New in 2022, Lake Ridge and Park View Senior Health & Living offered a $1,000 healthcare scholarship opportunity to Buffalo High School Seniors.
Eligible entries were selected based on the aspiration to pursue a profession in a health care related field, and previous volunteer, work or life experiences in health care or caregiving. The recipient of this year’s scholarship is, Kylie Smith.
Kylie said, “I have always known the healthcare field was where I was meant to be. As a kid, when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my response was “a doctor!” Although the specialty shifted often, I knew I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. When I was young, I was ill almost every day of my life. No one knew what was going on inside me. Finally, my parents took me to a Gastroenterologist who was able to diagnose me with Celiac Disease. It was such a relief to once and for all know what was wrong. I am forever grateful for the Doctor who was finally able to make a difference in my life – and that is the feeling I want to provide to people every day. Healthcare is the one profession that gives people back their lives. Where else can you give someone the ability to walk again? Healthcare professionals get to witness a level of perseverance and willpower rarely seen in everyday life. That is why I am pursuing a career in Healthcare – for people like me who just want to feel better.”
Kylie has had many volunteer opportunities and experiences to help guide her way. “During high school, I took an Exercise Physiology course and a Human Anatomy course. Little did I know that my junior year would impact the entire future course of my life. These classes piqued my interest in ways no other classes had before. We were doing labs, and performing research on real people, and it was all so different from the learning I was used to. Each class was like a new puzzle piece falling into place in my head. Each block, I would learn something that made me fall in love with anatomy and health more and more. Another healthcare experience I had recently was volunteering at the local blood drive. My job was to talk to people and make sure they were feeling okay. I was able to build relationships with many people that I would not have been able to meet otherwise. Taking care of different ages posed a variety of challenges. The older donors needed more attention and sometimes would require help out of the building. While the younger age group needed to be sat down and distracted. These different treatment plans gave me a glimpse into my future. I enjoyed planning how I was going to approach each donor as they appeared at my table, and I am excited to transfer this skill and experience to my future profession.”
Kylie also received a glowing recommendation from Jill Bjornson, RN, BS- Patient Care Manager, Buffalo Hospital-Part of Allina Health. “Over the years I have watched Kylie grow, and develop into an aspiring leader and she gives me hope for the future of the next generation of healthcare workers and more importantly next generation of Young Adults.”
In the fall of 2022, Kylie plans to head to University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, to pursue her aspiration of being a Physical Therapist.
