Hello, my name is Taelynn Lawrence. I am currently a freshman in college, pursuing a degree in Nursing. I want to go into Pediatric oncology nursing. I have always had a passion for working with children. From babysitting, coaching, helping my mom and more I have always had a passion for working with kids. I truly believe children are so misunderstood and overlooked, not only in healthcare but in life. They are not seen as significant solely because of their age. When a child says they have a "belly ache," do you look over it or do you take it seriously? This is something that inspired me to go into pediatric nursing. Having watched nurses all my life and worked with them, I have seen how they validated the feelings of these children. I have had personal interactions with nurses my whole life. At the age of nine, my whole life changed. When I was living in Okinawa, Japan, I got diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. My dad was stationed there at the time, as he was in the Air Force. It started as a Flu and then progressed. One day, my dad tried to make me a smoothie to make up for the solid food I couldn't keep down. Who knew that a smoothie would put me in the hospital for a life-changing realization? That smoothie brought my blood sugar up to 600 and left me with ketoacidosis. I had people swarming me in the hospital, the majority being nurses, and they were all Japanese-speaking. I didn't feel comforted, or seen, or supported. I was scared, and they didn't allow me visitors due to the critical condition I was in. I had to rely on the nurses to help me fight through a battle most children do not have to face. That went on for days. No English, no support, no comfort, only occasional careless visits to ask if I needed anything. But in that time, I recovered, and shortly after, I was emergency transported to a hospital in Hawaii. This is when I met some of the most life-changing and caring nurses. One of the female nurses had finally made me feel seen. I had finally felt valued. Not because she would do more check-ins or bring me my medicine, but she was the nurse to hold my hand when it was hard. She was the nurse who played Uno with me when my family wasn't allowed in my room. She was the nurse who held me when I cried because my body was weak and limp. To me, that showed me the true difference a nurse can make in a child's life. I truly do not believe I could have gotten through that experience without her. This is what formed and shaped my passion for nurses and pediatric nursing. I want to not only help save children's lives but also make them feel heard. I want to make them feel like their problems do matter and that their pain is seen. I want to make the difference that the same nurse did for me. Because children aren't small. They are creative, smart, and beautiful, and they deserve to live on to showcase all their beautiful qualities. This scholarship would change my life by giving me the opportunity to continue pursuing my healthcare degree and enter my dream career. Thank you for your time and consideration, as it means the world to me.

Hello, my name is Taelynn Lawrence. I am currently a freshman in college, pursuing a degree in Nursing. I want to go into Pediatric oncology nursing. I have always had a passion for working with children. From babysitting, coaching, helping my mom and more I have always had a passion for working with kids. I truly believe children are so misunderstood and overlooked, not only in healthcare but in life. They are not seen as significant solely because of their age. When a child says they have a "belly ache," do you look over it or do you take it seriously? This is something that inspired me to go into pediatric nursing. Having watched nurses all my life and worked with them, I have seen how they validated the feelings of these children. I have had personal interactions with nurses my whole life. At the age of nine, my whole life changed. When I was living in Okinawa, Japan, I got diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. My dad was stationed there at the time, as he was in the Air Force. It started as a Flu and then progressed. One day, my dad tried to make me a smoothie to make up for the solid food I couldn't keep down. Who knew that a smoothie would put me in the hospital for a life-changing realization? That smoothie brought my blood sugar up to 600 and left me with ketoacidosis. I had people swarming me in the hospital, the majority being nurses, and they were all Japanese-speaking. I didn't feel comforted, or seen, or supported. I was scared, and they didn't allow me visitors due to the critical condition I was in. I had to rely on the nurses to help me fight through a battle most children do not have to face. That went on for days. No English, no support, no comfort, only occasional careless visits to ask if I needed anything. But in that time, I recovered, and shortly after, I was emergency transported to a hospital in Hawaii. This is when I met some of the most life-changing and caring nurses. One of the female nurses had finally made me feel seen. I had finally felt valued. Not because she would do more check-ins or bring me my medicine, but she was the nurse to hold my hand when it was hard. She was the nurse who played Uno with me when my family wasn't allowed in my room. She was the nurse who held me when I cried because my body was weak and limp. To me, that showed me the true difference a nurse can make in a child's life. I truly do not believe I could have gotten through that experience without her. This is what formed and shaped my passion for nurses and pediatric nursing. I want to not only help save children's lives but also make them feel heard. I want to make them feel like their problems do matter and that their pain is seen. I want to make the difference that the same nurse did for me. Because children aren't small. They are creative, smart, and beautiful, and they deserve to live on to showcase all their beautiful qualities. This scholarship would change my life by giving me the opportunity to continue pursuing my healthcare degree and enter my dream career. Thank you for your time and consideration, as it means the world to me.

