I was born in Japan, but I have been living in several countries around the world due to my family matters. It has been two and half years since I moved to the United States from Indonesia. Living in foreign countries that have different cultures is very interesting. At the same time, it is not easy to accept the differences. Wherever I’ve moved to other countries, I have been trying to adjust and manage myself living in the new environments. I have learned a lot of things, and the experiences have shaped my perspective. Through these experiences, I could figure out what I really wanted to do in my life. My dream is to become a registered nurse to help other people around the world.

I became interested in being a nurse after I moved to Indonesia in 2005. The quality of health care is extremely poor in the country. For example, when I was living there, I had to take a flight to Singapore just to take a general medical service. This experience convinced me of the importance of medical environment and knowledge. On March 11, 2011, mega-thrust earthquake and Tsunami hit Japan and killed numerous people. The survivors required medical treatments, and I really wished I could help them. I physically and mentally want to help not only patients but also their families. My decision to become a nurse became much stronger through this experience.

As soon as I started my new life in Chicago, I started taking ESL (English as a Second Language) classes. Meanwhile, I started volunteering for the beach sweep activities organized by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Chicago and the Thanksgiving dinner serving at the Harry S Truman College. I also have been volunteering at the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center and the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia. I received the Appreciation Recognition Award from the consul general of Indonesia on November 9, 2013. Presently I’m taking nursing pre-requisites to apply for the nursing program in Fall 2014. As a non-native English speaker, it is challenging to keep catching up the college credit classes; however, I’m always working hard and trying to do my best. My CGPA from 31 credits is 3.839 on a 4.0 scale, and I believe that this result shows my continuing efforts toward my goal achievement.

College tuition is not cheap even though studying at college is important and productive study. Textbooks especially for science and nursing classes are surprisingly expensive. Honestly speaking, scholarship and grant that I can apply are very limited due to the fact that most of them are eligible only for the U.S. citizens. Therefore, if I could receive this scholarship, it would be a big help for giving me a chance to keep my study.