I woke up in excruciating pain. The room was dark and the monitors kept beeping. I just wanted to sleep, but my meds had worn off. I was told to press a button if I needed anything, but I was too scared to ask for help. Which seems silly if you think about it, I was in a hospital; the point of a hospital is literally to help people. Then like a Godsend, the nurse walks into the room to check on me. At 1 am! She asks me how I’m feeling, she calms me down, and she gets me more meds. I hate feeling like I have no control. There are these ideals in a society where you need to be independent, you can’t be too vulnerable, and you need to present the perfect image of yourself. These traits aren’t necessarily harmful per se, but for some people they’re unrealistic. How can you be independent if you can’t find a job? How can you create strong relationships if you can’t be vulnerable? How can you allow yourself to learn from your mistakes in life if you’re always trying to be perfect? I think it’s easy to hold people to a certain standard, but how often do we recognize that circumstance limits progression? This past year I’ve been going to a homeless shelter every month to help serve food. You want to know what one of my first thoughts was, “What if it’s not safe?”; Frankly, it’s embarrassing to admit… but that’s what we do. We make assumptions, we have biases, and we judge books by their covers. However, the time I’ve spent serving these people has given me some profound insights. One: You have no idea what a person has been through. Two: Treat everyone with respect and dignity. Three: The more you serve others the more the world heals. Four: Trust means giving people the benefit of the doubt. Five: Everyone has potential, what is lacking is equal opportunity. After being on both sides of service, I’ve learned that service is what can change the world. Looking outside of ourselves and seeing who needs our support. Doing the kind thing because kindness is always right. I’ve learned that the world is messy. Everyone is fighting a battle in different ways, and if I can set an example of love and service -if I can make efforts to heal, then I’m going to do it. The nurse who helped ease my pain will never know that she inspired me to become a nurse as well. I think that’s beautiful in a sense -this idea that the littlest choices can make some of the biggest impacts. So thank you to that nurse. Thank you to those people in need that allowed me to serve them. Thank you to the people whose example is a constant light in this world. Because of you, I will laugh, and cry, and work alongside others to heal the pain and wounds of our world.

I'm currently in my senior year of high school, and looking back on my childhood, I am so grateful for the experiences in my life that have shaped me. I was born in Colorado and have lived in seven different states since then, meeting different kinds of people from all walks of life. I feel like one of the best ways to learn is through watching others' choices, and I'm eternally grateful for my Aunt Danielle, who has taught me many things, but above all, she's taught me resilience. I was around thirteen years old when I discovered my Aunt Danielle wasn't my biological aunt. It's funny how little of an effect biology can have on being considered family. She was with my mom's family so much that they thought of her like a sister, and we've all seen her as one ever since. Danielle’s favorite color is four-leaf clover green; she loves her mother and always talks about her with respect. She’ll use her witty sarcasm and then burst out laughing, and cancer has been a constant for about twenty years of her life. I have only known her with cancer, and there is so much I’ve learned to appreciate because of her. Earlier this year, Danielle came over from North Carolina to visit us in Washinton. The nature of the trip was for us to say our goodbyes to her. There were a lot of tears and unspoken fears. She has spent the last twenty years with cancer spreading throughout her body. She has constantly been in pain, and she does every trial possible- but has reached a point where there's very little to nothing else that the doctors can do for her. She went off chemo earlier this year because her body wouldn't let her keep going. Due to that, she got heart surgery. She got it so she could see her nephew born, and so she could be there for her sick mother. She's beat the odds. It's December and they said she'd only live until August. I think people take a lot for granted. Danielle was just like me for the first twenty years of her life. You never know when everything might change. Something heartbreaking to me is that due to how often she was in the hospital or at home in pain, she could never meet the love of her life, she could never have kids, and she very rarely traveled. However, even if there's been plenty of things she can't do, she still fights. She still fights for her life and for time with her loved ones. I've learned how much of a gift life is. I've learned the importance of telling the ones you love that they matter to you. I've learned that there are no guarantees in life. It's essential to take the good with the bad- but to never let the bad overtake the good. Never let it dim your strength and your love. I want to help people. That's why I want to be a nurse; it's because people hurt, and I want to be able to ease others' pains. I want to be there for those like Danielle who need people who are willing to love and take care of her. No single person can eliminate all the suffering, but we can do a little good. That's how Danielle has shaped me; time passes and we grasp that four-leaf clover tightly as she teaches me to love without reserve and to seize every moment.

