift of bringing home their baby or loved one. Pediatrics would give me a firm foundation to become a NICU nurse, as I would get to see a variety of children in different developmental states. This would allow me to see where they will go after their entry into the world. I’ve also seen some nurses who probably shouldn’t have been nurses because they had no people skills, and I would like to show that someone with empathy is the best kind of nurse since they try to be in tune with their patients and their families. Most people only go to the hospital when they have a medical need, like their baby coming early, and they need someone who will not only take care of their newborn, but a person who will also listen to them and involve them in the care of that child. As I take control of my destiny and establish myself in my career, I will be able to help others towards their own goal. We’re all on the same team, and being successful as a nurse means others will gravitate towards you for advice and to follow your example. Being impactful doesn’t stop once you’ve gotten to your goal, because your career isn’t the endpoint, but rather a path you continue moving along. As you walk the path of nursing, others will also choose it, giving our patients the best minds and talents available.

For me, success will be my passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) so that I can become a nurse. I was born ten weeks early, starting life off at just over three pounds, and this opportunity will help me become a NICU (Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit) nurse so that I can help preemies go home to their families. I also have Cystic Fibrosis, so I’ve gotten to be with nurses all my life, and I love the way most take an interest in helping others. I’ve also seen some nurses out there who probably shouldn’t have been nurses because they had no people skills, and I would like to show that a person with empathy is the best kind of nurse since they try to be in tune with their patients and their families. Most people only go to the hospital when they have a medical need, like their baby coming a couple of months early, and they need someone who will not only take care of their newborn, but a person who will also listen to them and involve them in the care of that child. This scholarship opportunity will help me focus on classes and practical study for nursing. I would not need to take a job during college to get money to pay for school, and I would have to take out less debt to graduate. This means I can commit to summer nursing internships without worry, and I could avail myself of the opportunities available to nurses when I graduate rather than have to take the first job I come across so that I can start paying off student loans. I would also be able to become a travel nurse at the beginning of my career to help me fill the voids in areas of the country where nurses are scarce. In other words, this scholarship opportunity will open up opportunities down the road that I can use to grow and reach my nursing dreams. Taking advantage of one opportunity doesn't foreclose other opportunities; in fact, it creates a key that opens other doors of opportunity along the way. As a person walks that path, others will also choose it, following your lead and choosing their own destinies Although NICU nursing is where my heart is, and where this scholarship will eventually help take me, having the opportunity to pursue a variety of nursing jobs will be able to set me on the best path. One cannot become a NICU nurse at first since it requires at least two years of experience and an additional set of certifications, but not needing to worry about burdensome college debt will allow me to use my skills where they are best needed so I can get the right experience before becoming a NICU nurse. As I gain the necessary experience to reach my goals, which this scholarship will help me afford, I will be able to return to my hometown of Memphis, where some of the most prominent children's hospitals in the world are located. Moving forward, this will allow me to work at one of the most internationally recognized children’s hospitals with a reputation for excellence, and, were I to seek employment outside of Memphis, hospitals across the nation, and probably across the world, will see my experience at these facilities as bringing something special to their facilities. I will be able to have a greater degree of options outside of Memphis, and my work history will draw a higher salary, and all of that would come as a result of being awarded this opportunity.

The world is chaos. Music is harmony. It can be hectic to try and find your way in the world today. Cell phones, school violence, TikTok…it all creates a sense of life out of control. Music, though, can blend that chaos into a single harmony that brings people together to find commonality. Everyone may not recognize religion, but everyone recognizes music, and everyone has an opinion about the music they hear. I play flute, and I play well. I’ve done solos at school band concerts with my flute, and the audience seems to like what I play. However, it’s still a simple performance when compared to the entire band playing together. My small piece of music blends with the drums, trumpets, and saxophones to create something greater than I could create by myself. It lets me be a part of something more than being solo, even if my solo music is good in itself. Being universal, music crosses cultures and brings people together. Whether it’s the iron bells of the Congo, the sitar used in Hindustani classical music, the modern piano used by Chopin and other Europeans, or the guitars that are a big part of music in Latin America, every culture on Earth recognizes music. Most cultures incorporate the music of others into their own as they encounter new sounds, showing that music is able to blend societies that might otherwise never interact, or might even be hostile to each other. Music offers me a way to find peace. Sometimes the world becomes overwhelming, whether it’s studying or work or parents getting on me about stuff, but music allows me to escape into something that is both just for me and part of something more. When I play my flute, it’s my fingers and breath creating the sound. It’s something for just me to enjoy. I also know that I can combine my music with others to be part of a group where we are all striving towards a greater melody. There are times that, even though I’m playing alone in my room, I imagine being part of a bigger orchestra that is doing something more. That also gives me peace to think about. Finally, music also helps me express myself when I can’t find the right words. Victor Hugo said, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” Feelings are hard to express, but music gives sound to those feelings when words aren’t enough. My music can tell people if I’m happy, sad, angry, or thoughtful, and the more musicians playing towards a greater harmony, the more expressive of feelings their music can be.

