I chose to major in nursing because of my love for science. More specifically, the scientific marvel that is the human body. It's an interest of mine that’s been with me since I was young. In elementary school, my classmates were puzzled as to why I always checked out books from the media center about the body instead of American Girl Doll magazines or other puerile picture books. I elected to take my first anatomy & physiology course in highschool and despite the unmatched rigor, the course was everything I had been waiting to learn. It made me excited to begin my career in the medical field. In addition to my love of science, I also want to be a nurse so that I can be a source of solace to people at their most vulnerable state. In the summer of 2013, I suffered a dog bite that became infected and required surgery. Throughout my hospitalization I met many good-hearted nurses who took the time to calm my nerves and make sure I had everything I needed during the healing process. In the same way, I want to make sure my patients feel valued and cared for. I chose to pursue nursing specifically at Bethel University in St. Paul because of its highly regarded alumni, location, and faith-based education. Bethel nurses are known to be highly knowledgeable and reliable. Whenever I tell somebody in the nursing field that I’m studying at Bethel I am commonly met with “Oh, you’ll have no problem finding a job with a degree from there!” Another reason I chose to study at Bethel is because of its prime location in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Being located in the cities provides unique clinical opportunities and the experience of working within a diverse population. The final reason why I chose to attend Bethel is so that I could be a part of a strong Christian community. My faith is very important to me, and having the opportunity to grow in that at college has been so special. My goal in my career is to work as a nurse at a hospital in my home community of the Twin Cities. I plan to make a positive impact by working diligently to serve the underserved. Through my experiences as a nursing assistant and volunteer work with the unhoused population in Minneapolis, I have developed a great sense of compassion for the people in my area. I have seen how people can fall through the cracks of our society. I have cared for people with no family who have found themselves in an underfunded nursing home. I have met people who feel as if nobody wants to help them get off of the streets and into a safe home. These experiences have motivated me to strive to make a difference for these people in my community.

The dream version of myself is proud of what I have become and excited for all else that I am able to accomplish.

The nursing industry interested me initially because of my love for science. More specifically, the scientific marvel that is the human body. This is an interest that’s been a part of me since I was young. In elementary school, my classmates were puzzled as to why I always checked out books from the media center about the body instead of American Girl Doll magazines or other puerile picture books. I elected to take my first anatomy & physiology course in high school and despite the unmatched rigor, the course was everything I had been waiting to learn. It made me excited to begin my career in the medical field. In addition to my love of science, I am interested in nursing because I want to be a source of solace to people in their most vulnerable states. In the summer of 2013, I suffered a dog bite that became infected and required surgery. Throughout my hospitalization, I met many good-hearted nurses who took the time to calm my nerves and make sure I had everything I needed during the healing process. In the same way, I want to be able to bring comfort and support to patients who may be scared during their time in the hospital. My greatest accomplishment thus far on my journey to becoming a nurse has been earning my CNA license and working as a nursing assistant. During my senior year of high school, I got accepted into a local program that would fully fund my CNA education and secure me a job at a skilled nursing facility. This program would take place the summer before I started college and I could not have been more excited. I was finally going to begin taking steps toward my dream of becoming a nurse. My excitement started to waver once I stepped foot onto my first clinical site. We were going to be shadowing CNAs at an underfunded nursing home in downtown Minneapolis. It was here that I learned the reality of nursing. Residents were in pain. The facility was understaffed, yet the providers were overworked. The building’s primordial and unrenovated architecture made the environment unsettling for nearly anyone to step into. This experience was something I did not expect. It truly opened my eyes to what nursing really is. I went back to our training site rattled. I did not know if I was capable of navigating an environment like this. After much reflection, I decided to keep pursuing my dream. Shortly after this, I started working at a memory care unit in my area. It was here that I developed foundational nursing and patient interaction skills. My goal in my career is to work as a nurse at a hospital in my community in the Twin Cities area. I plan to make a positive impact by working diligently to serve the underserved. Through my experiences as a nursing assistant and volunteer work with the unhoused population in Minneapolis, I have developed a great sense of compassion. I want my patients to feel seen. I want them to see a smile on my face and feel comforted with utmost sincerity. I want to be an advocate who will fight for them to get the best care possible.

My name is Rachelle and I’m a first-generation college student from Richfield Minnesota. I am a rising sophomore majoring in nursing with a minor in public health at Bethel University in St. Paul Minnesota. I chose to major in nursing because of my love for science. More specifically, the scientific marvel that is the human body. This is an interest that’s been with me since I was young. In elementary school, my classmates were puzzled as to why I always checked out books from the media center about the body instead of American Girl Doll magazines or other puerile picture books. I elected to take my first anatomy & physiology course in high school and despite the unmatched rigor, the course was everything I had been waiting to learn. It made me excited to begin my career in the medical field. In addition to my love of science, I also want to be a nurse so that I can be a source of solace to people in their most vulnerable state. In the summer of 2013, I suffered a dog bite that became infected and required surgery. Throughout my hospitalization, I met many good-hearted nurses who took the time to calm my nerves and make sure I had everything I needed during the healing process. In the same way, I want to make sure my patients feel valued and cared for. I plan to make a positive impact on the world by working diligently to serve the underserved in my home community. Through my experiences as a nursing assistant and volunteer work with the unhoused population in Minneapolis, I have seen how people can fall through the cracks of our society. I have cared for people with no family who have found themselves in an underfunded nursing home. I have met people who feel as if nobody wants to help them get off the streets and into a safe home. These experiences have motivated me to strive to make a difference for these people in my community. In my work as a nurse, I want to make sure my patients never feel disadvantaged in my care. I want my patients to feel seen. I want them to see a smile on my face and feel comforted with utmost sincerity. I want to be an advocate who will fight for them to get the best care possible. While the work of a nurse is undoubtedly important, the work of a nurse who strives for equity is something our society needs now more than ever. In a time where we feel great amounts of division throughout our nation, I want to make sure that my patients can feel that they are in a safe space to heal.

