Eric Maurice Brandon Memorial Scholarship

My parents fled from El Salvador during the Salvadoran Civil War. My family saw bodies in the street and many others were wounded with a need to be cared for. Many were left to suffer because there were not enough nurses to provide for the many needing care. My aunt became a nurse during this war and helped provide care for the injured. She serves as an inspiration to me and a large part of why I want to become a nurse. She took up a career to nurse those most in need during a critical period. This is why I am interested in being an ICU nurse. I want to help those in the most dire need to help to recover from their ailments. I want to make a lasting positive impact on their recovery because of the care I will provide. I am passionate about this because getting to see the injured recover and get better day by day is a privilege. Being trusted to care for the most ill patients is a responsibility that I will gladly take. Nursing is a career filled with challenge after challenge. No two are the same, but they are all enriching experiences in their own right. Each challenge gives you more insight into how the human body works. Each challenge lets you give the next patient more competent care. This culminates in ultimately bettering the health of the community you live in. I am pursuing nursing to help the world become a healthier place. At this point in my nursing journey, I am about to begin my Junior year as a first-generation college student. I have completed my first semester of clinical rotations and have already reaped the reward of helping people take care of their everyday needs in a long-term care facility and while in a hospital. I have even taken up a job as a nurse's aide in a hospital which will help me provide more competent care when I become a nurse. These experiences have only further fueled my desire to help those in need. Pursuing nursing is more extensive than any surface benefits. To me, it is about positively impacting the lives of those I provide care for. Nursing is a combination of many of my interests wrapped into one career. I get to provide competent care, educate patients and families, and support those in need through their most difficult challenges. I will wield this privilege while smiling because I will be helping people recover and get back to living their lives.