Janessa studies diligently to become a prenatal nurse. Photo by: Taylor Drake
By Alicia Sanchez
The drive of a single person can lead him or her to accomplish great things, including his or her dreams. Senior Janessa Salazar’s drive to be different in general is what inspires her to achieve her goal of becoming a prenatal nurse. She has spent her time preparing herself for her future by taking plenty of courses and talking to nurses, and now she wants to achieve her dream.
Janessa was born in South Bend, Indiana. She had lived in Bremen for a while, and finally moved to Plymouth 13 years ago. She has lived in Plymouth ever since, which was more than enough time for her to get to know people. Because of this, Janessa considers herself a friendly person. She said, “I’m outgoing, so I’ll talk to random people without even knowing their names.” She gave an example of when such a situation would occur by saying, “because I do filming for other sports, we would always go to other schools, and while I would wait for the game to start, I would explore the school and if I ran into anyone, I would talk to them. I call it my adventure time.” She adds that after her conversations with those people, she would walk away and then she would “realize I didn’t even tell them my name.”
Over those years of growing up in Plymouth, Janessa admits that she has changed some. She said she is “more independent now.” One thing that has not changed recently is what she likes to do during her free time. She has a number of hobbies, including reading, running, writing, volunteering, filming, knitting, sewing, cooking, baking, playing piano, and making jewelry. Compared to when she was younger, she said, “[Now] when I want to learn something, I do it. I go and teach myself everything.” She describes herself as determined. And she definitely seems determined to reach her goals.
As previously mentioned, she dreamed of becoming a prenatal nurse. Looking back on her life, she pointed at one school field trip as the start of her dream. The children in her school had taken a field trip to a hospital. When she saw the nurses taking care of the babies, she “knew [she] wanted to be one ever since.” It was in that moment that her future was realized.
She plans on going to Ivy Tech to get a degree in nursing. Her dedicated study habits will prepare her for college, where studying is very important. She said, “I try [to study] but there are times when I’m studying where I fall asleep. And I get up every morning at 4, so I just continue working, and it’s so hard sometimes because I’m stuck at school late at night. I feel like I never get to catch a break. I’m always working.”
Janessa is definitely looking toward the future. She said that in five years, she sees herself “continuing college and still working as a prenatal nurse.” With all the hard work she’s putting in now, there is no doubt she will achieve her goals and live like she wants to in the future.