My main goal in life is to serve my community particularly in the area of health and wellness. I believe this path, working as a physician, will serve as a major contribution to my personal pursuit of acquiring the intrinsic feeling of being successful. A feeling every human being hopes to achieve some day in their life. My demographics, socioeconomic status, healthcare experience, and mental health battles have made me who I am today and will aid in my goal to help patients with sickness and diseases of the mind and body so they can continue to live their life to the fullest potential. The field of healthcare has been a revolving door for people who do not truly care about bettering the lives of human beings. Having worked the last 5 years in a clinical setting, I have seen and heard things that make me question the state of our healthcare system and the authenticity of our medical providers. I often wonder how these people end up becoming responsible for the lives of others when the moral obligation to help someone leaves as soon as they walk out of the building. Being a caring individual should not stop once the shift is over. It scares me to know there are clinicians in our hospitals and clinics who do not have the compassion, ethical sensitivity, and respect to care for patients in a truly transformative way. While I have always had an innate interest in helping others and speaking up for those too scared to do it for themselves, seeing the cracks and disparities in our healthcare system has made me want to step up to be a voice for vulnerable patients who are being mistreated and not getting the help they deserve. Everyone deserves an excellent quality of life regardless of race, religion, age, or other socioeconomic factors and I believe my life experiences have granted me the privilege of helping others get there through good health. I have had extensive battles with mental health that have given me the patience and knowledge needed to meet people where they are at in life and be of service in the best way that works for them. When I first began my college journey in 2017, my life was almost cut short by my very own hands. I was angry, confused, and unsure of the purpose my life had and how to make use of the experiences I had been through to benefit others. However, through PHP and extensive therapy, I have gotten to a healthy mental state that allows me to remain in highly stressful environments and work with patients without forgetting everything I have learned about mindfulness and protecting my inner peace. Having control over my mind and emotions like this will allow me to bring back the roots of why we do what we do as healthcare professionals. I want to use my experiences to cultivate an environment in health care where patients feel safe, supported, and respected enough to advocate genuine needs and know that their care team will help them. I have spoken to so many patients who have quite literally given up on their health. They feel abandoned, lost, hurt, and confused trying to navigate our system and communicate effectively with providers and it pains me to know that we can do better, but are choosing not to. Finding a little bit of ourselves in others makes a significant difference in how we care for someone and I hope my future presence in this field will bring more of this selflessness to bring positive change.

In 2017, my life was almost cut short by my very own hands. The constant cloud of despair had finally become too much for me. It had felt like I had taken a big inhale many years prior, and the exhale would be something I would never have the joy of experiencing in this life. But to my surprise, my arrival at the hospital that night was the beginning of the exhale I was hopelessly longing for. Do you want to know the most exciting thing about sitting in a hospital bed, completely vulnerable with nurses and family members surrounding you when you did not expect to see the next day? You have the realization that you have hit rock bottom, and even that was not enough to halt your life. You have hit the end of your descent, and the only direction to go from there is up. While my path to happiness and healthiness has been a long one since that eventful night and is still ongoing, I believe I have healed enough to be able to reflect on how my experience with mental health through the years has influenced my beliefs, relationships, and career aspirations. The most harrowing thing about being in the midst of a mental health crisis is it makes you believe that there is nothing good in this world, for you. "You will never be enough", "No amount of therapy or medication will make your situation better", and "Your life is worth nothing" are things the depressive mind will tell you that make you think there is nothing good to ever come in your life. Believing becomes painful, so you stop believing to make the false hope go away. This is the game my mind played with me for many years and honestly, it made me feel comfortable. When things did not turn out the way I wanted, it stung a little less because I never believed it would work out anyway. This mindset had a tight grip on me until I hit the point of rock bottom. Surviving this was the catalyst for my slow change in how I thought about my life. I never believed anyone truly cared about me, but here they were in my hospital room proving me wrong. There was now tangible evidence that proved that the belief no one cared about me was false. What other beliefs did I have about myself and others that were not true at all? I began to unpack a lot of these questions in therapy through the years and it has made me a much more optimistic person. I am now someone who wants to put 1000% into everything they do in the belief that hard work and dedication will always yield a positive outcome, even if the outcome is not what was expected, or ideal. A belief I can not