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CULTIVATE GARDEN ESSAY

BY NATALIE CONVEY

MR. GIBBS PER. 3

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“Never let the future

disturb you. You will meet

it, if you have to, with the

same weapons of reason

which today arm you

against the present.”

-Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

(121 AD – 180 AD),

Meditations 200 AD

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DEDICATIONS

Adriana Convey

Michael Convey

Jessica Convey

Michael Convey Jr.

Rodger Petrie

Kelsey Petrie

Melissa Petrie

Raymond Convey

Shawna Petrie

Tee Lopez

Adam Garcia

Mr. Reed

Mark Petrie

Lisa Petrie

Miranda Core

Keylee Anderson

Maverick Anderson

Micah Baird

Deborah Baird

Katherine Anderson

Dallas Petrie

Avery Baird

Alli Edwards

Nick Edwards

Nick Petrie

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TABLE OF CONTENTS & FIGURES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

.............................................................................................1

Cultivate Garden Essay .............................................1

By Natalie Convey .............................................1

Dedications ....................................................................1

Table of Contents & Figures ...................................1

Introduction ..................................................................2

Chapter One...................................................................2

Becoming a Nurse Practitioner ........................2

Chapter Two..................................................................4

Living in California.................................................4

Chapter Three...............................................................5

My Future Family ...................................................5

Chapter Four .................................................................6

Travel Life ..................................................................6

Chapter Five ..................................................................7

Social Life ...................................................................7

Works Cited ...................................................................1

TABLE OF FIGURES

Figure 1 A nurse practitioner. ...............................2 Figure 2 A flow chart showing my progress towards becoming a nurse. ....................................2 Figure 3 Many people have questions about their future.....................................................................2 Figure 4 UCSF, University of California in San

Francisco, this is my dream college. ...................3 Figure 5 A funny meme to explain the SAT preparation....................................................................4 Figure 6 A beach in California. ..............................4 Figure 7 A family gathering that keeps the family close. ...................................................................5 Figure 8 Two children, which is what I would like. ....................................................................................5 Figure 9 Sao Paulo, Brazil........................................6 Figure 10 A garden in Japan ...................................6 Figure 11 A shy girl, just like me ..........................7 Figure 12 Nurses who are friendly with their co-workers.....................................................................7 Figure 13 A grave symbolizing death ................7

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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to my Garden Essay. I

never really thought about my future, I didn’t even think of where to start. After receiving this assignment from Mr. Gibbs it

really made me think, “How will I get to where I want to be in the future?” and

“Where can I see myself in the future?” It’s not an easy question, especially when you receive this question at a young age. You

have always had those dreams of what you want when you’re older, but you never

really think it through. I never thought it through, until this assignment. Now I have a good idea and map on what I want to be

when I’m older, and where I want to be with the people I love.

CHAPTER ONE

BECOMING A NURSE PRACTITIONER

When I’m a grown adult my dream

is to become a nurse practitioner. I’ve always had a want to help others, whether

it is a grown adult, or a small child. As of 2014 the median salary a nurse received

was $92,670. The highest 10% earned $126,250 while the lowest 10% earned $66,960. One of the best salary opportunities

are in San Jose, California. I plan to live around this area around this area in order to

receive the best salary I can. To achieve this dream and become a nurse I need to take college preparatory classes in mathematics,

science, and the social sciences. The summer that I graduate high school, I’m

interested in going into a two year nursing program in a community college which will lead to an associate’s degree. Right now I

am taking a biology class, and I plan on going into AP biology and AP psychology

sometime in the future.

When in college, I need to get a

B.S.N. also known as a bachelor’s degree in

nursing or in a related field with either a diploma or associate degree in nursing. This

summer I’m looking into volunteering at a local hospital to help boost a potential resume for becoming a nurse. In college I

Becoming a Nurse

Practitioner

Take AP classes in Social Science, Science, and Math.

Volunteer at a hospital over summer if age requirement is

met

Work on my patience

FIGURE 3 MANY PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR FUTURE.

FIGURE 1 A NURSE PRACTITIONER.

