Scholarship / Nursing: my experince will help the underserviced areas [6]

This essay is for a Nursing scholarship. It should be limited to 2,500 characters or less. And answer the question, What experiences have you had or activities have you participated in that have prepared you to work with underserved populations?

I am not finished yet, and would like to know if it has a good flow or not. Thanks for the input!

My goal of becoming a Nurse is a product of both my nature, as well as, my personal experience. Not many people have had the experiences I have had in my life. My up-bringing, my near death experience, and my work experience in the health field, all give me a great foundation for becoming a Nurse.

My path began as a child growing up in a military family. My up -bringing as a "military brat," has given me a lot of invaluable life experience. First of all, military brats are good at adapting to change. For example, By the age of nineteen I had lived in, Germany, Texas, Mississippi, and Missouri. I have the ability to adapt well in new and stressful situations. Secondly, being a "military brat," I went to Department of Defense schools and had great educational opportunities. For example, while in High School, I participated in Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. This program gave me leadership traits including, integrity, dependability, initiative, unselfishness, courage, and loyalty. Lastly, being a "military brat" has given me an appreciation for cultural diversity. For instance, I was taught to look at the person as a whole, and not just the color of their skin. This experience has given me the ability to work and care for different people more effectively. These experiences help me as a Nurse to better identify with different people during their time of need.

My dream of becoming a Nurse, started with a near death experience. At the age of four-teen I suffered a life changing experience. I had a benign tumor eating away at my 7th cervical vertebrae (C7). My family was living in Wurzburg, Germany at the time, and we were medically evacuated to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. where I underwent surgery to take out the tumor and replace the vertebrae with the top of my hip bone. This experience gave me a passion to become a Nurse. In addition, this experience helped me become more comfortable in health care settings. Even to this day, I do not feel uncomfortable in hospitals. Most importantly, this experience helped me to look at life differently. I walked away from my surgery a goal to live life to the fullest, and never give up on my dreams. I started my dream by becoming a Certified Nurse Assistant.

Working years as a Certified Nurse Assistant (C.N.A), has given me hands-on experience and inspiration for my career goals to become a Nurse. To begin with, my years as a C.N.A, have taught me that I am good at caring for other people. I am often humbled to hear for employers and patients, that I am very good as a C.N.A. In addition, my work experience has given me confidence and determination to take the next step of becoming a Nurse. Lastly, my work experience has given me a passion to work with Dementia and Alzheimer's patients.

The experiences I have had in my life have helped me become a stronger person. My childhood, my surgery, and my job as a C.N.A. are all like steps, laying one on top of each other, leading up to a great career in Nursing.