My long-term career goal is to be a neonatal nurse practitioner and I plan to achieve this goal by getting my nursing degree from James Madison University. This decision was highly influenced by my family, or more specifically my mom. About a year and a half ago my mom began a gruesome and exhausting battle with cancer. My family had no idea that fast-forward a year later this battle would not only still be happening but have taken away so much. Throughout my childhood, I remember my family as the idea of a normal, white picket fence suburban American Dream. Since I was young, there was nothing unique or out of the ordinary when it came to my life. Looking through a window, all you would see is a girl always wearing a smile on her face. But in June of 2022 that all changed. I remember it like it was yesterday. I had just turned 16 and in three little words, my world came crumbling down. My mom sat me and my brothers down and said "I have cancer". She had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. ALL is not a very common disease, as it only accounts for about half of 1% of all cancers. ALL affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States each year. It has an overall cure rate of around 40%. To this day, I still can not comprehend how my life changed so drastically and so fast. I went from being a 16-year-old girl dreaming of a car and license of my own to being known as the girl with a sick mom. I felt like everywhere I looked, I was met with eyes filled with pity. My mom is my best friend. Seeing my mom every day turned into a long-distance relationship overnight. She left to go to VCU Hospital in Richmond for a couple of months and I was left wondering why. When she came home for the first time I remember seeing how sick she truly was. Her diagnosis had never truly felt real to me until that moment. I had always been very passionate about helping others but I was never really sure what that would look like career-wise. My mom's diagnosis is the main factor that provided me with that clarity. Throughout the hundreds of appointments I have attended, I have watched the nurses make or break the appointment. If a nurse had a light-hearted, comedic personality then it helped to lighten the mood and get rid of the dark and gloomy atmosphere that surrounds the word cancer. Through all of these experiences, I learned that I was being called to nursing. I knew that I wanted to give people hope and help relieve some of the overwhelming stress that they carry on their shoulders. I believe that my career choice will not only allow me to be a productive and beneficial member of Society but will allow me to help those in need. So in summary, I would be very appreciative of this scholarship because it will allow me to become one step closer to my goal of providing those who are ill with a recovery process that is as smooth and stress-free as possible. Thank you.

My long-term career goal is to be a neonatal nurse practitioner and I plan to achieve this goal by getting my nursing degree from James Madison University. This decision was highly influenced by my family, or more specifically my mom. About a year and a half ago my mom began a gruesome and exhausting battle with cancer. My family had no idea that fast-forward a year later this battle would not only still be happening but have taken away so much. Throughout my childhood, I remember my family as the idea of a normal, white picket fence suburban American Dream. Since I was young, there was nothing unique or out of the ordinary when it came to my life. Looking through a window, all you would see is a girl always wearing a smile on her face. But in June of 2022 that all changed. I remember it like it was yesterday. I had just turned 16 and in three little words, my world came crumbling down. My mom sat me and my brothers down and said "I have cancer". She had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. ALL is not a very common disease, as it only accounts for about half of 1% of all cancers. ALL affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States each year. It has an overall cure rate of around 40%. To this day, I still can not comprehend how my life changed so drastically and so fast. I went from being a 16-year-old girl dreaming of a car and license of my own to being known as the girl with a sick mom. I felt like everywhere I looked, I was met with eyes filled with pity. My mom is my best friend. Seeing my mom every day turned into a long-distance relationship overnight. She left to go to VCU Hospital in Richmond for a couple of months and I was left wondering why. When she came home for the first time I remember seeing how sick she truly was. Her diagnosis had never truly felt real to me until that moment. I had always been very passionate about helping others but I was never really sure what that would look like career-wise. My mom's diagnosis is the main factor that provided me with that clarity. Throughout the hundreds of appointments I have attended, I have watched the nurses make or break the appointment. If a nurse had a light-hearted, comedic personality then it helped to lighten the mood and get rid of the dark and gloomy atmosphere that surrounds the word cancer. Through all of these experiences, I learned that I was being called to nursing. I knew that I wanted to give people hope and help relieve some of the overwhelming stress that they carry on their shoulders. I believe that my career choice will not only allow me to be a productive and beneficial member of Society but will allow me to help those in need. So in summary, I would be very appreciative of this scholarship because it will allow me to become one step closer to my goal of providing those who are ill with a recovery process that is as smooth and stress-free as possible. Thank you.