I grew up in the Army, as my dad was an Army officer for 24 years. I've lived in California, Missouri, Hawaii, and Kansas, and I've been shaped by the friends I've made and the experiences I've had around the country and through my dad's time in the Army. I also had to grow up faster than some since my dad was deployed three times during my life - twice to Iraq, and once to Saudi Arabia. That meant it was just my mom and me for months on end, so I leaned early to cook, do laundry, and help take care of my baby sister when she was born, all before I was nine years old, as dad headed off for the Middle East once again. I have a dream to be a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit(NICU) nurse. When Dad was stationed in Sacramento teaching ROTC at UC Davis and CSUS, I was born ten weeks early. My parents still talk about the nurses that took care of me as I struggled to gain weight and eventually leave the hospital. I want to have that same impact on families who have premature children, so I'm going to Austin Peay State University to study nursing. Since I can't be a NICU nurse straight out of college, I will start off in pediatric nursing to gain experience. However, once I've been a nurse for two years, I can take the Neonatal Care Certified Nursing Exam and join that nursing specialty. I will already have a BSN from my time at Austin Peay, so two years of experience and passing the certification exam will be the next steps. My younger sister, Amelia, was born at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii when my dad was stationed there with the 25th Infantry Division and the 196th Infantry Brigade, and as I visited her and my mom before they came home, I got to walk past the NICU on the 5th floor. It reinforced everything I wanted to be, and I set my sights on doing all I could to help preemies go home to their families. After Dad's retirement in 2019, we moved to the Memphis area, and I started to research colleges that offer nursing. During my visit to Austin Peay, the school's Nursing Coordinator laid out the path I'd have to take to reach my goal of being a NICU nurse, and although it was more involved than earning only a BSN, I could think of no better calling. In conclusion, my dad's Army career shaped the person I've become through the friends I've met and the experiences we've had in various places around the country. It has been these experiences, and the circumstances of my own birth, that have created in me the desire to become a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurse following college graduation.

I've always felt drawn towards serving others. This scholarship will help me continue that calling as I set out to become a NICU nurse. I was born ten weeks early myself, and I've felt a calling towards helping children like me, the ones who start a step or two behind the starting line, all of my life. Being able to contribute to a greater collective good is the most noble purpose a person can spend his or her life doing. When I was younger, I got involved in sports, playing volleyball in both middle school and high school. Additionally, I've run both track and cross country(we just finished our state cross-country meet this past week). Although I'm short - my dad tells me that our family didn't win the athletic genetic lottery - I use the strengths I have to help the team as a whole. Being lower to the ground, I am a good digger on the back line for volleyball, setting up my teammates to smash the ball over the net. In track, I've found it easier to swing my arms in rhythm with my legs as I run, and I anchored our 400 and 800-meter baton team. I want to continue to contribute to a team as I go off to Austin Peay State University, and I plan to use this scholarship to help me become part of a nursing team. Nursing is also community service-oriented, and this scholarship will help me to continue to contribute to our community. My family and I have raised money for Great Strides, a fundraising effort to help people with Cystic Fibrosis, for as long as I can remember, with my first Great Strides Walk happening in Nashville, and continuing in Hawaii, Kansas City, and Memphis. Remembering that our community is more than just the United States, I help my mom with Operation Christmas Child, a church-based charity to pack shoeboxes with gifts for needy children in less developed countries that might otherwise not receive gifts during the holiday season. We just finished our craft fair where we made homemade toys for the shoeboxes we plan to pack in a couple of weeks. It gives me a feeling of community and joy to look to what I can do to help those less fortunate than I am. If I earn this scholarship, I can keep on giving back to the community through NICU nursing. In conclusion, the Kailia D. Davis Memorial Scholarship will help me continue to serve our community by giving me the resources I need to go to college and become a NICU nurse. We are all part of the same world, and scholarships like this help us all remember the need to give back.

