When I tell people the most influential part of high school was middle school, they seem to be a bit confused. Maybe they first assume I hate high school so much that I wish I could go back to those earlier days, but that isn’t the case. Throughout these past three years of assistant coaching, slowly but surely, middle schoolers began to take over my life. But little did I know at the start that the smallest people would make the largest impact. I began swimming in seventh grade, as I wanted to try something brand new, and I remember honestly wanting to quit pretty early on; there was almost no support or instruction from my coaches, especially for the beginners. But I remember some of the high schoolers taking the time to come help us during practices, doing the small bits of extra work nobody asked them to do. There weren’t a lot of things that truly resonated with me at that age, but this was one of the few. Sophomore year, I began assistant coaching for the middle school swim team. From the very beginning, I was hit square in the face with coaching day long swim meets, hours of organizing practice plans, and weeks teaching basic strokes from the ground up. The investment was almost immediately overwhelming to the point I worried it wasn’t worth it, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave. At the time I didn’t fully understand what kept me there, but looking back I know that my subconscious was able to see what I couldn’t. At the end of my first coaching season, I received a handmade card from the middle schoolers that was covered in notes from every single one of them. The one that stuck out to me the most was that of a sixth-grade girl. She wrote about how afraid she was before her first time racing a new and much longer event; I vividly remember her having a breakdown over it. But she wrote about the way I made her look me in the eyes and told her that it doesn’t matter how good you are or how fast you go, it matters that you finish the race. As I come to the end of my final season of coaching, I know I wasn’t always the best at what I did, but I finished the race. The love and lessons these kids have shown me has developed into something far greater than just some volunteer coaching position, they’ve become a foundation for my future. I never want to pass on the opportunity to help inspire a child in the times of both light and dark. The experiences I’ve had have opened my eyes to a passion for working with kids no matter the area of life they are in. To follow this goal, I come into Trevecca with aspirations of completing a nursing degree and one day becoming a pediatric oncology nurse. Pediatric nurses become trusted allies, advocates, and sources of hope throughout the difficult journey of childhood cancer. Those families need someone who cares to be there for them in those tough times, not just a caretaker that leaves the moment they aren't required to be there. Knowing I could be the difference in a child's life. Knowing I could be the person they look back and remember as such a positive impact in the hardest times. Knowing those things drives me to make marks on those lives. A longing to provide such unique support to young patients and their families has become a major driving force behind my aspirations in life. I have come to the point where I believe pediatric oncology nursing is one of the most rewarding careers, and it is where I want to be. It is such a physically and mentally challenging field, but I aspire to study nursing so I can one day be the person they look back and remember as such a positive impact in the hardest times.

I have been planning to pursue a career in pediatric oncology nursing for most of my life. When I was very young, I got to see first hand what life was like for a child with cancer. My best friend was hospitalized with a malignant brain tumor that could not be safely removed. We knew all we could do was wait for her to pass, as she was not going to get better. But the thing that I noticed the most was how her last months were completely overwhelmed with love and care from the nurses that surrounded her. Most people see doctors as the ones with the biggest impact in most medical situations, but I firmly disagree when it comes to childhood cancer. Seeing the amount of effort and passion the nurses put into making those hard times the best they could possibly be was such an incredible experience. Those nurses genuinely took the extra time and effort to be there for her, even though they didn't have to. Reflecting on those things as I have gotten older has had such an incredible impact on me. It is at the point I feel called for such a position of love and care. My longing to provide such unique support to young patients and their families has become a major driving force behind my aspirations in life. I have come to the point where I believe pediatric oncology nursing is one of the most rewarding careers, and it is where I want to be. Pediatric oncology is such a physically and mentally challenging field, but the truly immense satisfaction of helping children overcome life-threatening diseases fuels my passion. There is such a spark of determination behing knowing I have the chance to contribute to the field, alleviate the suffering of children, and advance medical treatments. Pediatric nurses become trusted allies, advocates, and sources of hope throughout the difficult journey of childhood cancer. Then there are the situations where many children don't get to ring that "No more treatment" bell. Losing a child has to be one of the worst possible life experiences for a family to endure. Those families need someone who cares to be there for them in those tough times, not just a caretaker that leaves the moment they aren't required to be there. Knowing I could be the difference in a child's life. Knowing I could be the person they look back and remember as such a positive impact in the hardest times. Knowing those things drives me to make those marks on those lives.

