Since I was young, I have always loved helping and caring for others. I started to find my passion for health care in early adolescence, and I am grateful to say I owe it all to my role model. My grandmother has been a nurse for 37 years. She is the strongest woman I know and I sometimes wonder how she still does it after all this time. My grandmother inspired a lot of my other family members to be involved in this field as well. I know it is not an easy field to get into, so I started putting in the work early. During my junior year of high school, I began taking EMT classes once a week for a few months. At first, I truly struggled, for it was hard to balance school work, extracurriculars, and EMT work. Nevertheless, my grandmother helped me push through, she told me that it might be hard right now, but it will be worth it soon. I learned to manage my time, how to work diligently, and most importantly, a lot of information that will benefit me in my future career choice as a nurse. One of the most memorable parts during this experience was the practical tests, which simulate what it is like to be on the job. Going through the motions of what it is like to care for someone in need of help felt so real and so right. I knew I was meant to do it. This training also simulated the “call to action” feeling of being a lifeguard. I have worked as a lifeguard for a few summers now and I love the feeling of keeping people safe and healthy. That job also kindled my passion for this field. At first, it scared me to be in such an important position. But, as soon as I made my first save, I knew I was doing something right. On my last day of EMT class, we were doing dry runs for the practical test, which I was officially taking the next day. I had been so overloaded with work from school and the intensive class that I failed almost every dry run. That night I stood outside my class after everyone was gone and I questioned my future in the healthcare field. I remembered that this was my dream and was not something I could just give up on. I studied every word of every page of notes I had written in class that night. At that moment, health care was the only thing in my life and I did not have anything else on my mind. The next day, I walked into the test and passed every station. This is when I learned that only at your lowest do you see what you are really capable of. I love to be able to learn something and continue to physically apply it. That’s why I believe nursing would be a great fit for me. This job would combine my love for caring for others, with my passion for learning something new every day. I’m excited to begin my newest endeavor at college where I can finally start learning more about nursing. I know it will not be easy, but I know I am working for something I have dreamt about since I was a kid. I hope to someday inspire others the way my grandmother inspired me and continues to every day.