Hello, my name is Taelynn Lawrence. I am currently a freshman in college, pursuing a degree in Nursing. I want to go into Pediatric oncology nursing. I have always had a passion for working with children. From babysitting, coaching, helping my mom and more I have always had a passion for working with kids. I truly believe children are so misunderstood and overlooked, not only in healthcare but in life. They are not seen as significant solely because of their age. When a child says they have a "belly ache," do you look over it or do you take it seriously? This is something that inspired me to go into pediatric nursing. Having watched nurses all my life and worked with them, I have seen how they validated the feelings of these children. I have had personal interactions with nurses my whole life. At the age of nine, my whole life changed. When I was living in Okinawa, Japan, I got diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. My dad was stationed there at the time, as he was in the Air Force. It started as a Flu and then progressed. One day, my dad tried to make me a smoothie to make up for the solid food I couldn't keep down. Who knew that a smoothie would put me in the hospital for a life-changing realization? That smoothie brought my blood sugar up to 600 and left me with ketoacidosis. I had people swarming me in the hospital, the majority being nurses, and they were all Japanese-speaking. I didn't feel comforted, or seen, or supported. I was scared, and they didn't allow me visitors due to the critical condition I was in. I had to rely on the nurses to help me fight through a battle most children do not have to face. That went on for days. No English, no support, no comfort, only occasional careless visits to ask if I needed anything. But in that time, I recovered, and shortly after, I was emergency transported to a hospital in Hawaii. This is when I met some of the most life-changing and caring nurses. One of the female nurses had finally made me feel seen. I had finally felt valued. Not because she would do more check-ins or bring me my medicine, but she was the nurse to hold my hand when it was hard. She was the nurse who played Uno with me when my family wasn't allowed in my room. She was the nurse who held me when I cried because my body was weak and limp. To me, that showed me the true difference a nurse can make in a child's life. I truly do not believe I could have gotten through that experience without her. This is what formed and shaped my passion for nurses and pediatric nursing. I want to not only help save children's lives but also make them feel heard. I want to make them feel like their problems do matter and that their pain is seen. I want to make the difference that the same nurse did for me. Because children aren't small. They are creative, smart, and beautiful, and they deserve to live on to showcase all their beautiful qualities. This scholarship would change my life by giving me the opportunity to continue pursuing my healthcare degree and enter my dream career. Thank you for your time and consideration, as it means the world to me.