My long-term career goal is to be a neonatal nurse practitioner and I plan to achieve this goal by getting my nursing degree from James Madison University. This decision was highly influenced by my family, or more specifically my mom. About a year and a half ago my mom began a gruesome and exhausting battle with cancer. My family had no idea that fast-forward a year later this battle would not only still be happening but have taken away so much. Throughout my childhood, I remember my family as the idea of a normal, white picket fence suburban American Dream. Since I was young, there was nothing unique or out of the ordinary when it came to my life. Looking through a window, all you would see is a girl always wearing a smile on her face. But in June of 2022 that all changed. I remember it like it was yesterday. I had just turned 16 and in three little words, my world came crumbling down. My mom sat me and my brothers down and said "I have cancer". She had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. ALL is not a very common disease, as it only accounts for about half of 1% of all cancers. ALL affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States each year. It has an overall cure rate of around 40%. To this day, I still can not comprehend how my life changed so drastically and so fast. I went from being a 16-year-old girl dreaming of a car and license of my own to being known as the girl with a sick mom. I felt like everywhere I looked, I was met with eyes filled with pity. My mom is my best friend. Seeing my mom every day turned into a long-distance relationship overnight. She left to go to VCU Hospital in Richmond for a couple of months and I was left wondering why. When she came home for the first time I remember seeing how sick she truly was. Her diagnosis had never truly felt real to me until that moment. I had always been very passionate about helping others but I was never really sure what that would look like career-wise. My mom's diagnosis is the main factor that provided me with that clarity. Throughout the hundreds of appointments I have attended, I have watched the nurses make or break the appointment. If a nurse had a light-hearted, comedic personality then it helped to lighten the mood and get rid of the dark and gloomy atmosphere that surrounds the word cancer. Through all of these experiences, I learned that I was being called to nursing. I knew that I wanted to give people hope and help relieve some of the overwhelming stress that they carry on their shoulders. I believe that my career choice will not only allow me to be a productive and beneficial member of Society but will allow me to help those in need. So in summary, I would be very appreciative of this scholarship because it will allow me to become one step closer to my goal of providing those who are ill with a recovery process that is as smooth and stress-free as possible. Thank you.

Imagine a world where every student's potential is unleashed and their dreams come to life. I envision a world where there are no boundaries or barriers but instead, it is filled with imagination. My name is Susanna and I am a senior at Fredericksburg Christian Highschool in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I plan to attend James Madison University to pursue my bachelor of nursing degree. My overall dream is to eventually become a nurse practitioner. I gained this goal through a personal experience I have recently encountered. Around a year and a half ago my world came crumbling down. My mom sat my brothers and me down and said three little words that left an earth-shattering ring; "I have cancer". In that moment I felt so overwhelmingly lost. I had just turned 16 years old and now I felt like my mom was being taken from me. Sadly, I knew that there was nothing I could do for her physically, but instead, I could focus on being there for her emotionally. Over the course of a year, I attended hundreds of appointments. At each and every one of these appointments, my focus was drawn toward the nurses. Something about them just caught my eye. I learned that these medical professionals have a heavy impact on every appointment. Not only do they control the physical aspect but they also influence the patient's mental health. Based on the nurses' bedside manner, they control whether the appointment will be one filled with dread and gloom or hope and peace. Recently, by watching these nurses I concluded that I wanted to be one of them. I made it a personal goal to make every patient's experience one filled with hope, laughter and smiles. My end goal is to remove even just an ounce of the overwhelming stress that they are under. I have always been very passionate about helping others and this is an example of how I see myself doing just that. Your scholarship, I believe will provide me with the necessary funds to reach my goals. It would be a huge help and a great step in helping me financially to pursue my educational future. I believe that with the funding from your scholarship, I will ignite a lifelong journey of growth, empowerment, and creating a lasting influence. This opportunity will not only allow me to continue striving to make a positive impact on my community but also leave a positive impact on the future of the world. Thank you.