say for certain I would have now had I never declared war on my mental illness all those years ago. The lies exposed that night were just the beginning of many. Being a successful healthcare provider is no longer a dream I laugh at and being a compassionate, empathetic friend who doesn’t self-sabotage every relationship in my life is now no longer as absurd as it used to sound. Relationships and my mental health issues have always occupied opposite seats on a teeter-totter. When my mental health issues would hit a "peak" of terribleness, the distance between me and the people around me increased due to the decisions I chose to make and the words I chose to speak. I was equipped with a vile and morbid vocabulary that made people not want to be around me anymore. Not because they were bad people who did not want to be there for me, but because the things a depressive and anxious mind makes you say can cause distress to those who love you and want to help you. So as much as they want to be there, It is too painful and I was not mature enough back then to be able to understand that until I began seeking the help I needed. Reading old texts and analyzing old behavioral patterns in hindsight is disturbing, but brings a lot of needed perspective critical for true healing. Building the skills needed for emotional and mental maturity allows you to see how your actions impact others in ways you would never be able to see otherwise. I never understood how telling people around me I did not want to be alive could affect them so much. They were my feelings, my emotions, and my experience that involved me, and me alone. Going through this has allowed me to understand the lasting impact my words have on other individuals. The way I choose to explain what my experience was like, can cause wounds to someone else’s mental and emotional health which is actually gut-wrenching to think about now. I never again want to cause any kind of harm to another individual and this has been a pivotal reason in why I want to become a physician. Pouring life into others in my community feels like the ultimate privilege and an opportunity I would forever regret not pursuing. All the relationships and people I have in my life today, and even the ones no longer here have all contributed to the person I now see in the mirror. Being in the darkest of places as I've learned, is escapable and It would be nonsensical if I didn't do everything in my power to be in a field or position where I can help those in need no matter what area of their health is impacted. I believe my experiences with mental health have equipped me with the skillset and compassion needed to meet people where they are at and be a piece of the puzzle that makes them whole again.

Around 20% of U.S. adults suffer from mental health challenges. The challenges we face are unique to the individual so, no one story will be the exact same. For me, my depression and anxiety, fueled by years of striving to be the best out of all my siblings to please my parents had extreme consequences on my overall life quality and my academic success. When I first began my college journey in 2017, my life was almost cut short by my very own hands. I was angry, confused, and unsure of the purpose my life had If I was not able to outshine others around me and make use of the experiences I had been through to benefit others. I have always strived for perfection as failure has never been an option for me. So in turn, my mental suffering continued to worsen when I could not keep up with the academic demands of college while working full-time and trying to find my path as an adult. Working and trying to outperform everyone in my classes was a ridiculous challenge I put on myself to prove to my parents I would not be a failure in life. But not being able to handle the two together made me feel as though I was not worthy. Not worthy of life, not worthy of a degree, and not worthy of my parent's acceptance. Of course, none of these thoughts were true but in my mind, they were reality. I had the luck and curse of having parents who expected at least one of their kids to make it in this world. I somehow managed to turn this expectation into a toxic demand that was causing mental damage that I did not notice until it was almost too late. I felt no matter how much effort I put into reshaping the way I thought about my self-worth, I was destined to be a failure. Life continued down this hazy pathway until I hit the lowest of lows. Do you want to know the most exciting thing about sitting in a hospital bed, completely vulnerable with family members surrounding you when you did not expect to see the next day? You have the realization that you have hit rock bottom, and the people (my parents) I thought would be yet again disappointed in me were there at a time when many others were not. Gratitude began to pour into me because I realized maybe I do have something to offer to the world; knowledge and wisdom from pain from unique experiences only I have been through. Returning home after this experience and seeing how kind my parents were to me made me realize that my humaneness was more of an asset than anything I could ever accomplish academically and I needed to love myself to be of any use to others. Because what value would I have to others if I am damaged goods that has not learned anything from living in my cycle of toxicity? Challenges that come into our lives feel like the absolute end of the world in the moment. It is easy to fall into the "woah it's me" mindset and not want to push through because if it's not one thing, it's another. But I learned through this period of my life that obstacles are a blessing as they force us to become creative and to think outside the box in ways that will benefit us, and even future generations. My experience has taught me setbacks lead to thicker skin and unimaginable success if we allow it.

