After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies at the University of Michigan and working in the television media industry for two years post graduation, little did I know that I would consider a career change so soon. However, recent experiences have led me to select nursing as an appropriate choice. My reasons for pursuing nursing are very simple, yet focused: live my life to serve and benefit others, contribute to our society and the world at large and be a part of the healing process in the lives of the broken. After much reflection and self-analysis in which I thought about my character, strengths, passions, past experiences and what I want to spend most of my life doing, I realized that a vocation in nursing would be both an attractive and rewarding fit.

I was inspired in high school when I came across a poster quoting Helen Keller, "I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." These inspirational words impressed upon me a lifelong vision and goal of participating in the global mission to reach out to those less fortunate. It was for this reason that the previous seven summers I dedicated myself to be involved in mission trips around the world in affiliation with various organizations and churches. Although all these trips were amazing experiences worth mentioning, one in particular stands out as the catalyst for my decision to pursue nursing as a lifelong vocation.

Two summers ago, I had the opportunity to volunteer at an orphanage in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. One of our goals included combating the poor health conditions, typical of third world-countries, by providing the orphans and local villagers some basic medical attention. Being in a country during economic decline and political instability, combined with the language barrier and limited resources available, our team encountered numerous challenges and obstacles that were not originally anticipated. Despite these circumstances, we pulled together and focused on serving the staff at the Grace Haven orphanage. None of us knew how we would go about accomplishing our goals, but we were available, enthusiastic and ready to lend a hand in any way.

Among the many services performed our team, along with two doctors, provided open clinical hours in the community at different schools, which without much surprise drew a high demand in the village. The turnout was so immense that I personally assisted one of the doctors in translating between English and Mandarin, gathering essential patient information, assessing symptoms and problems and providing directions for recovery and treatment. It was a challenging experience to facilitate communication between the patients and the doctors using the combination of my limited Mandarin speaking ability and universal hand gestures. Though the unbearable heat and jet-lag greatly tested our patience, helping both the doctors and patients easily outweighed the difficulties and costs. It was here that I experienced firsthand what being a nurse would be like. Although not having much prior training, an asset that I wish I had at the time, I enjoyed spending time with each of the hundreds of patients we received. The illnesses of the patients varied. Some were sick with minor colds, whereas others had cancer that required advanced technological treatment and direction. Due to our limited resources, we could not provide certain complex procedures.

I distinctly remember a man who came to one of the drop-in clinics. Describing his story on paper does no justice. From across the room, I could see that this man had a huge inflammation in his chin that extended down his throat. It looked as if balloons the size of baseballs were implanted underneath his skin. His feet and ankles were heavily swollen, and he walked with much pain. After the doctor and the interpreter discussed with him his situation, they realized that his condition required hospitalization and surgery. Our interpreter later told us that he had gone to the hospital months before it became so inflamed, and the hospital doctor told him he had cancer which needed to be surgically removed. Apparently, due to lack of finances, he could not afford surgery even though he knew he had cancer. As I heard his story, my heart sank. I wish I could have done something, but legally, there was nothing any of us could have done.

Looking back on my experience in Myanmar, I believe it was extremely influential in shaping my current goals. While my memories at the orphanage and surrounding communities were special and worthwhile, at times I grew discouraged due to my lack of educational training in healthcare and my inability to offer more services to the patients I met there. Furthermore, I wish that I had professional medical training so that I could have further aided the doctors.

Therefore, pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing would provide me a solid opportunity to become educated in using theory to conceptualize health responses. Moreover, an education from a baccalaureate program would give me a comprehensive understanding of the systematic process to provide safety, recovery, health maintenance and treatment across a wide range of healthcare settings. It would also teach me how to develop critical patient care skills and offer exposure to diverse and complex clinical experiences.

Although in Myanmar, I may not have been able to help that man with cancer, I hope that one day I will be able to help many others who face similar situations. I believe as a nurse, my job will not only be to aid in healing my patients' physical ailments but also to genuinely care for them and provide a safe haven. Thus, reflecting on the mission trip in Myanmar, I realize now that despite my inability to cure the patients physically, I was still able to demonstrate the compassion and warmth that they needed.

One of my hopes after nursing school is to share my newly-acquired medical education on a local as well as global level. My other short-term goals consist of attaining a master's degree as a family nurse practitioner after one or two years of working experience and spending my breaks participating in mission trips that offer medical assistance and training to developing countries. A long term goal of mine is to be closely involved with an orphanage like Grace Haven where nursing would strongly answer the need for healthcare availability, education and training. According to an article by Matsumato, Mialkowska and Parcellano (2004) , there is an overwhelming shortage of nurses worldwide especially due to the migration of nurses from developing to industrialized countries because they offer a better standard of living. This phenomenon has significantly impacted developing countries, causing them to have insufficient staffing resulting in the decrease of nursing services. This in turn further leads to the increase of the already staggering morbidity and mortality rate. Often times, hospitals in these countries end up closing due to this problematic insufficiency. In response, my hope is to become an expert healthcare provider, to not only treat patients as a nurse practitioner but also educate and train others in this field throughout the world. My heart is for oversea missions in developing countries like Myanmar, which desperately need competent academic and physical hands-on training. I believe obtaining a baccalaureate degree will provide me the first steps towards equipping myself in aiding the global demand for nursing.

Performing successfully as a student in the field of nursing, and later, as a practicing nurse requires many qualities that I am confident I possess. My track record (according to my previous experiences whether it is at work, school or extracurricular activities) indicates that I am incredibly driven to work diligently and learn proficiently in order to accomplish my goals. I have held many leadership roles (i.e. event planning, team leading) where I can manage and train those under me by delegating according to their personal strengths while challenging them to grow to their full potential. Besides my ability to work independently and lead others, I also excel at assisting management (i.e. sales assistant positions) which is crucial as a practicing nurse. A few of my other key strengths that I exhibit and have exhibited are prioritizing efficiently, carrying out detailed directions, learning quickly, adapting to diverse cultural environments and working successfully with others. Many have told me on a personal as well as professional level that I am compassionate, patient and genuine in caring for others as I would myself. I naturally possess motivating and encouraging characteristics that enable others to strongly persist and not give up during difficult times. With these character traits, I believe that I would be a successful student and practicing nurse.

Upon waiting acceptance into a nursing program, I am involved with various opportunities to grow professionally. I have been volunteering with various organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Christian Life Ministries-- Camp Katrina. These different types of opportunities have deepened my heart's desire to practice nursing and live a life that demonstrates compassion because with each experience I realize more and more how I want to be a part of improving global conditions. During my last two school breaks in January and February of 2006, I went down to Waveland, Mississippi to contribute to the hurricane relief efforts. My team mostly carried out recovery and construction work, however on my last trip I was asked to help take care of an elderly lady that the camp adopted who had just underwent toe surgery due to diabetes. As I supervised her, I gained a great amount of health care experience from her nurses that solidified my decision to go into nursing.

Together with my volunteer, work and educational experiences, it is my aspiration to attain a well-rounded perspective that will essentially equip me for nursing school. I am wholly dedicated to achieving a higher level of academic and clinical success in nursing, as well as actively responding to the ongoing need for nurses in light of the global healthcare shortage.