I have been drawn to nursing since I was little. In elementary school, my classmates were puzzled as to why I always checked out books from the media center about the human body instead of American Girl Doll magazines or picture books. At this age, I was involved in many extracurriculars such as dance, basketball, Future Problem Solving club, and art club. Despite my many activities, I didn’t find any of them as alluring as my Saturday night activity. The highlight of my week was watching “Untold Stories of the ER” with my grandma, who is a retired nurse. I was deeply fascinated by all of the medical devices, and terminology, and how all of the doctors and nurses were able to figure out the best way to help these patients who were as sick and injured as they were. My grandma and I would discuss how her experiences related to the shows and how my cousin who was in nursing school was going to learn how to handle situations like this. I hoped that someday I would be smart enough to know how to help people like all the doctors, nurses, surgeons and other medical professionals could. Unbeknownst to me, my weekly tradition would abruptly be put on hold when I was hospitalized on a Saturday morning. The week prior to my hospitalization, I had my hand bitten by a family friend’s dog while trying to remove a cotton ball from its mouth. As the week went on, my hand became extremely swollen, red, and became impossible to move. Against my apprehensive 9-year-old wishes, my mom grew concerned and took me to the doctor’s office. I sat in a chair in the waiting room and dangled my feet, completely unaware of what was going to ensue as the day went on. We were soon escorted to our room. The nurse took one look at me and informed us that my hand was undoubtedly infected, the pediatrician came in shortly after and sent us straight to the ER. I was admitted to the hospital overnight and had minor surgery to combat the infection. During my stay at the hospital, I met many good-hearted nurses who took the time to calm my nerves and make sure I had everything I needed, all while helping me heal. They took the time to get to know my family and I, even though we were only there for one full day. This experience is what prompted me to want to become a pediatric nurse. I want to work closely alongside children who may feel scared by the healthcare system. I want to be a source of reassurance and knowledge for parents who have to see their children at their lowest points. Children are such sweet members of our society who often feel overwhelmed and out of place when presented in unfamiliar settings. I want to provide care to kids while making sure they feel comfortable and are as happy as they can be within the confines of a hospital, just as my nurses did for me.

I've struggled with Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) for as long as I can remember. ARFID is similar to anorexia in that those who have the disorder limit their intake of food. However, ARFID and anorexia differ in that ARFID does not have roots in body image. ARFID is oftentimes rooted in anxiety. The way ARFID manifests itself in my life is that if I didn't eat a food before I could truly form a sense of judgment, I am extremely afraid of eating it now. ARFID differs from mere "picky eating" in that ARFID is more severe and lasts much longer than a child's "picky eating" phase. This has led me to have a strictly limited diet that consists of a very small number of "safe" foods I can eat that come from a small number of different food groups. I have always been the kid who brought their own lunch to school so that I wouldn't have to worry about whether or not the lunch served is something I could eat. I've coined phrases such as "I ate before I came" or "I'm not hungry" that I frequently use in social settings in an attempt to mask my eating disorder in social settings. Because of my limited diet, I do not consume as much protein as other people my age which has caused me to be much weaker than my counterparts. Holidays such as Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July, or even Christmas can be especially challenging for me because I'm unable to eat the foods that many people enjoy. Throughout my life, ARFID has had a significant impact on my social life. I've been unable to attend numerous gatherings with friends, teammates, and family because I choose to simply skip the shame of not being able to eat what everybody else is eating. When I was roughly 9 or 10 years old, I wondered why I was so afraid of trying new foods. So I took the internet to search for a possible reason. I came across an ABC news clip on YouTube that documented a little girl who was labeled as an "Extremely Picky Eater". I watched the video with tears in my eyes, this girl was just like me. Out of curiosity, I scrolled to the comments section to see what other people were saying about the video, an action I would almost immediately regret. Comments such as "This kid is a colossal brat!" and "If this were my child, I would starve them until they died" flooded to the top of my screen. I was overwhelmed with emotion and shame, I would soon vow to myself to never tell anyone about my ARFID so that others would not think differently of me. There was a time in my life when I considered college to be simply out of reach because I thought that I would never be able to find something that I could eat on campus. But, throughout my college search, I believe I have found a campus with a dining center that will work for me. I plan on using my previous experiences to educate others about my experience with ARFID while I am in college. Many people are unfamiliar with ARFID, so in college, I plan on being more open about ARFID and how it is a disorder, not a choice. I want to show other students with eating disorders that college is not off-limits for them, and that their eating disorder does not define them.