Hello, my name is Taelynn Lawrence. I am currently a freshman in college, pursuing a degree in Nursing. I want to go into Pediatric oncology nursing. I have always had a passion for working with children. From babysitting, coaching, helping my mom and more I have always had a passion for working with kids. I truly believe children are so misunderstood and overlooked, not only in healthcare but in life. They are not seen as significant solely because of their age. When a child says they have a "belly ache," do you look over it or do you take it seriously? This is something that inspired me to go into pediatric nursing. Having watched nurses all my life and worked with them, I have seen how they validated the feelings of these children. I have had personal interactions with nurses my whole life. At the age of nine, my whole life changed. When I was living in Okinawa, Japan, I got diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. My dad was stationed there at the time, as he was in the Air Force. It started as a Flu and then progressed. One day, my dad tried to make me a smoothie to make up for the solid food I couldn't keep down. Who knew that a smoothie would put me in the hospital for a life-changing realization? That smoothie brought my blood sugar up to 600 and left me with ketoacidosis. I had people swarming me in the hospital, the majority being nurses, and they were all Japanese-speaking. I didn't feel comforted, or seen, or supported. I was scared, and they didn't allow me visitors due to the critical condition I was in. I had to rely on the nurses to help me fight through a battle most children do not have to face. That went on for days. No English, no support, no comfort, only occasional careless visits to ask if I needed anything. But in that time, I recovered, and shortly after, I was emergency transported to a hospital in Hawaii. This is when I met some of the most life-changing and caring nurses. One of the female nurses had finally made me feel seen. I had finally felt valued. Not because she would do more check-ins or bring me my medicine, but she was the nurse to hold my hand when it was hard. She was the nurse who played Uno with me when my family wasn't allowed in my room. She was the nurse who held me when I cried because my body was weak and limp. To me, that showed me the true difference a nurse can make in a child's life. I truly do not believe I could have gotten through that experience without her. This is what formed and shaped my passion for nurses and pediatric nursing. I want to not only help save children's lives but also make them feel heard. I want to make them feel like their problems do matter and that their pain is seen. I want to make the difference that the same nurse did for me. Because children aren't small. They are creative, smart, and beautiful, and they deserve to live on to showcase all their beautiful qualities. This scholarship would change my life by giving me the opportunity to continue pursuing my healthcare degree and enter my dream career. Thank you for your time and consideration, as it means the world to me.

Hello, my name is Taelynn Lawrence. I am currently a freshman in college, pursuing a degree in Nursing. I want to go into Pediatric oncology nursing. I have always had a passion for working with children. From babysitting, coaching, helping my mom and more I have always had a passion for working with kids. I truly believe children are so misunderstood and overlooked, not only in healthcare but in life. They are not seen as significant solely because of their age. When a child says they have a "belly ache," do you look over it or do you take it seriously? This is something that inspired me to go into pediatric nursing. Having watched nurses all my life and worked with them, I have seen how they validated the feelings of these children. I have had personal interactions with nurses my whole life. At the age of nine, my whole life changed. When I was living in Okinawa, Japan, I got diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. My dad was stationed there at the time, as he was in the Air Force. It started as a Flu and then progressed. One day, my dad tried to make me a smoothie to make up for the solid food I couldn't keep down. Who knew that a smoothie would put me in the hospital for a life-changing realization? That smoothie brought my blood sugar up to 600 and left me with ketoacidosis. I had people swarming me in the hospital, the majority being nurses, and they were all Japanese-speaking. I didn't feel comforted, or seen, or supported. I was scared, and they didn't allow me visitors due to the critical condition I was in. I had to rely on the nurses to help me fight through a battle most children do not have to face. That went on for days. No English, no support, no comfort, only occasional careless visits to ask if I needed anything. But in that time, I recovered, and shortly after, I was emergency transported to a hospital in Hawaii. This is when I met some of the most life-changing and caring nurses. One of the female nurses had finally made me feel seen. I had finally felt valued. Not because she would do more check-ins or bring me my medicine, but she was the nurse to hold my hand when it was hard. She was the nurse who played Uno with me when my family wasn't allowed in my room. She was the nurse who held me when I cried because my body was weak and limp. To me, that showed me the true difference a nurse can make in a child's life. I truly do not believe I could have gotten through that experience without her. This is what formed and shaped my passion for nurses and pediatric nursing. I want to not only help save children's lives but also make them feel heard. I want to make them feel like their problems do matter and that their pain is seen. I want to make the difference that the same nurse did for me. Because children aren't small. They are creative, smart, and beautiful, and they deserve to live on to showcase all their beautiful qualities. This scholarship would change my life by giving me the opportunity to continue pursuing my healthcare degree and enter my dream career. Thank you for your time and consideration, as it means the world to me.