I've demonstrated resilience simply by keeping up with my classes and playing sports in high school. You see, I have Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic condition that creates thick sticky mucus in my lungs. This mucus invites infection, and I have had to go to the hospital to take extra IV antibiotics in order to get rid of the germs making me sick. I do a lot of things to overcome Cystic Fibrosis, but the biggest thing I use to overcome it is discipline. This means I have several things I need to do every day. The first routine things I have to do to stay healthy(and out of the hospital) are my daily treatments. During school days, I get up at five in the morning to do the first of two daily sessions of chest therapy. I use a vibrating vest that helps shake loose the mucus in my lungs so I can cough it out. At the same time, I use a nebulizer with inhaled medicine to help make the mucus thinner so I don’t get as many infections. To help me further overcome the challenge of CF, I play sports and exercise. I started playing volleyball when I was in Hawaii, and I played on my middle school and high school teams. I’m not very tall, so I had to hustle to show I belonged on the team. This means sprinting all over the court to make a pass or save. I also ran track and am about to start running cross country. In order to be a better runner in both sports, I make time to either run on our treadmill at home or run around our neighborhood. We live near Memphis, so running in the summer can be hard, so I make time in the early evening to run. This requires discipline to not be distracted and have the time to run for at least 20 to 30 minutes. All of this means that I sometimes have to have the discipline to miss out on some fun stuff. I can’t stay out all night since I need to do my chest therapy before I go to bed. If I forget my enzyme pills, I can’t go have the fun food everyone else gets to enjoy, like ice cream, since foods with fat or protein can make my stomach hurt if I don’t take my pills. In conclusion, although the life challenge of having a chronic genetic disease can sometimes feel overwhelming, learning to deal with it has given me the resilience I need so I can succeed. If I can inspire others to share that same level of resilience, but they don’t share the same level of challenge, imagine the success they can achieve.

My name is Rachel Meyer, and I have Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic condition that creates thick sticky mucus in my lungs. This mucus invites infection, and I have had to go to the hospital to take extra IV antibiotics in order to get rid of the germs making me sick. I’ve worked hard my whole life to overcome this challenge since CF affects my entire life. I’ve been in the hospital three times for infections, each time for nearly two weeks. It made me realize I’m not the same as other kids, so I have to work hard to overcome my condition. Still, as my dad tells me, CF is something I have, not who I am. My career goal is to be a nurse so that I can help people. Since I was born ten weeks early, starting life off at just over three pounds, I would like to be a NICU nurse so that I can help preemies go home to their families. I’ve gotten to be with nurses all my life, and I love the way most take an interest in helping people get better. I’ve also seen some nurses out there who probably shouldn’t have been nurses because they had no people skills, and I would like to show that a person with empathy is the best kind of nurse since they try to be in tune with their patients and their patients’ families. Most people only go to the hospital when they have a medical need, like their baby coming a couple of months early, and they need someone who will not only take care of their newborn, but a person who will also listen to them and involve them in the care of that child. To help me further overcome life's challenges, I play sports and exercise. I started playing volleyball when my dad was stationed in Hawaii, and I played on my middle school and high school teams. I’m not very tall, so I had to hustle to show I belonged on the team. This means sprinting all over the court to make a pass or save. I also ran track and am now running cross country. In order to be a better runner in both sports, I make time to either run on our treadmill at home or run around our neighborhood. We live near Memphis, so running in the summer can be hard, so I make time in the early evening to run. This requires discipline to not be distracted and have the time to run for at least 20 to 30 minutes. It helps me stay focused on moving forward, whether running or preparing to help others that need someone to look out for them.

I have Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic condition that creates thick sticky mucus in my lungs. This mucus invites infection, and I have had to go to the hospital to take extra IV antibiotics in order to get rid of the germs making me sick. I’ve been in the hospital three times for infections, each time for nearly two weeks. It made me realize I’m not the same as other kids, so I have to work hard to overcome what I have. Still, as my dad tells me, CF is something I have, not who I am. I do a lot of things to overcome Cystic Fibrosis, but the biggest thing I use to overcome it is discipline. This means I have several things I need to do every day. The first routine things I have to do to stay healthy(and out of the hospital) are my daily treatments. During school days, I get up at five in the morning to do the first of two daily sessions of chest therapy. I use a vibrating vest that helps shake loose the mucus in my lungs so I can cough it out. At the same time, I use a nebulizer with inhaled medicine to help make the mucus thinner so I don’t get as many infections. Being part of the CF community is tough because I can't get close to other kids with CF due to the danger of us infecting each other. Still, my family does all it can to get me involved with what I can do, such as participating in the Great Strides, the CF Foundation's biggest fundraiser every year. This lets me be a part of the community, while still protecting my physical health. The challenge of Cystic Fibrosis has taught me discipline(or maybe forced it on me), and I’ve been able to use this discipline in other areas of my life. Because of my treatment regimen, I stay scheduled. That means I come home and get my homework done right away so I have time for my treatments. I go to bed at a good time, usually by ten o’clock, so I can wake up early to do chest therapy. I eat the right things to stay healthy. I also work hard to get into college so I can find a good job that provides the health insurance I need to keep getting my medicines and doctor visits. In conclusion, although the life challenge of having a chronic genetic disability can sometimes feel overwhelming, learning to deal with it has given me the discipline to be driven and succeed. If I can inspire others to share that same level of discipline, but they don’t share the same level of challenge, imagine the success they can achieve.

