Amber Lott’s Health Heroes Scholarship

Imagine being raised in a community where you have a 35.7% chance of graduating with your high school diploma, then being told that you have approximately a 13.5% chance of graduating with your associates degree from the local community college. Then you decide you want to pursue a degree in nursing where you (a male) make up less than 12% of all registered nurses. Lastly, you factor in that you are a hispanic male, which means you would represent less than 1% of registered nurses who identify the same as you. You may think going against those odds would sway someone away from chasing their dreams, well not me. I see it as a challenge to be great, to motivate, and to prove that people from my community are more than a statistic and when given the chance, we can achieve anything we put our mind to. Being raised as a first generation Mexican American, meaning my parents migrated to the United States from Mexico, that alone gave me a sense of responsibility to strive for success. My parents risked everything just to give my siblings and I a better chance at life. My siblings have always motivated me and set the standard. For example, my brother became and engineer, my sisters became registered nurses, and I myself have accomplished a few things such as, becoming a firefighter, a paramedic, and now set to graduate from the same nursing school my wife and sisters graduated from. The desire to make my wife, my parents, and my siblings proud is what drives me each and every day. As a hispanic male nurse, I would be able to help the community that helped raise me. I would be someone in the hospital that the patients could relate to, not be intimidated by, and someone that they can confide in when they are at their most vulnerable state. I would also be able to bridge the language barrier gap for the hispanic patients. With Dallas being 71% minority now, I would be someone that can relate to the majority of the patient population. I take pride in my patient care and I know that my patients would appreciate having someone like me at their bedside. For the kids who may look like me, that come from a community like mine, that have to overcome poverty, that have to battle the everyday struggles of staying out trouble, and that have to fight the stigma of being educated isn’t “Cool”. I want to be a representation of who they can become, of my community, and of someone who never gave up on their dreams even if the odds were always stacked against them. I hope to someday be an advocate for the kids that don’t have the means to pursue a higher education. I hope to be proof that when a kid from an urban community is given the chance to succeed, they will exceed expectations and achieve their goals. I love the fact that this scholarship is geared towards helping minority students with the same goals as myself. If I’m fortunate enough to receive this scholarship, I’d use it to pay for my tuition, NCLEX preparation classes, and licensing expenses. It would relieve the stress of having to work extra hours all while attending clinical and trying to find the time study for exams. It would allow me to solely focus on the task at hand, which is graduating nursing school. I hope that my aspirations and dedication to help others was felt. It is what makes this profession so rewarding and enjoyable.

Hello my name is Tiana Maloney and I am currently a nursing student at Houston Community College. My journey thus far in college has been very challenging, yet rewarding knowing that I will continue towards my goal of obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. My ultimate goal is to pursue a career as a registered nurse, however I have had many obstacles thrown my way. My ideal plan for my life was to attend Stephen F. Austin State University, obtain my bachelors of science in nursing by 2019 and become an amazing nurse residing in Houston, however things don't always go as planned. When the time came to apply for nursing school I applied to Prairie View A&M nursing program. I got accepted and started my journey with them in January of 2019. While in this program I was working trying to maintain life, dealing with my parents, moving out on my own, taking out loan after loan, and studying long hours. In my 2nd out of 5th semester in this program I ended up failing a class by 0.2 points and I had to retake it, which put me a semester behind. I retook the class the following semester and my focus was just handling my business so I can get out of school. Then, COVID-19 has hit and everything changed.The following semester, I failed another course as well and was dismissed from the program. It’s like everything I’ve been working so hard for has gone down the drain. Even with so many roadblocks that came my way, I still plan on pursuing a career in nursing. I eventually changed my major and graduated with my Bachelors of Science in Health on December 11, 2021. Now, I have been given a chance to pursue nursing again at Houston Community College and I couldn't be more happy. Growing up, I’ve been told education is the key to success and I try to connect my passion for education with my desire for helping others. I made the decision to become a registered nurse (RN) at the age of eight. At that stage of my life my grandmother was ill with Congestive Heart Failure and diabetes, which she later passed away from in the year of 2007. She is the reason that I am motivated to help others gain strength, both emotionally and physically for their well-being. A few years from now I see myself giving a helping hand to those in need. Each day people are rushed to hospitals frequently and it will be my pleasure to one day be the reason that someone is still alive. I want to be that nurse that turns frowns upside down. Therefore, I think that pursuing a career in the healthcare field as a nurse is the right position for me. I have an opportunity to assist with one’s health conditions and medical needs. At this point I am devoted to nursing and I want the opportunity to experience one on one with my patients. Who knows, maybe in ten years I will also have children who I will then teach to help others who are in need as well and make an impact in my community!

My Real Life “Operation” “Buzzz,” during his operation, Cavity Sam’s body vibrates. His nose flashes bright red, as my tweezers mistakenly poke the sides of his injuries. As a young girl, I often amused myself with a classic game of Operation and never would I have thought that playing this game would be the birth of my passion to help those in need of care. I thought to myself, if I could repair the ailments of a fictitious man, couldn’t I restore the health of real-life people? Fast forward to the summer of 2019, as I walked into my great aunt’s residential care home, my heart sank. She was struggling to fight breast cancer, the disease that was stealing her strength and examining her weakened body was painful to watch. Two years later, in the hospital room, my grandmother watched her sister slowly succumb to breast cancer after fighting for many years. Knowing all that my great aunt had endured, since being diagnosed with breast cancer, only fueled an even greater desire in me to make a difference in my community through healthcare. Unquestionably, helping to relieve a family from losing a loved one would be the highlight of my career as a nurse. For the most part, children have an idea of what they want to be when they grow up. Specifically for me, it was a doctor. Going to the pediatrician and playing with toy medical kits also helped in leading me to this proposition. Not only that, but as I progressed in school, I recognized the admiration I had for science and the complexities of the human body. My parents only began to increasingly support the idea of me going to medical school and becoming the doctor I always dreamed of being. Nonetheless, I made it my goal to broaden my options and look into other career opportunities in healthcare. I explored careers such as occupational therapy, a physician assistant, and many others, but none captivated me like nursing did. Not everyone can afford the care of a physician and seeking a nurse practitioner can be more convenient and cost-efficient. There is a continual demand for nurses and getting my education to become a registered nurse and later a nurse practitioner will help those in my community who desperately need medical care. The cost of education definitely serves as a burden to my goal of becoming a nurse practitioner, which is why this scholarship would considerably assist me in pursuing my dreams. As I continue my college career, this opportunity would definitely open up the door for me to have more financial freedom to afford the extra books and supplies necessary for nursing school. To be honest, finances are a real stressor and concern while I have been in college and as I am beginning nursing school next month, so this scholarship will be a blessing as it will help me afford the high cost of education and enhance my experience throughout nursing school. Ultimately, my goal is to use my efforts to help those in need through quality and efficient patient care. As someone who has always been fascinated by health care, I choose to continue on the path I have set up for myself to graduate with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. Destined to put smiles on the faces of people that require my care, I am determined to make my mark on healthcare and winning this scholarship would serve as a catalyst for me to do just that. And to think it all began with a simple game of Operation.