And she kissed me. Brimming with innocence, I pushed her away and jumped back into the soccer game which had been set up with two brick goal posts and an empty soda can as a ball. In my vicinity, this was golden. Suddenly, there was chaos; a student had collapsed. It was Priscilla, the girl who kissed me. I ran to the scene drenched in sweat and the adrenaline surge through my veins was immense. In the midst of the chaos, I placed my tiny right palm over my left hand and performed what I later on learned to be "chest compressions". On the third push, Priscilla made a huge gasp for air followed by a cough. She was alive. Till this day, I do not fully comprehend what happened but knowing that the naively performed methods I had read from my sister's First-Aid handbook had revived Priscilla gave me goose bumps. I was stunned.
Fourteen years later, the events of this day continues to inspire me and gave birth to my unquenchable dream to save lives. Born and raised in a conventional, middle-class Ghanaian family in Atwima Boko, one of the poorest towns in Southern Ghana, where dreams are crushed and the devastating effects of poverty remain paramount, I have learned that the ability to dream and follow one's goals is a privilege. In fact, I count myself fortunate to be attending a university in the United States. From walking several kilometers to and from school, going to bed on an empty stomach, to being denied access to portable water, and education, the road to success has been beyond rough. In spite of these difficulties, my dream began after I realized that I wouldn't be able to obtain the quality well rounded research-focused education I desired if I schooled in Ghana. After earning an SAT score of 1910, I was excited at the prospect of studying in the United States. However, the astronomical figures required for yearly attendance relegated my quest to mere wishes. But Jacksonville University (JU) offered me a safe haven and in the Fall of 2010, my journey began. And although it has been difficult soliciting funds to tend my educational bills every semester, the future benefits remain unquestionably greater.
Here at JU, I am on the right track to bettering myself and making the most of the opportunities I never imagined possible. Currently a junior year nursing student in the Honors Program, I am humbled to have qualified for the President's List two consecutive semesters and made the Dean's List for other semesters. Being actively involved on campus, I have participated and helped set up multiple programs on campus including Relay For Life, and represented the school at the 2011 Florida International Leadership Conference and the 2011 Southern Regional Model United Nations. Having worked in the capacity as a Residential Assistant and a Tutor, for TRiO Student Support Service and The Learning Center, I have played an integral role in helping other students excel academically. This coming year, I intend on undertaking a research internship and to bringing to completion my undergraduate research project aimed at determining registered nurses' assessment of pain in psychiatric patients. Opportunities abound and with each step, my dream of becoming a doctor moves from the corridors of impossibility to the stairwells of success.
My father, being a traditional leader and a great motivator, taught me that winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is everything. His philosophy emphasized that as long as I wanted my dream more than wanting to breathe, tried my level best and made the necessary sacrifices, I could achieve any personal goal. I made sacrifices by leaving Ghana, leaving my family to start a new life. I changed my friends, my people. Everything. But everything I did, I did for love, to be able to look back at the eight year old me who revived the school girl and say, "I made it". For, in a world of immense possibility, I'm only poor for not trying.
Fourteen years later, the events of this day continues to inspire me and gave birth to my unquenchable dream to save lives. Born and raised in a conventional, middle-class Ghanaian family in Atwima Boko, one of the poorest towns in Southern Ghana, where dreams are crushed and the devastating effects of poverty remain paramount, I have learned that the ability to dream and follow one's goals is a privilege. In fact, I count myself fortunate to be attending a university in the United States. From walking several kilometers to and from school, going to bed on an empty stomach, to being denied access to portable water, and education, the road to success has been beyond rough. In spite of these difficulties, my dream began after I realized that I wouldn't be able to obtain the quality well rounded research-focused education I desired if I schooled in Ghana. After earning an SAT score of 1910, I was excited at the prospect of studying in the United States. However, the astronomical figures required for yearly attendance relegated my quest to mere wishes. But Jacksonville University (JU) offered me a safe haven and in the Fall of 2010, my journey began. And although it has been difficult soliciting funds to tend my educational bills every semester, the future benefits remain unquestionably greater.
Here at JU, I am on the right track to bettering myself and making the most of the opportunities I never imagined possible. Currently a junior year nursing student in the Honors Program, I am humbled to have qualified for the President's List two consecutive semesters and made the Dean's List for other semesters. Being actively involved on campus, I have participated and helped set up multiple programs on campus including Relay For Life, and represented the school at the 2011 Florida International Leadership Conference and the 2011 Southern Regional Model United Nations. Having worked in the capacity as a Residential Assistant and a Tutor, for TRiO Student Support Service and The Learning Center, I have played an integral role in helping other students excel academically. This coming year, I intend on undertaking a research internship and to bringing to completion my undergraduate research project aimed at determining registered nurses' assessment of pain in psychiatric patients. Opportunities abound and with each step, my dream of becoming a doctor moves from the corridors of impossibility to the stairwells of success.
My father, being a traditional leader and a great motivator, taught me that winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is everything. His philosophy emphasized that as long as I wanted my dream more than wanting to breathe, tried my level best and made the necessary sacrifices, I could achieve any personal goal. I made sacrifices by leaving Ghana, leaving my family to start a new life. I changed my friends, my people. Everything. But everything I did, I did for love, to be able to look back at the eight year old me who revived the school girl and say, "I made it". For, in a world of immense possibility, I'm only poor for not trying.