KC Royals Charities Scholarship Essay

Throughout high school, a critical time of self-discovery, finding interests, and building skills, I frequently bounced around on careers I wanted to pursue. I always knew I wanted to be in healthcare; I loved the idea and fascination of medicine and caring for others. However, each area of my brain bounced back to being a physical therapist, nurse, or radiologist, and the list could go on forever. I could not correctly set my mind and determination on one pathway.
Before the summer of my senior year, I had the opportunity to be a student intern at Saint Luke’s Health System, which consisted of shadowing nurses. One of my assignments was to help lead an Operation Room (OR) Simulation Lab pitch among my peers. The experience was a turning point in my life. I was eager to shadow and learn skills. However, this experience has led me to build my leadership skills to be stronger. It has helped me refine my understanding of health careers, an area I have been searching for more clarity.

Leading a pitch where it can hugely benefit an organization of people was nerve-wracking. The simulation lab was introducing a specialty this organization has yet to have. This role pushed me out of my comfort zone, something I was not accustomed to. This whole world of the operating room was foreign to me as the only time I ever watched surgery or was in an operating room beforehand was when I watched my TV screen when Grey’s Anatomy was on. During the process of curating and leading the pitch, there were many opportunities while we conducted detailed research that expanded my knowledge in this area of nursing and the OR. We toured many operating rooms and existing simulation labs to establish a design. We also had the opportunity to use VR (virtual reality) to enrich our understanding and experience of what surgical professionals do with the help of the operating room nurses. Our goal was to learn about the setup of an operating room, its roles, and the function of the materials. The OR simulation lab was more than a project to me; it was a real-world learning experience to which I could apply my leadership skills.

As a leader, I helped create Zoom meetings, organized times where we could practice and wrote down ideas and notes while still prioritizing the ideas and feedback of my team members. I wanted to be an advocate for my group; I wanted their voices and concerns to be heard. Being an active team member was critical for me because that helped me lead a successful group. I used many of my prior skills in my leadership positions to help make me a more decisive leader. As a KAY Club officer, I used my service-based knowledge to target an audience and what services cater to the health and aspiring high school students. I used my graphic design and marketing skills as a yearbook editor-in-chief to help make the project eye-catching and interactive. Lastly, I used my public speaking and leadership skills from the time I helped lead a Mental Health Classroom pitch for the 2020 Leadership Junior Olympics to help define the problem, find a solution, and set a budget. Throughout the process, I realized that leadership will never be a one-time occurrence for me. For the rest of my life, I will use every skill set from every experience or leadership position I have attained to combine and make something more significant to contribute. I will always aim to be a leader in every situation because a leader does not have to be a physical label to be able to be one.

That day I left that pitch room was a pivotal moment. The feeling of accomplishment and pride rushed through my veins. I knew I had gained more knowledge and leadership skills and clearly understood what I wanted for my future that day. I wanted to be an Operating Room or ICU Nurse. Being introduced to different specialties within nursing was interesting to learn. Having an important role and leading my group to be the top 18 out of 150 pitches was accomplishing, but gaining the skills and learning more about the nursing industry was even more rewarding.

As someone who had countless hospital visits and described the hospital as a scary place growing up, I don’t recall the exact words said to me or the faces of my nurses. However, I will never forget how they made me feel when I was most vulnerable. As humans, we will never remember every detail, but we will never forget how someone made us feel. If I could describe nursing, I would describe it in a phrase: it would be a presence of healing and being able to provide comfort, compassion, and care when it’s needed the most. As I progressed in my education and career, I now have a clear idea of what career I want to achieve. The leadership experiences have been a stepping stone for my future and have fueled me to pursue a career where I can pursue my passion for medicine and the care of others. These experiences have inspired me to pursue attending a 4-year university and taking classes to attain my CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) certification. While high school marks the moment I found the clarity I have long been searching for, it is only the beginning of my impact on the career field I am going into.