What part of a college experience will you be most thankful for, and why? by Sammy

What part of a college experience will you be most thankful for, and why? by Sammy - November 2016 Scholarship Essay

After I graduate college, I will look back at my experiences and will be most thankful for earning my Nursing degree. This experience will stick out to me the most because I will have finally stepped into the big world, be dependent on myself (and only myself), and will apply all of the lessons that I have learned to the real world. Earning my nursing degree has always been a huge dream of mine and I feel that it would be a college experience that I would be most thankful for.

My little sister, Harper was born with a rare skin condition called Harlequin Ichthyosis (HI). The possibility of a baby born with HI is a 1 in 700,000 chance. The mortality rate of HI is a 50% chance and knowing that my little sister could be taken over by this skin condition was awfully scary, but it change my perspective on life. Nothing you do can be taken for granite because it can be taken away from you so easily. In recent days, Harper just turned one year old which is a huge milestone for my family and she is improving each and every day. Although Harlequin Ichthyosis is incurable, Harper has defied many odds, and continues to do so.

While Harper was at Seattle Children's in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), I got to interact with many nurses and doctors from around the United States. Being able to converse with such a smart and sociable group of individuals, it really comforted me through the hard time.

After conversing with the doctors and nurses, whom I saw 2-3 times a day, my dream of becoming a nurse had been confirmed and I realized that this is what I want to do. I want to help families in hard times, care for their loved ones, and be able to enjoy it all at the same time. That is my true motivation for earning my college degree, as a registered nurse (RN) and later, getting my Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN).

That is the true college experiences that I will be thankful for.