From the moment I witnessed the patient-nurse interaction during my time volunteering at a hospital, I knew nursing was my calling. Volunteering in the Emergency Room of a hospital provided me with a first-hand perspective of different medical professionals. I saw doctors, nurses, PCTs, PAs, and more, but out of every profession observed, nurses were the most compelling. Between each profession, nurses have the most interaction with their patients. However, this interaction is never something small. Nurses give their patients the comfort they need to push through their most vulnerable moments. Nursing is the perfect blend of putting your knowledge to use and human connection, which is more enjoyable on a day-to-day basis. I love helping others, as well as meeting people and learning new things, which nursing allows to a greater extent. In addition to the patient-nurse interaction, nursing allows for a better work-life balance. As someone who aspires to be an ER nurse at a hospital, a typical week consists of three twelve-hour shifts, unless called in for overtime. With this type of schedule, there's a good balance between being at work and having time for yourself. As an ER nurse, the environment is more fast-paced and is always changing, allowing me to challenge myself in several different ways. I hope to make a difference for as many patients as possible but also provide them with a memorable experience in the ER. I hope to provide comfort to not only the person being treated but to their family as well, making their visit just a bit easier. Although my near-future goal is to be an ER nurse, my long-term goal is to become a travel nurse practitioner. With my passion for traveling alongside my passion for nursing, the two will go hand in hand very well. Travel nursing allows me to help people from all communities and not just the one I'm from. In this way, my job will feel even more rewarding which is what I want out of my career. I hope to be able to spread my knowledge to everyone I know after me, and maybe even take part in discovering future advancements in the medical field.  To sum up, my passion for helping others and my desire to make a meaningful impact in the ER are what drives me to pursue a career in nursing. Being granted this scholarship would help fund my nursing education, allowing me to gain the knowledge necessary to fulfill my goal of becoming a nurse.

Many people fail to realize how powerful music actually is. From it being able to change one's mood, to one being able to connect with it on different levels, music is a way for one to express their emotions without ever having to display them. Music has played a huge role in my life, and although it can't fix my problems, I am still able to connect with it on a personal level. "Pretty Hurts" by Beyoncé has always resonated with me in a way that no other song has. This masterpiece speaks on how trying to live up to other people's expectations just hurts you more. Beyoncé uses the line "Perfection is a disease of a nation" to emphasize the fact that most people in today's society strive to be perfect. As a teenager in today's society, this is something I can strongly relate to because I am a victim of this "perfection disease". I try all the time to be someone I'm not in order to please others, but the person who I should actually be pleasing is me. Listening to this song reminds me that in order to be happy I need to be my own person, and without it, I wouldn't have anyone to point out what changing myself would actually be like. Every once in a while we need to be reminded that we are perfect in our own way and that being "pretty" will not make everything go away. I may not be able to remind myself of this, but Beyoncé certainly can and she will always be my savior.