My academic career started in the small, rural town of La Vernia, Texas. I attended school there from kindergarten until I graduated high school in 2011. Immediately after graduation, I moved to San Antonio to pursue my undergraduate degree. My education goals have always been important to me, but I wanted to receive it close to home as family is also of equal importance. I attended The University of Texas at San Antonio from August 2011 to May 2016. During my undergraduate career at UTSA, I decided to pursue a degree in biology. This allowed me to develop my interest in science and various medical subjects. I was particularly interested in immunology and endocrinology. I knew at the time that I wanted to incorporate these topics into my career. After my time at UTSA, I pursued a master’s degree in Respiratory Care from UT Health San Antonio from August 2016 to August 2018. For the past three years, I have been working as a respiratory therapist at two local hospitals: The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio and North Central Baptist Hospital. I have learned so much, both professionally and personally. I have progressed my skills as a respiratory therapist and have been able to impact many patients’ lives. I currently take care of patients ranging from chronic disease processes to acute disease processes. As an RT, my current critical and emergency care experience has taught me to keep composure in stressful situations and make logical decisions in a quick manner. I have also advanced my critical thinking skills. My role as a respiratory therapist has helped me to be efficient at gathering patient histories and develop and implement meaningful patient care plans. I continue to learn every day at my job. Additionally, my role as a clinical instructor has helped me to enhance my communication and leadership skills. With these accomplishments that I have achieved, I am ready to set new goals in my life. I am excited to have this opportunity to reach outside respiratory therapy and further my education and career. My goal in life is to give back to my community and help in underserved areas while doing something I love. I have always had a passion for helping people. I am enthusiastic about gaining more knowledge and opportunities to serve a more diverse group. Currently, I am on the path to reaching this goal. I have been accepted into the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program at UT Health San Antonio. The program starts in May 2022. With this next step in my education and career, I am that much closer to reaching my goals.

My goal in life is to give back to my community and help in underserved areas while doing something I love. I have always had a passion for helping people. I am enthusiastic about gaining more knowledge and opportunities to serve a more diverse group. Currently, I am on the path to reaching this goal. I have been accepted into the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program at UT Health San Antonio. The program starts in May 2022. With this next step in my education and career, I am that much closer to reaching my goals. My husband and two daughters are my biggest motivation in setting and reaching new goals. My husband is my greatest supporter and always encourages me to fulfill my dreams. A personal goal of mine is to be a good example of perseverance and studiousness for my daughters. I want to teach them that learning does not end once you graduate high school or complete a degree. In addition, I want them to know that they can attempt new goals no matter what age you are or what stage in life you are in. For the past three years, I have been working as a respiratory therapist at two local hospitals: The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio and North Central Baptist Hospital. I have learned so much, both professionally and personally. I have progressed my skills as a respiratory therapist and have been able to impact many patients’ lives. I currently take care of patients ranging from chronic disease processes to acute disease processes. As an RT, my current critical and emergency care experience has taught me to keep composure in stressful situations and make logical decisions in a quick manner. I have also advanced my critical thinking skills. My role as a respiratory therapist has helped me to be efficient at gathering patient histories and develop and implement meaningful patient care plans. I continue to learn every day at my job. Additionally, my role as a clinical instructor has helped me to enhance my communication and leadership skills. With these accomplishments that I have achieved, I am ready to set new goals in my life. I am excited to have this opportunity to reach outside respiratory therapy and further my education and career. The physician assistant studies pathway would allow me to cultivate the skills I have already developed, and it would be my pleasure to showcase my talents toward the profession. It is my goal to become a physician assistant and to practice in a clinic setting where I can establish long-term relationships with my patients. After completion of this program, I will serve my community and help individuals achieve a higher quality of life by promoting health and preventing disease processes.

Currently, I work as a pediatric respiratory therapist at the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. For the past three years of my career, I have worked with pediatric patients that have various chronic diseases. It is a passion of mine to provide quality care to this patient population. However, the children with chronic disease processes have a special place in my heart. During my time as a critical care respiratory therapist, there have been many children with chronic disease processes that hold a special place in my heart. It is bittersweet to see these patients because usually by the time I am seeing them they are being admitted to the hospital and in need of intensive care modalities. I strive to improve the quality of life of all my pediatric patients, especially those who have chronic health conditions because they deserve nothing less. There is no greater feeling than knowing that you can make even a small positive impact on such sensitive patient populations and their family. It is a goal of mine to make sure that every single one of my patients and their family members know that I want them to have the best care that I can provide. I believe one of the most important aspects of taking care of children with chronic diseases is to build relationships. To build more relationships and provide care to children with chronic diseases, I have decided to take a step to further my career and pursue a master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies. I believe as a Physician Assistant; I will be able to develop more meaningful care plans that impact my patient’s lives in a more holistic manner. I hope to shift my focus from being a critical care respiratory therapist to a Physician Assistant in an outpatient clinic where I can further develop relationships with my pediatric patients and their family members. As I take this step in my career, I will have to resign from my current job as a pediatric respiratory therapist, be without income, and rely solely on financial aid to help me reach my goals. In receiving scholarships, this will help to alleviate some of the financial burden of student loans and other means of completing my academic program. I believe that I would be a great candidate for the Noah Jon Markstrom Foundation Scholarship because I am highly motivated academically, personally, and professionally to complete my program at UT Health San Antonio and to extend my career interest in children’s health.