I have been planning to pursue a career in pediatric oncology nursing for most of my life. When I was very young, my grandfather, a West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran introduced me to the idea of being a combat medic. So, growing up, I always wanted to follow in his footsteps. But this all changed when I got to see first hand what life was like for a child with cancer. My best friend was hospitalized with a malignant brain tumor that could not be safely removed. We knew all we could do was wait for her to pass, as she was not going to get better. But the thing that I noticed the most was how her last months were completely overwhelmed with love and care from the nurses that surrounded her. Most people see doctors as the ones with the biggest impact in most medical situations, but I firmly disagree when it comes to childhood cancer. Seeing the amount of effort and passion the nurses put into making those hard times the best they could possibly be was such an incredible experience. Those nurses genuienly took the extra time and effort to be there for her, even though they didn't have to. Reflecting on those things as I have gotten older has had such an incredible impact on me. It is at the point I feel called for such a position of love and care. My longing to provide such unique support to young patients and their families has become a major driving force behind my aspirations in life. I have come to the point where I believe pediatric oncology nursing is one of the most rewarding careers, and it is where I want to be. Pediatric oncology is such a physically and mentally challenging field, but the truly immense satisfaction of helping children overcome life-threatening diseases fuels my passion. There is such a spark of determination behing knowing I have the chance to contribute to the field, alleviate the suffering of children, and advance medical treatments. Pediatric nurses become trusted allies, advocates, and sources of hope throughout the difficult journey of childhood cancer. Then there are the situations where many children don't get to ring that "No more treatment" bell. Losing a child has to be one of the worst possible life experiences for a family to endure. Those families need someone who cares to be there for them in those tough times, not just a caretaker that leaves the moment they aren't required to be there. Knowing I could be the difference in a child's life. Knowing I could be the person they look back and remember as such a positive impact in the hardest times. Knowing those things drives me to make those marks on those lives. This career gives me the ability to both save lives and be the support for lives lost, even if it's not on the combat field.

When I tell people the most influential part of high school was middle school, they seem to be a bit confused. Maybe they first assume I hate high school so much that I wish I could go back to those earlier days, but that isn’t the case. Throughout these past three years, slowly but surely, middle schoolers began to take over my life. But little did I know at the start that the smallest people would make the largest impact. I began swimming in seventh grade, as I wanted to try something brand new, and I remember honestly wanting to quit pretty early on; there was almost no support or instruction from my coaches, especially for the beginners. But I remember some of the high schoolers taking the time to come help us during practices, doing the small bits of extra work nobody asked them to do. There weren’t a lot of things that truly resonated with me at that age, but this was one of the few. Sophomore year, I began assistant coaching for the middle school swim team. From the very beginning, I was hit square in the face with coaching day long swim meets, hours of organizing practice plans, and weeks teaching basic strokes from the ground up. The investment was almost immediately overwhelming to the point I worried it wasn’t worth it, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave. At the time I didn’t fully understand what kept me there, but looking back I know that my subconscious was able to see what I couldn’t. At the end of my final coaching season, I received a handmade card from the middle schoolers made up of over 400 handwritten notes. So, as I come to the end of my final season of coaching, I see the impact one person can make on the lives of the people they mentor. The love and lessons these kids have shown me has developed into something far greater than just some volunteer coaching position, they’ve become a foundation for my future. I never want to pass on the opportunity to help inspire a child in the times of both light and dark. The experiences I’ve had have opened my eyes to a passion for working with kids no matter the area of life they are in. To follow this goal, I come into Trevecca with aspirations of completing a nursing degree and one day becoming a pediatric oncology nurse. Pediatric nurses become trusted allies, advocates, and sources of hope throughout the difficult journey of childhood cancer. Those families need someone who cares to be there for them in those tough times, not just a caretaker that leaves the moment they aren't required to be there. Knowing I could be the difference in a child's life. Knowing I could be the person they look back and remember as such a positive impact in the hardest times. Knowing those things drives me to make marks on those lives. A longing to provide such unique support to young patients and their families has become a major driving force behind my aspirations in life. I have come to the point where I believe pediatric oncology nursing is one of the most rewarding careers, and it is where I want to be. It is such a physically and mentally challenging field, but I aspire to study nursing so I can one day be the person they look back and remember as such a positive impact in the hardest times.

