Dream Chaser by Haley

Dream Chaser by Haley - December 2014 Scholarship Essay

Over Thanksgiving, I received the sweetest gift from my seven year old cousin, a little book all about what he was grateful for. One of the pages said, “I’m thankful for the trees because they give us shrup [syrup].” It reminded me of the projects I did back in grade school. The activities I remember the most consisted of learning sounds, counting to one-hundred in various ways, and the precise technique of drawing a star, which I still use to this day. The knowledge I acquired built year after year and concepts blended together. Overall, school came fairly easy to me. I was a part of the gifted and talented program, and my teachers let me help other students when I completed my work, but with my limited knowledge about the world, I wanted to be a cheerleader when I grew up until I hit a major turning point in my life.

When I was nine years old, I was on a camping trip with my family when we received a phone call. My grandma, who is one of my best friends, had been admitted to the hospital in critical condition. I felt anxious, yet captivated by everything in her hospital room. It was hard to understand that my Gram was fighting for her life and even harder to see all the bags of fluids and tubes going every-which-way. I desperately wanted to help her, but I didn’t understand what was happening, so I started asking questions. “What is this bag of stuff going through this tube? What is this number on this monitor over here? How does she eat and drink?” I became mesmerized by health care and helping people. Ever since those long days at the hospital, I transitioned from my childhood dreams of becoming a cheerleader to pursuing a career within the medical field.

Because of this interest, my grandma arranged for me to watch one of her surgeries from the observation room. Not many nine year old girls would be too thrilled to see her grandmother get tubes added to her liver, but I wasn’t the average child. The doctors made me feel right at home. They would walk over and point out certain organs to me. I remember watching the monitor and seeing the doctors and nurses work together to pull a tube out. I admired their teamwork because I love being a part of a team myself. It added to my interest surrounding the medical field.

At the end of my junior year, I wanted to see if I could get some practical experience in the medical field, but living in a small, rural Nevada community, I struggled to find opportunities until I discovered the Horizon Center, an organization affiliated with Hospice that helps families through the grieving process of losing a loved one. I participated in training and now facilitate for the three to eight year old group. I also help with a grief group at my high school. Although it is heartbreaking, helping these kids is the most emotionally fulfilling experience. I have learned more about my passion for helping kids, and I enjoy working with them, even in difficult situations. My dream is to combine my love of both medicine and children by becoming a pediatrician.

Education has driven me to learn more about medicine. Throughout my years of high school, I have taken advantage of the sciences classes offered. I learned about the basics of organisms in biology my sophomore year, and took four science classes my junior year. I am currently taking AP Psychology and continue to be fascinated by the human body. Education has shaped my dreams and aspirations, and pushed me to set reasonable goals for myself in order to succeed.