I am a Hispanic female who will attend college in fall of 2025. I hope to Attend the University Of Kentucky in Lexington. I want to major in biology and follow a journey on the pre-med track. A goal of mine is to help people, as well as learn more about the complexity of the human body. I aspire to specialize in a field that will make a positive impact in the community and in a person’s life. I have been to Lexington Kentucky numerous times for various equestrian related events, and it has always felt like the community where I belong. I was born in San Antonio, Texas and I was adopted by a loving Caucasian family that knew of my existence prior to me even being born. Adoption has had a great effect on my identity as well as outlook on the future. Growing up, my family was always open about the fact that I was adopted and never hid it from me. It wasn't hard to figure out though, as I have always had darker hair, darker eyes, and darker skin. And there were very few Hispanics growing up in our neighborhood. My parents had me attend a Spanish immersion school from kindergarten to 8th grade so I could learn Spanish. Learning Spanish will give me the future opportunity to help others if they are unable to be understood. Looking back, their openness has taught me about the values of acceptance and honesty. They have also given me a deeper sense of empathy, understanding, and resilience, which are qualities that I believe are essential for pursuing a career in medicine, especially if wanting to help the lesser privileged. I want to share my passion with the UK community. Acceptance is out there. The doors are open for all people from many different backgrounds. People are out there to help them find their paths. Besides being able to speak Spanish, throughout high school I have taken various science courses that have enhanced my desire to go in the medical field, such as medical terminology and anatomy. This past summer, I was also able to gain various hands-on learning opportunities through the Upstate Area Health Education Center (AHEC). AHEC focuses on educating minorities on medical field careers. I hope to find something similar in Lexington or thru the University. Every opportunity I have been given regarding medicine has only enhanced and solidified my decision to pursue a career in the medical field.

To me success would be attending the University of Kentucky, majoring in biology, going the pre-med track, and becoming an anesthesiologist. Success to me also means making a difference within my professional field. Within my field I hope to make a difference towards minorities by implementing various principles of justice. For me, success means helping anyone that I possible can with my knowledge and voice when they can't. As a healthcare professional I will be able to advocate for justice in many ways. I will strive to provide equal care to all patients, regardless of their race, background, or socioeconomic status. I will actively work to eliminate the various biases in place within the medical field and ensure that every patient receives the highest amount of care possible. I hope to help bridge the gap within healthcare disparities and contribute to a more just healthcare system. I plan on engaging in other community outreach programs that provide medical services and education to underserved populations. I am currently a part of a program in Greenville, South Carolina called Upstate AHEC (Area Health Education Center). This program has allowed me to learn about the various healthcare disparities prevalent in today's society. This program has also allowed me to meet various new people and broaden my connections as well as abilities within the medical field. So far, I have also learned basic medical skills like CPR, wound packing, giving a person an IV, and drawing blood. I plan to participate in programs similar to this throughout college. By doing this, not only will I be helping others, but I will also be expanding my own horizons within the medical field. Doing these things will not only address immediate healthcare needs, but also give the others the knowledge resources to make informed healthcare decisions and spread awareness of health disparities to those around them. The more people that have knowledge of these various healthcare disparities and ways to help, the more ability there is for improvements in community health and general well being. My commitment to my success can and will be reflected in my approach to medicine. As I advance in my career, I will talk to those further along as well as behind me in my journey to educate them on the various healthcare disparities prevalent throughout society and how they can help. By providing guidance, support, and opportunities for growth among many people, including myself, and help create a diverse and inclusive medical workforce in order to enrich the field of medicine as well as ensure that various perspectives and experiences are represented in healthcare decisions. While I understand that this may seem like a lot for one person to achieve, I am extremely passionate about going into the medical field as well as ensuring my success and the success of those around me. I believe that as long as I educate the right people and get involved with those who are passionate about the same things I am, we will all have the ability to achieve success. Success is something that influences my personal as well as professional aspirations. Through my journey in the medical field, I am detached to become successful to myself, but those around me as well. This scholarship will be important to the beginning of my journey in becoming successful. With this scholarship, I will remain consistent in my commitment to success and I hope to make a meaningful impact on my life and the lives of my patients, as that is the whole reason I want to be in the medical field to begin with.

I plan on attending the University of Kentucky, majoring in biology, going the pre-med track, and becoming an anesthesiologist. Success to me also means making a difference within my professional field. Within my field I hope to make a difference towards minorities. For me, success means helping anyone that I possibly can. As a healthcare professional I will be able to advocate for justice in many ways. I will strive to provide equal care to all patients, regardless of their race, background, or socioeconomic status. I hope to help bridge the gap within healthcare disparities and contribute to a more just healthcare system. I also plan on engaging in community outreach programs that provide medical services and education to underserved populations. I am currently a part of a program in Greenville, South Carolina called Upstate AHEC (Area Health Education Center). This program has also allowed me to meet various new people and broaden my connections as well as abilities within the medical field. So far, I have also learned basic medical skills like CPR, wound packing, giving a person an IV, and drawing blood. I plan to participate in programs similar to this throughout college. By doing this, not only will I be helping others, but I will also be expanding my own horizons within the medical field. Doing these things will not only address immediate healthcare needs, but also give the others the knowledge resources to make informed healthcare decisions and spread awareness of health disparities to those around them. The more people that have knowledge of these various healthcare disparities and ways to help, the more ability there is for improvements in community health and general well being. My commitment to my success can and will be reflected in my approach to medicine. As I advance in my career, I plan on talking to those further along as well as behind me in my journey to educate them on the various healthcare disparities prevalent throughout society and how they can help. By providing guidance, support, and opportunities for growth among many people, including myself, I can help create a diverse and inclusive medical workforce in order to enrich the field of medicine as well as ensure that various perspectives and experiences are represented in healthcare decisions. I am extremely passionate about going into the medical field as well as ensuring my success and the success of those around me. Success is something that influences my personal as well as professional aspirations. Through my journey in the medical field, I am detached to become successful to myself, but those around me as well. I will remain consistent in my commitment to success and I hope to make a meaningful impact on my life and the lives of my patients, as that is the whole reason I want to be in the medical field to begin with.

