Currently, I am an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Biology with a minor in French. For years, I have wanted to become a pediatric oncologist; thus, I am pursuing this goal and hope to attend medical school following graduation. To learn more about what, or, rather, who, prompted this occupational decision, please read the personal statement I wrote as a part of my application to Loyola's Pre-Health Advisory Commitee, located under the Miscellaneous tab and entitled "Nick's Story." My vision of success in this career is, naturally, saving the lives of as many children as possible, but, on a smaller scale, allowing them to remain healthy enough to be normal children and do things that others often take for granted, such as going to school or merely relaxing at home with family. In my mind, every extra day, month, or year I can help give to future patients is an opportunity for them to form new memories with their families and friends and work towards the achievement of their goals; as I pursue my dreams, I am constantly motivated by the desire to allow more children to pursue theirs.

In addition to my passion for medicine and my desire to allow future patients to lead the most fulfilling lives possible, I am also very passionate about animals and their welfare. Through my internship at PAWS Chicago, I am able to help ensure that homeless animals find a new life with loving families and that, while they are searching for these forever homes, they know that they are loved by all of the PAWS volunteers and staff. My own animals, an Akita named Sparky and an Australian Cattle Dog named Luna, are possibly my two biggest supporters in life; their cuddles and kisses can always wash away any worry and remind me of how truly fortunate I am.

My puppies are not the only wonderful family members in my life; I am so blessed to have caring parents and a younger brother who is also my closest friend. My family has instilled in me a strong work ethic, a sense of respect and compassion for all those around me, a deeply rooted love of St. Louis Cardinals baseball, and obsessions with horror films and cupcakes. Their support and advice mean the world to me, and, particularly now that I am not with them the majority of the time, I treasure the time we do get to spend together and our phone calls.

Another important aspect of my life is dance. Growing up, I competed with a company in St. Louis for eleven years and dedicated a vast majority of my time to improving my technique and perfecting competition routines. The small group of girls with whom I danced became a second family over the years, and together we won national championships and earned a reputation as the dancers to fear and to beat in the St. Louis tap community. Since starting college, I have tried to ensure this passion remains a part of my life by taking classes at Loyola and at outside studios. Whereas I no longer spend nearly the amount of time dancing now as I did as a child and adolescent, I still thoroughly enjoy working to grow as a dancer and taking time to set aside any other stresses and just focus on this hobby.

In all facets of my life, I try to live in accordance with the saying, “Have big dreams. You will grow into them.” I feel that this mantra of sorts serves a dual purpose. First, it assures me that my often-lofty aspirations are not, in fact, unachievable, even if others might view them as such. It is perfectly alright and even desirable to set goals that will require a considerable amount of work and personal growth to reach and to fully believe that they can be reached. Second, this saying reminds me that I am still growing into the roles I eventually want to fill and accumulating the knowledge necessary for doing so. Reaching for big dreams requires that we are constantly learning, during which time we will, naturally, make some errors. However, these errors serve to progress us on our path toward becoming who we wish to be, helping and serving those we wish to help, and achieving even the loftiest of aspirations. Through the implementation of this saying in my life, I have allowed myself to believe that, with continued learning and growth, I do not need to limit my goals.