Success is so often self-defined. How do “I” succeed, how do “I” become better, how do “I” reach “my” victory? Every high school student’s goal is to be the best at what they do and outdo others in any way they can; this is the way we have been taught to make our way through life, it’s all about us. I’ll admit that I fell into this mindset of seeking success for most of my life, but high school has brought me to a much less common outlook on what success means and how you achieve it. I began swimming competitively for the first time in seventh grade, as I wanted to try something brand new. I remember honestly wanting to quit pretty early on; there was almost no support or instruction from my coaches, especially for us beginners. But I remember some of the high schoolers constantly taking the time to come help us during practices, doing the small bits of extra work nobody asked them to do. If it weren’t for those students stepping up when I was lost, I likely would have threw in the towel. There weren’t a lot of things that truly resonated with me at that age, but this was one of the few. Sophomore year, I began assistant coaching for the middle school swim team for volunteer hours. From the very beginning, I was hit square in the face with coaching day long swim meets, hours of organizing practice plans, and week after week teaching basic strokes from the ground up. The investment was almost immediately overwhelming to the point I worried it wasn’t worth it. But something pulled at my heart to stay, and as I continued pushing through over those years, my eyes were opened to why. I wasn’t there for me; I was there for them. Coaching didn’t make me a faster swimmer, a more popular person, or a money making teen; it gave me something better, it made me truly understand how impactful one person can be to opening the door for another’s success. Just as those highschoolers once did for me, it was my turn to be that leader for someone else. My victory was never meant to be my own, it was meant to come from my sacrifices for the victory of others. As I move into a new stage of life studying nursing at Trevecca Nazarene University, this mindset opens so many doors of opportunity for me to contribute to something greater than myself rather than still seeking self-success. Trevecca’s nursing program is brand new starting this school year; it’s a fresh beginning of what will be the foundation of the program forever. Having experience with building up both programs and the people within them, I want to take advantage of the opportunity to be involved in creating a legacy of success for this program that outlives my own involvement. There is a precedent to be set that will direct the course of students who walk down that path for years to come, and I have the opportunity to set the bar high. The only thing that stands in my way is time. We all know college is expensive, and where I stand right now, I will have to spend my non-school time working to pay my way through college. However, I continue to make conscious efforts towards offsetting this cost as I apply to at least 3 scholarships a week. With the help of these scholarships, I hope to be able to take my mindset, put it to work, and build a legacy of success for not only myself, but for those who will follow.

When I tell people the most influential part of high school was middle school, they seem to be a bit confused. Maybe they first assume I hate high school so much that I wish I could go back to those earlier days, but that isn’t the case. Throughout these past three years of being both a student athlete and an volunteer assistant coach in my sport, little did I know at the start that the smallest people would make the largest impact. I began cross-training in seventh grade for xc/track by swimming, as I wanted to try something brand new, and I remember honestly wanting to quit pretty early on; there was almost no support or instruction from my coaches, especially for the beginners. But I remember some of the high schoolers taking the time to come help us during practices, doing the small bits of extra work nobody asked them to do. There weren’t a lot of things that truly resonated with me at that age, but this was one of the few. Sophomore year as running became my sport of physical focus, I volunteered to fill an open assistant coaching position for the middle school swim team. From the very beginning, I was hit square in the face with coaching day-long swim meets, hours of organizing practice plans, and weeks teaching basic strokes from the ground up to kids who didn't always get it on the first or even the tenth try. The investment was almost immediately overwhelming to the point I worried it wasn’t worth it, but in this doubt I remember hearing my pastor read Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”. Planted seeds will only grow if there is a consistent effort in their nurturing, and I wasn’t going to let these kids whither in their love and effort for the sport they were working so hard to succeed in. At the end of my final coaching season, I received a four hundred page handmade card from my middle schoolers that was filled with notes and drawing taped together one after another after another. The one that stuck out to me the most was that of a sixth-grade girl. She wrote about how afraid she was before her first time racing a new and difficult event; I vividly remember her having a breakdown over it. But she wrote about the way I made her look me in the eyes and told her that it doesn’t matter how good you are or how fast you go, all that matters is that you finish the race. As I come to the end of my own race, I know I wasn’t always the best at what I did, but I finished strong. The love and lessons these kids have shown me has developed into something far greater than just some volunteer coaching position, they’ve become a foundation for my future. As I move into my new college career both as a student and a collegiate runner, Trevecca University offers constant opportunities to serve children in our community, country, and around the globe. With the help of scholarships, I hope to be able to use this precious time taking those opportunities rather than having to spend my time trying to work my way through college. I stand firmly the having the chance to make an impact is a chance that should never be taken for granted, just as Kalia believed.