Imagine a world where every student's potential is unleashed and their dreams come to life. I envision a world where there are no boundaries or barriers but instead, it is filled with imagination. My name is Susanna and I am a senior at Fredericksburg Christian Highschool in Virginia. I plan to attend James Madison University to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse practitioner. I gained this goal through a personal experience I recently encountered. Around a year and a half ago my world came crumbling down. My mom sat my brothers and me down and said three little words that left an earth-shattering ring; "I have cancer". Over a year, I attended hundreds of appointments and each time my focus was drawn toward the nurses. Something about them just caught my eye. I learned that these medical professionals have a heavy impact on every appointment. Not only do they control the physical aspect but they also influence the patient's mental health. Based on the nurses' bedside manner, they control whether the appointment will be one filled with dread and gloom or hope and peace. Recently, by watching these nurses I concluded that I wanted to be one of them. I plan to make every patient's experience one filled with hope, laughter, and smiles. My end goal is to remove even an ounce of the overwhelming stress that they are under. I have always been very passionate about helping others and this is an example of how I see myself doing just that. Throughout my daily routine, I try to tie in something that will positively impact others. Another way I can see myself helping others is through the impact of volunteering. I volunteer at Old Dominion Humane Society. I have been volunteering there for a little over 4 years and the organization's major focus is to get dogs in need adopted. I try my best to help with this goal by taking dogs to popular public places, posting them on social media and even telling their stories to anyone willing to listen. I believe that as a community, we need to put a stronger focus on volunteering as a whole. I feel like oftentimes we do not truly realize just how blessed we are, and as a result, we often forget to avert our gazes to other issues. I believe that this scholarship will provide me with the funding necessary to reach my goals. It would be a huge help and a great step in helping me financially in my educational future. I believe with the funding from your scholarship, I will ignite a lifelong journey of growth, empowerment, and creating a lasting influence. This opportunity will not only allow me to continue striving to make a positive impact on my community but also leave a positive impact on the future of the world. Thank you.

Imagine a world where every student's potential is unleashed and their dreams come to life. I envision a world where there are no boundaries or barriers but instead, it is filled with imagination. My name is Susanna and I am a senior at Fredericksburg Christian Highschool in Virginia. I plan to attend James Madison University to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse practitioner. I gained this goal through a personal experience I recently encountered. Around a year and a half ago my world came crumbling down. My mom sat my brothers and me down and said three little words that left an earth-shattering ring; "I have cancer". Over a year, I attended hundreds of appointments and each time my focus was drawn toward the nurses. Something about them just caught my eye. I learned that these medical professionals have a heavy impact on every appointment. Not only do they control the physical aspect but they also influence the patient's mental health. Based on the nurses' bedside manner, they control whether the appointment will be one filled with dread and gloom or hope and peace. Recently, by watching these nurses I concluded that I wanted to be one of them. I plan to make every patient's experience one filled with hope, laughter, and smiles. My end goal is to remove even an ounce of the overwhelming stress that they are under. I have always been very passionate about helping others and this is an example of how I see myself doing just that. Another way I can see myself helping others is through positive civic engagement. I believe that civic engagement is crucial to better benefit communities. There are many ways to approach such a topic. In my community specifically, I plan to determine what particular needs there are through the use of surveys, town meetings, and overall public opinion. One of my major goals is to find the biggest community need there is and help to bring awareness and funding to it. Another large goal I would like to focus on is the impact of volunteering. I volunteer at Old Dominion Humane Society. I have been volunteering there for a little over 4 years and the organization's major focus is to get dogs in need adopted. I try my best to help with this goal by taking dogs to popular public places, posting them on social media and even telling their stories to anyone willing to listen. I believe that as a community, we need to put a stronger focus on volunteering as a whole. I feel like oftentimes we do not truly realize just how blessed we are, and as a result, we often forget to avert our gazes to other issues. This also ties into the importance of advocating and bringing awareness to issues often forgotten. I know that in downtown Fredericksburg especially, we have a major drug issue. There are meth houses located all throughout that help to supply drugs to anyone willing to pay. I feel that this issue often goes unnoticed because it is so well hidden and kept very underground. I believe that as a community, it is our job to not only bring awareness to this issue but to help supply addicts struggling with paths to recovery. Through the use of public speaking, peaceful protests, and even social media usage, I believe that this is a very reachable goal. Overall, these are all ways I can see myself making a positive impact in my community through the use of civic engagement.

