Gene Denton 03

A correlation between true crime podcasts and driving has made me realize what my community needs. Countless times after work, while I drive back home, I decide to listen to a true crime podcast on the radio. I have noticed that many crime stories start with charming, fun, and loving kids, which unfortunately end in a miserable life. Most of the time, the kid’s life changes negatively through their environment’s influence. Many times, but not always, the lives of young individuals who were influenced into harsh topics end up in jail or as an unhoused person. In my community, as I drive, I see many unhoused people on the side of the roads, either sleeping, dozing off, or asking for help. As I have grown more aware, I also notice multiple posters and ads with missing people or crimes being told through social media pages. It’s pretty hard to change the wrong path that the older generation in our community might be taking. But we are still in time to influence and help the younger people in our community to follow a path of success and well-being. I have always focused on my education. I believe what I’ve learned can be passed on to the younger generations in my community. Often, young individuals do not have a role model in their lives or educational resources, and they end up following poor steps. I come from an immigrant family and the oldest daughter who will become the first-generation graduate of the family. I am conscious that any minor barrier, whether that is social class, language, minority groups, or not having someone to look up to, can bring impediments to a person’s life. I plan to attend the University of Missouri-Kansas City and become a registered nurse. However, my studies do not end there. I plan to specialize in anesthesia as a certified registered anesthetist nurse. Although my career focuses on treating patients, I also want my career to help younger people in my community who want to succeed and go to college. I have attended many college and career fair events through 20/20 leadership field trips. From these events, I have gathered many resources and even new ideas from people with different perspectives and knowledge. I know my experience as a first-generation Hispanic student who will become a nurse in a predominantly white field will help other students in my community, especially those who lack educational resources. After I am finished with my career, I plan to come back to the 20/20 Leadership program and any other programs that provide the community with college and career event fairs. Now, I am a student who attends them, but within the next ten years, I want to be on the other side and be one of the professionals who help attending students with resources, answers, and connections. I want to change the younger generations’ lives one by one by supporting them and guiding them into college, especially helping the students interested in healthcare with a chance to shadow, intern, or connect with me and others as a nurse. As I speak to the future new students attending these college and career fairs, I want to leave an impact on those students who I will eventually come across. Through my journey as a future nurse reaching out to new aspiring students, I will never forget about the rest of the community. I will be a caring nurse looking out for everyone in or out of the hospital setting. We are all at different stages of our lives, and we all deserve a chance in the school system and the general world.