Alternative healing methods have always called to me. I taught yoga to kids for years, and have achieved my masters certificate in herbalism. Meditation, magnesium and L-theanine helped me with my PTSD. The calling to heal in a holistic way is what brought me to nursing. Through movement, good nutrition and mental health care, I have observed patients live much fuller lives. However, my scope as a nurse is limited. Thus, I feel called to progress my education to become a Nurse Practitioner. Ultimately, I want to open a clinic so that everyone in my community are able to access affordable care that incorporates naturopathic methods. I'd like to be able to care for patients regardless of socioeconomic status by making various treatments accessible to everyone. More specifically, I want to open a clinic where LGBTQ+ patients feel safe. I want to create a safehaven where women with fertility problems or need for family planning feel they are being listened to. These two patient populations are at higher risk for discrimination, misdiagnosis and mortality. All of my friends who have gotten me through life are either gay or women. In a time where detrimental legislation is threatening my friends and I, it feels necessary to advance my education. The fact that I enjoy healing is just a bonus. I would also like to lead free community yoga once a week, and do free health assessments for impoverished areas of my community once a month. Eventually, I would like to participate in researching needs of my community, as well as conduct research on herbal remedies for PCOS, endometriosis and other reproductive disorders. I have assiduously been studying this already with peer reviewed research. I have started a book of herbal monographs based on peer reviewed research and lectures from naturopathic doctors. It is with this knowledge that I have successfully treated the symptoms of my own PCOS. In summation, I will not stop fighting for my friends and community to get good care. It's a human right. Maureen C. Pace was a well accomplished woman who believed in the healing powers of alternative medicine as a tool to be integrated into western medicine. It was through her hard work that breast cancer patients were able to find respite from their arduous treatment and journey. I hope to exemplify her values in my own practice. Advocating for patients rights, protecting their peace and giving options for treatment will be the forefront of my practice.

I am called to advance my degree in nursing for a variety of reasons. I believe in a holistic approach that incorporates body, mind and spirit. Unfortunately, I feel that many people are suffering as a result of imbalance. Whether one is disconnected from their breath, or eating badly despite how it makes them feel, neglect of oneself can have disastrous effects. I hope to contribute to my community as a nurse practitioner by applying an integrative approach. I want to reintroduce what has been dismissed for much time as fictitious. The healing powers of yoga, various herbs, and meditation are all supported by a library of research that is only growing. After getting a masters certificate in herbalism, I know that these powerful healing tools are not only effective, but accessible. In this way, I can embolden patients to take control of their health regardless of socioeconomic status. I also plan on performing community health needs assessments by doing free physicals and gathering data on what people in my community need, and what obstructs their access to healthcare. Some common barriers might be transportation, funds, time or psychological troubles. I want to continue to be there for patients in my community by closing the health gap with cheap but efficient care that comes to them. Thus, field research will be a natural path for me to follow. Once I have practiced as an NP for a few years, my goal is to brand as a gay friendly clinic. I want LGBTQ+ and women patients to feel safe in the space. Those are two groups that often face disparities in healthcare. If one belongs to both those groups, there will be even more intersectional challenges and discrimination. Thus, providing a safe space for those patients is not just a dream, but a necessity. It is especially crucial during these times, when trans peoples existence and medical treatment is being debated, for them to have a healthcare provider who listens to their desires and needs. The same sentiment goes for women, who's rights depend on what part of the United States they live in. I feel that I have been able to help myself, friends and patients with a blend yoga, meditation, herbal medicine and physical movement. Some examples include talking about the self kindly, taking the time to exercise or trying lemon balm tea when our nerves are fried from cellphones bombarding us with information. However, my nursing interventions and scope are limited by my bachelors degree. For example, I can't recommend herbal treatments to patients, even if I know it will work. Thus, I am inspired to continue education.

