About me!
Hi! My name is Sara Kailey Miller and I am 23 years old from Waxhaw North Carolina. I currently live at home with my dad and my cat Orbit who is the light of my life. I have a boyfriend named Roberto and we have been together almost 5 years. He graduated from USC Lancaster in 2018 and is currently working as a relationship banker at Bank of America. Over the years, being with Roberto and his family, I have developed a deep love for Hispanic culture and Hispanic food. I am a type 2 (the caregiver) and type 4 (the individualist) enneagram. I love running, playing soccer, traveling to new places and experiencing new things. I consider myself to be an aspiring minimalist, flexitarian, and environmentalist. I am a Senior Bachelor of Science Nursing student at the University of South Carolina Lancaster working towards Graduation with Leadership Distinction in the Professional and Civic Engagement pathway. I currently work as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) in pediatrics as a home health aide and love my job. Upon graduation, I will become a pediatric nurse helping children and their families. Eventually, once I have a family and am ready to have a more stable schedule, I plan to become a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner.
To help provide more clarity on the kind of person I am, my mom, boyfriend, and myself each chose 1 word to describe me.
The word I chose is Survivor. I have survived and overcome many obstacles in my life. When I was eight years old I was diagnosed with a form of blood cancer called Acute Myeloid Leukemia which is extremely rare in children. I was told by one physician that I only had 2 weeks to live. I fought my battle for nine long months but conquered cancer and proved that doctor wrong. My experiences as a child in and out of the hospital are what drives me to become a nurse. I feel that I can bring something to the bedside others may not be able to since I experienced it first-hand.
My mom chose Sedulous which by definition means “(of a person or action) showing dedication and diligence.” (Dictionary.com). I have dedicated my life to becoming the best, well-rounded healthcare provider I can and have taken advantage of every opportunity to push myself closer to that goal. In high school I participated in the Career and College Promise program which allowed me to take college classes as a high school student for free. I gained my CNA 1 as well as my CNA 2 certifications and graduated from South Piedmont Community College in 2016, the same year I graduated from Parkwood High School. As a college student, I have represented the USC system locally, regionally, and abroad. On the local level, I have presented multiple times at Discover USC, and been an invited speaker to several community meetings. I work with students as a peer mentor through the USCL Research Club as an executive member. Serving as an executive board member for the USCL Student Nurses Association (SNA) has given me the unique opportunity to educate the public on health matters like vaccines and hand hygiene. SNA has also afforded me the ability to mentor rising nursing students at USC Lancaster. At the regional level, I shared my research and represented USC at the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine in Tennessee. Internationally, I was one of two students to represent USC at the Second World Congress on Undergraduate Research in Germany. As evidenced by all of my extracurricular activity, I strive to become a better version of myself every day and pursue every opportunity presented to me.
Roberto chose the word Perfectionist which is absolutely true. I strive for perfection in every aspect of my life. I HATE making mistakes. Though I value how effective they are at teaching me, I still find the process frustrating. I hold myself to high expectations and always want to excel at everything I do, even if it's my first time. While for some, striving for perfection can be unhealthy, for me, it’s how I compete with myself and motivate myself to do better. If I don’t get something exactly right the first time I work harder to reach perfection the next time. Making a mistake as a nurse can put people’s lives at risk. Therefore, holding myself accountable for my mistakes and working to ensure they don’t happen again is essential for my future career.
My mom chose Sedulous which by definition means “(of a person or action) showing dedication and diligence.” (Dictionary.com). I have dedicated my life to becoming the best, well-rounded healthcare provider I can and have taken advantage of every opportunity to push myself closer to that goal. In high school I participated in the Career and College Promise program which allowed me to take college classes as a high school student for free. I gained my CNA 1 as well as my CNA 2 certifications and graduated from South Piedmont Community College in 2016, the same year I graduated from Parkwood High School. As a college student, I have represented the USC system locally, regionally, and abroad. On the local level, I have presented multiple times at Discover USC, and been an invited speaker to several community meetings. I work with students as a peer mentor through the USCL Research Club as an executive member. Serving as an executive board member for the USCL Student Nurses Association (SNA) has given me the unique opportunity to educate the public on health matters like vaccines and hand hygiene. SNA has also afforded me the ability to mentor rising nursing students at USC Lancaster. At the regional level, I shared my research and represented USC at the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine in Tennessee. Internationally, I was one of two students to represent USC at the Second World Congress on Undergraduate Research in Germany. As evidenced by all of my extracurricular activity, I strive to become a better version of myself every day and pursue every opportunity presented to me.
Roberto chose the word Perfectionist which is absolutely true. I strive for perfection in every aspect of my life. I HATE making mistakes. Though I value how effective they are at teaching me, I still find the process frustrating. I hold myself to high expectations and always want to excel at everything I do, even if it's my first time. While for some, striving for perfection can be unhealthy, for me, it’s how I compete with myself and motivate myself to do better. If I don’t get something exactly right the first time I work harder to reach perfection the next time. Making a mistake as a nurse can put people’s lives at risk. Therefore, holding myself accountable for my mistakes and working to ensure they don’t happen again is essential for my future career.
My E-portfolio is focused around 3 essential life duties that will benefit the world and individuals if they are utilized. They are guides to living a more meaningful and impactful life that fulfills our life’s purpose. Throughout my college career, without realizing it, I was working towards fulfilling each of these duties. They intertwine with each other. For my purposes, they are centralized on my chosen career path of nursing These essential duties include Civic Duty, Professional Duty, and Personal Duty. We each have a CIVIC DUTY to help improve the world around us either locally or globally. This means voting based on beliefs (not a specific party) or influencing policy or procedures in your chosen field of work. We each have a PROFESSIONAL DUTY to be productive members of society that work diligently to provide services to meet or exceed expectations of employers or clientele. Most importantly, we have our PERSONAL DUTY to put our health and well-being first and do the things that ultimately lead a healthier and happier life. Fulfilling these duties looks different for each person. Ultimately, by working towards satisfying each of the three duties, we live more purposeful, rewarding lives that help create a better place for ourselves and others. The positive impacts of at least trying to implement these duties throughout our lives is abounding. The actions we take to complete these duties not only influences our small circle of friends and family, there is the possibility of reaching others globally to create a better world for everyone.