"My mother was my biggest influence. When I was small, my father was in a terrible accident and was paralyzed from a brain injury. It was such a frightening and daunting time. My beautiful mother, in her pearl earrings and pumps, had to rise to the occasion and take over. And she did. Our lives changed that instant. My mother didn't even drive before my father's accident. Everything about our lives changed that day but love. I remember her saying that we would be okay if we just took it a day at a time. She ordered a set of Popular Mechanics, and I would watch her learn to repair her lawnmower. She brought my dad home so we could be a family. I learned love, resilience, patience, and stamina from my mother, and I am grateful."

"I didn't consider a nursing career when I was younger. I started college with my sights on interior design. Starting my second year, I was tired, dizzy, and miserable. I passed out at a couple of parties, which was scary and overwhelming. I woke up in the ER with all the bells and whistles, and I remember a nurse telling me it would be alright and that my blood sugar was high. She was so reassuring. I was diagnosed with diabetes and spent a week in the hospital. I was so miserable and cranky and scared, but the nurses were so kind and competent. They cared but made me do the right thing, and I learned about my blood sugars and injections and everything I needed to thrive. They were this amazing combination of steel and satin, in my opinion. Soft and firm and just effective. I loved that. And that was the beginning of how I started my nursing career."

"My dad has been one of the biggest influences in my life. He's a high school science teacher, and he values education highly. Throughout my childhood, he often said to me and my brother and sister, 'Anything worth doing is worth doing well.' I had these words from my dad in my head as I worked hard at high school, as a member of the swim team, at my high school and college jobs, and in my college courses."