Hello, my name is Taelynn Lawrence. I am currently a freshman in college, pursuing a degree in Nursing. I want to go into Pediatric oncology nursing. I have always had a passion for working with children. From babysitting, coaching, helping my mom and more I have always had a passion for working with kids. I truly believe children are so misunderstood and overlooked, not only in healthcare but in life. They are not seen as significant solely because of their age. When a child says they have a "belly ache," do you look over it or do you take it seriously? This is something that inspired me to go into pediatric nursing. Having watched nurses all my life and worked with them, I have seen how they validated the feelings of these children. I have had personal interactions with nurses my whole life. At the age of nine, my whole life changed. When I was living in Okinawa, Japan, I got diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. My dad was stationed there at the time, as he was in the Air Force. It started as a Flu and then progressed. One day, my dad tried to make me a smoothie to make up for the solid food I couldn't keep down. Who knew that a smoothie would put me in the hospital for a life-changing realization? That smoothie brought my blood sugar up to 600 and left me with ketoacidosis. I had ended up passing out and hitting my head on the bathroom sink and being immediately taken to the hospital. Where then I found out my brain was swollen. I had people swarming me in the hospital, the majority being nurses, and they were all Japanese-speaking. I didn't feel comforted, or seen, or supported. I was scared, and they didn't allow me visitors due to the critical condition I was in. I had to rely on the nurses to help me fight through a battle most children do not have to face. That went on for days. No English, no support, no comfort, only occasional careless visits to ask if I needed anything. But in that time, I recovered, and shortly after, I was emergency transported to a hospital in Hawaii. This is when I met some of the most life-changing and caring nurses. One of the female nurses had finally made me feel seen. I had finally felt valued. Not because she would do more check-ins or bring me my medicine, but she was the nurse to hold my hand when it was hard. She was the nurse who played Uno with me when my family wasn't allowed in my room. She was the nurse who held me when I cried because my body was weak and limp. To me, that showed me the true difference a nurse can make in a child's life. I truly do not believe I could have gotten through that experience without her. This is what formed and shaped my passion for nurses and pediatric nursing. I want to not only help save children's lives but also make them feel heard. I want to make them feel like their problems do matter and that their pain is seen. I want to make the difference that the same nurse did for me. Because children aren't small. They are creative, smart, and beautiful, and they deserve to live on to showcase all their beautiful qualities. This scholarship would change my life by giving me the opportunity to continue pursuing my healthcare degree and enter my dream career. Thank you for your time and consideration, as it means the world to me.

My name is Taelynn Lawrence, and at nine years old, my whole life changed. From a simple flu to an organ shutdown and a complete turnaround of my life. I was now re-learning my life as a Type One Diabetic. I had seen my family's hearts break as my life had become critical. The light drained from their eyes as their child's light was slowly dimming. This is why I chose my passion in healthcare and pediatric nursing. As a child, it can be so isolating to be in the hospital. You are hurting and scared, and you feel so indifferent to other kids. After being set in such a personal experience with nurses, I had truly grown to love the field. While I was in the hospital, the most memorable people to me were the nurses. They eased the pain and made my experience almost joyful. You wouldn't think playing a game of Uno with a young kid would truly change their life. Or that bringing a young girl jello and grapes at two am because she was sad and alone would change a life, but it did mine. It showed me such a bright light in the healthcare field. I had spent over a week in that hospital being treated for my diagnosis, and I walked away with a passion that will forever change my life. This is why I decided to go into the healthcare field and become a Pediatric nurse. I believe many nurses enter the healthcare field with no personal experience in their specialty. This can make it hard for children to relate to the nurses working with them. It can be hard to be empathetic in a situation you don't fully understand. Kids aren't always heard, and they should be able to advocate and be seen. Pediatric nurses stand out to me because they are there during one of the most critical and formative times in a family's and a child's life. Children lose crucial parts of themselves fighting for their lives, and the people there in those moments will make the deepest impact. To me, nursing isn't about the title or the name. It's about making a genuine difference in healthcare to help children live up to their full potential. It's about helping their families through the hardest days and nights of their lives, and it's about taking a moment to be grateful for the life I am able to live today. I truly believe nurses are the most inspirational people to watch and learn from, as they set aside a part of their lives to make someone else's just a little bit easier. They are thoughtless with only the intention to help heal another human being, and to me, that is beautiful in itself. This scholarship would change my life. It would allow me to continue my education in healthcare while preparing to do what I love. For a low-income household, this would truly make the greatest difference. I want to be able to change lives the same way mine was changed. I want to truly show people that nurses are so much more than they are perceived as, and I want to challenge myself to be more than people believe me to be. Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope I am able to be a light to children in this world, who don't always get to see.

