Listening to angels, and following what I love. by Kiera

Listening to angels, and following what I love. by Kiera - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

Growing up the first thing the teacher typically asks you is " What do you want to be when you grow up? " Since I could remember I've always wanted a career where I could help people so my response would tend to be a doctor or a nurse. Sure there are plenty of reasons why I wanted to be a nurse or doctor but one reason is that growing up I always wanted to help everyone. I felt a calling I could not resist to assist those in need.

So many times would arise around me. I felt like I was forced into the gauntlet. If someone had a cut I would run to the bathroom and grab hydrogen peroxide, Band-Aids, triple antibiotics, and tissues. I would run around the house calling myself Dr. Kiera up until about the third grade. When the third grade hit my family was hit hard finding out my mom was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Being a curious little girl I questioned everything such as 'Why does mommy have tubes hanging out of her chest?" With my wandering mind when my mom's immune system was a little higher she would take me to some of her appointments. She would tell me it was therapeutic to watch the wonder in my eyes as the doctors and nurses performed their medical magic. Watching these doctors do everything and anything to save my mom's life made me fall in love with the career even more.

As I got older and more mature I realized this is what I want to pursue a career in. Another reason is that since I was about 12 years old I've had medical problems. As a very accident-prone child, whether it was me breaking my finger at softball or getting a concussion riding a longboard, I've always been in the hospital. After many hospital visits for accidents and being in and out of hospitals for unknown stomach problems, I've encountered nurses and doctors who made me feel good and bad. The goal I want to achieve with a nursing career is to put a smile on a child's face. To take the fear of going to the doctor away. I want to be that nurse who questions the unknown to help find a cure to some of these unknown problems and to get kids to be kids again. I am going to be a pediatric nurse because I have a love for children and young adults. More importantly, I believe that I can make things a little less scary for younger patients when doctors don't have all the answers.

All in all, I fell in love with this career and chose to study it because I want to be the nurse that I still remember when I got my first procedure done. I want to be the nurse who held my hand while my mom was getting radiation done back in 2013. I would love to be able to know I made a difference in someone's life by just simply doing my job. They say to do something you love and I love helping people and making them feel safe even when they may be in pain or scared.