The next chapter of my life will be the most pivotal experience. The transition from high school to college comes with many responsibilities and may also come with challenges. A challenge that I experienced is the unexpected death of my father. Losing my father affected my family emotionally and financially. My mother became a single parent of five overnight. Having one parent to take care of the house, manage the bills and pay for the needs of five children can be very challenging. The journey of walking through life without a father has been extremely hard because I am constantly around my little cousins and friends, watching them grow up with their fathers. This experience helped me to lead by example and show others that it is possible to keep moving forward in a positive way despite the obstacles faced in life. Instead of allowing this situation to hinder my success, I use it as a catalyst to push me forward. The area of study I will pursue is nursing to become a nurse practitioner. I will use my education to serve the community by making sure people get the proper healthcare needed. There have been several instances in history where people have not been given proper care at medical clinics, in emergency rooms, and while in the hospital and other areas. With my degree, I want to contribute to changing this indecency within and outside of the United States. I want people to know their health matters. I want to provide medical care to people of all ages. There are several areas within and outside of the United States do not have sufficient medical care or an efficient medical system. I plan to make a positive change in my community by providing medical assistance to those in need. My previous community involvement and activities have impacted me in a positive way. I volunteer at my church in several areas, including children’s church, greeters, audio-visual and missions. I participate in several community service activities. Tango Tab Feed the City is a volunteer organization that prepares hundreds of sandwich lunch packs for the homeless in our city. The Cru prepares and packages food to be shipped to other countries. SPCA Adopt-a-Pet collects food for animals. Feed America and Frisco Family provides food for families in need. During the holidays, I volunteer at Church of the Pines to pass out turkeys and Thanksgiving meals. I also volunteer at the local shelter to distribute clothes and hygiene items to homeless individuals. Through these activities I have learned many lessons, the most significant being the importance of responsibility and service to others.

Life challenges and obstacles are primary elements that can test character and shape core values. The definition of obstacle has a different meaning to everyone. In most cases an obstacle can be a challenging setback in life. I have overcome many life challenges that made me a stronger person and propelled me to demonstrate leadership. Chadwick Boseman once stated, “The challenges we face along the way are only meant to shape us for our purpose.” Obstacles are only challenges that we face to test our strength and leadership abilities. The life challenge I experienced was the unexpected death of my father. His death is what motivated me to pursue a degree in nursing. My family and I were in shock that our lives had changed overnight after my father passed away. My father’s death revealed the importance of volunteering and community service. Losing my father affected my family emotionally and financially. My mother became a single parent of five overnight. Having one parent take care of the house, manage the bills, and pay for the needs of five children can be very challenging. After my father passed away unexpectedly, the community rallied around my family to support us in various ways. Several people we did not know brought meals to our house each day, and some provided monetary gifts. Although this was unsolicited and unexpected, the way people volunteered to help us was a huge blessing. Service to others is one of my core beliefs. I plan to volunteer during college and continue to pay it forward throughout my adult life. I have been a recipient of community service and understand the impact it has on individuals and families. The interesting thing about volunteering is that you do not have to know the people you are serving. My family moved to Texas, and a year later my father passed away. My mother did not know a lot of people personally; however, my brothers were all involved in sports. Different people would provide us food each day, put money in our mailbox and take care of different errands my mother needed. All of these were a great help to my family. It was shocking because we did not know them, but that is what community service is all about – serving others who are in need. For this reason, community service has always been and will always be important to me. I plan to continue to volunteer in the community and in other countries. There are several areas within and outside of the United States that do not have sufficient medical care or an efficient medical system. The education I receive in the nursing field will help me make a positive change by allowing me to provide medical assistance during volunteer community health fairs and outreach events, on the medical team at my church, and on the medical staff for missions’ trips. The school in my area have back to school events each year. At these events, there are several organizations that provide free items such as school supplies and backpacks. The most important aspect of these events are healthcare volunteers provide free physical exams, which is one way I plan to volunteer as an adult medical professional. At my church, there is a medical team that volunteers on a rotational basis each week to provide medical assistance to anyone in need during services. This is another area I plan to volunteer my services. Missions’ trips will also be a way I volunteer. I plan to provide medical assistance to those in need who live in other countries.