I need to keep myself grounded for both my academic and personal success. There’s so much going on, from sports to work to the extracurricular activities everyone seems obsessed with in order to get into college, that it can become easy to get lost in the chaos. This chaos does not do anyone any favors for staying mentally healthy. If I feel overwhelmed or get frantic, then I start to overlook details, and those details start dragging me down. I can miss homework assignments or forget to study for tests, which leads to more stress as I try to catch up. Outside of school, feeling stressed made me forget key details of life that I needed to stay on top of, like remembering to put gas in my car. I’ve gotten halfway to work sometimes and figured out I needed to fill up or I wouldn’t make it to work. And then balancing between school and work can add to the pressure. I’ve begun to take steps to reduce my stress level and get a better handle on my life and my mental health. I plan to be a nurse, and stress that leads to forgetting stuff can be dangerous. First, at school, I make sure to write down every assignment in my planning notebook. When I start to wonder if I’ve missed something because life has gotten so hectic, I open up my planner and look at what I’ve got coming up. This not only helps me remember what I have to get done in school, but it lets me breathe a sigh of relief since I know that I’ve captured everything, leading to a reduction of stress. Also, reviewing my assignments, it never looks as bad as I imagine, so it allows me to get a better handle on what’s going on. Additionally, I know when to take breaks so I can de-stress myself. When I first get home from school or work, I don’t do anything school-related for at least 30 minutes. I let myself relax for a moment at home so that I can better take on my schoolwork and studying. I try to remember to take a break for a few minutes once an hour, although I haven’t always been as good at this as I should be. I’ve thought about setting an alarm when I start to study or begin my homework, but I worry that a timer might make me feel rushed, so I’ll probably test this out one day soon and see how it affects me before deciding to set an alarm all the time. In conclusion, taking care of my mental health will help me remember key details of my schoolwork and life, not get so stressed, and better prepare me for a future career as a nurse. If I remember to take breaks, write down what I need to do, and get ahead of things before they pass, I will be better able to take on both school and life.

The world is chaos. Music is harmony. It can be hectic to try and find your way in the world today. Cell phones, school violence, TikTok…it all creates a sense of life out of control. Music, though, can blend that chaos into a single harmony that brings people together to find commonality. Everyone may not recognize religion, but everyone recognizes music, and everyone has an opinion about the music they hear. I play flute, and I play well. I’ve done solos at school band concerts with my flute, and the audience seems to like what I play. However, it’s still a simple performance when compared to the entire band playing together. My small piece of music blends together with the drums, trumpets, and saxophones to create something greater than I could create by myself. It lets me be a part of something more than being solo, even if my solo music is good in itself. Being universal, music crosses cultures and brings people together. Whether it’s the iron bells of the Congo, the sitar used in Hindustani classical music, the modern piano used by Chopin and other Europeans, or the guitars that are a big part of music in Latin America, every culture on Earth recognizes music. Most cultures incorporate the music of others into their own as they encounter new sounds, showing that music is able to blend societies that might otherwise never interact, or might even be hostile to each other. Music offers me a way to find peace. Sometimes the world becomes overwhelming, whether it’s studying or work or parents getting on me about stuff, but music allows me to escape into something that is both just for me and part of something more. When I play my flute, it’s my fingers and breath creating the sound. It’s something for just me to enjoy. I also know that I can combine my music with others to be part of a group where we are all striving towards a greater melody. There are times that, even though I’m playing alone in my room, I imagine being part of a bigger orchestra that is doing something more. That also gives me peace to think about. Finally, music also helps me express myself when I can’t find the right words. Victor Hugo said, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” Feelings are hard to express, but music gives sound to those feelings when words aren’t enough. My music can tell people if I’m happy, sad, angry, or thoughtful, and the more musicians playing towards a greater harmony, the more expressive of feelings their music can be.

