“I want you to think about trash”. It seems like an absurd assignment but, in my sophomore year my AP World History teacher decided that for our first assignment we would think about the things we throw away. At first I was confused, but to my surprise, Mr. Russel was onto something. After hearing so many things about the rigor and the tenacity it takes to succeed in an AP class, I never imagined my first assignment would be to think about trash. Trash and history class? The idea seemed laughable; I believe I actually did laugh out loud. I went home with this assignment and mulled over what could be the possible motive for having your students think about trash. I first thought about my overuse of Q-tips, the piles and piles of protein shakes I throw away every month, and the amount of uneaten food I’ve wasted because I don’t have the heart to tell my mother I hate when she uses green peppers in her cooking. How do the things we throw away show our history?
I believe that trash isn’t limited to what we throw away. In some ways, trash can be the things we choose to keep. My mother is a hoarder—not literally—but from preschool to 12th grade she has not thrown away a single one of my assignments. Every finger-painted Mother’s Day card, Christmas ornament, school project, poster, essay, and book report are piled in a closet in the guest bedroom in what I like to call “The Ultimate Shrine to Angelina”. As I sat on the floor in the closet and went through the piles of multicolored paper, I thought back on Mr. Russel’s assignment. Think about trash. Is this trash? Maybe to a stranger, but these dusty pieces of construction paper are a tangible record of my growth; not to mention a beloved keepsake. Unlike the fossilized oyster shells Mr. Russel used to demonstrate how some early civilizations were organized, my second-grade hand turkey might not be around a million years from now. What can I leave behind that will make an impact?
Knowing your life’s purpose is as complicated as knowing what is waste and what is value. Which path of service do you take and how will what you contribute matter as much as or as little as a trivial hand turkey. For as long as I can remember I have been drawn to midwifery. To me, midwifery is about positively impacting people’s lives during a time that is intimate and personal. Childbirth like any major event in someone’s life, has the potential to be traumatic. Many people don’t realize that the collective experience of mother and baby at birth can affect how people make connections for the rest of their lives. As a nurse-midwife my efforts could create lasting impacts for families and determine the experiences felt through entire lineages. It is through this impact that I can leave behind something that isn’t trash, but a legacy of care that will echo through generations.
People are everywhere, they come from different places, backgrounds, jobs, and educations. Although, many of them have struggles in their life they don't talk about. I am passionate about helping people and helping them learn how to help themselves. I have a lot of love and empathy in my heart for others. I see many who are suffering in their mind and body and want to somehow have an impact on them. This is one of the main reasons I have chosen to go into nursing as my future profession and major. Nursing has such a spectrum of jobs to help heal others whether that be mentally or physically. As I go into the medical world I hope to experience all of it and be the best I can be. As I go throughout my life I know in this job I will learn something new every day. I will be able to meet new people and be an impact on them in different ways. No only that, but they will impact me. I want to show kindness and care in my job. I know it will not come without challenges, but I've seen so many amazing people overcome challenges and that inspires me. Obstacles can be challenging things that come in all different forms. Some can be more difficult than others and as humans, we can tend to give up and not ever overcome them. Although, that is not how I saw people I care for approach obstacles, so I don't want to either. I believe obstacles are things that in the end teach us a lesson. They make us better humans and more hardworking. I have what it takes to overcome obstacles because I want to know the end result. I want to know the lesson I'll learn from that obstacle so I can improve who I am. I then feel like I can use this in my career field to have a open minded to learning and also teach others. I grew up in a family of 7, and we went through many family and financial challenges. We had to leave the home we knew for eight years and start somewhere else. Although, I wouldn't be who I am now if that event hadn't happened. I struggled to make friends, but along the way learned about myself and how I wanted to help others in the future. Giving back is something I feel every able person should do. Being blessed the way I am I want to be able to bless others and maybe even make their life less strenuous on them. I say all of this to futher explain my passion for learning through struggle, and reason behind nursing. Unlike many careers this is one where you could be seeing someone's worst or best day. There are an array of helping people in tragedy or bringing life into this world. I have some life experience to be an encourager, but also know I will learn even more. Obstacles challenge me to grow and people inspire me to learn. This is why I chose to pursue nursing.