FIGURE 2 A FLOW CHART SHOWING MY PROGRESS TOWARDS BECOMING A NURSE.

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want to get an internship in a nearby hospital, which would also look good on my future resume. Another thing that I can work

on right now in order to become a nurse is my patience. I have a high tolerance level

with people, but everyone has their breaking point. I want to raise my tolerance even higher and boost my patience because when

working with sick people you’ll run into quite a few problems including cranky or

disrespectful people. According to Cypress Resume, nurses need an understanding of when to

order, interpret, and evaluate diagnostic tests to identify and assess patient’s condition. I

would learn these skills by volunteering in the summer in a local hospital, or when I go to a nursing program in the future. Many of

the skills that I am missing are related to my lack of full knowledge in the medical field.

Hopefully I can find a book in the near future to help enlighten me. Though I don’t have many of the skills listed in Cypress, I

have the skills that don’t require full knowledge of the job, such as being able to

keep detailed reports and records, being attentive enough to properly monitor/record symptoms and changes in patients’

conditions, and to be a highly motivated self-starter with active listening,

coordination and speaking skills. When I am done with my two year nursing program, I wish to attend the University of California in

San Francisco. They are the number one best nursing school to attend, and the best part is

that it is located here in California.

In case my dream job of being a nurse doesn’t exactly work out I wish to become an accountant, like my uncle. I have

a natural knowledge of mathematics, though it’s not my favorite subject, numbers come

to me naturally. Although math is my strongest area, I am in love with science. It doesn’t come naturally, but I love learning

new information daily in my biology class about genetics, diseases, cell reproduction,

etc. Nurses are needed now more than ever, and I wish that when I’m done with high school I can start working towards getting

into this career.

FIGURE 4 UCSF, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IN SAN FRANCISCO, THIS IS MY DREAM COLLEGE .

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CHAPTER TWO

LIVING IN CALIFORNIA

When I grow older and have a stable job I want to live in northern California. The weather is beautiful

in California, and also has the one of

the best incoming salaries for nurses. I want to stay near my

parents as they age instead of moving

miles away. Although it would be nice to look beyond

this state that I've grown in, it seems

like the ideal place

for me. Hopefully at

this point of moving I would have acquired a husband or fiancé to

buy a house with. My idea is to buy a house a bit more north than Benicia, a place called San Jose. The median sales price for homes

in San Jose CA for Nov 14 to Feb 15 was $630,000. The price is very high, but I

believe with a high paying job I would make enough money to put a nice down payment on the house. To start preparing for this, I

need to make sure that when I get a credit card I will make my payments every month

in order to keep a good credit score. There isn’t much I can do now to work towards getting home, considering I am only 15

years old and there’s only so much I can do at this age. My parents are looking at buying

a house here in Benicia, so I will help them with house hunting, along with paying attention to the process that goes along with

buying the house.

Living in California has a couple of

advantages. According to Business Insider,

the mortality rate is 646.8 people per 100,000. Also, the obesity rates in California are lower compared to some other states.

Here, our obesity rate is 23.8% which under 1/4 of our population. California also has

some beautiful locations, and being close to the water is great when it comes to the

summer. Not

only do we have

beaches to cool off, but we have the

nice ocean breeze that

comes through and soothes our

hot skin. When I’m

older I

eventually

would want to raise a family, and I would want it to be in

a good neighborhood. Here in California we have better SAT scores compared to other states other some other states. Our average is

1513, but in other some other states, such as Texas, it is as low as 1446. I’m thankful to

have such good schooling in Benicia High, and I want to pass that experience down to my children by enrolling them in schools as

great as Benicia’s.

FIGURE 6 A BEACH IN CALIFORNIA.

FIGURE 5 A FUNNY MEME TO EXPLAIN THE SAT PREPARATION

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CHAPTER THREE

MY FUTURE FAMILY

When I’m older, I plan on settling down with a man who is ready for a commitment. About 20% to 25% of

marriages end in divorce, and my parents were one of those. Having my parents

divorce when I was a young child had a big impact on my life, and heavily affected

my attitude towards marriages at such a

young age. To this day I am still skeptical about

marriages, but still want one for myself.