Life challenges and obstacles are primary elements that can test character and shape core values. The definition of obstacle has a different meaning to everyone. In most cases an obstacle can be a challenging setback in life. I have overcome many life challenges that made me a stronger person and propelled me to demonstrate leadership. Chadwick Boseman once stated, “The challenges we face along the way are only meant to shape us for our purpose.” Obstacles are only challenges that we face to test our strength and leadership abilities. The life challenge I experienced was the unexpected death of my father. His death is what motivated me to pursue a degree in nursing. My family and I were in shock that our lives had changed overnight after my father passed away. My father’s death revealed the importance of volunteering and community service. Losing my father affected my family emotionally and financially. My mother became a single parent of five overnight. Having one parent take care of the house, manage the bills, and pay for the needs of five children can be very challenging. After my father passed away unexpectedly, the community rallied around my family to support us in various ways. Several people we did not know brought meals to our house each day, and some provided monetary gifts. Although this was unsolicited and unexpected, the way people volunteered to help us was a huge blessing. Service to others is one of my core beliefs. I plan to volunteer during college and continue to pay it forward throughout my adult life. I have been a recipient of community service and understand the impact it has on individuals and families. The interesting thing about volunteering is that you do not have to know the people you are serving. My family moved to Texas, and a year later my father passed away. My mother did not know a lot of people personally; however, my brothers were all involved in sports. Different people would provide us food each day, put money in our mailbox and take care of different errands my mother needed. All of these were a great help to my family. It was shocking because we did not know them, but that is what community service is all about – serving others who are in need. For this reason, community service has always been and will always be important to me. I plan to continue to volunteer in the community and in other countries. There are several areas within and outside of the United States that do not have sufficient medical care or an efficient medical system. The education I receive in the nursing field will help me make a positive change by allowing me to provide medical assistance during volunteer community health fairs and outreach events, on the medical team at my church, and on the medical staff for missions’ trips. The school in my area have back to school events each year. At these events, there are several organizations that provide free items such as school supplies and backpacks. The most important aspect of these events are healthcare volunteers provide free physical exams, which is one way I plan to volunteer as an adult medical professional. At my church, there is a medical team that volunteers on a rotational basis each week to provide medical assistance to anyone in need during services. This is another area I plan to volunteer my services. Missions’ trips will also be a way I volunteer. I plan to provide medical assistance to those in need who live in other countries.

Life challenges and obstacles are primary elements that can test character and shape core values. The definition of obstacle has a different meaning to everyone. In most cases an obstacle can be a challenging setback in life. I have overcome many life challenges that made me a stronger person and propelled me to demonstrate leadership. Chadwick Boseman once stated, “The challenges we face along the way are only meant to shape us for our purpose.” Obstacles are only challenges that we face to test our strength and leadership abilities. The life challenge I experienced was the unexpected death of my father. His death is what motivated me to pursue a degree in nursing. My family and I were in shock that our lives had changed overnight after my father passed away. My father’s death revealed the importance of volunteering and community service. Losing my father affected my family emotionally and financially. My mother became a single parent of five overnight. Having one parent take care of the house, manage the bills, and pay for the needs of five children can be very challenging. After my father passed away unexpectedly, the community rallied around my family to support us in various ways. Several people we did not know brought meals to our house each day, and some provided monetary gifts. Although this was unsolicited and unexpected, the way people volunteered to help us was a huge blessing. Service to others is one of my core beliefs. I plan to volunteer during college and continue to pay it forward throughout my adult life. I have been a recipient of community service and understand the impact it has on individuals and families. The interesting thing about volunteering is that you do not have to know the people you are serving. My family moved to Texas, and a year later my father passed away. My mother did not know a lot of people personally; however, my brothers were all involved in sports. Different people would provide us food each day, put money in our mailbox and take care of different errands my mother needed. All of these were a great help to my family. It was shocking because we did not know them, but that is what community service is all about – serving others who are in need. For this reason, community service has always been and will always be important to me. I plan to continue to volunteer in the community and in other countries. There are several areas within and outside of the United States that do not have sufficient medical care or an efficient medical system. The education I receive in the nursing field will help me make a positive change by allowing me to provide medical assistance during volunteer community health fairs and outreach events, on the medical team at my church, and on the medical staff for missions’ trips. The school in my area have back to school events each year. At these events, there are several organizations that provide free items such as school supplies and backpacks. The most important aspect of these events are healthcare volunteers provide free physical exams, which is one way I plan to volunteer as an adult medical professional. At my church, there is a medical team that volunteers on a rotational basis each week to provide medical assistance to anyone in need during services. This is another area I plan to volunteer my services. Missions’ trips will also be a way I volunteer. I plan to provide medical assistance to those in need who live in other countries.

