When you grow up as an only child, you tend to have to get very creative in the ways you entertain yourself. My tablet was definitely my best friend, but another way I used to keep myself entertained was that I would roleplay. I would set up all my action figures, stuffed animals, and toy cars in a nice circle and play doctor, teacher, or parent. This may sound crazy, but I genuinely enjoyed talking with my "patients" or "students," and helping them through whatever made-up scenario I created for them. Caring for others has always brought me a great sense of peace. It's rewarding to know that my simple act of kindness or lending of a helping hand made someone else's life just a little bit easier! Throughout my education journey, making good grades and excelling academically have always been my main priorities. Being that I wasn't too big into sports, I knew that in order to succeed, I had to perform well in school. I've always been a huge science nerd. Whenever it came to anything relating to the human body, the way plants and animals grew, chemistry/physics, etc... I was all in. I knew that someday in the future, I would want to end up working in a field that included elements of science; I just didn't know that field would end up being nursing until a specific moment during my sophomore year of high school. I remember it being just another casual shift at my serving job, and during our morning rush, a group of nurses post-night shift had been sat in my section. After waiting on that group of nurses and seeing them in their scrubs, it sparked something inside of me. From that moment I knew that I would do whatever it took to someday become a nurse. Nurses in my mind are real-life superheroes. They've committed their time and energy to learning all they can about the human body and the way different medicines interact with it. They courageously step foot into their place of work each day and use the perfect balance of criitcal thinking and empathy to save lives. I choose to pursue nursing as a career because caring for others is what comes naturally to me. I aspire to be a superhero just like the ones I see in movies, and in the hospital. It's without a doubt in my mind that nursing is where I'm meant to be. I have truly found the one thing in life that keeps me going each day! I'm dedicated to learning all that I can, so that I can be the most exceptional nurse. A few years after I've settled into my career, I plan to continue to advance my education and work my way up the nursing ladder. Someday, I hope to eventually teach the next generation of nurses and share with them the wisdom/knowledge I've gained throughout my years. All in all, my goal is to be living proof that you can do anything you set your mind to - you just have to be stronger than what your mind tells you you can't do!

Growing up as a single child in a single-parent household hasn’t always been the easiest. Yes, I was very spoiled and got everything I could’ve ever wanted, but I was also forced to learn how to be independent and face many of life's challenges on my own very early on. My mom, who is the sole provider for our household, works a lot. Even with all the hours she puts in at her day-time job, and sometimes even night hours, we still manage to "get by." We continue to live paycheck-to-paycheck and rely heavily on the support from family members, local missions, and government assistance. I remember very vividly, there was a point in time during my childhood when the financial strain my mother was under had gotten so bad that we could no longer support ourselves, and had to move in with my grandmother. My mother just couldn't seem to break away from the cycle of poverty. As a child, you never really think much of anything. When people tell you things such as, "go to school and get a good education so you don't end up like me," it kind of just flies right over your head. Now that I'm older, this statement resonates with me much more. I realize now the amount of freedom that comes with having a good education. It was never a doubt in my mind that someday I would go to college and be the first in my family to hold a graduate degree. Seeing the way my mother talks about how she regrets not finishing school only motivates me to stay strong and work hard to make her proud. With my education, I plan to save lives all around the world! I've always been the type of person anytime someone needed a favor or help with resolving an issue, I was always first to lend a helping hand. There's a certain feeling I get when doing favors for others. It feels so rewarding to know that I could be of some assistance, and I think this is one of the main reasons why I chose a career in nursing. As a nurse, I hope to be able to provide life-saving care to people of all different cultures and backgrounds. I want to learn and grow from the environment around me, and take that wisdom that I've gained to educate/influence generations to come.