As I go on the pre-med track at University of Kentucky, one of the main impacts I want to have in the medical feed is to incorporate various principles of justice into my practice. As a healthcare professional I will be able to advocate for justice in many ways. I will strive to provide equal care to all patients, regardless of their race, background, or socioeconomic status. I will actively work to eliminate the various biases in place within the medical field and ensure that every patient receives the highest amount of care possible. I hope to help bridge the gap within healthcare disparities and contribute to a more just healthcare system. However, the problem of healthcare injustice is not only present within a hospital. It is also prevalent within society and heavily influenced by various societal issues. I plan on possibly engaging in other community outreach programs that provide medical services and education to underserved populations. I am currently a part of a program in Greenville South Carolina called Upstate AHEC (Area health education center). This program has allowed me to meet various new people and broaden my connections as well as abilities within the medical field. So far, I have also learned basic medical skills like CPR, wound packing, giving a person an IV, and drawing blood. I plan to participate in programs similar to this throughout my schooling. By doing this, not only will I be helping others, but I will also be expanding my own horizons within the medical field by doing this. Doing these things will not only address immediate healthcare needs but also give other people the knowledge and resources to make informed healthcare decisions and spread awareness of health disparities to those around them. The more people who have knowledge of these various healthcare disparities and ways to help, there is the ability for immense improvements in community health and wellbeing. In addition to being committed to direct patient care as well as community outreach, it is also important to advocate for various policy changes that can lead to the promotion of justice in healthcare. This includes advocating for the expansion of access to affordable healthcare, better protection of patient rights, and addressing each of the 5 social determinants of health (economic stability, access to a quality education, social and community context, access to quality healthcare, and a person’s neighborhood and built environment). As a future medical professional, I have the ability to use my voice as well as my knowledge in order to influence healthcare policies that align with various principles of justice. My commitment to justice can and will be reflected in my approach to medicine. As I advance in my career, I plan on talking to those further along and behind me in my journey to educate them on the various healthcare disparities prevalent throughout society and how they can help. By providing this guidance, support, and opportunities for growth among many people including myself, I can help create a diverse and inclusive medical workforce. This will not only enrich the field of medicine, but it also ensures that various perspectives and experiences are represented in healthcare decisions. While this may seem like a lot for one person to achieve, I am extremely passionate about going into the medical field as well as ensuring that social justice is prevalent throughout society. I believe that as long as I educate the right people and get involved with those who are passionate about the same things I am, we will have the ability to achieve any goal in mind.

I have wanted to pursue a career in the medical field for a while now. I want to be either a surgeon or an anesthesiologist. I am passionate about pursuing a degree in biology as that will aid in my journey along the pre-med track in order to get my dream job. I have various goals set in my mind about how I will aim to make a difference within my future field. I aim to help all people including minorities and those with healthcare disparities have access to quality healthcare. Over this past summer, going into the fall, I had the privilege of being a part of the South Carolina Upstate Area Health Education Center Program located in Greenville, South Carolina. This program increased and solidified my passion for working in the healthcare industry. This program taught me about various minorities and groups with healthcare disparities. This program is what began more of my passion for focusing on helping those in my community and improving society as a whole. Throughout this program, I was also taught compassion and team working skills, as I worked with many people from those various backgrounds. I realized that pursuing a degree in biology opened my doors to many different healthcare fields and provided me with ways to help those around me. Throughout this program, I was able to speak with various professionals from different careers as well as perform various simulations. I was able to successfully insert an IV, draw blood, and also perform a tracheostomy. This program made me realize that my dreams had the potential to become a reality. Going on the pre-med track will not only help able to help those around me in my community but will also be able to aid me in feeling successful in the one goal I've had for a while, helping people. I have heard various stories about procedures going wrong and things happening in hospitals that were avoidable had the patient been checked up on, or didn't have silly mistakes made by doctors who do not double check their work. In the future, I will never be that doctor. I will be the doctor who cares about their patient and makes an impact in their life no matter how small. I am driven by passion to pursue a degree in biology. I plan on attending a college that has a strong program in the sciences of biology and chemistry to give me all of the tools that I will need to be successful when pursuing my degree. I also plan on going to a college located next to a Trauma 1 hospital. This is a really important goal to me because it will make it easy for me to gain internship opportunities as well as hands-on experience throughout my college time. I have never been so sure or so passionate about anything in my life. I will achieve my goals and I will help others along the way as well as throughout my career.