In my opinion nursing is one of the most important professions, right next to teaching and keeping our country and the people of our country safe. My parents have blessed me with the opportunity to see this in our day to day life. My mother currently works as a special ed preschool teacher and has for the past 10 years. My Father worked as a lieutenant for the Albuquerque police department for 22 years. Both of these professions have shown me how selfless acts drive and impact our community. I inspire to help the world around me the same way they have. I'm currently in nursing school and the University of New Mexico. I'm blessed to be a part of the nursing school program called freshman direct entry where you can start nursing school as a freshman rather than a traditional sophomore entry. Once I'm done with this program I plan on working as a pediatric ER and trauma nurse. Since my mom is a preschool teacher I have been exposed to the youth population for a long time, past this I also regularly babysit and am around the pediatric age range. I have felt I can make the biggest impact by working with this because I am able to connect best with this age group. They are the most influenceable population that have the biggest ability to effect the world and make true change in the future. This drives me even further to help this population and help them grow into strong brave people. I believe working as a nurse in any way though you will be making an impact. You have the ability to change lives and make a difference in your community. I am so lucky to have the drive to make this change. Through struggles I have been able to keep this drive. My mom was diagnosed with cancer my Sophomore year of high school which showed me what real fighting is and how important it is to keep a positive mindset through hard times which has also affected my view on nursing. No matter how hard things get, it's important to keep a positive mind and realize how much you can affect the people around you.

To begin, there are many reasons the nursing industry interests me. Going back to when I was just a toddler I always carried a sense of empathy and kindness with me everywhere, taking care of anything that appeared sad or in need. This started, in my opinion, a few of the most important characteristics a person can have, empathy, kindness, and passion for helping. Throughout my youth I faced a lot of family struggles, from my parents divorce to my mom receiving a cancer diagnosis while I was in high school. At the same time a lot of these major life events happened I was facing severe mental health struggles that soon became life threatening leading me to taking medication. I do not tell you this though for pity, I say all this to prove that these life experiences have led me to wanting to become a nurse and change lives. Even though while in nursing you take care of the body, more importantly you take care of the soul. You have the power as a nurse to talk to and interact with patients on a daily basis where you have the ability to change lives and shape negative experiences into positive ones. I have personally felt I have had the blessing to shape multiple lives so far. I am a registered CNA where I have worked with two long term care facilities. This gave me more than just an insight into the nursing world but the possibilities that come from being there for people in need. In my free time I also volunteer with the Rio Grande Down Syndrome Network where I am able to make wonderful connections with people that have not disabilities but beautiful abilities. I'm currently a student at the University of New Mexico. I'm blessed to be in their Freshman Direct Entry Nursing program where I have started nursing school my freshmen year instead of the traditional sophomore entry. This program will give me the ability to be a registered nurse by 21 where I plan on working with children in the pediatric ER and Trauma unit at UNMH which has been a life time goal. UNMs Freshman Direct Entry 2025 Cohort has 100 lucky students and I have the opportunity to be one. More than 1000 seniors in high school apply for this program with only 100 being chosen and being one of the 100 is one of my biggest academic accomplishments. I am more than blessed to have had these opportunities and I know no matter what life throws at me I will be able to get through it with my empathy, kindness and passion for helping others.

I hope to whom ever this may concern, this essay is finding you well. I am currently a senior at Cibola High School. I participate in clubs such as KeyClub, MESA, National Honor Society, Senate ( student government), Automotive club, Best Buddies and Peer Helpers. I currently am a powerlifter but have also played football and track and field. When I am not participating in school activities you can find me in my local youth group, hanging out with friends and family, studying for school or sewing my handmade zipper pouches. I have a very strong passion for mental health and the well being of my peers. In the first semester of my junior year a student at Cibola, Jason Berry, committed suicide. I had a full day of classes but I didn't find out about the incident until my last period of the day. It was there and then I realized the true stigma around mental health and suicide prevention at Cibola. After expressing this to my teacher she saw how frustrated I was about the situation and encouraged me to send a email to admin requesting change. I had sent a email to the new principal, Dr. Finke by the end of the period where I was able to lay out my thoughts and the changes I wanted to see. Within the week of sending that email we had a meeting to discuss what changes could be made. From there we created a Mental Health Round table to start making changes. I started by presenting the ideas of doing things such as encouraging note on the mirrors and getting prevention hotlines posted around school. After over a year we have jump started our first school wide project. This up coming April I will be hosting Cibola's first mental health fair where organizations like Transgender resource center, Planned ParentHood, Keep NM Alive, APD, and The Grief Center ( which are just a few of the 40 organizations) will attend. I am hoping that Cibola Students will have the chance to be given resources that could potentially change and/or even save their life. We are hoping to continue this fair in the following years since we have already seen a positive impact. I have personally struggled with anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies myself. All of these struggles have truly changed my life and have inspired me to help others. Helping others learn that they are not alone and that there are resources and groups out there that are willing to help is something I want to carry on through-out college and into my future career as a nurse. No one deserves to feel hopeless, no matter the situation.