Personal Statement

Hi my name is Isabella Chavez, I grew up in a small town in Eastern Oregon

where the population is approximately 4,000 people. Boardman is primarily an
agricultural community featuring 3 potato factories, Threemile Canyon Farms, and
Tillamook.Fun fact most Tillamook cheese is produced in Boardman. Boardman is a
very tight knit community, we look out for our own. If someone is in need of help you
have the whole community out there making an effort to help. We like to hold
fundraisers and community events for the whole community to come together and
collaborate. Boardman has three schools. Sam Boardman Elementary, Windy River
Elementary, and Riverside Jr Sr High School. One of my fondest memories in
Boardman was when our highschool soccer team won the state championship back in
2017. The entire soccer season our whole community was following them wherever
they played. The state game was the first time I had truly noticed how close our
community was. The game was in Hillsboro which was three hours away. Many people
missed school and work that day to attend the game. When our boys won everyone
rushed down to the field to celebrate. As we started to pull back into Boardman the
firefighters were waiting to escort the boys all around the town with their sirens on.
That’s when I truly noticed for the first time how close our community was. This small
rural farming town was like a big knit family.
Growing up it was difficult for me, my mom was diagnosed with cancer in 2012. I
was only seven years old. Due to my mom’s diagnosis she wasn’t working. My dad had
also stopped working due to being the only one who was able to take her to all her
appointments and take care of her 24/7. My siblings and I were all little kids. We couldn't
take care of her, so he took the responsibility and stayed home with my mom. He took
care of the four of us and was also taking care of his sick wife. We ended up losing our
home because our parents weren’t working and they weren’t able to pay the bills. That
was a very hard thing to go through at the age of seven. Not only did I fear losing my
Mother, but I also lost my home at the same time. I had just lost my Grandpa to Cancer
three years prior. The fear of losing my Mother was strong. I stayed up most nights
crying and praying to God that he didn’t take my Mom early,I still needed her. I
remember my mom sleeping in the living room and I started sleeping with her because I
wanted to take care of her. In my seven year old mind I had decided to become a Nurse
because I wanted to take care of people including my Mom. My Mom became Cancer
free in 2013, she had her tumor resected and the surgery went well. Anytime she had a
check in appointment I always feared we would hear the four most worst words in my
mind “The Cancer is back”. Thankfully we never did and every appointment went
smoothly. We had a couple scares but my Mom has officially been Cancer free for ten
years now.
Like I mentioned before ever since my Mom’s Cancer I decided I wanted to
become a Nurse. My goal has always been to help others and with my future career
plan I will be able to accomplish that goal. In highschool I chose to pursue the Medical
pathway which has helped me get my feet wet and taught me some useful skills for my
future. I am Bls certified and OSHA certified all through my High School class. I have
taken Medical Terminology through my highschool to hopefully help me out start my
prerequisites for Nursing. Growing up and seeing multiple family members be affected
by Cancer including my own mom is what has fueled my interest in a Medical career.
Growing up in a primarily Spanish speaking home has also helped fuel my interest
because I know multiple people who will refuse to go to the doctors because they never
have someone who can help them translate. As a Spanish speaking person myself I
want to be able to help those kinds of people be able to communicate with their doctors.
23.4% of Healthcare workers are Hispanic. I want to be able to help that number grow.
This is my story, this is my reasoning for who I am today. Thank you for your time.