Whenever asked the question, "Where do you see yourself in the next 5 - 10 years?" What do you usually respond with? Maybe it's something along the lines of, "I see myself with a house, a car, married, and with kids." This for many people is a normal response; however, in my case, I see my life looking a little different. When it comes to a traditional lifestyle, that has never been something I envisioned for myself. I see myself moving throughout life surrounded by new environments and new people. I want to challenge myself in ways that force me to learn and grow. I plan to make the younger version of me, who never felt like he truly fit in, proud knowing that he created his own place in the world after all. Going to college and obtaining a good education is just one of the many things that my mother instilled in me. I saw from very early on the struggles that my mother faced simply because she gave up on furthering her education. Seeing her work day in and day out, making sure that my needs were met, showed me that I have to break this cycle. My mother is the strongest woman I know and handles any challenge that comes her way with grace and resilience. It pains me to see how the stress of life has affected her, but someday I hope to show her that all her efforts were worth it. I always knew that someday, I would want to end up working in a science-based field. It didn't occur to me until my sophomore year of high school that I had discovered the world of nursing. Seeing nurses work together to save lives and provide comfort in a time of distress truly inspired me! Nursing is the perfect blend of intelligence and emotion; it takes a special kind of person to know how to balance what you've learned from a textbook and when to be a human. As a nurse, I hope to gain all the knowledge I can from my respected peers, and one day become a nurse who's confident in their ability to provide life-saving care. Once I feel comfortable enough, I will then take my knowledge and travel all around the world. There's so much you can learn about yourself and about the world by traveling. I envision a version of me who isn't scared of putting themselves out there and steps into new situations with an open and curious mind. After traveling for a couple of years, I eventually want to return home and expand my knowledge even more. I want to reach the highest potential in my chosen career path and I see myself advancing from an RN to either a CRNA or NP. I want to be able to teach what I've learned and instill into generations to come that anything is possible, you just have to be stronger than what society tells you you can't do. With the money from this scholarship, it will not only lower the amount of financial stress that comes with pursuing a higher education, but it will also allow me to focus more on the things that matter. From working a weekly average of hours to support myself, to allotting time for studying, there's hardly any time in between to connect with fellow nursing students/professors. Maintaining a well-balanced social life, while also keeping up with my grades, is just one of the core values I'm taking with me as I enter this next chapter of my life.

The pressure to succeed when you're the only child of parents who both never graduated from college is a feeling like no other. Not only are you the only one who can make them proud, but there's always a constant voice telling you that you have to succeed or you'll be a disappointment. Throughout my adolescence, I've always had to hold myself accountable for the decisions I chose to make. I couldn't let anything get in the way of making my parents proud. I would constantly tell myself... don't hang around those people because they're a bad influence, or make sure you get this done early so you're not waiting until the last minute, and work hard and save your money so that you can enjoy life. Being that it was just my mom and I the majority of the time, I really had to learn to grow up quick. It was never a doubt in my mind that someday, I would go off to college to pursue a higher education. I was always told by everyone around me, "Go to school and get your degree, so you don't have to be like me when you're older." As a kid, you don't really think much of this statement; however, as I've gotten older, I realize that there's a certain type of freedom that comes with having a good education. I knew from my love of science that in the future, I wanted to work in a field that was science-based. It wasn't until high school, when I was working as a server and waited on a group of nurses post-night shift, that I realized that's where I'm meant to be. My love for nursing has grown ever since. Nurses to me are real-life superheroes, and they're out here saving real lives. Having the knowledge needed to diagnose and treat someone based on an analysis of what they tell you/what you can visibly see is so fascinating to me. Being able to pay my mother back for the many sacrifices she continues to make for me is definitely my #1 goal throughout my career. Not only am I proud to say that someday I will be a first-generation college graduate, but I will also be the first nurse in my family, and that is what keeps me going each and every day!