When the time comes I wish to raise a household with

two children, I don’t mind the genders. I know a few people who

are the only child in the family; I’ve been told that it’s pretty lonely. I have an older brother and a younger sister, who both

annoy me, but I learn to love them at the end of the day. Three kids in a household is a

little much in my opinion, but ever since my brother moved out for college our house seems more under

control. Although I miss my brother dearly, I do enjoy

having his room to myself.

Having siblings is

difficult, some days you want to be friends with them, some days you want to bash

their head into a wall. When I’m older I really do want to

keep in touch with my brother and sister. I know I would miss them, and it would be nice to spend the holidays with them. My

mom and dad both live across the country

from their brothers and sisters, which is disappointing since I don’t get to see my cousins like some other people do. I want to

provide an experience that I never got to have; I want my kids to see their aunt and

uncle, along with their cousins. I also want to keep in touch with my parents; it is supposedly good for their mental health. I

never get to see my grandma or grandpa on both my mom and dad’s sides of the family.

In fact, I never met my real grandfather on my mom’s side, he lives in Colombia. I don’t want my

kids to be separated from their family like I was. Even

if my brother and sister lived in different states, I would still want a family

gathering every holiday, or every important holiday.

When I was younger, my mother

gave me everything I wanted. Although that sounds delightful, now that I’m older I see that this affected

how I grew up. My father on the other hand, he never wanted to give my siblings and I

want we wanted. If we were to ask for a nice big teddy bear my dad would give us a tiny bear keychain. I grew up thinking I can get

what I want, as long as I ask my mom. Now that I’m older, I see that I

don’t want to be like my father nor mother, I want to be in between. I want to give my kids what they want,

just not 24/7 whenever they ask. I do want to make them happy, but I don’t

want to spoil them because I know that eventually they won’t see me as a mother. If I give them

everything they wanted they would see me really as a woman

who gave them everything they want, like a genie granting every wish they made.

FIGURE 7 A FAMILY GATHERING THAT KEEPS THE FAMILY CLOSE .

FIGURE 8 TWO CHILDREN, WHICH IS WHAT I WOULD

LIKE.

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CHAPTER FOUR

TRAVEL LIFE

As I age I know that I wish to travel around the world. I have a few places in mind that I have always wanted to visit. On

my 18th birthday my parents are arranging for me to fly out to Sao Paulo, Brazil. I was

a young infant when I was born in Brazil, and moved to the states when I was only a little

girl around 1 or 2. I have no memory whatsoever

of my life in Brazil, but I do have the stories that my family tells me.

They fill in the

memories that didn’t stick in my mind due

to not having a fully developed brain. I wish I could remember the scenery, every story

that I hear my family describes Brazil as a beautiful place, and I wish to visit my hometown so I can see the land I was born

in. A round trip cost for Brazil as of now is about $1,500 per person. It’s very

expensive, but I plan on getting a job over the next few summers that will help me save up and help my parents pay off the traveling

cost.

Another place I would love to go when I’m older is Japan. I had a cousin on my father’s side live in

Japan for 4 years, and every year when I go to

New York to see her she has a story to tell about her experience in Japan. I

always wanted to learn the Japanese language,

although I would never really use it unless I do follow up on this idea of

traveling to Japan. I love the Japanese culture, in fact, Japan gets about 10 million tourists a year. 10 million other people in

this world are attracted to Japan, either because of family that they may have there,

or it’s simply their lifestyle. I love their views on treating elders, and also their entertainment. I used to watch those

Japanese shows that would play at 12 at night when I was a kid, the ones that the

men would go through an odd obstacle course, like Wipeout. I also enjoy watching anime shows.

It was only recently that I was introduced to them, but I have

only gotten through two of them. I like the cartoon style, and they just have better plots

overall than the shows that we

have here in America, in my opinion.

