STEM Personal Statement

I chose to study a STEM-focused major at Loyola Chicago because I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field, specifically nursing. Since a young age I have been interested in the medical field and found throughout my educational career that my strengths are in science and math. I believe that studying STEM has given me the skills and foundational knowledge that I need to pursue a career in nursing. Loyola has many opportunities to get involved in the medical community, including shadowing nurses and doctors, participating in medical simulations, and attending medical conferences. I am confident that my degree in a STEM field from Loyola will help me reach my career goal of becoming a successful nurse and positively impact the

The STEM classes at Loyola such as Human Anatomy & Physiology and Chemistry for Health Professionals will help me utilize science as I prepare for a career where understanding the human body and how it functions are critical to developing treatments, and recognize illness and injury. In my junior year Advanced Studies Medical Biochemistry class, I learned how the body processes opioid analgesics and other NSAID medications on a deeper molecular level. This has helped me understand my own body even more clearly. When I take Advil for a sports injury, I now have a mental image of how my body is breaking down the Ibuprofen to be used effectively and target the affected area. Additionally, understanding how the different pathways of pain receptors affect what medications will function has helped me become more aware of prescription alternatives. Science is also used to study the effects of nursing care on patients, to develop new methods and techniques, and to improve patient results. Each and every person is different and understanding how the body can respond in different ways will be important throughout my

Engineering is also used to improve ways to deliver healthcare, especially when these devices are used in operations and treatments. Since I was little, I learned how medical devices are engineered in the lab, tested, and eventually used all around the world. I have been able to see what engineers do and how they work closely with doctors and nurses by relying on their skills and feedback to get new devices tested and iterated so they can eventually bring them to the market in the United States and to patients around the world. Being part of that engineering design loop would be both interesting and