I have been planning to pursue a career in pediatric oncology nursing for most of my life. When I was very young, I got to see first hand what life was like for a child with cancer. My best friend was hospitalized with a malignant brain tumor that could not be safely removed. We knew all we could do was wait for her to pass, as she was not going to get better. But the thing that I noticed the most was how her last months were completely overwhelmed with love and care from the nurses that surrounded her. Most people see doctors as the ones with the biggest impact in most medical situations, but I firmly disagree when it comes to childhood cancer. Seeing the amount of effort and passion the nurses put into making those hard times the best they could possibly be was such an incredible experience. Those nurses genuienly took the extra time and effort to be there for her, even though they didn't have to. Reflecting on those things as I have gotten older has had such an incredible impact on me. It is at the point I feel called for such a position of love and care. My longing to provide such unique support to young patients and their families has become a major driving force behind my aspirations in life. I have come to the point where I believe pediatric oncology nursing is one of the most rewarding careers, and it is where I want to be. Pediatric oncology is such a physically and mentally challenging field, but the truly immense satisfaction of helping children overcome life-threatening diseases fuels my passion. There is such a spark of determination behing knowing I have the chance to contribute to the field, alleviate the suffering of children, and advance medical treatments. Pediatric nurses become trusted allies, advocates, and sources of hope throughout the difficult journey of childhood cancer. Then there are the situations where many children don't get to ring that "No more treatment" bell. Losing a child has to be one of the worst possible life experiences for a family to endure. Those families need someone who cares to be there for them in those tough times, not just a caretaker that leaves the moment they aren't required to be there. Knowing I could be the difference in a child's life. Knowing I could be the person they look back and remember as such a positive impact in the hardest times. Knowing those things drives me to make those marks on those lives.

I have been planning to pursue a career in pediatric oncology nursing for most of my life. When I was very young, I got to see first hand what life was like for a child with cancer. My best friend was hospitalized with a malignant brain tumor that could not be safely removed. We knew all we could do was wait for her to pass, as she was not going to get better. But the thing that I noticed the most was how her last months were completely overwhelmed with love and care from the nurses that surrounded her. Most people see doctors as the ones with the biggest impact in most medical situations, but I firmly disagree when it comes to childhood cancer. Seeing the amount of effort and passion the nurses put into making those hard times the best they could possibly be was such an incredible experience. Those nurses genuienly took the extra time and effort to be there for her, even though they didn't have to. Reflecting on those things as I have gotten older has had such an incredible impact on me. It is at the point I feel called for such a position of love and care. My longing to provide such unique support to young patients and their families has become a major driving force behind my aspirations in life. I have come to the point where I believe pediatric oncology nursing is one of the most rewarding careers, and it is where I want to be. Pediatric oncology is such a physically and mentally challenging field, but the truly immense satisfaction of helping children overcome life-threatening diseases fuels my passion. There is such a spark of determination behing knowing I have the chance to contribute to the field, alleviate the suffering of children, and advance medical treatments. Pediatric nurses become trusted allies, advocates, and sources of hope throughout the difficult journey of childhood cancer. Then there are the situations where many children don't get to ring that "No more treatment" bell. Losing a child has to be one of the worst possible life experiences for a family to endure. Those families need someone who cares to be there for them in those tough times, not just a caretaker that leaves the moment they aren't required to be there. Knowing I could be the difference in a child's life. Knowing I could be the person they look back and remember as such a positive impact in the hardest times. Knowing those things drives me to make those marks on those lives.