Lastly, another place I would like to

visit is Australia. Although it may not seem rational, I would like to experience different cultures and weather. I always wanted to

experience a Christmas in summer, or having winter in the middle of the year. I

think it would be a bit nice to also see the wildlife that only exists in Australia, like kangaroos and koalas. Another thing I

would enjoy are the accents. I always find accents adorable and interesting. It’s cool to

hear a different pronunciation from what you have heard your whole life. Just being

in a different place from

where you’ve been raised overall is just an experience

that you can’t get any other way. You have to be willing to leave your home and be

open to new ways of living, and being accepting to how

others live daily. That is the experience that I want

from traveling to and from all these places.

FIGURE 10 A GARDEN IN JAPAN

FIGURE 9 SAO PAULO, BRAZIL

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CHAPTER FIVE

SOCIAL LIFE

I want to be able to socialize a lot more when I’m older. As of right now, I’m not a very sociable teenager. I would love to

be able to talk with people, but I am extremely shy.

Sometimes my shyness prevents me from doing things, for

I am afraid of making myself look like a

fool. I’m always concerned of other people’s opinions of

me, which really stops me from doing what I

want to do. When I was younger I played

softball for the city, but I never played again

due to me being scared of what the other girls thought about how I played and how I

looked. I was on the chubbier side of the kids, and a bit more sluggish. I always wanted to keep up with the girls my age, but

I just never seemed to fit in due to my social awkwardness.

I wish to fix this issue I have

currently, and hopefully when I obtain my nurse position, I hope to call my co-workers my friends. Also, when I bear children, I

would like to keep in touch with their friends parents and maintain a relationship

with them. Not only would that benefit me, but it would benefit our children in the sense that they would

be together often. I never had a

“best friend” to grow up with; I was the odd ball

that people only hung out with out

of guilt. I have cycled through my fair share of

friend groups, and most of them used

to me for my knowledge and how I can’t say

“no” to many things. I have

difficulty saying “no” since I feel as if I disappoint people if I do so, which is the last thing I want to do.

Although it may be a little off topic, I wanted to mention how I would wish to

die. Now I’m not asking to cut my time short here, I’m thankful to live the life I live,

no matter how difficult. When my time here on Earth is up, I wish to be buried. I always wanted to be cremated, but I thought back

on it and realized that it steals the opportunity from my family members to

return to my grave to pay their respects. I hope that not many mourn my death for too long, but at the same time I don’t want them

to lose all memories of me when I’m gone. I want to leave an imprint on those who I live

around and love. I don’t want to burden these people, but I do not want to go being unremembered.

FIGURE 13 A GRAVE

SYMBOLIZING DEATH

FIGURE 12 NURSES WHO ARE FRIENDLY WITH THEIR CO-WORKERS

FIGURE 11 A SHY GIRL, JUST LIKE ME

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WORKS CITED

"Attracting 10 Million Tourists to Japan | The Japan Times." Japan Times RSS. N.p., 01 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

Bratcher, Emily. "How to Become a Nurse Practitioner." InnerBody. U.S. News & World Report, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

"Cypress Resume." Cypress Resume. Worldtrade Press, 2015. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

"Fear / Phobia Statistics." Statistic Brain RSS. N.p., 8 July 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

"Flights - Google Search." Flights - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

Kiviat, Joy. "Services Of Nurse Practitioner Needed Now More Than Ever." Investor's Business Daily 4 Feb. 2015: A15. Student Resources in Context. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

Maurer, Sarah. "How to Become a Nurse Practitioner." Careers. HOWTOMEDIA, n.d. Web.

Nelson, Daryl. "Keep in Touch with Your Parents." ConsumerAffairs. Consumers Unified, 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

"Nurse Practitioner: Family." Best Family Nurse Practitioner Programs. U.S. News & World Report, 2011. Web. 08 Feb. 2015.

"San Jose Market Trends." San Jose, CA Average and Median Listing Prices. Fair Housing and

Equal Opportunity, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

"Registered Nurse." Career Information Center. Ed. Mary Bonk. 9th ed. Vol. 7. Detroit:

Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. Student Resources in Context. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

Strand, Paul. "Christian Broadcasting Network." Divorce Shocker: Most Marriages Do Make It.

N.p., 6 May 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

Wile, Rob. "9 Ways California Is Way Better Than Texas." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 30 Apr. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.