Enter to Learn Depart to Serve by Jacelyn

Enter to Learn Depart to Serve by Jacelyn - August 2024 Scholarship Essay

As a child I acquired many injuries. Often the normal bumps and bruises children get when playing, but as an athlete I also had many strains, sprains, and even the need for casts and crutches. My most serious injury didn’t come from my time in the gym however, but just in playing with a friend I managed to end up with the tip of my middle finger cut off. Recovery took over 6 weeks and several disturbing, scary hospital visits. While I feared what would come of my ability to cheer or the way people might judge me for my new missing digit, the nurses responsible for me remained joyful with each visit by cracking jokes and helping to comfort me. They assured me that everything would be okay until soon I had returned to flipping, cartwheeling, and playing per usual. Now that I’m older I’ve realized how those experiences have shaped me. Babysitting and treating younger family members or teammates with their own injuries, I saw how I can be impactful to young children who need medical attention just as I did. In my future I aim to be the caring and supportive face they see during those scary times. Letting them know that they will be safe in my care and the care of the doctors treating them, just as other nurses were there for me. The treatment I received was just one of many experiences that would help shape my educational and career goals.

For all of us the pandemic provided both positive and negative experiences. Personally
as a freshman entering high school, I was faced with having to miss out on what felt like one of the most pivotal times in a teenager’s life, but it also helped me understand my needs in connection to my education. The pandemic started towards the middle of my eighth-grade year, and like many of my fellow students and administrators I believed that we would only have to take a minor two week break due to the rise in an unknown sickness. Little did I know the big impact this virus would have on my life. As Covid raged on keeping us all in our homes, the beginning of my ninth-grade year was filled with many difficulties. As other students were found to have an easier experience working from home, I was struggling. Without in person communication and connections with both instructors and my peers, I lacked the drive and help I felt was necessary in my studies. I would describe myself as a hands-on learner, thus I needed to be able to access learning resources in person to fully grasp the material. Sitting in front of a computer rushing to take notes as we breezed through endless instructional slides never felt sufficient. I am appreciative of the struggles I faced that school year though because it showed me the type of learning environment I do not want, and what’s important for my future education. Getting back I the classroom I used the tools I learned about myself during the pandemic. Although already on the honor roll as a freshman I increased my GPA in my sophomore year. I also earned Principal’s honor roll with a 4.0 gpa or higher my junior year and each quarter of my senior year.

Nursing is a highly competitive field. So, in order to reach my full potential and earn a
degree, I need a school with a top program as well as hands-on access to the best resources. I applied and was accepted at several institutions, both historically black colleges and universities and non HBCU’s and decided on Winston-Salem State University (WSSU). A university that could provide those things and made me feel as though my dreams were attainable. The WSSU motto is ‘enter to learn, depart to serve’, and their curriculum is designed to immediately put graduating students in the workplace. They are ranked in the top 18% of accredited nursing programs and their students have an 88% passing rate to become board certified. Most importantly, at WSSU class sizes are small enough for me to form personal relationships with professors and maintain that hands-on method of learning proven to benefit me most. Joining this top-rated program at WSSU will give me the opportunity to fulfill my aspirations of becoming a registered nurse in the pediatric ward of a hospital, and perhaps one day a Nurse Practitioner.

In 2023 my mother was in a major accident that required two emergency spinal surgeries.
Throughout her recovery I took on many difficult tasks assisting her. Even aiding her in baths, which reinforced for me the importance of competent and caring nurses. Currently she has still not been approved for disability or state financial assistance. As a single parent and sole provider, not being physically able to work for the better part of a year has been difficult. It means my family does not have the funds to cover many essentials, including the cost of my college education. Though it will not solve the problem in and of itself, if I am selected for this scholarship, it will greatly assist in attaining my goals. Putting me that much closer to learning from the best, in efforts to become the best, and bring that care and competency back to my community.