In 2017, my life was almost cut short by my very own hands. The constant cloud of despair had finally become too much for me. It had felt like I had taken a big inhale many years prior, and the exhale would be something I would never have the joy of experiencing in this life. But to my surprise, my arrival at the hospital that night was the beginning of the exhale I was hopelessly longing for. Do you want to know the most exciting thing about sitting in a hospital bed, completely vulnerable with nurses and family members surrounding you when you did not expect to see the next day? You have the realization that you have hit rock bottom, and even that was not enough to halt your life. You have hit the end of your descent, and the only direction to go from there is up. While my path to happiness and healthiness has been a long one since that eventful night and is still ongoing, I believe I have healed enough to be able to reflect on how my experience with mental health through the years has influenced my beliefs, relationships, and career aspirations. The most harrowing thing about being in the midst of a mental health crisis is it makes you believe that there is nothing good in this world, for you. "You will never be enough", "No amount of therapy or medication will make your situation better", and "Your life is worth nothing" are things the depressive mind will tell you that make you think there is nothing good to ever come in your life. Believing becomes painful, so you stop believing to make the false hope go away. This is the game my mind played with me for many years and honestly, it made me feel comfortable. When things did not turn out the way I wanted, it stung a little less because I never believed it would work out anyway. This mindset had a tight grip on me until I hit the point of rock bottom. Surviving this was the catalyst for my slow change in how I thought about my life. I never believed anyone truly cared about me, but here they were in my hospital room proving me wrong. There was now tangible evidence that proved that the belief no one cared about me was false. What other beliefs did I have about myself and others that were not true at all? I began to unpack a lot of these questions in therapy through the years and it has made me a much more optimistic person. I am now someone who wants to put 1000% into everything they do in the belief that hard work and dedication will always yield a positive outcome, even if the outcome is not what was expected, or ideal. A belief I can not say for certain I would have now had I never declared war on my mental illness all those years ago. The lies exposed that night were just the beginning of many. Being a successful healthcare provider is no longer a dream I laugh at and being a compassionate, empathetic friend who doesn’t self-sabotage every relationship in my life is now no longer as absurd as it used to sound. Relationships and my mental health issues have always occupied opposite seats on a teeter-totter. When my mental health issues would hit a "peak" of terribleness, the distance between me and the people around me increased due to the decisions I chose to make and the words I chose to speak. I was equipped with a vile and morbid vocabulary that made people not want to be around me anymore. Not because they were bad people who did not want to be there for me, but because the things a depressive and anxious mind makes you say can cause distress to those who love you and want to help you. So as much as they want to be there, It is too painful and I was not mature enough back then to be able to understand that until I began seeking the help I needed. Reading old texts and analyzing old behavioral patterns in hindsight is disturbing, but brings a lot of needed perspective critical for true healing. Building the skills needed for emotional and mental maturity allows you to see how your actions impact others in ways you would never be able to see otherwise. I never understood how telling people around me I did not want to be alive could affect them so much. They were my feelings, my emotions, and my experience that involved me, and me alone. Going through this has allowed me to understand the lasting impact my words have on other individuals. The way I choose to explain what my experience was like, can cause wounds to someone else’s mental and emotional health which is actually gut-wrenching to think about now. I never again want to cause any kind of harm to another individual and this has been a pivotal reason in why I want to become a physician. Pouring life into others in my community feels like the ultimate privilege and an opportunity I would forever regret not pursuing. All the relationships and people I have in my life today, and even the ones no longer here have all contributed to the person I now see in the mirror. Being in the darkest of places as I've learned, is escapable and It would be nonsensical if I didn't do everything in my power to be in a field or position where I can help those in need no matter what area of their health is impacted. I believe my experiences with mental health have equipped me with the skillset and compassion needed to meet people where they are at and be a piece of the puzzle that makes them whole again.

