Becoming a registered nurse is my ultimate goal in life, an aspiration that keeps me driven every day. I am a sophomore nursing student at Emmanuel College in Boston, where I have already gained valuable nursing skills and medical knowledge after just one short year. With the help of my professors whom I have formed strong relationships with as well as my many supportive classmates, I have excelled in my nursing education, earning a 4.0 GPA across each of my courses. This coming school year I will be venturing into subjects like Pathopharmocology as well as partaking in my first clinical rotations, where my nursing experiences will truly begin. When I am asked why I chose to pursue a career in nursing, a few motives come to mind. In the past few years, my family has experienced the loss of close relatives due to a variety of medical complications, such as pancreatic cancer. Witnessing their devoted nurses who showed selfless care around the clock was my first exposure to the importance of nursing and the many roles they play for patients and their families, and I was inspired to do the same for other families in need much like my own. As I did more research on nursing and toured nursing colleges, I discovered the lack of male nurses worldwide, in addition to the already severe nursing shortage. This further motivated me to pursue nursing, and have since become a passionate advocate for more men to consider the field, hoping to help other men look past common stereotypes that otherwise may discourage them. Recently, I experienced some medical troubles of my own for the first time. Being diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis was an unexpected life obstacle for me and my family, and presented new responsibilities and challenges that we will have to maintain going forward. A small pain in my right hip soon became excruciating and prevented me from moving my leg, forcing me to be hospitalized for a week during my second semester. I was taken care of day and night by a team of dedicated and kind nurses at Boston Children's Hospital, many of whom were fellow undergraduate students on clinical. I told them I too was pursuing nursing, and I got to hear firsthand stories of their experiences. During this time my desire to become a nurse grew even stronger, seeing the care I will be able to show others in just a few short years. Despite my great ambitions to become a nurse, I was never truly sure of what type of nursing to pursue. I plan to become a travel nurse, but have lacked a specific area I know I would like to specialize in. It was during my stay in the hospital that I formed my first idea of the kind of nurse I want to be--a pediatric nurse. In the past, I have had the great opportunity to teach a CCD class to a group of elementary school students, as well as tutor students around the same age in subjects of Math and English. I was able to form close bonds with my students, and enjoyed seeing the smiles on their faces as they became excited to learn and have a friend by their side when they were struggling. As a traveling pediatric nurse, like the ones who served me, I will be able to continue to care for and guide children through adversity, now seeing their smiles on a much larger scale as I help heal the ones who need it the very most across the globe.

The idea to become a nurse first came to me after watching my father lose both of his parents. Growing up, I have been taught and shown the value of kindness, and have been able to demonstrate it myself through countless community service and leadership opportunities throughout my life. As I had grown accustomed to helping others around me, it came as quite a shock when my own family was next in need of kindness. My grandfather passed away at the age of 90, and my grandmother's progressive dementia is an ongoing loss happening in slow motion. It hurt to see my family experience such grief, and it wasn't until this moment that I truly understood the importance of kindness in times of need. Thankfully, the nurses that served by their side were always there for support. They showed us selfless care and compassion, ensuring we were comforted as we handled losses for the first time. I saw the same values of kindness I hold close in these nurses, and was inspired to do the same. As a nurse, I will be able to show kindness on a large scale to countless families in need, working alongside fellow nurses who share the same life values as a team. Currently, I am enrolled in Emmanuel College's nursing program where I will be provided with the training necessary to become the most versatile nurse I can be. In the heart of Boston, I will be attending clinical rotations at some of the best hospitals in the world, and already have made many like-minded friends within the program. In just a semester, I have met many people of different ethnicity and socioeconomic background than my own, many of whom are less fortunate than me. This revelation has caused me to take interest in travel nursing, a career where I will be able to learn more about areas of the world that are suffering and contribute to healing them firsthand, taking my impact on the nursing profession to a national and even global level. Being a male student, I quickly realized I was outnumbered by my female classmates. It shocked me to learn just how few undergraduate and professional male nurses there are, in a workforce already one million short. Having had the recent opportunity to research a subject of my choosing, I decided to learn more about the root of this gender imbalance. I discovered how many men feel discouraged to become nurses, a career that does not align with their traditional societal gender role, and how stereotypes surrounding male nurses hurt confidence. I have become quite passionate about this issue, often discussing my experiences and career goals with others to spread awareness. In addition to achieving my goal to provide care for those who need it most in the world, I am motivated to become a representative for male nurses as well, acting as a role model for young men interested in the profession as well as educating others away from stereotypes.