Hi, my name is Susanna Updike but I prefer to go by Anna. I'm currently a senior at Fredericksburg Christian High School and am planning on attending James Madison University in the fall. I have struggled with deciding on what career path I want to pursue for the last several months and just recently decided on nursing. I am choosing to pursue nursing due to my overwhelming desire to help others as often as I possibly can. I gained this desire from a personal experience that took place in my life. About a year and a half ago my mom was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. ALL is not a very common disease, as it only accounts for about half of 1% of all cancers. ALL affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States each year. It has an overall cure rate of around 40%. She left to go to the hospital for a couple months and when she came home I remember seeing how sick she really was. Her diagnosis had never truly felt real to me until that moment. In that moment I felt as if my entire world had collapsed. I had to come to terms with the fact that all I could do was help her but I could not permanently heal her. My main goal was to keep her as happy and positive as possible. Throughout her diagnosis, I have attended several appointments with her and one thing that always stood out was the nurses. These medical professionals truly made the difference between whether the appointment was fun and light-hearted or depressing and dreary. Around a week ago I attended a clinic appointment with my mom and we had the sweetest nurse I had ever met. She was cracking jokes, asking about plans for the future and even sharing her own experiences. At that moment I decided that this was right the career path for me. I decided that I wanted to be the change and ensure that no patient would ever have a poor experience due to my actions. My goal is to be as impactful to others as this nurse was to me and to keep people as calm and joyful as possible during such a stressful time. Another contributing factor to my career choice is my mom. During her diagnosis, she has kept her head up and held a positive attitude throughout the entire process. In watching her throughout this heart-wrenching time, I have learned to not let anything that is out of my control cause me to stop fighting. I have learned that no matter what happens, as long as you have a purpose and a reason to keep going, you can overcome anything. Every day my mom continues to be my biggest inspiration. In times of struggle or when I want to give up, I look to my mom and see how she chooses to persevere every single day. Due to the way that this amazing woman raised me, I have been given the mindset that I can do anything I set my mind to.

Hi, my name is Susanna Updike but I prefer to go by Anna. I'm currently a senior at Fredericksburg Christian High School and am planning on attending James Madison University in the fall. I have struggled with deciding on what career path I want to pursue for the last several months and just recently decided on nursing. I am choosing to pursue nursing due to my overwhelming desire to help others as often as I possibly can. I gained this desire from a personal experience that took place in my life. About a year and a half ago my mom was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. ALL is not a very common disease, as it only accounts for about half of 1% of all cancers. ALL affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States each year. It has an overall cure rate of around 40%. She left to go to the hospital for a couple months and when she came home I remember seeing how sick she really was. Her diagnosis had never truly felt real to me until that moment. In that moment I felt as if my entire world had collapsed. I had to come to terms with the fact that all I could do was help her but I could not permanently heal her. My main goal was to keep her as happy and positive as possible. Throughout her diagnosis, I have attended several appointments with her and one thing that always stood out was the nurses. These medical professionals truly made the difference between whether the appointment was fun and light-hearted or depressing and dreary. Around a week ago I attended a clinic appointment with my mom and we had the sweetest nurse I had ever met. She was cracking jokes, asking about plans for the future and even sharing her own experiences. At that moment I decided that this was right the career path for me. I decided that I wanted to be the change and ensure that no patient would ever have a poor experience due to my actions. My goal is to be as impactful to others as this nurse was to me and to keep people as calm and joyful as possible during such a stressful time. Another contributing factor to my career choice is my mom. During her diagnosis, she has kept her head up and held a positive attitude throughout the entire process. In watching her throughout this heart-wrenching time, I have learned to not let anything that is out of my control cause me to stop fighting. I have learned that no matter what happens, as long as you have a purpose and a reason to keep going, you can overcome anything. Every day my mom continues to be my biggest inspiration. In times of struggle or when I want to give up, I look to my mom and see how she chooses to persevere every single day. Due to the way that this amazing woman raised me, I have been given the mindset that I can do anything I set my mind to.