For me, success looks like waking up in the morning being 100% confident in your identity, and knowing what you have to offer the world. Moving through the day in a way that betters the lives of the people around you as well as your own. Making you feel that sense of self-completion that often shows up when we think of being successful. It looks like having an extreme level of discipline to put the work into life needed to enjoy the selfish perks of being alive. Success looks like being able to reflect on all your insecurities, hardships, and mistakes and being able to appreciate what these things have done to help you become a stronger individual mentally and emotionally. Though this is not a place I am at yet, I believe continuing to go through school in hopes of starting a career where I will be helping to better the health of others will eventually serve as a tremendous stepping stone in getting there and this scholarship opportunity will assist in making that goal more realistic. Admittedly I have been trying to complete my degree since 2017 at the age of 18 so by American societal standards, I am not doing too hot in the pursuit in becoming "successful" (which is often a word equivalent to wealth). Due to life circumstances, I have become a non traditional student who has had a delay in becoming the successful person I have described by my own standards above. While I am not "unsuccessful", not contributing to society in a way that feels meaningful to me is what prevents me from feeling whole-heartedly successful. I have had to take multiple breaks throughout my academic career due to mental health issues, financial issues, and inability to balance work and school. These things made me feel like a failure because they effected my school performance so harshly I could not complete classes to the best of my ability. Requiring me to take breaks to re-coup. However, I have never completely given up because I know this is a profession that will help fill my cup and allow me to achieve the type of success I would like to see for myself. I've always known I wanted to be in healthcare since a young age. I felt at heart this was an esteemed profession because of the respect we were taught to have for doctors in different specialties. Healthcare has just always felt right as I have always had a natural desire to help those without a dominating voice. Its just been an innate trait that I could never shake. I never shied away from conflict and always felt it was my duty to argue for what I felt was morally right. I just always had to open my mouth on behalf of those who were too scared or nervous to do it themselves and I have always been completely okay with that. As I became older and my interest in overall health and wellness grew, I realized how truly beneficial it would be for someone like me to be in health care. This path to success however, is costly. Not just on my health, but on actual finances. Paying for school out of pocket for so long has not allowed me to save the money needed to reduce my work hours enough to complete the in person classes I need to finish my degree. A roadblock that before was so far away has now come into view. Right now, the world is extremely expensive. Taxes have taxes and everything seems to have a price increase once a month. As a 25-year-old, independent college student, I can assure you that paying for school on top of every other life expense has becomes quite grueling. Providing me this scholarship would be an investment into the health of wellness of our society and would great reduce the financial burden ahead of me as I continue pursing undergrad and eventually, grad school. While getting into this career field wont be the only thing responsible for making me feel successful, It would be a a great contributor and any financial assistance I can get on this journey would assuredly not go wasted.

Exploring the world is such an undervalued lesson taught to us through life, especially in childhood and adolescent years. There are comments made here and there about it when people tell you to "move out of your hometown as soon as you get the chance" or "go out and see the world!". But no one really talks to you about the intrinsic benefits of it outside of the surface level of it being something fun to do. Growing up and living in one town forces us to believe there is only one "correct" way to live. Other languages throw us off, behaviors we are not familiar with are automatically deemed weird or inappropriate and differing spiritual beliefs spark such intense debates. While we are aware there are other ways of living and thinking, limited exposure leads to us having tunnel vision and hinders our ability to process the fact there are vast amounts of cultures that do things differently from what we are familiar with. Submerging ourselves in environments different from our own is, in my opinion, is the only way to gain the skills needed for dialectical reasoning and the ability to successfully communicate with people from other cultures for continued personal development. Traveling can be extremely eye-opening and life-changing when you truly put in the effort to be present where you are and allow yourself to accept the challenge of engaging with people in a way that is uncomfortable for you, but comfortable for them. Something as little as having to ask for directions in a different language or having to adjust your body language to not come off as threatening are learning experiences that force us to do something outside of our norm. These new experiences make us question what makes us do the things we do and how it may come across to different people we interact with on a day-to-day basis in our environment. While I have not had the privilege of traveling outside the US, I have been to 15 states. All of these places were different in their own ways. For example, boundaries are different, humor is different, interpretation of body language is different and so many other things that at first come off very intimidating and confusing. All of a sudden the "normal" behavior you believed to be normal is now abnormal and now, you have to adjust. This is the beginning of internal growth and development that will happen consciously or subconsciously. Embracing a different approach to life allows us to expand our understanding of every part of human existence and allows us to analyze our own privileges and shortcomings. Every exposure we have to a new way of life provides us with another layer of skin if you will, kind of like a chameleon. The more we experience and learn, the better able we are to adapt to different people and environments which adds value to to us as individuals. Being able to walk into a room in a country as diverse as America and having the ability and know-how to engage with people of different ethnic groups and cultural norms based on knowledge gained during travel is a fascinating and admirable feat. It accelerates the way you think and brings different lenses to your life that allow you to make more informed decisions. Traveling teaches you things you can never learn firsthand in school which is why it is so important to get out and live to become a better human being.

