In my educational journey, I am currently a senior in college for my undergraduate. When I first started college, COVID was still taking the world by storm. I not only had to deal with losing my senior year of high school, I had to attempt to navigate college and the requirements I needed to achieve. On top of that, I was taking prerequisites for nursing school. I thought life could not get any tougher than that, I believed that if I could go through that as a freshman in college, I could handle nursing school no problem. Safe to say I laugh at my past self still. I am officially in my nursing program, and close to being done with it, but it was not easier than before. I have worked hard to get where I am now, and it is safe to say that I am proud of the person I have become. From the long studying nights to trying to balance a social life with work and school. In the beginning, it was difficult, but I eventually developed a good way that worked for me. I have been able to come this far, and I have good beliefs that I can stay strong and finish positively. When thinking about my "aha" moment, I believe it was after I was done going through chemotherapy. During my months of chemo, I believed that I wanted to do nuclear medicine. I believed that I wanted to help the children who needed it, and I wanted to make a difference. However, I believed that I could not work closely with the children who had cancer. I knew as a nurse, I would form a bond with the children that were in my care, and if something were to happen to them, I was not sure how I would be able to handle it. Nonetheless, when I was ringing my bell, to signify that I was done with chemotherapy, I realized that I could be close and help them as I was helped. I realized that running away from what scared me was not going to make me stronger, being able to make a change for the children that needed it, to be able to compare our experiences and show them that I understand them was the best thing that I could do. So at that moment, I decided it was time to not only face my fear of doing one of the hardest professions out there but also to do one of the most mentally challenging professions. After graduation, the end goal is to work with children who have cancer, and though I know it will be a difficult path, I am ready to take it.

Nurses change the lives of so many people who need medical help. They truly give people the best possible care that they can provide. Nurses have changed my life for the better, every time I had one. When I went through chemotherapy, my nurses were some of the most amazing people in the world. I want to be like those nurses who helped me and help other people who are in need. Nurses seemingly are the backbone of the hospital. Though they are lower on the line of command, they know everything and anything there is about their patients. That is not just medical either, nurses build a bond with patients and know about their personal life. This not only helps them provide better care for the patient, but it also aids them in being a supportive person for the patient. The nursing shortage is not only hurting other nurses, but it is hurting the patient. Nurses are taking on more patients because their numbers need it, and that is resulting in negative attitudes during their shifts. This is also causing more nurses to become burnt out and quit, thus affecting the nursing shortage even more. The best thing that can be done is just letting other nurses know that you are there for them, aiding them in whatever they may need. Taking turns being able to eat their lunch or take a brake when needed. As well as encouraging them to leave their work at work, to not bring it home with them and for them to be able to have a safe space that they need. When leaving the hospital, many patients are excited to leave. As they walk out the door and go home, they will always remember a nurse who took care of them during their stay. During my clinicals, I have seen patients remember a nurse that they had days before, and they talked to them and updated them on how they were. With the nursing shortage being a big problem right now, nurses are needed everywhere. When I graduate, I want to help reduce the nursing shortage as much as I can. I want to help others around me not feel burnout, and not to add to the shortage of nurses that we are experiencing. This career is something that I can not wait to do with my life, I want to only positively affect it when I go into it.

Pediatric medicine is a career that I have seen myself wanting to work in since I started college. I knew that I wanted to help children, especially since I was one of those children. In 2018 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I was 15 getting ready to turn 16 when my whole life was turned upside down. Being told you have cancer is something that you never think will happen to you. Growing up, you hear about cancer, and the effects it has on people. Or you know from experience with others, but being the one who had cancer, is life-changing. During this time in life, I should have been going out with my friends, working on school, getting ready for the SATs and college. Instead of all of that, I spent most of my second semester in a hospital room receiving treatment. Growing up, I tended to be more mature than others around me. I think this stems from growing up with a single mother, and it just being me and her. When I was diagnosed, I knew I was not the only one taking it as hard as I did. So while I missed out on valuable teenage things, my mom worked as much as she could to keep things going. From the chemotherapy room to any time I was admitted, to any time I was sleeping and she had the chance, she did her best to keep working to pay for it all. After deciding on nursing as my career, I knew exactly where I wanted to work. I knew that I wanted to work at the hospital that saved my life, I wanted to give back and help the other children that were just like me. The staff at Lurie Childrens forever changed my life, I remember every nurse, doctor, PCT, nuclear medicine tech, etc. that helped me. They were all so kind, especially for working with an almost 16-year-old who was stubborn and wanted to do things for herself. They made sure that I was well taken care of while giving my independence to me as much as possible. When thinking about my life after graduation, I know I want to be one of those people who can change the life of someone going through something so traumatic. Children who do not have a voice for themselves deserve to be represented and helped. I hope to be the person who can provide this for them.