I chose to begin my education at James Madison University as an undecided major so I could explore all of the paths my school had to offer. However, after taking my first class, Introduction to Health, I immediately knew that my passion in life was going to be helping people. I changed my major to Health Sciences but was still unsure which patient care route I wanted. I knew that I loved helping people and wanted to figure out exactly how I was going to do that for my career. In October of my freshman year of college, my brother passed away and I had to go home to Delaware to be with my family immediately. These few weeks were such a whirlwind of emotions that I barely can bring myself to recall, and one of the only things I can remember from them is how amazing the nurses in the ICU were while caring for my brother. I genuinely believe that the nurses who were caring for my brother were the only thing keeping my parents in one piece. The nurses had such admirable empathy and compassion. My parents were losing their first child, who was 20 years old at the time, and all I remember is how warm and comforting the nurses were to all of us. I was unsure about my career path at this time, and obviously, it was not high on my priority list while my life was being completely turned upside down. I had no idea at the time that these nurses would come to influence my decision to pursue the nursing profession. Nursing is a challenge that I am more than willing to work for. I have been told my whole life that I should work in the healthcare field because of my compassion, work ethic, and stability. I have a love for helping others, and I know how much satisfaction and joy it would give me to use my education to help others improve their physical, mental, and emotional health. Before I had chosen my Business minor, I had been working towards a minor in Chronic Illness. For Chronic Illness, I took a class called Foundations of Caregiver, in which I was paired with a caregiver and receiver in my community. My partner and I visited with our care receiver (Jesse) once a week to relieve his caregiver. Jesse has dementia and Parkinson’s and every week, we would come up with a detailed plan of activities, games, conversations, or tasks we wanted to help him complete. After my semester of this class ended, I continued to volunteer with him in a program through Opening Minds Through Art because I had created such a strong bond with Jesse and his community. In this program, I assist with art programs for those with Alzheimer's disease and other neurocognitive disorders by partnering with an artist to help them engage in creative processes using abstract art with autonomy and imagination. This has been an extremely rewarding volunteering experience and has driven my passion to become a nurse to the next level. This past summer I took it upon myself to shadow a Medical Surgical Nurse at Christiana Hospital. I had previously shadowed a Radiation Therapist at the same hospital, but I didn't feel as though I had found what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. However, after shadowing the nurse, I felt like I had finally found my passion and something I could see myself doing for a profession. I observed for a whole 6-hour shift and valued learning about the culture and day-to-day occurrences. After that shadow day this past summer, I knew I would be doing myself a disservice if I did anything except apply to a nursing program, even if it meant committing to an extra year of schooling after undergrad. I would love nothing more than to pursue my dream of becoming a Labor and Delivery Nurse. Ever since I was little, all I can remember is wanting to help other people. I used to run to get a band aid for a friend after they fell off a razor scooter and do basic first aid at the age of 8. Throughout my many experiences in the healthcare world, my passion for nursing has only become more intense. My undergraduate experience has showed me the background knowledge I will need for my career, and my accelerated Bachelor's degree that I will start in May will allow me to learn the specifics needed for a successful nursing career. I am truly so excited to begin this career path and invest in myself and my future. My parents have helped partially support me through my undergraduate degree, but I am in need of financial assistance with my future Nursing program. My program at Thomas Jefferson is extremely prestigious and is a expensive but worth it investment in my future! I really appreciate your consideration and please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need any further clarification! Thank you, Reilly Annable