The field of healthcare has always felt like my calling since elementary school. The natural desire to help those without a dominating voice was an innate trait I could never shake. I never shied away from conflict and always felt it was my duty to argue for what I felt was morally right. I always had to open my mouth on behalf of those who were too scared or nervous to do it themselves and I have always been completely okay with that. As I became older and my interest in overall health and wellness grew, I realized how truly beneficial it would be for someone like me to be in health care. The constant need to be a voice for those without one continued to burden me until I realized there were careers out there for people like me where my burden would be someone else's gift or next chance at life both literally, and metaphorically. Becoming an MD, ARNP, PA, or RN has always seemed like such a privilege. Meeting people at their most vulnerable and having the opportunity to be someone who can help turn their situation around is as appealing as it gets in my eyes. Becoming a clinician is such a selfless job and with what I knew about myself, not diving into this world would be a major disservice to myself and those who need someone part of their care team who will always fight for what is best for them regardless of their background. My journey through school has been extremely challenging. I have had to deal with severe mental health issues along my journey as well as facing financial issues with having to pay for school out of pocket. I have been pursuing a higher level of education since 2017 at the age of 18. Becoming an adult came with challenges I was not ready for and in turn, it impacted my academic success. Oftentimes, I felt like I was just barely making it across the finish lines. The stress of therapy, work, school, and other extracurriculars combined have left many marks on me and sometimes, I still feel chained down by it all no matter how much I progress through life. Now at 25, I am still doing my best to fight through adversities to complete my degree. The victim mentality continues to try to weigh me down and make me believe I will never make it and I will never be enough. But deep down, I know that is far from the truth. I have been on my academic journey for 7 years now and I no longer want to allow my trauma to define who I am and prevent me from performing at my highest capacity through life. I believe working in healthcare will help strengthen my mind and finally release me from the chains that have held me down for so long. Becoming responsible for maintaining and bettering the lives of others would provide me with a responsibility and commitment that would force me to empathize with others consistently. Preventing me from slipping into constant self-pity and doubt that I will never amount to anything no matter how hard I try. This would give me the push I need to finally break the walls that have held me back for so long. Morphing me into an even more giving, compassionate, and exemplary individual that I know I am destined to be for the benefit of people in my community. Ultimately, I want my life to have more space for others and in this field, I can accomplish this.

