My late aunt, Tarkeisha Wise, was someone that remarkably inspired me to become the person I am today. She served as not only an aunt to me, but a God mother. In fact, she was the one to give me my name. She spent her whole life telling me that someday my name would mean the world to someone. Her battle with breast cancer is something that strengthened my drive to succeed in life. Being by her side through her battle allowed me to see the side of healthcare the further inspired me to pursue a career as a nurse. The fearful mood that my aunt had going into doctors' appointments turned into an up-beat optimistic mood the second she conversed with the medical staff. As a spectator to this, it showed me that as nurses, you have the opportunity to unknowingly make the biggest impact on someone that is going through the worst things imaginable. This observation never left my mind but instead engraved itself, I carry this with me every day as further motivation to continue with my studies to someday be that nurse. With this being said, I plan to positively impact this world through my career as a nurse by my empathy; passion to serve communities that go underserved and overlooked; advocate for children that are victims of sexual abuse, assault, domestic violence, and other crimes; be the voice for individuals that can't speak for themselves; and be there to comfort and take care of people in their most vulnerable state. Through these five ways I plan to make a positive impact on the world, I will be showing the world compassion and empathy. My aunt taught me that giving up is never the answer, and that no matter how hard my road to success may get, to never give up when it gets hard; to fight until I get the outcome the world, and my future patients, deserve. I fully believe that when my aunt named me, she knew that I would be someone to advocate for change and proper care of patients. She knew before I did, that I'd grow up to want to do something great and change lives for the better. Her encouragement and inspiration are things that I am eternally grateful for. Although I can never physically thank her, the impact that I plan to have and the motivation that she provided me with through her battle with breast cancer, will serve as an honor to her legacy and a motivation for me to excel in life.

During my junior year of high school, I was frequently acquainted with death. I lost three people that were close to me within the span of four months. The nightmare that felt never-ending started with my grandfather and uncle. In the month of March, I ended up having to go to South Carolina to attend my grandfather's funeral. Two weeks later, we got the news my uncle passed as well, and due to the amount of time I had already missed, I wasn't able to miss school to travel to South Carolina again. The same month, I had found out that my dad was diagnosed with a brain aneurism. I was left wondering why this was all happening at once and what I possibly could have done to deserve this? For the next few months, I lived in constant fear that any day could be my father's last. On June 4th, I woke up to my mom telling me that my aunt who had been battling breast cancer for nearly three years was in the hospital with multiorgan failure. This same day, I had my pre-calculus final. The only thing I could think of was, "this isn't supposed to happen, she was supposed to be getting better. She was doing so good." After my pre-calculus final, we stayed at the hospital for hours, I was constantly praying that she would get a random burst of energy, or that she would wake up talking; but she never did. The next day, I got the news that she passed. I consider this to be one of the lowest points in my life. I was battling the war of not trying to succumb to the grief and depression that wanted to swallow me whole, and the confusion of why death had to knock at my door three times. On May 19th, my dad was admitted to the Virginia Commonwealth University medical center for an operation to remove his brain aneurism. I was so stricken with fear because the past few months left me with nothing but grief, all I could do was pray. No amount of encouraging or motivational words would ease my anxiety. After coming out of his surgery, my father experienced a seizure. They had to run tests and made visits to update us but couldn't give us a definite answer. I was stuck in the same situation that I thought I had escaped; fear that nothing but prayer could calm. Despite my objection, I had to leave my father to travel back to Hampton for school. The whole time back I did nothing but read my Bible and pray to God that everything worked out for the best. Shortly after making it home, I got the call that my father was awake and talking with good memory. I instantly knew that God was in the midst and fixed something that only he could fix. It took weeks after, but eventually through my relationship with God I was able to overcome my grief and fear of reoccurring death.