I have a lot of experience with nurses. I was born two and a half months early, and I was born with Cystic Fibrosis. I spent the first eight weeks of my life in the NICU at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento. In addition to the ups and downs every preemie goes through, I also had a surgery for bowel resection after I developed necrotizing enterocolitis. However, my being born early, along with the NEC I needed surgery for, is what led to my diagnosis for CF since my mom’s pregnancy screen for it came back negative. What she didn’t know is that they only screen for about 25-30 CF mutations, and it turns out she has one of the more rare mutations (my dad has the most common – Delta F508). I’ve seen up close the good nurses can do, and it has inspired me to go into nursing. I want to be a NICU nurse and help preemies and families like mine. My dad has said that when he saw the babies with problems in the NICU where I spent the first couple of months after I was born, he wondered how we ever survived as a species long enough to get to where we can keep these babies alive. I know that people used to have a dozen or more kids, and many would die. Now, nurses and doctors help keep those kids alive until they’re strong enough to go home on their own. I know I can’t be a NICU nurse right off the bat, so I will probably go into pediatric nursing for my first two years as a nurse while I get ready for the Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing exam. That way I can start to give back to the community by being a nurse for children before I even get to the biggest way I want to give back through NICU nursing. Families, not just children, need support, both medical support and emotional support, during times when kids are sick, and I can be there to provide reassurance. I can also help explain the care that their kid both needs and receives, which will hopefully lessen the stress they feel. I say lessen since a sick child will always be stressful for a family, but I hope I can reduce their stress as much as possible through great care and a loving relationship with both patients and families.

Lots of things work together to make me a strong leader. First, I was born two and a half months early, so I had to be strong just to make it out of the hospital and go home with my parents. Second, I was born with a life-threatening genetic disease called Cystic Fibrosis, which means I have to do more to stay healthy than most kids my age. And third, since my dad was in the Army, I’ve had to move around to lots of different places, meaning I’ve had no choice but to be strong if I want to have a good life when we start over every few years. Since I have CF, I have to do extra things to stay healthy. I get up an hour early every morning to do treatments to keep my lungs clear, which gives me the discipline I need to be a leader. My parents expect me to get up on my own and prepare my own treatments, which I have done since I was ten. This means I take the initiative in a lot of situations to make sure things get done. Some people don’t pay attention to details, but I have to, so I notice what other people don’t, and I make sure those details are taken care of. In moving around as much as we did, I’ve had to find new friends when we got to someplace new. When you’re a little kid, making friends is as easy as walking up to them and asking if they want to be your friend, but it gets harder as you get older. However, this hasn’t stopped me since I don’t want to grow up without any friends my age, so I still break the ice with new people at new schools. I let people know the first day of school who I am, and that’s usually enough to get the ball rolling. Those that don’t want to be a friend are not people I want to be friends with anyway. Finally, I play sports like volleyball. Even though I’m short(around five feet), I play on the back line and help direct our team to where they can best play the ball. I encourage my teammates both on the court and when I’m on the bench(because of rotation, I don’t play on the front line because I’m not tall enough to be up there). It’s fun to lead the cheers for when we score an ace or get a side-out, and it brings us all closer together as a team.

To me, Disney means memories. Disney means fun. Most of all, Disney means family. One of my first memories is from when I was three and a half years old. My dad was in the Army and was overseas in Iraq. He promised me that when he got home, we’d go to Disney Land, so, in June of 2009, when he came home from Iraq, we packed up and went. I got to dress up like Cinderella and play with all the Disney characters I saw on TV. I even got to dance with Minnie Mouse at breakfast on our last day in the park. In 2010, Dad had to go back to Iraq, but before he went, we went back to DisneyLand as a family. This time, I got to meet Ariel and other princesses in the California Adventure Park when we had dinner at Ariel’s Castle. I was still shy back then, but all of the princesses came by our table and took pictures with us. The best part of the dinner was the white chocolate conch shell we had for dessert. We also got to have lunch in the restaurant right by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Some of the people on the ride asked us to throw them rolls, but Dad wouldn’t let me. In 2013, my baby sister Amelia came along, so we couldn’t do much for a while. But, like me, she grew up watching Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid. In 2017, we packed up our car in Kansas and drove to Orlando to visit the other park, DisneyWorld. I had to act like I was too cool for some of things at the park, but I wasn’t fooling anybody and still loved it. We spent nearly a week exploring all four parks, and I got to see my little sister meet the same princesses I got to meet when I was her age. The highlight was going to have dinner at the Cinderella Castle in the middle of the park. Not only did we meet the princesses and get to have one of the best desserts I’ve ever tasted, but we also got to see the fireworks from the castle(Dad said he didn’t know that was going to happen). We had a great time as a family, and it has made me want to take my own family to the parks when I get old enough to have kids of my own.

