One of my personal statements (2021)

It’s been 15 years since I became a Type One Diabetic and 14 years and 364 days since I’ve wanted to become a nurse. I’ll be the first to admit that I did not grow up around medical professionals like other people in my classes. My grandma was a nurse at one point before I was born but was not practicing by the time I grew up. Most of my life has been focused on the medical field of life though. I grew up going in and out of hospitals, doctors’ visits, needles and so much blood. Since I was 8 years old, I’ve always admired the nurses that have helped me feel like the worst days of my life weren’t that bad. 

After getting diagnosed with diabetes my life took a turn in how I saw the world, but by the time I turned 10 I was deep into research, fundraisers, and advocating for all kinds of people. By 2018 I had raised over $50,000 for a fundraiser called JDRF to find a cure for Type One Diabetes, gotten a team of over 100 people together to take a stand to finding a cure, and advocated through hosting seminars at schools around me. In high school I ran a club dedicated to helping high school students navigate mental health issues and negative effects the world around us had on the younger generation. I have also volunteered at homeless shelters, children toy fundraisers and other programs to give back to those who cannot afford to stay afloat in the current society. 

Academically I have worked hard as well, both inside the classroom and out of it. I took a couple of outside medical classes including anatomy and physiology, understanding neuroscience, and sports medicine to get a better understanding of the specialty I would like to go into after I get my license. These classes taught me things my high school classes would not have been able to, and I’ve been able to take these lessons in the real world and help others. 

I was fortunate enough to play sports growing up and learned many life lessons that have helped shape me into who I am now. I was on a few sports teams all the way through high school, these included cheerleading, dance, volleyball, and golf. However, cheerleading was the one that taught me the most. I strived to be the best version of myself and become the leader I wanted to see captains be. Through this leadership opportunity I learned how to be a hard worker and practice harder than everyone to improve myself and others. I learned that patience and communication are two of the most important things necessary to hold a team together. I also learned that to improve yourself and others constructive criticism is important; you have to be able to kindly give it and be able to accept that mistakes happen, and everyone has something to work on.  

Since I was younger, I’ve always loved kids, along with being diagnosed and spending a lot of time on the pediatrics flow. I can't imagine doing anything but taking care of kids and their parents. I have the understanding that even though the child is in the hospital the parents are a huge part of the child getting better. I also understand that parents do not always understand what is going on and have the experience to be able to educate both the parents and children in a way that they can understand. Beyond that though I know through conversations that just because I think one way is where I will end up, doesn’t mean I will end up there and cannot wait to explore all the different ways nurses help patients and their families. I believe nursing school with help me pursue my passions but allow me to expand my knowledge and help other people in a capacity I would not be able to do in other professions.