I am currently a sophomore majoring in Nursing with a minor in Spanish. I chose to major in Nursing because I have always been interested in medicine and I wanted a more hands-on patient-centered approach to healthcare. After having a close relationship with my Spanish teacher in high school, I fell in love with the language and decided to minor in it as a way to provide care to a wider population when I am a nurse practioner.
I first began working at 14 years old and have consistently held a job for the last 5 years. Keeping a job throughout high school has taught me how to effectively manage my time and not take on too many roles at once. My most recent job, a receptionist at Hawthorne Animal Clinic, has taught me how to work well with different people in varying positions. As a receptionist, it is important to be able to communicate with everyone in the clinic and learn how to conduct yourself when dealing with clients. All of these skills allow me to effectively work in a team of different people with varying education and personal backgrounds.
Thus far, I have worked at 3 different locations: Dairy Queen, Hawthorne Animal Clinic, and a prep lab at IUPUI. My first job was at Dairy Queen when I was 14-17. I worked as a cashier and ice cream maker, and while working there, I learned how to first balance my work schedule and school schedule and how to work together as a team with people from varying ages and backgrounds.
My next job was Hawthorne Animal Clinic. I have worked there since I was 16 and still do whenever I go back home on breaks. While working here, I was able to better refine my communication skills as I worked as a receptionist and kennel worker. I also learned how to work independently as when you work in the kennels, you are the only one back there and are responsible for everything.
Finally, I worked as an undergraduate lab assistant this past year at IUPUI. While there, I learned how to prepare different solutions and keep a clean workplace because everything was to be prepared for the BIOL-K 101 class.