In 15 years, I will be a NICU nurse at a major hospital in either Memphis, Knoxville, Nashville, or Chattanooga, and I will be both financially independent and starting a family.

I love to read, whether it's fantasy like Harry Potter, or horror like Cell. Books let us imagine a different world, one of possibilities that we don't actually have to live through in order to see how they'd end up. These books can let us see the possibilities that may come up in life, or they may be warnings for us on what not to do. I also think all of us have that one book that has made a major impact on our lives. It may be unconventional, but I would have everyone read Daisy Jones and the Six. Daisy Jones and the Six is a story about a passion I have – music. It’s also about much more than that. First of all, the characters, like Billy Dune and Daisy Jones, both have drug issues, which drag them down into a spiral of addiction and all the problems that creates. The addiction gets in the way of Daisy’s music career, and she forgets the words of her songs while on stage. In the end, she sees this problem and goes to rehab to clean up her life. The biggest lesson from this is to not get addicted to drugs in the first place so that you don’t have to lose what you have. The second major issue I took away was how relationships affect everything. The keyboardist in Daisy’s band, Karen, and Warren, the brother of the guitarist, get involved in a secret relationship that they try to hide from everyone. Karen gets pregnant and doesn’t want to keep the baby, but Warren wants her to keep it, saying he can take care of her. This creates tension between them until Karen takes the decision on herself to not stay pregnant. Their relationship doesn’t survive because of the lack of trust between the two of them. This leads to Karen ending up alone. This taught me, and would definitely teach others, that if there is no trust, then there is no real relationship. Life comes at us fast, and getting into trouble, whether through lack of trust or doing stupid stuff(like drugs) can make life harder than it already is. Most people my age don’t really understand that, and we have to learn it the hard way. Maybe if they read Daisy Jones and the Six, it could help them see some problems in advance and avoid them through a story they may enjoy.

Lots of things work together to make me a strong leader. First, I was born two and a half months early, so I had to be strong just to make it out of the hospital and go home with my parents. Second, I was born with a life-threatening genetic disease called Cystic Fibrosis, which means I have to do more to stay healthy than most kids my age. And third, since my dad was in the Army, I’ve had to move around to lots of different places, meaning I’ve had no choice but to be strong if I want to have a good life when we start over every few years. Since I have CF, I have to do extra things to stay healthy. I get up an hour early every morning to do treatments to keep my lungs clear, which gives me the discipline I need to be a leader. My parents expect me to get up on my own and prepare my own treatments, which I have done since I was ten. This means I take the initiative in a lot of situations to make sure things get done. Some people don’t pay attention to details, but I have to, so I notice what other people don’t, and I make sure those details are taken care of. In moving around as much as we did, I’ve had to find new friends when we got to someplace new. When you’re a little kid, making friends is as easy as walking up to them and asking if they want to be your friend, but it gets harder as you get older. However, this hasn’t stopped me since I don’t want to grow up without any friends my age, so I still break the ice with new people at new schools. I let people know the first day of school who I am, and that’s usually enough to get the ball rolling. Those that don’t want to be a friend are not people I want to be friends with anyway. Finally, I play sports like volleyball. Even though I’m short(around five feet), I play on the back line and help direct our team to where they can best play the ball. I encourage my teammates both on the court and when I’m on the bench(because of rotation, I don’t play on the front line because I’m not tall enough to be up there). It’s fun to lead the cheers for when we score an ace or get a side-out, and it brings us all closer together as a team.