Hello, my name is Taelynn Lawrence, and I am inspired to be a "You Got It, Girl". I am currently an out-of-state student at West Hills College in Coalinga, California, and play on our junior college collegiate Volleyball team. I am a Type 1 Diabetic athlete and have had to push my body to continue playing this sport. I played Varsity 3 years of High-school and club volleyball since my 12's season. Since then, I have noticed how playing a collegiate sport can have on a young athlete's mental health and physical output. Volleyball takes more than just a high vertical and "raw talent". It takes years of skill training, discipline, deep breaths, and mental training to meet your full potential. Now imagine this with injections, smarties, and glucagons. I had to push my body even in the lows and highs. I sat and ignored high and low blood glucose just to stay in the game. I didn't want to be pulled off, especially not for a health condition. I had pushed hard enough to finally make my eighteens season of club volleyball. I secured a starting role and worked to be seen. This is when I was recruited by my college coach. This has, by far, been my greatest accomplishment. Now, I may not have gotten the most playing time my freshman year, but I worked, and I grew so much mentally while pushing through the struggles of being a Type 1 Diabetic. Given what YGIG stands for, I feel I align strongly. Having to be taught resilience, hard work, and independence throughout this experience so far. This year was, by far, the hardest, mentally and physically. As most college athletes know, the training gets a lot more intense when you get to the collegiate level. You are training almost double the amount with limited hours in the day. This is when it also became easier to overlook my condition. I would leave practice with high highs or very low lows. I had limited playing time this season, but when I did, not a single family member was at a game. I had no support and had to do it alone. And with this came a huge falling out with my Mom. I felt as if I had no one in my corner, and since I was an "Adult," I was being forced to do it all on my own. We decided not to move forward in our relationship because of its unhealthy aspects. She not only pulled out of tuition after this falling-out, but also came to take my car from me. Being an 18-year-old with no idea how to even file a tax return, I felt lost and stuck. I was now stuck in a state with a condition that's incurable, with no help, and no way to make my medical appointments. This may not seem like a huge deal or situation, but not only did one of the most important relationships in my life get pulled away from me, I also lost all ways to pay for school and was forced to take out loans and almost beg other family members for money in order to pay and find ways to manage my condition at the same time. I surely couldn't just give up. I had made a commitment to my team, and I had already put in over half a year of time and effort. I had to come back and train even harder, not only for me, but because I had a point to prove to the people around me. I wanted to demonstrate that I can do it on my own. My coach and my teammates are, by far, my biggest supporters. They never just let me fall, and my coach always says, "There is always a way, it might not be easy, but there is always a way," and this will forever be engraved in me. The YGIG scholarship is beautiful in what it stands for, and it has a deeper purpose than just the money. It has shown me the perseverance in female athletes and how truly strong we are. With this scholarship, I would be able to continue my athletic and academic career at West Hills College while getting the education to complete my Nursing degree. Being able to continue the sport I truly love while being surrounded by my new made family would mean the world to me. I know volleyball is ingrained in me, but I hope this scholarship will allow me to continue playing next year. I am so proud to be a YGIG, and I hope to stand tall with this astonishing group of women and athletes. Thank you for your time and consideration! I look forward to growing as an individual and making a difference.