As I walk through the halls, my steps fall into rhythm with the steady beeping from each room. The strong scent of antiseptic washes over me, guiding me into a room full of nurses who have long begun their day. They surround me, their eyes locked on this high schooler, excited and eager to impart their knowledge. Before I could get a word in, each nurse attempted to pass me along to the next, trying to avoid being stuck with a student who would slow down their rotations. Week after week, I found myself in different departments, repeating this ritual.

My journey began in nursing homes, where I discovered my love for connecting and helping others. So, when I started High School, I eagerly joined the Health Science program, which ultimately granted me the opportunity to shadow nurses in my third year. The first week of my clinical rotations was in the Radiology department, where the intensity of the ICU hit me hard. Then, in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, I witnessed the vulnerability of an older patient undergoing a catheter insertion. Next was the Labor and Delivery department, where I experienced the miracle of birth, followed by the harsh realities of the Oncology Center where I find myself in this story.

Finally, a nurse relented and offered for me to follow her. Walking closely behind her, I reflected on the past few weeks of rotations that had left me feeling out of place, as if nursing was too much for me to handle. We reached a small room where a middle-aged woman sat in a chair, connected to machines for cancer treatment. The nurse mentioned she would return shortly, leaving me to converse with the patient. As we talked, I learned a lot about this woman and how her daughter was studying communication in school. That piqued my interest, and I decided then to explore the field of communication, envisioning a future where my empathetic nature could thrive in a role centered around connection and understanding. Walking away from that hospital room, leaving behind the world of nursing, I stepped boldly into a future where I was destined to make a difference, leveraging my innate ability to foster genuine connections and my knack for creative problem-solving.