A non-heterosexual, black male doctor has always seemed out of the question as a career choice. I have never encountered one in all my years of life and working in healthcare so to me, they never existed. Becoming a physician has always been a dream for me since I was a child. A dream I have been scared of pursuing in real life up until now because of self-consciousness and other stigmas against people like me. As if that was not enough, I chose to have a dream that is as financially intimidating as it gets. However, I can not let that deter me from living in my purpose. Avoidable sickness, disease, and accidents continue to plague us as a society and I want to be an individual who can aid in the fight for longer lives and ultimately, a healthier country. Bettering the health of those in my community is something I have always aspired to do. Seeing preventable deaths and chronic health issues in my family and my community growing up was the catalyst for my interest in diving into the world of science and medicine. My natural curiosity has aided me in helping me find care for those around me. By no means do I ever act as a physician, but I educated myself and built enough awareness to know when someone may need a higher level of care by binge-watching YouTube videos, reading case studies & engaging in conversation with healthcare professionals. This has always given me a sense of meaning nothing else could give me. Confirming to me, becoming a physician has been the only true road for me to go down. My academic path in pursuing these areas of interest has been a struggle for me mentally, emotionally, and financially. But, I am extremely grateful to have a close group of supportive people who helped me build the resilience needed to keep a college education in sight. I owe it to my community, family, and friends to be a health resource and an example that no matter what race, gender, or sexuality you are, anything is achievable with discipline and hard work. I am a tenacious individual who has not let major adversities scare me away from my academic and career goals. I continue to fight for my education as healthcare facilities need more black providers. Representation is important and I must play my part If we want to see a change in the health care system. I have been on this journey since 2017 and still trying my best to get to where I need to be at the age of 25. While I am not a "traditional" college student due to my age, that has little to no impact on the seriousness with which I approach my education. There are people in this world who need a physician with the unique qualities and traits I have been provided with through my journey in life and I refuse to let them down. Financial barriers have been an ongoing challenge for me the further I get into my education. Unfortunately with the system we have, financial contribution from my parents is extremely overestimated and I simply need more aid than what my parents can provide. This scholarship would be a tremendous stress relief as having to pay for courses out of pocket has been draining. While I am grateful to have had the money from working full-time to pay for my courses, it has not been without sacrifice. Any aid would help fund my dream of helping my community and would not be wasted.

A non-heterosexual, black male doctor has always seemed out of the question as a serious career choice. I have never encountered one in all my years of life and working in healthcare so to me, they never existed. Becoming a physician has always been a dream for me since I was a child. A dream I have been scared of pursuing in real life up until now because of self-consciousness and other stigmas against people like me. As if that was not enough, I chose to have a dream that is as financially intimidating as it gets. However, I can not let that deter me from living in my purpose. Avoidable sickness, disease, and accidents continue to plague us as a society and I want to be an individual who can aid in the fight for longer lives and ultimately, a healthier country. Bettering the health of those in my community is something I have always aspired to do. Seeing preventable deaths and chronic health issues in my family and my community growing up was the catalyst for my interest in diving into the world of science and medicine. My natural curiosity has aided me in helping me find care for those around me. By no means do I ever act as a physician, but I educated myself and built enough awareness to know when someone may need a higher level of care by binge-watching YouTube videos, reading case studies & engaging in conversation with healthcare professionals. This has always given me a sense of meaning nothing else could give me. Confirming to me, becoming a physician has been the only true road for me to go down. My academic path in pursuing these areas of interest has been a severe struggle for me mentally. emotionally and financially. But, I am extremely grateful to have a close group of supportive people who helped me build the resilience needed to keep a college education in sight. I owe it to my community, family, and friends to be a health resource and an example that no matter what race, gender, or sexuality you are, anything is achievable with discipline and hard work. I am a tenacious individual who has not let major adversities scare me away from my academic and career goals. I have been on this journey since 2017 and still trying my best to get to where I need to be at the age of 25. While I am not a "traditional" college student due to my age, that has little to no impact on the seriousness with which I approach my education. There are people in this world who need a physician with the unique qualities and traits I have been provided with through my journey in life and I refuse to let them down. Financial barriers have been an ongoing challenge for me the further I get into my education. Unfortunately with the system we have, financial contribution from my parents is extremely overestimated and I simply need more aid than what my parents can provide me. This scholarship would be a tremendous stress relief as having to pay for my courses out of pocket for the last 6 years up until last quarter has been extremely draining. While I am grateful to have had the money from working full-time to pay for my courses, it has not been without sacrifice. Any aid would help fund my dream of helping my community and would not be wasted by any means.