Hi, my name is Susanna Updike but I prefer to go by Anna. I'm currently a senior at Fredericksburg Christian High School and am planning on attending James Madison University in the fall. I have struggled with deciding on what career path I want to pursue for the last several months and just recently decided on nursing. I am choosing to pursue nursing due to my overwhelming desire to help others as often as I possibly can. I gained this desire from a personal experience that took place in my life. About a year and a half ago my mom was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. ALL is not a very common disease, as it only accounts for about half of 1% of all cancers. ALL affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States each year. It has an overall cure rate of around 40%. She left to go to the hospital for a couple months and when she came home I remember seeing how sick she really was. Her diagnosis had never truly felt real to me until that moment. In that moment I felt as if my entire world had collapsed. I had to come to terms with the fact that all I could do was help her but I could not permanently heal her. My main goal was to keep her as happy and positive as possible. Throughout her diagnosis, I have attended several appointments with her and one thing that always stood out was the nurses. These medical professionals truly made the difference between whether the appointment was fun and light-hearted or depressing and dreary. Around a week ago I attended a clinic appointment with my mom and we had the sweetest nurse I had ever met. She was cracking jokes, asking about plans for the future and even sharing her own experiences. At that moment I decided that this was right the career path for me. I decided that I wanted to be the change and ensure that no patient would ever have a poor experience due to my actions. My goal is to be as impactful to others as this nurse was to me and to keep people as calm and joyful as possible during such a stressful time. Another contributing factor to my career choice is my mom. During her diagnosis, she has kept her head up and held a positive attitude throughout the entire process. In watching her throughout this heart-wrenching time, I have learned to not let anything that is out of my control cause me to stop fighting. I have learned that no matter what happens, as long as you have a purpose and a reason to keep going, you can overcome anything. Every day my mom continues to be my biggest inspiration. In times of struggle or when I want to give up, I look to my mom and see how she chooses to persevere every single day. Due to the way that this amazing woman raised me, I have been given the mindset that I can do anything I set my mind to.

Hi, my name is Susanna Updike but I prefer to go by Anna. I'm currently a senior at Fredericksburg Christian High School and am planning on attending James Madison University in the fall. I have struggled with deciding on what career path I want to pursue for the last several months and just recently decided on nursing. I am choosing to pursue nursing due to my overwhelming desire to help others as often as I possibly can. I gained this desire from a personal experience that took place in my life. About a year and a half ago my mom was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. ALL is not a very common disease, as it only accounts for about half of 1% of all cancers. ALL affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States each year. It has an overall cure rate of around 40%. She left to go to the hospital for a couple of months and when she came home I remember seeing how sick she was. Her diagnosis had never truly felt real to me until that moment. In that moment I felt as if my entire world had collapsed. I had to come to terms with the fact that all I could do was help her but I could not permanently heal her. My main goal was to keep her as happy and positive as possible. In times of struggle or when I want to give up, I look to my mom and see how she chooses to persevere every single day. Due to the way that this amazing woman raised me, I have been given the mindset that I can do anything I set my mind to. Throughout her diagnosis, I have attended several appointments with her and one thing that always stood out was the nurses. These medical professionals truly made the difference between whether the appointment was fun and light-hearted or depressing and dreary. Around a week ago I attended a clinic appointment with my mom and we had the sweetest nurse I had ever met. She was cracking jokes, asking about plans for the future and even sharing her own experiences. At that moment I decided that this was right the career path for me. I decided that I wanted to be the change and ensure that no patient would ever have a poor experience due to my actions. My goal is to be as impactful to others as this nurse was to me and to keep people as calm and joyful as possible during such a stressful time.

