I've always loved growing up in a big family. I have four older siblings which means my calendar will be full for the foreseeable future: four graduations, four weddings, births of nieces and nephews, housewarmings, barbeques, and countless other events. Being the youngest in the family means I get to be around for it all... hopefully. According to the CDC, 37% of Americans suffer from cardiovascular disease and 41% will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. Further, the CDC reports that someone dies from suicide every 11 minutes. I live a healthy lifestyle to ensure that I can be there for my family in the important times of their life. I want to dance all night at my oldest brother’s wedding and embarrass my sisters in front at family dinners for as long as I can. Moreover, I also want to be there for my family in their hard times as well. Working in healthcare and continuing my education by working towards my Bachelor of Science in nursing, I have seen the toll that illness causing on families. My family has not been immune to this heartache that illness causes. When my cousin was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer, my family stepped up by running errands, babysitting children, and making meals for them whenever we could. Being there in those moments meant the world to me and I could only do so because I protected my own health. Further, working in physical therapy and with the elderly has shown me the toll that stillness can do to the body and encourages me to keep active and mobile Incorporating physical health into daily life was once daunting to me. How can I possibly squeeze in an hour of exercise after studying, work, cooking, cleaning, and all the other tasks of the day? But when I broke it down, it just became a series of smaller decisions to live a healthier life: taking the stairs to my Philosophy of Human Rights class on the fifth floor, throwing some steamed vegetables in some Tupperware to bring to work instead of eating out, even walking one stop over from the train home when it was nice outside helped change my perspective on how easy it was to achieve a healthy life. Making sure I get my steps in and eating a healthy diet is only part of living a holistically healthy lifestyle. As someone who has suffered from anxiety and depression, I know how essential taking care of your mental health is to your physical health. Your body and mind are intertwined, neglecting one aspect means neglecting the other. It’s important to be evaluating our mental health and taking note of how we’re doing. Daily check ins with myself not only showed me areas of growth in emotional health but also can prevent mental deficits down the line. They say you need to put your own oxygen mask on first but how can we thrive when those around us are suffering? Part of living a healthy life must include checking in and taking care of those around us to create support systems. By uplifting one another, we create healthy communities where health is a priority for each person. Individual health can and should be a priority as healthy communities are made of healthy individuals, but when we expand our worldview, we notice that average lifespan changes by zip code. This emphasizes that networks of people (and their access to health resources) can very well determine the health of just one person. I wish that everyone has the chance watch their sister walk down the aisle, be there for their parents as they age, take the vacation of their dreams, and simply live well and the only way to fully experience the wonders of life is to keep your body and mind healthy.

I was nineteen years old and volunteering at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago on the last hour of my shift when I was sent to a three-year-old girl’s room. I walked in and took inventory of the toys askew and found a nurse hovering over a highchair. She took notice of me and relief flooded her eyes. The young girl had a trachea breathing tube and as she was developmentally delayed, she only felt the itch of the fastening tape and the pain of each breath that was constantly pulling the tube out. The nurse explained to me that she had been with her all morning trying to distract her, but her other patients had been calling and she needed to go. I could tell she was exhausted but even through her face mask, goggles, and face shield she demonstrated such compassion to the young girl. With every bit of me, I wanted to help the young girl find relief, but I also wanted to help the tired nurse find relief as well. To my nursing career, I hope to take her resilience, strength, and compassion. I was twenty-one years old and working as a caregiver at a nursing home in my hometown after COVID had taken its hold in the United States. It was my first time caring for someone who was dying and as I would do my daily routine to care for my resident on hospice, a nurse in pink scrubs would come in and check on him. I was just beginning to become comfortable with caring for the dying: talking and listening, to someone who could not speak, moving the hands and feet of someone who could not move, remembering someone who I wasn’t sure was still there. Every morning I would see the pink scrubs out of the corner of my eye, a reprieve from grieving family, and we would step into the hallway and debrief. I had never met someone so comfortable with death and so compassionate towards all she met. Every morning, she told her stories about her patients and talked about them with respect, never with pity, and taught me about preserving dignity in death. When I start my nursing career, I hope I have her grace, confidence, and patience. These nurses are only a couple of the amazing, dedicated professionals who inspired me to pursue nursing. Throughout my undergraduate degree at Loyola University Chicago earning my BS in Biology and minoring in Bioethics, I felt lost in all the healthcare related fields I could go into. Finally, during my senior year of undergraduate when I reflected on my experiences in healthcare, did I find my home in nursing. I was elated to have been accepted into Loyola’s accelerated BSN program for the upcoming fall and pursue what was always my dream, even when I did not know it. While I do not know where exactly I will find my home in nursing, I hope to eventually pursue my master’s to teach other nurses about medical ethics and patient advocacy as medical ethics has always been a passion of mine. In all, I can only hope to emulate the inspiring nurses who have encouraged me to follow my dream.

I was six years old and walking through bright, sterile hallways where the nice woman would take my blood every week for six months. I was not scared. I was excited to tell her all about my day at kindergarten. I was excited to tell her because she always listened with the biggest smile and asked me questions about what I was learning, about my German Shepard’s favorite toy, all while sticking a needle into my arm to make sure my kidneys were functioning normally. Now, I know she meant to distract me, but then, she was the nice women in scrubs who listened to me. I was nineteen years old and volunteering at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago on the last hour of my shift when I was sent to a three-year-old girl’s room. I walked in and took inventory of the toys askew and found a nurse hovering over a highchair. She took notice of me and relief flooded her eyes. The young girl had a trachea breathing tube and as she was developmentally delayed, she only felt the itch of the fastening tape and the pain of each breath that was constantly pulling the tube out. The nurse explained to me that she had been with her all morning trying to distract her but her other patients had been calling and she needed to go. I could tell she was exhausted but even through her face mask, goggles, and face shield she demonstrated such compassion to the young girl. With every bit of me, I wanted to help the young girl find relief, but I also wanted to help the tired nurse find relief as well. I was twenty-one years old and working as a caregiver at a nursing home in my hometown after COVID had taken its hold in the United States. It was my first time caring for someone who was dying and as I would do my daily routine to care for my resident on hospice, a nurse in pink scrubs would come in and check on him. I was just beginning to become comfortable with caring for the dying: talking and listening, to someone who could not speak, moving the hands and feet of someone who could not move, remembering someone who I wasn’t sure was still there. Every morning I would see the pink scrubs out of the corner of my eye, a reprieve from grieving family, and we would step into the hallway and debrief. I had never met someone so comfortable with death and so compassionate towards all she met. Every morning, she told her stories about her patients and talked about them with respect, never with pity, and taught me about preserving dignity in death. These nurses are only a few of the amazing, dedicated professionals I have encountered in my life. Throughout my undergraduate degree at Loyola University Chicago earning my BS in Biology and minoring in Bioethics, I felt lost in all the healthcare related fields I could go into. Finally, during my senior year of undergraduate when I reflected on my experiences in healthcare, did I find my home in nursing. I was elated to have been accepted into Loyola’s accelerated BSN program for the upcoming fall and pursue what was always my dream, even when I did not know it. This scholarship will be instrumental in my career goals to emulate all the passionate nurses who have guided me here.