Personal Statement: My Academic Goals
“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice” by Brian Herbert. There was a chance my life could have ended before I was born. My mother had to make a decision on abortion because she had taken isotretinoin (Accutane), a highly teratogenic drug known to cause birth defects and intellectual disability while pregnant. Instead of choosing abortion, I was given a chance at life and was born premature with a birth defect of the ear. At an early age I had gone through multiple surgeries where most people would go without any their entire life. I would remember being in gurney petrified while transported to the operating room. However, the fear disintegrated as the anesthesia provider instills calmness and helped me with counting backwards as anesthesia was being administered. The trust and composure in the voice is my reason for wanting become a CRNA. I want to become a CRNA to have the accountability to care for another individual during the weakest point of their life and to give back the same care I had received.
Growing up in an underserved community I did not have a strong educational foundation when first entering college. My study habits were weak and I did not understand how to navigate college life. I struggled in my early years of college with prioritizing between studying, working in a research lab and community service. I continued to work diligently towards building stronger study habits and improving my grades. Through perseverance and better educational support I was able to graduate with my BSN and be the first American born to obtain a bachelor degree in my family. Since graduating, I have sought out ways to improve my GPA such as retaking general chemistry and passing with an A in the course.
Consequently, for the past two years I have spent a tremendous amount of time cultivating more than five thousand hours of experience as a clinical nurse in a twenty-five bed pediatric intensive care unit. I worked hard to become an excellent and autonomous provider. Furthermore, I developed into a self-starter, educational leader and mentor for my peers. To continue advancing my career I obtained specialty certifications in CCRN, joined the ECMO team, became a unit preceptor, and climbed the clinical ladder. Despite my professional advances, I kept thinking about my past experience with anesthesia and wanting to pursue higher education. Therefore, I have accumulated eight hours of interviewing, participating on online simulations and in person shadowing with a CRNA and Anesthesiologist.
For this reason, I truly believe the LEAP program at Case Western Reserve University can help me achieve my aspiration in becoming a CRNA. The program provides an opportunity to take science courses and be immersive with the profession of CRNA. The attributes I have practiced will continue to develop throughout my education as a student of the LEAP program and lead me to success. I look forward to utilizing my strongest nursing proficiencies to safely administer anesthesia to my patients.
