College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta Award

I have been fortunate to grow up surrounded by a family of compassionate people, from whom I learned by example how to care for others. My mom is one of my most important role models and is also a registered nurse.

I have one distinct memory from childhood that, in retrospect, is the point where I decided I wanted to pursue a career in nursing, like my mom. My mom and I were driving up our street and upon passing our neighbour’s house, we waved as he was outside gardening, but he didn’t wave back. This was out of character for him. We drove back and he was not feeling well, so my mom had him sit down, evaluated his condition, took his blood pressure, and got him some water. It was very hot outside, and he turned out to be dehydrated. He started to feel better after some water and a few minutes in the shade. Though I was mostly a spectator in this event, seeing my mom intervene to help this friend avoid a fall or fainting spell with a positive outcome, flicked a switch in me. I knew right then that I wanted to be able to do the same thing for someone someday.

My family has played a significant role in my path to become a nurse. I look forward to becoming a nurse and acquiring more tools that will enable me to help others in a time of need.