Denisse Garcia
2019 - 2020 California Scholarship Recipient
California State, Los Angeles | School of Nursing
When people ask what inspired me to becomes a nurse, the only answer I can think of is that I always just knew. There was no one in my immediate family that worked in healthcare nor did I have a family member hospitalized for me have a connection to nursing. I remember a vivid memory of my fourth-grade teacher “Mrs. W” giving us stickers if we did well in class that week. I would save my stickers every week in a little box and patiently wait for more, making sure that did my best at school that week. I thought if I saved enough of my hard-earned stickers, I could sell them and give the money to a poor person who needed help. I specifically remember telling my mother this one day after school and seeing her cry, but I didn’t know why. Now as an adult, when my mom brings up the story, she tells me that she always knew that I was going to help people someday, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. People are born with different talent whether it be singing or dancing and my talent was to have the eagerness to learn and use my knowledge to help people. I believe that the meaning to life is to live happily, love your family, and make great memories. However, life isn’t always that easy. I wanted nursing to be my life’s profession because I know life isn’t always happy. Sometimes people get hurt…really bad, and that’s where I come in. While people are living life, they hit road blocks in their health and that’s where I will one day serve my purpose and treat their wounds. The privilege of being able to treat a patient who is near death and knowing that I can someday possess the knowledge to directly change that outcome is what draws me to nursing. Nursing isn’t just a job for me, it’s a passion, and I am excited to continue my education in becoming another helpful hand in people’s life journey.