Growing up as a single child in a single-parent household hasn’t always been the easiest. Yes, I was very spoiled and got everything I could’ve ever wanted, but I've also had to face many of life's challenges on my own and be my own support system. My mom, who is the sole provider for our household, works a lot. Even with all the hours she puts in at her day-time job, and sometimes even night hours, we still manage to just get by and live paycheck-to-paycheck. We rely heavily on the support from family members, local missions, and government assistance. I remember very vividly, there was a point in time during my childhood when the financial strain my mother was under had gotten so bad that we could no longer support ourselves and were forced to move in with my grandmother. For some reason, we could never seem to get ahead in life. When you grow up as an only child, you really have no choice but to come up with new and interesting ways to entertain yourself. One of the ways I kept myself busy as a kid was by playing teacher. I remember setting up all my action figures and stuffed animals in a circle and teaching fake lesson plans/grading fake homework. I've always idolized teachers and even thought of them as the smartest people on earth. This idolization of the teaching profession made me excited to learn; the one class I continuously looked forward to was science. Anything having to do with the human body or space, I'm all ears! This fascination with the world of science is one of the main reasons why I chose nursing as my future profession. Coming from a family where neither of my parents finished college, becoming a first-generation college graduate is at the top of my bucket list. It wasn't until a moment in high school, when I saw a group of nurses enter the restaurant I was working in, that I realized what my purpose was. Knowing that nurses deal with all things relating to the human body, I saw nursing as the perfect fit for me! The way superheroes such as Batman and Superman continue to get up to fight and save lives is truly what I admire most about them. The only thing about superheroes is that its all made up, none of it's real. But you know what is real? The doctors and nurses who step into the hospital each day to save lives. I want to become one of those real-life superheroes, and I don't plan on stopping until I do. As an African American male who is pursuing a degree in a field that consists of only 6.3% of black nurses and is predominantly female, I definitely have my work cut out for me. I'm making it my mission to set an example and pave the way for other black boys and girls who look like me and show them that with a little hard work, dedication, and commitment it is possible! For my patients, I hope to be the best nurse I can be. Underrepresentation and racism in healthcare still exist to this day. We must bring this issue to light and acknowledge that every patient's concerns aren't being treated the same. It's essential to have trust in a healthcare setting. If there is no trust between the patient and their provider, the whole operation falls apart. How can you properly treat someone if they don't feel safe expressing what's truly going on because they think they won't be taken seriously. Representation matters, especially in a field where there's such a broad range of what patients look like. One day, one step, and one patient at a time, I'm committed to breaking down the barriers imposed on us from generations past.

Whether you're the richest of the rich or the brokest of the broke, community college is the way to go. It took me until my third year at a public university to learn this lesson, and since then, I swear by this statement. When it comes to pursuing higher education, there are numerous routes for students to take. Many students choose to go the university route and experience what college life is all about; some want to enter into trade school so they can hurry and find a job. At first, I was a student who went for experience, but later realized that the same education I was paying $10,000 a semester for, I could get at a local community college for less than half of that. Eversince I was little, I've always been very education-focused. I've always believed that with a good education, anything you want to achieve in life is possible! Being the only child of a single mother who never accomplished her dream of graduating from college, I'm making it my mission to become a first-generation college graduate. She is the hardest-working person I know. Growing up, and still to this day, she depends on no one but herself to make it happen. She's loving, strong, and a natural-born hustler all at once. One day, I hope to be able to give her the life of luxury she's always deserved and pay her back for the many sacrifices she has made for me. Choosing to transfer from a 4-year institution to a 2-year institution is the best decision I've ever made! In the long run, I will be saving myself thousands of dollars. The financial stress of working to pay bills and caring for yourself/loved ones is already hard enough. Why make life more difficult than it has to be? As I begin my journey to become a registered nurse through Collin College's Associate's Degree in Nursing program, I'm excited for what the future has to offer! It has been my dream for the longest time to be in the position that I'm currently in. By the grace of god, in the year 2028, I will officially be able to call myself a registered nurse. Once I begin my career, I hope to gain as much knowledge as I can that'll shape me into a confident nurse who's able to provide life-saving care. From that point on, I want to then reenroll myself in school through a bridge program that will allow me to obtain my Bachelor's of Science in Nursing, and then eventually my Master's of Science in Nursing. With my nursing license, I plan to travel the world and learn from the new experiences/people around me. I want to care for sick individuals who may not have access to the type of healthcare that we spoiled Americans have acesses to. Running my own practice and teaching the next generation of nursing students are just some of the long-term goals I have set for myself.