Almost one year ago the application for admission to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing undergraduate program, and almost one year ago I was extraordinarily close to losing my mind when I realized that a mere three hundred and fifty words stood between me and my future in nursing. For years I had been dreaming of earning admission to an undergraduate nursing program and for the first time I had doubts that I would be able to produce a composition that would convince a committee of my worthiness to be in the program. Below I have included the essay prompt and response that I slaved over for months, which thankfully was persuasive enough for the BSN admission committee to grant me a place in the 2020 nursing class. So here they are, the 350 words that I chose to dictate my chances of getting into Ohio State’s Nursing Program:
The College of Nursing is committed to ensuring a positive, nurturing, and safe environment by respecting and affirming the diversity of individual’s identities, backgrounds and points of view. How do you see yourself contributing to and supporting this commitment in the nursing profession?
Being of mixed ethnic origins myself, I can empathize with individuals who experience conflicting and troubling feelings about their identity and their role in their communities. Beginning in elementary school, classmates would singularly attribute my academic success to the fact that I was half Asian. This ongoing experience was particularly upsetting to me because I never associated my rigorous study habits and passion for learning with my heritage. It is from these challenging moments that I have arrived at the belief that people are not defined by what they look like, and that the potential to succeed in any discipline of life comes from within. Additionally, I have learned that every experience, every interaction, is a platform for personal growth and progress. My commitment to fostering my own self-worth enables me to continuously expand my understanding of not only myself, but my community and the world around me.
Within more recent years, I have become more comfortable with my heritage and even accepted a leadership role in a retreat for my peers my senior year of high school. One of my responsibilities was to prepare a speech in which I discussed my ideals and values. In the opening lines of my speech I shared, “Our values are fundamental to our existence, without them, we would be missing a part of ourselves. If I were a house, my values would be the framework: the support system hidden underneath my exterior layers of decorative paint and embellishments.” Today I am not bothered when people judge my decorative paint and embellishments, because I honestly think my squinty eyes and dark brown hair are awesome and I would not change them for the world. It is a brave decision to be true to yourself, however it is not a task anyone is meant to accomplish alone. My values regarding diversity have been fortified from my experiences and align with the College of Nursing’s commitment to respecting and affirming diversity. My passion for this subject allows me be an example of tolerance and an advocate for those struggling with or oppressed because of their identity.