Listen to my story...

My name is Chelsey and I belong to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

Chelsey is of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe striving to become a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

I grew up with my father and younger brother in South Dakota. My dad remarried when I was a freshman in high school and I gained 4 younger brothers. I am very close with my family and the community of where I went to college.

I have a Certified Nursing Assistant certification, Chiropractic Assistant certification, and a CPR and First Aid certification. I currently work as a Chiropractic Assistant and being able to do rehabilitation and therapy on those that are in need gives me great pleasure. I know I am helping them out to a healthier and happier lifestyle. The change that they go through from being in pain to having a better attitude just by following their care plan is something that never gets old. They have a better look on life and more energy for everyday activities.

My latest accomplishment is getting accepted into the University of South Dakota Nursing program. With this opportunity I will use this scholarship to help accomplish another goal of mine and become a Registered Nurse. Getting into this nursing program is my most prized accomplishment because it will allow me to help out in ways I could never imagine. The possibilities are endless when it comes to goals in the health care field. I want to graduate and pass my NCLEX, and always further my education in any way possible so that I may be the best Registered Nurse that I could possibly be. I want to have my PhD in Nursing and will continue my education until I get there. I am very excited to be able to work for IHS no matter where that may be. Helping American Indians is something that I am very passionate about, because I want only the best for our culture.

"I want to empower the younger generation to set and accomplish their goals..."

I first fell in love with the nursing field when my father remarried my freshman year in high school. My stepmother had a son who spent multiple months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and she always talked about those nurses in such a high regard. They truly cared about those families and would leave little notes for the parents on how their child was doing and made sure they were getting the best care possible. Those children came into this world with complications and it wasn't their fault at all. Their lives are so precious and to be able to give them the opportunity to live is one of the biggest gifts for not only them and their families but also for those caring for them. Being able to specialize in neonates would give me the opportunity to give that same happiness that we had received, to other families. The desire to empower American Indian youth and also my passion for providing healthcare to those that are most vulnerable will give me the determination to be successful throughout my career working as a nurse.

I'm ecstatic to be able to help those of my culture. There are so many ways I want to be able to help meet the health needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives. Wherever I end up I will put my heart and soul into helping them and just as I talked in the essay before my career goal is to be a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. I could provide quality health care especially at HIS in those underserved areas. I have a vested interest in my people and having that connection will allow me to excel in the health care field. I will soon have the knowledge so that I am capable of providing quality health care to Indian communities.

"I'm ecstatic to be able to help those of my culture."

A topic that I feel would help out American Indians and our community is Preventative Care. I don't want someone's life to come down to Crisis Management. If we could stop the crisis before it happened with a healthy lifestyle we could cut down the expenses of healthcare in the Indian Health Services. Crisis care is expensive compared to preventative not only in money but in the quality of life that one lives. With preventative we can make the later stages in life more ideal. Preventing diseases rather than trying to cure them when they come. Healthy decisions such as in food and exercise when illness is absent are going to be a starting point into preventative care. Implementing these changes would create a healthier community that has lower percentage of diseases. It could also make at home life easier if communities are promoting this by decreasing the stress of having an illness in your family.

"Healthy decisions such as in food and exercise when illness is absent are going to be a starting point into preventative care."

I want to empower the younger generation to set and accomplish their goals through a strong work ethic. Most seem to find college far-fetched, but I want that to become obsolete. It is true when they say that they are the future and they soon will be the parents of the next generation. If they can hold themselves at a higher standard their children will, too.

I hold myself to a very high standard and I proudly represent my culture very professionally and successfully not only in my schooling but publically. My grandmother gave me the Lakotah name of "Tanyán Iglúha Máni Win" which means "Walks Respectfully Woman". She wrote me a letter when choosing my name and stated that throughout my life I have always shown great respect to everyone around me even when the circumstances were not ideal. I will continue through my career as a nurse with the same standards.

I currently owe in student loans for the past four years but I plan applying for scholarships and taking out loans so I can further my education because I know how valuable it is. When I am done with school and I am a Registered Nurse I know I will be able to find a job and be able to pay back what I had to borrow. Scholarships help me with my education and striving to represent those scholarship's I received. The expenses of college go way past just tuition and classes. Scholarships allow for me to be able to pay for all living expenses, also.

Thank you!