ANTIGONE: “I dared. It was not God's proclamation. That final Justice That rules the world below makes no such laws. Your edict, King, was strong, But all your strength is weakness itself against The immortal unrecorded laws of God. They are not merely now: they were, and shall be, Operative for ever, beyond man utterly. I knew I must die, even without your decree: I am only mortal. And if I must die Now, before it is my time to die, Surely this is no hardship: can anyone Living, as I live, with evil all about me, Think Death less than a friend? This death of mine Is of no importance; but if I had left my brother Lying in death unburied, I should have suffered. Now I do not. You Smile at me. Ah Creon, Think me a fool, if you like; but it may well be That a fool convicts me of folly.” I posit that Sophocles’ intent when writing this paragraph in “Antigone” was to make the reader understand why the cost of death is, at times worth it. Notably, Antigone goes against the law and buries her brother’s body- and by doing so, she risks her own life. However, Antigone accepts this fate and fights for her beliefs. I surmise that Antigone is a character who is not willing to submit to the rules of society if they don’t align with her morals. She states, “Your edict, King, was strong, But all your strength is weakness itself against The immortal unrecorded laws of God.” With the power a King has, few would dare oppose his laws, but when Sophocles wrote Antigone’s character, he gave her the confidence and passion to see the world clearly and not be easily swayed by contending powers. Historically, the opposition between Church versus State has often led to controversy, so, interestingly, Sophocles implies that Antigone's alliance with God is more vital than her alliance with the King. I further assess that Sophocles uses death and life physically and figuratively to relay Antigone’s priorities. She denotes that death would be a friend compared to the suffering of leaving her brother's body unburied. “Living, as I live, with evil all about me, Think Death less than a friend? This death of mine Is of no importance.” Her respect for her brother outweighs the risks when she feels surrounded by the evil of others’ lies and injustices. Adamantly, Antigone would rather die in the physical sense than face the symbolic death of her soul. Antigone is an influential story as Sophocles crafts a message of risking everything for those you love. Her brother is already dead; she isn't trading her life for someone else's. No, Antigone is willing to lose her life for the truth. She will stand by the truth no matter the consequences. “Think me a fool, if you like; but it may well be That a fool convicts me of folly.” She speaks up against Creon and turns his summation of her character against himself. Antigone is aware of who the true fool is. She knows what she stands for and how disrespectful it is to leave a body unburied. Despite the pressure some feel to accept the fault as their own, Antigone will not be swayed or slandered. Sophocles makes the world question whether or not they'd be willing to risk it all for justice and their loved ones. Like Malcolm X’s quote, “ A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything,” Sophocles suggests that life is pointless if you have nothing to fight for and that we shouldn't live life passively.

I remember the first time I sang a solo on stage—a little girl came up to me afterward, saying that one day she wanted to sing just like me. There’s something about Sound that is fascinating. The way you can get chills, cry, or even laugh in reaction to the way people sing. Someone said that singing expresses emotions when words are no longer enough. That’s why I love to sing. My experiences are my own, but at the same time, the feeling people get when they listen to the music I perform becomes individual to themselves. Last year, I went to a solo competition, and the judge told me that I shouldn’t even consider myself an actual vocalist if I couldn’t sing both classically and theatrically. I won’t lie; this hurt me, but I decided to start voice lessons to better my classical range. I understand the judge was doing her job, but I still believe that singing heals and that no one should diminish their talents just because of what they currently lack. One of my goals in life is not only to find a job that I love but also to find one that heals. That’s why I want to major in Nursing and Music. I have a profound love for music, and I’m grateful for the ways that I have been able to improve and hone my artistry. I want to experience a life where I think less about myself and more about others. I want to do what I can to improve this world. I want people to feel and understand others’ stories, passions, and pains through music. I’ve heard many people say that they aren’t singers and couldn’t carry a tune if they tried, and to an extent, they aren’t wrong. Maybe they can’t stay in tune or hear different pitches, but I don’t think that’s what music is truly about. Too often, people believe they have to be perfect or “natural” to sing, but I think singing is an all-encompassing expression of living and feeling. It’s about improving constantly but also connecting to the audience- whether you’re in a room of a thousand people or helping your little brother fall asleep at night. When I was asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I would always say an Artist. As much as I love Art and the peace it brings me, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that I want to take the Art and Music I love to create and complement it with Nursing. I want to be able to bring healing through Art and Music but also implement a scientific aspect of healing.

Growing up in a family that loves singing is something that I will be forever grateful for. I remember when I was little, and my mom would make up songs to put us to sleep. I remember singing in church, and someone sweet turned around and told me I should never stop singing. I remember riding in my sister’s car, blasting music and singing along. I remember the first time I sang a solo on stage—a little girl came up to me afterward, saying that one day she wanted to sing just like me. Not only has music shaped me as a person, but it’s also strengthened my relationships with others. There’s something about Sound that is fascinating. The way you can get chills, cry, or even laugh in reaction to the way people sing. Someone said that singing expresses emotions when words are no longer enough. That’s why I love to sing. My experiences are my own, but at the same time, the feeling people get when they listen to the music I perform becomes individual to themselves. Last year, I went to a solo competition, and the judge told me that I shouldn’t even consider myself an actual vocalist if I couldn’t sing both classically and theatrically. I won’t lie; this hurt me, but I decided to start voice lessons to better my classical range. I understand the judge was doing her job, but I still believe that singing heals and that no one should diminish their talents just because of what they currently lack. One of my goals in life is not only to find a job that I love but also to find one that heals. That’s why I want to major in Nursing and Music. I have a profound love for music, and I’m grateful for the ways that I have been able to improve and hone my artistry. I want to experience a life where I think less about myself and more about others. I want to do what I can to improve this world. I want people to feel and understand others’ stories, passions, and pains through music. I’ve heard many people say that they aren’t singers and couldn’t carry a tune if they tried, and to an extent, they aren’t wrong. Maybe they can’t stay in tune or hear different pitches, but I don’t think that’s what music is truly about. Too often, people believe they have to be perfect or “natural” to sing, but I think singing is an all-encompassing expression of living and feeling. It’s about improving constantly but also connecting to the audience- whether in a room of a thousand people or helping your little brother fall asleep at night.