Believe in Yourself

Hi, my name is Diana. I’m a senior at East Saint Louis Sr. High School. I’ve had the passion to become a nurse since my Sophomore year. I always knew I wanted to be a nurse as I’ve been surrounded by my loved ones who work in the healthcare field especially my grandmother who was an Emergency Department nurse. When I started the nursing assistant program my Sophomore year I was certain this is what I wanted to do.

I experienced some obstacles in my Junior year of high school.

It was so stressful and my grades suffered. I had a lot of problems going on in my social life.  I had anger issues from the past that I didn’t know how to deal with.

Fortunately, I had administrators, teachers, and social workers who played an important role in helping conflict resolution and controlling my anger issues.

Unfortunately, I lost the hope of fulfilling my dreams of becoming a nurse because of my grades and immaturity affected my school work and attendance. I was told that I couldn’t be in the Nursing Assistant program because I was not on track to graduate since I was missing credits.  

That moment, it felt like my dreams were lost and I would not become a nurse as planned.

Things began to look up for me during the summer after my junior year though. I was granted an opportunity of a lifetime through the Dr. Nash Internship at St.Louis Children’s Hospital. I was hesitant in applying because I knew my grades weren’t good. I submitted my application for the Internship anyway. Surprisingly, I was granted an interview. Then I received a call informing me I was chosen for the internship- the first in East St. Louis and the Metro-East to be selected.

During the internship, I had a chance to explore different careers in the healthcare field. This grand experience allowed me to regain my focus and I realized that my dreams can still come true.

I matured and made drastic changes. I got my grades up. It took me some time and help from my teachers. They were understanding and allowed me to do all the assignments I needed to complete from the days I wasn’t in school when I was dealing with issues at home. After completing everything, I was allowed to continue in the Nursing Assistant program. Things got better and I saw my purpose in life and that the dream I was chasing was still there! Now I have the blueprint to success and a roadmap to becoming a Neonatal Registered Nurse.

I am certain I can be! If I hadn’t applied, I wouldn’t have these opportunities or the learning the internship gave me. It really was a life changing decision.