There is a saying, "No pain, no gain," in life, according to my grandparents. I always knew that I had to fight for what I dreamed of. I was born and grew up in Burma (Myanmar). My high school GPA was low, so I was not able to attend medical school. I always dreamed of becoming a doctor who loved to treat and cure illnesses and make them comfortable. In my country, a doctor's career is very popular and considered of high standard. However, nursing is a very low-level career in my country. Therefore, I never learned anything about nursing careers in my country. At the age of 20, I went to Singapore to study to become an engineer. Since I did not like the engineering career, I was not happy there. Therefore, I tried to come to the United States to fight for my dream of pursuing a career that satisfied my heart, even though my parents disagreed. 

I came to the United States as an international student because I do not have any relatives or family here. I looked for Burmese friends on online social media sites such as Facebook and Yahoo, which were very popular at the time. Without knowing anyone in the United States, I was facing a lot of difficulties, but I never gave up on my dreams. I volunteer at the hospital to learn more about nursing before I enroll in nursing school because I do not want to change careers again. And then, I realized I fell in love with nursing. Therefore, I enrolled at the nursing school due to my immigration status and student visa. I was facing difficulties during nursing school and a lack of healthcare experience. I failed one of the nursing classes. The counselor even asked me to change careers due to my student visa. I cried, but I never gave up on my dream to become a nurse who loved to help other people's pain ease. I studied smarter and tried again. I passed all the nursing classes with flying colors. After graduating with an associate degree in nursing, once again, I must face difficulties with my immigration status. I must wait for the NCLEX to take place because I need to obtain a working permit through the Optional Practical Training Working Visa. Once I got it, I sat for the NCLEX, and I passed with 75 questions and got my nursing license. That day was the happiest day of my life because I was almost reaching my dream. I will never forget the pain that I have been through. I love nursing with all my heart. Therefore, as a new graduate nurse, I quickly learned all the clinical skills and nursing judgments and mastered them within 2 years. Besides, I learned a lot from the COVID pandemic as well. Like other nurses, I am exhausted and burned out, but I never thought of quitting beside nursing since I enjoy what I do. 

I am grateful for my husband and friends who supported me during my nursing journey. After I get my associate degree, I still must wait for my permanent resident status to pursue an online RN-to-BSN degree. Due to my immigration status, I cannot enroll in an online bachelor’s degree program. However, I am happy because I can practice nursing without a bachelor's degree. Once I got my green card in 2020, I settled down for 2 years and started the Purdue University RN to BSN program because I love Purdue University and I hear a lot of good news from the reviews.