Kindness above all else fuels my life. Since I was young, I have been taught the importance of showing kindness to all, and have had countless opportunities to demonstrate this quality growing up. I am grateful for my years of mentoring and being a friend to students with disabilities, helping them excel and gain confidence while I learned to be a leader, spread kindness, and find myself at the same time. I will never forget the many people who gave me these opportunities, as well as the programs I am thankful to have been a part of. These experiences are what allowed me to truly find my "fuel", helping all those in need, and the support that friendships provide. The past few years have been an extremely difficult time for my family. A personal battle with anxiety came without warning and built towering walls between me and the things that used to bring me joy. The love from family and friends was how I was able to overcome my struggles, breaking down the walls with newfound confidence. During my struggles, suddenly losing beloved relatives was something no one in my family was prepared for. Throughout their battles, I watched the nurses and healthcare workers by their sides, inspired by the kindness and selflessness they showed our family in our time of grief. I knew I wanted to do the same, to follow my passion for spreading kindness to all in my future as a confident nurse as well as a leader. I will be able to give back and make the world around me a happier and healthier place, fueled by the care, kindness, and help that I know I am providing for all those in need alongside my nursing colleagues and friends, who all share this same passion.

To me, attaining confidence is likely the most crucial thing someone can accomplish. My personal experience has not been a smooth ride, there have been countless bumps and obstacles in the road that I often did not see coming. I was always more reserved, and usually, it took time for me to make friends. I've always had this difficulty with me at every age, and only as I grew older I would recognize the impact of it. The struggles started small, such as making new friends entering middle school, but when they began to take larger and more specific forms, I was left frustrated and confused. I was suddenly overcome by something; I could no longer ride my favorite ride at the fair, I couldn't enjoy myself at the school dance. Anxiety makes itself present abruptly, giving no time for preparation or an explanation. It left me unable to put my difficulties into words, to both my and my parent's frustration. Anxiety built towering walls in front of me, but selfless support from my parents and teachers allowed me to break them down. Mentoring students with special needs and disabilities allowed me to become a leader as I watched them grow strong relationships and self-confidence, and being part of my close-knit church community helped to guide me in difficult times. My experiences with community service and support are where I learned the meaning of confidence, the times I had to push myself and go outside my comfort zone. In my opinion, this is the strongest way to approach hardships in life, as facing fears with bravery is how real confidence is built. Even today I experience anxious feelings at times, but the lessons I learned growing up allow me to overcome them and continue to build my confidence every day.

For my whole life, I hold the value of kindness and friendship close. Throughout my childhood, I have had family members and teachers help guide me and show me the value of kindness, a quality I was then able to demonstrate. I am grateful for the many programs I was a part of where I was a mentor to students with disabilities, encouraging and helping them gain confidence as I learned to be a leader. As years went on, I developed issues with anxiety, a rough time of my life that I was able to overcome using the skills I had developed in the past as well as the love and support from my family. From these experiences, I have a great amount of patience and understanding, which I show in elementary school tutoring and CCD teaching, creating a welcoming environment where students are engaged and happy to learn. I plan to use these values and experiences to make a difference in my future years of college and in the medical field, and I will always cherish the opportunities my community at Marshfield provided that allowed me to become who I am today. I appreciate the importance of encouragement and wish to give this gift to others after receiving it myself in the most difficult of times.