I want to be a nurse, and I have several reasons for this. Part of this comes from my own story, and part comes from the books and movies that have inspired me. For starters, I have Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening condition that affects my lungs and digestion. There isn’t much out there in the movie world for people with CF, but there was a movie with Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse in 2019 called Five Feet Apart. Finally there was a story that told what it is like for some of us who have this disease, from the nurses who try to help(even though they sometimes get pushy), to the others with CF that we can’t get too near so we don’t pass make each other sick. It made me not just want more people to know about what living with CF is like, but to help people who have things they can’t control. It also reminded me of some of the nurses I’ve had, and how I would change the way they did things if I ever became a nurse. I really enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six. I was drawn to it because I love music, but the story is about drug addiction too. Reading about Daisy Jones going down into the pit of addiction, and how it affected her music career, really made an impact on me. I kept hoping someone would pull her out of it, and I wanted to be that person. I feel I can make a difference for someone in that kind of pain. There’s also the best healer out there – Jesus. The Gospels tell us how Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law of fever, healed a man’s withered hand, and healed the blind and the deaf. He not only cleaned our spirits of sin, but he also cleaned our bodies of diseases. The Bible says that Jesus walked among us and took away our pain. Helping to take away a person’s pain is one of the best ways I can think of to follow Jesus. I can do this by becoming a nurse. Even though doctors heal lots of people, nurses are the ones who are always with the patients. Nurses see them first and help the doctors in a more personal way. In being the go-between for the doctors and the patients, I can also be a go-between for Jesus to the masses and continue to follow Him and the commands He gave us to take care of each another. I can’t think of any better way to take care of people than to help heal them. These books and movies, along with my own condition, lead me to want to be a nurse, which means I need to go to nursing school. I know many things will continue to inspire me and make me want to help other people, but these three seemingly different stories have given me the drive for education to become a nurse so that I can take care of those who need healing help.

It may be unconventional, but I would have everyone read Daisy Jones and the Six. Daisy Jones and the Six is a story about a passion I have – music. It’s also about much more than that. First of all, the characters, like Billy Dune and Daisy Jones, both have drug issues, which drag them down into a spiral of addiction and all the problems that creates. The addiction gets in the way of Daisy’s music career, and she forgets the words of her songs while on stage. In the end, she sees this problem and goes to rehab to clean up her life. The biggest lesson from this is to not get addicted to drugs in the first place so that you don’t have to lose what you have. The second major issue I took away was how relationships affect everything. The keyboardist in Daisy’s band, Karen, and Warren, the brother of the guitarist, get involved in a secret relationship that they try to hide from everyone. Karen gets pregnant and doesn’t want to keep the baby, but Warren wants her to keep it, saying he can take care of her. This creates tension between them until Karen takes the decision on herself to not stay pregnant. Their relationship doesn’t survive because of the lack of trust between the two of them. This leads to Karen ending up alone. This taught me, and would definitely teach others, that if there is no trust, then there is no real relationship. Life comes at us fast, and getting into trouble, whether through a lack of trust or doing stupid stuff(like drugs), can make life harder than it already is. Most people my age don’t really understand that, and we have to learn it the hard way. Maybe if they read Daisy Jones and the Six, it could help them see some problems in advance and avoid them through s story they may enjoy.

Everyone wants to be in Gryffindor. The small amount of people who say they don’t want to be a Gryffindor seem to choose Ravenclaw, because who wouldn’t want to be thought of as one of the smartest people out there? However, I would fit best into Hufflepuff. Hufflepuffs are hard-working, friendly, loyal, honest, and fair. They’re humble and not as competitive as other houses. They can have friends in Gryffindor or Slytherin. If there is any house I relate to because of these traits, it’s Hufflepuff House. I’m usually the peacemaker in any group. I try to see all sides of a situation so that everyone gets a fair deal. I don’t try to get other people to pat me on the back for how great they think I am, because when we share credit, everyone wins. Being the child of an Army veteran, I have friends around the country, and I’m loyal to all of them. I sometimes have trouble choosing among my friends for when we do fun stuff, so I try to spread that out so everyone can be involved. I took two friends from Kansas to the beach with me last summer, but this left out other friends. However, I’m taking two other friends, another from Kansas and one from Arizona, on the cruise my parents are letting me go on for my high school graduation. I come across as laid back, kind of like the Hufflepuff Badger, but like the Hufflepuff mascot, I can get fierce when I need to defend my friends. I do well in school, but I’m not the valedictorian or anything, so maybe I’d be one of the people Hagrid described when he said that lots of people think Hufflepuffs are a bunch of “duffers.” I don’t think Hagrid thought that, but he was telling Harry what other people thought. We duffers, though, are still smart, and we’re honest when we talk to others. There’s no point in lying when lying just gets in the way and can lead to people not trusting you. I do lots of things pretty well, but I don’t talk about them very much since bragging makes me feel weird. Hufflepuffs are the same way, seeing bragging as not something a proper wizard would do. Bragging is what you do when you want other people to think you’re awesome, but you can show that by helping out lots of people or staying true to your friends. Newt Scamander is probably my favorite Hufflepuff. Like me, he’s into weird animals(I had a thing for snakes and goats when I was a little girl), and he’s pretty quirky, which is how my friends describe me. I tend to come up with off-the-wall comments or make suggestions that people think are strange. Newt Scamander was the same way, which is why he’s one of my favorite characters. In conclusion, although the glory of Harry Potter seems to be in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff is the place for me. The world could use a little more honesty and fairness, and hopefully we Hufflepuffs can get more people to understand that.