Hi, my name is Susanna Updike but I prefer to go by Anna. I'm currently a senior at Fredericksburg Christian High School and am planning on attending James Madison University in the fall. I have struggled with deciding on what career path I want to pursue for the last several months and just recently decided on nursing. I am choosing to pursue nursing due to my overwhelming desire to help others as often as I possibly can. I gained this desire from a personal experience that took place in my life. About a year and a half ago my mom was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. ALL is not a very common disease, as it only accounts for about half of 1% of all cancers. ALL affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States each year. It has an overall cure rate of around 40%. She left to go to the hospital for a couple of months and when she came home I remember seeing how sick she was. Her diagnosis had never truly felt real to me until that moment. In that moment I felt as if my entire world had collapsed. I had to come to terms with the fact that all I could do was help her but I could not permanently heal her. My main goal was to keep her as happy and positive as possible. Throughout her diagnosis, I have attended several appointments with her and one thing that always stood out was the nurses. These medical professionals truly made the difference between whether the appointment was fun and light-hearted or depressing and dreary. Around a week ago I attended a clinic appointment with my mom and we had the sweetest nurse I had ever met. She was cracking jokes, asking about plans for the future and even sharing her own experiences. At that moment I decided that this was right the career path for me. I decided that I wanted to be the change and ensure that no patient would ever have a poor experience due to my actions. My goal is to be as impactful to others as this nurse was to me and to keep people as calm and joyful as possible during such a stressful time. Another contributing factor to my career choice is my mom. During her diagnosis, she has kept her head up and held a positive attitude throughout the entire process. In watching her throughout this heart-wrenching time, I have learned to not let anything that is out of my control cause me to stop fighting. I have learned that no matter what happens, as long as you have a purpose and a reason to keep going, you can overcome anything. Every day my mom continues to be my biggest inspiration. In times of struggle or when I want to give up, I look to my mom and see how she chooses to persevere every single day. Due to the way that this amazing woman raised me, I have been given the mindset that I can do anything I set my mind to.

Hi, my name is Susanna Updike but I prefer to go by Anna. I'm currently a senior at Fredericksburg Christian High School and am planning on attending James Madison University in the fall. I have struggled with deciding on what career path I want to pursue for the last several months and just recently decided on nursing. I am choosing to pursue nursing due to my overwhelming desire to help others as often as I possibly can. I gained this desire from a personal experience that took place in my life. About a year and a half ago my mom was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In that moment I felt as if my entire world had collapsed. I had to come to terms with the fact that all I could do was help her but I could not permanently heal her. My main goal was to keep her as happy and positive as possible. Throughout her diagnosis, I have attended several appointments with her and one thing that always stood out was the nurses. These medical professionals truly made the difference between whether the appointment was fun and light-hearted or depressing and dreary. Around a week ago I attended a clinic appointment with my mom and we had the sweetest nurse I had ever met. She was cracking jokes, asking about plans for the future and even sharing her own experiences. At that moment I decided that this was right the career path for me. I decided that I wanted to be the change and ensure that no patient would ever have a poor experience due to my actions. My goal is to be as impactful to others as this nurse was to me and to keep people as calm and joyful as possible during such a stressful time. Another contributing factor to my career choice is my mom. During her diagnosis, she has kept her head up and held a positive attitude throughout the entire process. In watching her throughout this heart-wrenching time, I have learned to not let anything that is out of my control cause me to stop fighting. I have learned that no matter what happens, as long as you have a purpose and a reason to keep going, you can overcome anything. Every day my mom continues to be my biggest inspiration. In times of struggle or when I want to give up, I look to my mom and see how she chooses to persevere every single day. Due to the way that this amazing woman raised me, I have been given the mindset that I can do anything I set my mind to.