Taggart Award

The more I learn about the nursing profession, the more I know it’s the right path for me.  This wasn’t a career I had always set my sights on (my first goal was to be a tightrope walker in the circus) but I’m so happy I’ve come to my senses.  Looking back, I don’t know how I didn’t see it sooner!  I was the kid that had the first aid kit, Band-Aids at the ready, and was often the one who would sit with others if they weren’t feeling so great.  It made me happy to know that I had the ability to help people.

As I enter my second year at the Queen’s School of Nursing, my desire to care has only grown.  I am learning to understand different perspectives and to really listen so I can be the best student and future nurse I am capable of being.  I want to be the person that makes someone’s day a little bit more comfortable, more bearable, or a little bit brighter.

I am fortunate to have my own days brightened by a variety of things.  From week to week, I sing in my a cappella group and enjoy the company of my friends as we work with the “PERIOD.” movement to end the stigma around menstruation and provide hygiene products to those in need.  I am also a Youth Advocate Mentor for Plan International Canada regarding their programming in maternal, newborn, and child health, and I look forward to tying this passion into my upcoming year at Queen’s.

Thank you to my friends and family for supporting me and I can’t wait to see where nursing takes me.