Life challenges and obstacles are primary elements that can test character and shape core values. The definition of obstacle has a different meaning to everyone. In most cases an obstacle can be a challenging setback in life. I have overcome many life challenges that made me a stronger person and propelled me to demonstrate leadership. Chadwick Boseman once stated, “The challenges we face along the way are only meant to shape us for our purpose.” Obstacles are only challenges that we face to test our strength and leadership abilities. The life challenge I experienced was the unexpected death of my father. His death is what motivated me to pursue a degree in nursing. My family and I were in shock that our lives had changed overnight after my father passed away. My father’s death revealed the importance of volunteering and community service. Losing my father affected my family emotionally and financially. My mother became a single parent of five overnight. Having one parent take care of the house, manage the bills, and pay for the needs of five children can be very challenging. After my father passed away unexpectedly, the community rallied around my family to support us in various ways. Several people we did not know brought meals to our house each day, and some provided monetary gifts. Although this was unsolicited and unexpected, the way people volunteered to help us was a huge blessing. Service to others is one of my core beliefs. I plan to volunteer during college and continue to pay it forward throughout my adult life. I have been a recipient of community service and understand the impact it has on individuals and families. The interesting thing about volunteering is that you do not have to know the people you are serving. My family moved to Texas, and a year later my father passed away. My mother did not know a lot of people personally; however, my brothers were all involved in sports. Different people would provide us food each day, put money in our mailbox and take care of different errands my mother needed. All of these were a great help to my family. It was shocking because we did not know them, but that is what community service is all about – serving others who are in need. For this reason, community service has always been and will always be important to me. I plan to continue to volunteer in the community and in other countries. There are several areas within and outside of the United States that do not have sufficient medical care or an efficient medical system. The education I receive in the nursing field will help me make a positive change by allowing me to provide medical assistance during volunteer community health fairs and outreach events, on the medical team at my church, and on the medical staff for missions’ trips. The school in my area have back to school events each year. At these events, there are several organizations that provide free items such as school supplies and backpacks. The most important aspect of these events are healthcare volunteers provide free physical exams, which is one way I plan to volunteer as an adult medical professional. At my church, there is a medical team that volunteers on a rotational basis each week to provide medical assistance to anyone in need during services. This is another area I plan to volunteer my services. Missions’ trips will also be a way I volunteer. I plan to provide medical assistance to those in need who live in other countries.

A life experience that influenced my development and desire to go to college is the unexpected death of my father. Losing my father affected my family emotionally and financially. My mother became a single parent of five overnight. Having one parent to take care of the house, manage the bills and pay for the needs of five children can be very challenging. My family and I were in shock that our lives had changed so traumatically overnight; however, through that experience my mother supported each one of us and still inspires us to keep moving forward. She consistently reminds me it is okay to feel hurt, sad, mad, confused, and emotional throughout the grieving process. As a young lady in today’s society my mother inspires me to demonstrate courage, perseverance, leadership, and faith in the midst of challenges. Chadwick Boseman once stated, “The challenges we face along the way are only meant to shape us for our purpose.” Losing my father unexpectedly overnight played a major part in shaping me into the person I am today and preparing me for the next steps in my future. This experience helped me realize that life is short, and I must go after my dreams now. Throughout my time in overcoming the sudden death of my father, my courage, perseverance, leadership abilities and faith in God have greatly increased. My mother instilled faith and courage as two of my core beliefs. My upbringing in the church is how I develop my strong faith. I choose to show leadership at church by serving. Serving and helping others keeps me from focusing on the negative impact of my situation. I serve in several different areas, including children’s church, women’s conferences, and the audio-visual team. Having courage during times of fear, worry and doubt has helped me during this journey without a father. My mother inspires me to demonstrate leadership by allowing me to make some of my own choices. In turn, I encourage others to make good choices and not be led by peer pressure. The journey of growing up without a father has been extremely hard because I am constantly around relatives and friends, watching them grow up with their fathers. However, it has given me perseverance and helped me show others that it is possible to keep moving forward in a positive direction. I have always known that I wanted a career that involves helping people. My passion is to become a nurse practitioner to ensure people get proper healthcare. There have been several instances where people have not been given proper care. With my degree, I want to contribute to changing this indecency within and outside of the United States. I want people to know their health matters by providing medical care to people of all ages. There are several areas within and outside of the United States do not have sufficient medical care or an efficient medical system. The education I receive in the nursing field will help me make a positive impact in my community by allowing me to provide medical assistance to others. I plan to not only work as a nurse but also volunteer and provide healthcare to those in need. One topic I would like to learn about in college apart from my field of study is psychology and counseling. Classes in this area will not only help me, but also allow me to help others in regards to mental health. Being able to provide physical and mental health care would be very beneficial. This journey of walking through life without a father has been extremely hard because I am constantly around my little cousins and friends, watching them grow up with their fathers. This experience made me show others that it is possible to keep moving forward in a positive way despite the obstacles faced in life. It also helped me to realize that life is short, and I have to go after my dreams now. Instead of allowing this situation to hinder my success, I use it as a catalyst to push me forward. I am proud to say that I will be graduating early from high school this May 2024, instead of May 2025.