The August after I graduated from college, a friend and I hopped a plane and went to a small Czech town to teach English to nonspeakers. Neither of us spoke Czech. We didn’t know where we’d be living once we arrived. We had no idea what to expect. It was, however, a life-changing experience. I learned a little Czech. I traveled a lot. Most important, I learned so much about myself and what I can do. It made me a better teacher — I still teach today — and a better person.

The most fearless thing I’ve ever done? Well, I haven’t bungee jumped; I haven’t stopped a bank robbery or saved anyone from a burning building. I am a neonatal-intensive-care-unit (NICU) nurse. When I describe my job to others, their response is “I don't know how you do what you do.” Every shift has “fearless moments”: taking care of critically ill newborns; helping parents cope with premature infants, infants with a poor prognosis, or infants facing death; and helping premature and sick newborns to tolerate and survive “life on the outside.” Fearless to me is going beyond your personal boundaries and limitations — for an NICU nurse, that is a job requirement.