I love volleyball, but I'm not the "usual" type of volleyball player. I'm pretty short(four feet, ten inches), and my dad likes to say I didn't win the genetic lottery. Still, I got into volleyball when my dad was stationed in Hawaii because it looked like so much fun! There's another reason I got into volleyball, and that's because I have Cystic Fibrosis. Exercise is very important to people with CF, and I figured that if I needed to exercise anyway, then I might as well have fun doing it. I started playing volleyball competitively when we moved to Kansas, and I got to play on the Veritas Christian School team starting in 6th grade. I played for all three years of middle school, and we won the state championship for our division my first year. In 7th and 8th grades, we came in 2nd, and even though it would have been nice to win it all, there were some very good players on the team that beat us, with a few of them going on to be recruited by colleges to play. As I said, I'm not tall, but I am a great digger from the back line, and I hustle all over the place to get to the ball. I moved to Tennessee in late 2019, and COVID made it so that my school didn't have a team when I was in 9th grade. In 10th grade, though, they brought it back, and I made the team at Rossville Christian Academy. About 25 girls tried out, so I was a bit worried because of my size, but the coach said she liked how much effort I put into the game. I played in all of our games, but I got taken out when rotation would've put me on the front line since I'm not able to spike the ball over the net. A couple of our girls weren't very good at serving, so when they rotated to the back line, I came back into the game. Serving was hard for me at first, and I could get away with underhand serving in middle school. In high school, however, the coach expected me to serve overhand, so I worked hard during the year and got my arm and back strength strong enough to be able to get the ball over the net. My weaker serves were both a curse and a blessing since they sometimes fell short, but since they also barely cleared the net when they went over, it made it hard for the other team to return them, leading to a lot of aces. I would like to continue playing volleyball, but it's going to have to be for fun since I'm not at the level needed for college. I continue to exercise every chance I get, and the jumping, sprinting, and diving I got to do in volleyball helped me stay in shape and strengthen my lungs so that I can keep my CF at bay.

I found volunteering through my own life experience - I have Cystic Fibrosis. My mom first got involved in the Great Strides Walk to raise funds for CF research, and I did my first walk in 2011 at the age of five. My mom ran the CF Great Strikes event in Hawaii for several years before we had to move away(my dad is an Army veteran, so we didn't stay any place for long). We've participated in the Great Strides walk in Kansas City and Nashville. In Kansas, we also manned a checkpoint for the Brew-to-Brew run benefitting CF care. My mom is the one who got me into helping people. In addition to Great Strides, she is very involved in Operation Christmas Child, which creates gifts for poor children around the world who might not otherwise receive a Christmas present. In 2017, we began meeting at our church in Kansas to pack shoeboxes, and we've transferred that passion to our new home outside of Memphis. At the Rossville Baptist Church, we pack shoeboxes in July, and I've just finished a big event at the church packing shoeboxes. My mom and I, along with more than a dozen volunteers, not only contributed small gifts through gathering donations, but we sewed stuffed animals out of old fabric for the children these boxes will find their way to. A few of our first attempts were...funny, but we learned as we went and now make elephants, bears, and dinosaurs. We also made skirts and drawstring bags for the girls so they can have things to call their own in situations where they have little. The drive to help people is why I want to be a nurse. I was also born ten weeks early(probably due to my CF), and I want to help out families who have preemies. Seeing people make it through tough times makes me happy. It also lets me connect with people who may not always feel understood by the world. My experiences growing up, from hospital stays with CF, to helping out my mom with both Great Strides and Operation Christmas Child, to moving around just as I felt settled, have given me a peek into how tough life can be. Sometimes it's easy to forget how others have it when we're warm and comfortable(and I'm not in a hospital with an exacerbation), but my career goal helps keep me thinking about others and their struggles. It also helps me appreciate the family and life I have. Maybe through volunteering and, hopefully, nursing, I can bring some of that appreciation to others.