Progress means different things to various people. It is the marketing technique of politicians, and the obscure goal of scientists. To me, it means a future with unity. True progress can only be measured by the maintained harmony with the planet. Thus, I have made it my goal to be a healthcare provider with a background in herbalism. I have already acquired my bachelors in nursing and masters certificate in herbalism. Now, I plan to expand my practice to become a nurse practitioner with a focus in women's fertility and serving underprivileged communities. Specifically, I want to work to prescribe hormone therapy and work with LGBTQ+ patients. I will have my own practice. Then, it is my ambition to fund and work as a researcher, proving the efficacy of naturopathic cures. I hope to make a difference as a women in the field by healing the effects our societies "progress" has yielded. Big pharmaceutical companies data in clinical trials are often manipulated. They release medications that work, and ones that are poison, or both. Meanwhile, there are countless herbs with anticarcinogenic and hormone balancing properties. There are herbs that help with every ailment mankind can suffer from, whether induced naturally or second hand from medications, pesticides, or pollution. It is my goal to incorporate herbal medicine and western medicine in a blend that serves those plagued by their reproductive disorders and mental health troubles. By utilizing both herbs and medications as appropriate, I ultimately aim to avoid giving my patients the troubles that come with polypharmacy, addiction and adverse reactions. After I establish my own gay and women friendly clinic, I aspire to fund and conduct research on naturopathic treatments. We live in a society that still treats women as second class citizens. When research into PCOS, endometriosis, fertility and women's reproductive systems is not funded as much as other topics, it is clear what the stance is. The side effects of this kind of thinking can be seen in the increase of women and infant deaths since Roe V Wade was overturned. That is why I feel it is so important to give women options for their own bodies. We can reclaim ancient ways of healing with more peer reviewed research. It is something I do every day for various ailments from anxiety to PCOS. I know I can do it for others as well one day too. My motivation is not fueled by reimbursements from insurance or sponsorships from pharmacy companies, but rather a keen determination to do no harm. In a world where cooking utensils, food, and common medications cause long term damage, I aim to give the commonwealth the tools to fight against the poisons of late stage capitalism. I also aspire to give options to the LGBTQ+ community to live their best life.

I want to be an NP that specifically helps women with hormone disorders or conditions that afflict the reproductive system such as endometriosis, menopausal syndromes, PCOS, amenorrhea, anemia, as well as various cancers. My motivation to pursue advanced education is emboldened by the crisis in women's healthcare. There is a stark lacking in research, safe legislation, and practitioners. My ultimate goal is to integrate holistic treatment to help women family plan in a way that allows them to be healthy, happy and plan their families on their own terms. I also want to work with the trans population to get them the hormone replacement therapy they need so they can be who they are. Another ambition of mine is use herbal therapy in conjunction with traditional western medicine to assist with mental health, hormone regulation and cancer prevention. I want to do free physicals and hormone counseling for impoverished neighborhoods, who are most at risk for reproductive disorders and adolescent, high risk pregnancies. It is my belief that by providing comprehensive care that addresses peoples emotional and physical health, the world will be a better place. I also hope to be a leader in my church one day. I desire to show these scared and often hateful folks that they are fearing the wrong enemy, and that billionaires are the true problem. Education is invaluable in these times, especially when it comes to misinformation and propaganda. This is not just true in the scholarly setting, but everyday life. People who claim to be pro-life are the leaders of a movement causing women and babies to die at a higher rate than ever, as a direct result of abortion bans. I am vehemently against using women's healthcare as leverage for control, especially as a Christian. I do NOT believe being pro-life should mean banning abortion but rather supporting programs that help women who do choose to keep their child. Abortion isn't a sin, as the New Testament doesn't mention it once. It is often medically necessary. This scholarship will help me pursue my education as an NP at the school Russell Sage where I have been accepted. I am not doing this career for myself. I am doing it because it is my calling. I am a thorough nurse, and I am going to be a competent and caring nurse practitioner, who does not use my faith as a weapon, but rather as a welcoming, nonjudgmental force of love. This scholarship will not just help me pursue my path. It will also help the thousands of patients I plan to help with both emotional and physical healing, as well as education in my community.

