My smile. The way I laughed. The way my face light up. This is the way I acted when I heard about saving other people’s lives.

My mom, a registered nurse (RN), never lived a boring day at work. I love when my mom comes home from work and tells me stories about her day. She has to deal with various patients: the story about when my mom got fatigued on when she was helping a middle aged man use the bathroom, the story about the lady who never stopped working because she was to attached to her Blackberry (even when she was on bed rest), and the story about having to move a 500 pound man into bed. Hearing these stories made me realize I could work in the medical field and never experience a boring day either.

My sophomore year, I volunteered in the medical field at Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital. I helped wheel or walk patients out of the hospital after they got discharged. I would help them into the wheelchair and make sure they were comfortable. We would walk to the exit. Talking. Laughing. Often they would say, “I could get used to this at home.”
Their smiles. Their laughs. The way their faces light up. That’s when I knew I wanted to help people with their sicknesses, so I could help them live a longer life.

Besides volunteering at the hospital, I also visited my mom monthly at work. I visited her this past summer. I observed how the hospital runs, how everyone works together to make sure they help every patient, and how everyone was a team player. Just like my mom. Rushing around to get medications for everyone and then helping patients in their room. Her patients would tell me how helpful she was.
The way they acted when she came in the room. Their smiles. Their laughs. The way their faces light up. I want to give that to people, whether in my profession, my personal life, or at La Crosse.