Libia Hernandez-Martinez - Capstone Paper Final Draft

Hernandez - 1
Libia Hernandez
Jody Snyder/Alexa Holl
Senior Capstone - Final Draft
April 15, 2022
Where Do I Go?
As I entered high school, one of the biggest concerns were that I wouldn’t know what
career to choose. Many students with parents that grew up here in the United States knew about
applying for college, FAFSA, selecting a career to study, etc. All I knew was that I want to help
people. I made a list of different careers, I could be a doctor, nurse, firefighter, or paramedic. The
list went on and on. I was able to narrow the list down to a doctor or a nurse, since I loved
learning about the human body and its function it would be perfect. Now, how would I get there?
As a child of two hardworking immigrants, I grew up not poor but not rich. We always
had just enough, which is not a bad thing. Both of my parents worked full-time, this would mean
that I would only see them in the evening. My grandmother raised my brothers and I, but it wasnt
the same. Since my parents were not really there while growing up, they always told me I had to
watch over my brothers. I honestly think I grew up too fast. I was always held to a higher
standard than my brothers. My parents always told me that I was in charge of making sure they
were okay. I grew up with the expectation of being more responsible and I would get in trouble if
I wasn’t. That had an impact on me from a young age and I didnt even know it. I always have
high standards for myself and when I fail to meet them, I feel disappointed in myself. There are
times when I fail to care from myself because I am so focused on caring for others and their
needs. I am slowly learning to prioritize myself.

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After I graduate from high school, I am going to attend Davenport University and earn
my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree to become a registered nurse. I earned my Nurse
Assistant Certification back in February and now I am working on my Nurse Technician
Certification. I will graduate from high school with two certifications and be able to work in the
medical field straight out of school and utilized my skills while I attend college. The goal is to
work in pediatric oncology. Working as a nurse isnt only about the patient, but it is also about
providing support to the family members that are also affected emotionally. Studies show that
“…parent psychological distress (i.e., difficulties coping with emotions and cognitions which
may manifest as anxiety, worry, sadness, or depression) contributes to the HRQL and wellbeing
of pediatric cancer survivors12.” (Racine 42). It is important for the child and parent to be able to
feel and express their emotions. Research also shows that “… promoting emotional exploration,
labeling, and understanding (ie, “emotion coaching”) are associated with better child
adjustment,13 whereas parents' promotion of emotion avoidance or punitive responses to
children's emotions (ie, “emotion dismissing”) are associated with children's depression, anxiety,
and externalizing behaviors.” (Faith 1559). With my knowledge on the mental health side of
both the patient and parents, I will do my best to educating and supporting them. Living in a
hospital is not easy and many could develop mental health issue. Aside from career goals, I
would like to be able to build my own house when I have my career.
It will not be easy to get to my end goal, as I will be doing a sport while attend university.
I have been a student athlete throughout high school therefore time management is a skill that I
already have but I will have to perfect it. As a freshman I have been accepted into the nursing
program at Davenport and I will be taking some prerequisites before I take the nursing classes. I
will be able to attend clinical my first year of college which not many colleges offer. By the end
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of my freshman year I will have 33 credits done. For my sophomore year I will start to take
nursing classes and I will be finishing with 34 credits. I will be taking 28 credits my junior year
and 25 credits my senior year. I plan to work as a nurse tech and gain experience in the field.
Utilizing the skills I have learned is important so I won't forget them.
High school has taught me many things, academic and personal. It has shown me how to
be responsible, to work with others, and what I want to do with my life. Thanks to the classes I
have taken, I decided that being a doctor would not have been a good fit for me, I love being
hands-on and working with people as well as supporting them physically, emotionally, and
mentally. Therefore, nursing is the best career pathway for me, considering my personality and
characteristics.
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Works Cited
Faith, Melissa A., et al. “Parents’ Emotion Socialization Beliefs Moderate Relations between
Parent and Patient Coping, but Not Sibling Coping, with Pediatric Cancer.”
Psycho-Oncology, vol. 28, no. 7, July 2019, pp. 1559–66. EBSCOhost,
https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.5132.
Racine, N. M., et al. “Quality of Life in Pediatric Cancer Survivors: Contributions of
Parental Distress and Psychosocial Family Risk.” Current Oncology, vol. 25, no. 1, Feb. 2018,
pp. 41–48. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.3747/co.25.3768.

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Hernandez - 1

Jody Snyder/Alexa Holl

Senior Capstone - Final Draft

April 15, 2022

needs. I am slowly learning to prioritize myself.

my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree to become a registered nurse. I earned my Nurse

Assistant Certification back in February and now I am working on my Nurse Technician

adjustment,13 whereas parents' promotion of emotion avoidance or punitive responses to

would like to be able to build my own house when I have my career.

Utilizing the skills I have learned is important so I won't forget them.

Psycho-Oncology, vol. 28, no. 7, July 2019, pp. 1559–66. EBSCOhost,

Racine, N. M., et al. “Quality of Life in Pediatric Cancer Survivors: Contributions of

pp. 41–48. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.3747/co.25.3768.

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