I never thought that oncology nursing would be doable for me. However, last summer, I started my journey working on the acute care oncology floor at Saratoga hospital. I was starting to get burnt out on other medical surgical floors and wanted to pursue a meaningful specialty. I have always integrated holistic nursing care into my practice. I do the little things that protect my patients from further harm. For example, I ensure the patient uses an incentive spirometer, so they don't get pneumonia. I get the patient either sequential compression devices or some other form of DVT prophylaxis, so they do not get a clot in their legs, lung or brain. I check unfamiliar med doses, blood pressures before I give pain medication, complete thorough assessments, fill up their ice water and turn patients. I do a lot of nurse's aide work because they can use the support. I label IV tubing with the date it is due to be changed. I encourage my patient to maintain their independence by walking and eating. By maintaining a "normal" routine, sleep schedule, pain relief and safety, my patient's psychological and physical needs are often met. These tasks are all technically part of my job, even if newer, tired or busy nurses neglect to do them. However, my patients always thank me. I can corral the most agitated patient (most of the time) with a little tender, loving care. I was shocked from the gratitude of the patients on the oncology floor. Even though many of them have cancer that is new, returned, and/or aggressive I have noticed that this specific patient population is so appreciative of my thorough care. I have found a renewed love of nursing. I do not cry before clocking in anymore. I am proud of my work, and I look forward to serving these patients who are going through the worst time of their life. One story that stuck with me was a man who had sudden onset Hodgkins's disease and had several complications preventing care from progressing. He was miserable. So, I gave him warm wipes, a toothbrush, fresh sheets, gown and half a dozen other things I can't specifically recall. I took time in there, to ask and observe what he needed. My therapeutic communication includes using silence as a reprieve from the incessant beeping sounds of the hospital environment. Working night shift, I try to make it as calm as possible, rather than insert my own energy in there. If the patient wants to talk, all I do is listen and encourage. After ensuring he was comfortable, medicated and clean, he began to cry and said he felt like a burden. I explained to him I wanted to do these things for him. I told him I was grateful to be working with him. He thanked me and said it was the first time he had felt human in a long time. We held hands and cried together. I will always remember him. I think that story embodies both the challenges and rewards of working in oncology care. It is arduous, but sacred. I never thought working on a floor with so much grief would revitalize my empathy and passion as a nurse, but my patients have done that. They are amazing. My plans are to further my education as a nurse practitioner while I work full time as an oncology nurse. Some of my ambitions are to diagnose early signs of cancer in my patients, to save them from suffering, and encourage naturopathic methods to prevent cancer.

My faith is based in the bible verse 1 John 4:7-21. The sparknotes version of this verse is that God is love. I believe that Christianity is not something that humans should use to build their ego or believe they are better than others. One can notice that Jesus hung out with sex workers and lepers, and infer that it is important to maintain humility as a Christian. Nobody wants to hear about their sins from another human. We are all equal in Gods eyes. It is only if we choose to live with love that demonstrates our godliness. For if we judge, Jesus has taught us he will "not know us" when we arrive to heaven. Thus, my support of Pro-life is not spent in time hounding women at clinics. In fact, being pro-life is actually about believing in legislation that helps women after they have babies, and supports abortion in the case where the woman will die. That is the only way to live in Gods image as the bible teaches, and not commit murder by proxy. Thou shalt not kill. It has nothing to do with judging others choices. If I were fortunate enough to be able to get pregnant, I would carry the child to term, regardless of the state of the child. That is my own choice. I have been influenced to believe this in my faith that all life deserves a chance. However, based on current statistics, I also have resources and much less of a chance of dying from pregnancy or birth as a white woman. My faith in love leads me to believe that someone who is truly pro-life would want funds invested into the women who have much less chance of survival and success as a mother. That brings me to my ultimate goal: which is to work in endocrinology as a naturopathic nurse practitioner. I want to provide hormone guidance for women of lower socioeconomic classes to help them get pregnant if they so choose. I plan on accomplishing this with free physicals in Schenectady, of which there are many poor communities. There are many herbs that influence estrogen and the four hormone cycles of women, as well as work as natural birth control. My dream is to have my own practice where I help women plan their families in a way that doesn't end in their death, financial ruin, or being forced to surrender their baby to get abused in the foster care system. For, that is no plan at all. As we can see from the abortion bans across the United States, women and babies are actually dying more. Abortion bans are less about pro life, and more about population control of lower socioeconomic classes, based on the increasing mortality rates. I suppose some would argue I am actually pro-choice. Then again, so was God. He gave us the choice to love and live in his image, or not to. Regardless of labels, I am a nurse with 5 years of experience. I believe in love and science, and I will become a healthcare provider who identifies as pro-life in the form of volunteer work, hormone therapy and building community for all lives.