I have always aspired to be a nurse from a very young age. I was inspired to select a career in the medical field due to my own personal experiences as a patient throughout my life and still today. I have a chronic illness called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) that took 11 years to diagnose. Because of this, I have spent a lot of my life in hospitals or doctor’s offices. The providers that truly listened to me, advocated for me, and went the extra mile when it came to caring for me are people I will never forget. They ultimately have changed my life. Unfortunately, I know all too well what it feels like to be dismissed when you are positive there is something very wrong with your body. When trying to get a diagnosis for what I later would know was POTS, I was told many times that it was ‘all in my head’, or that it was just a product of anxiety or depression. Instead of running tests that would have easily revealed my condition, I was given several referrals to therapists or psychiatrists. I want to become a nurse so that I can assure all my patients that they are safe, I believe what they are telling me, and I am doing everything I can for them. Nurses provide a crucial bridge in communication between a patient and their doctor. Had I not had some of the nurses I did that fiercely advocated for me, my doctors may have continued to dismiss me and misdiagnose me. Another life event that inspired me to be a nurse was the birth of my nephew. He was born 3 months premature and spent the first part of his life in the NICU. I spent many days sitting there with him and watching the nurses do everything they could to keep him healthy. I was amazed by their kindness, skill, and gentle nature. This experience combined with the fact that I’ve always loved kids made me realize I want to specialize in neonatal nursing and work in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit once I become a nurse. After finishing my undergraduate degree, I’d like to go on to become a Nurse Practitioner. From there, I will acquire my Doctorates in Nursing Practice (DNP). This way, I will have the education and resources I need to explore the clinical-research side of things in the nursing field. I’d like to specifically conduct research on how we approach care for neonates with special needs and other disabilities. I’d also like to conduct research on heart abnormalities in infants, which medications they tend to respond best to, and explore other underlying causes of cardiac abnormalities (i.e., genetic factors, complications in pregnancy, environmental exposures, use of certain medications during pregnancy, etc.). This scholarship would serve as a means to push me closer to achieving my goals, and I thank you for considering me as a recipient.