Watching my mother complete her degree as a single parent with no car, no partner, and working a job making $16 an hour after being laid off from a well-paying job while taking care of 3 kids was an experience I will never forget. As a teen back then, I could not truly appreciate the work ethic she had to have to do what she was doing. I thought, "This is just the typical life as an adult with kids". No adults I knew seemed to be truly happy so my mother did not stray too far away from my cognitive schema of what an adult life looked like. The struggle, the tiredness, and the constant lack of patience all seemed normal to me. Nothing out of the ordinary, this is the life that's waiting for me in adulthood, so I thought. Now that I am an adult who is in school and working full time, I have a newfound respect for what my mother was doing as a single parent pursuing her degree as I could not even imagine having to add on the additional challenges she was facing to my own life right now. Watching someone do the impossible changes you. It may not be immediate, but eventually, it catches up to you and influences your choices and commitment to further growth and development. I always wanted to be a doctor growing up but for some reason, this goal always seemed unattainable. I was positive I did not have the money, time, or intelligence to pursue a career like this so I settled for a major I believed to be easier and still struggled even with all the support imaginable. Sitting in a cold hospital bed after a devastating mental health episode was extremely humbling for me. Previously, I thought I was the unstoppable golden child who was to meet no roadblocks. I believed life would be easy for me and quickly realized, no. Life has no favorites and I must work my tail off to pursue the career of my dreams. My mom's journey was, and always will be the fuel I need to keep me on track. Her path to success did not come easy, so why would it come easy for me? Yes, our circumstances were different, but having a good work ethic is a circumstance that will never lose value. Without having seen what my mom went through to graduate college, I can not guarantee that I would still be trying to cross my finish line 6 years into my journey of getting my bachelor's. She showed me that anything is possible if you truly commit and utilize all your resources. Proving to me, that being a physician is an achievable goal. I believe I owe it to my mother and community to prevail through all adversities I face to be able to contribute to society in a meaningful way both in college and out of college. Work ethic is not just applicable in school but in everyday life. Who are you and what will you do when facing adversity, pain, and exhaustion? Do you quit, or keep fighting the finite fight? If there's anything I learned growing up with my mom, it's that you fight. You fight for your education, fight for your worth, and help fight for those who can not fight for themselves. I believe this will be achievable for me as a physician and I owe it to my upbringing for making this path a possibility for me.

When you think about someone, is it about what they have/had OR, is it about what they have to offer? Someone's value is often times represented by "things" like money, power or accolades. However, these things will always lose value over time and no one will really care about it once you are gone. The truth is, legacy does not come from trivial things we as humans make a big deal about. Legacy is the blueprint someone leaves behind to contribute to the positive growth of a person or group of people. Legacy is teaching and mentoring beyond the grave for generations to come. Money, power and accolades someone leaves behind wont teach anyone anything of value in the true human experience. When I think of legacy, I think about the lessons and teachings I would want to leave behind when I am no longer here to ensure my life was worth something and that I was not just an unimportant blip in human history. Legacy can mean different things to different people but I feel I was privileged enough to have grown up in a household where I was taught legacy does not equate to monetary value whatsoever because money comes and goes. Being a good person with discipline, respect and human decency stays, forever. I was raised in two different homes growing up since my parents were separated prior to my birth. I rotated houses on a consistent basis from birth until the age of 18. My parents are very different people with opposing beliefs on pretty much everything. But they did however have one thing in common: wanting to make sure their children knew the value of giving back, staying humble and always advocating for whats right even if we were just the minority whisper in a large crowd. Having these teachings and values consistently instilled in me from a young age has been nothing short of a blessing. Our upbringings play a crucial role in where we end up in life and I believe my current path of pursing becoming a physician so I can help others is a direct result of having parents who have always pushed me to be someone who gives more than someone who takes. A teaching that I believe will make me an empathic and kind physician who's teachings go beyond just the patient room. While I am still on the fence on having kids, I am hopeful that the people I come in contact with through life will see me and hear me just as I saw and heard my parents. When my parents are no longer here, there are many people and souls who will use their death as fuel to be better because of the type of people they were. I am a direct extension of them and will carry on their legacy until the end of my life to make sure I play my role in keeping the cycle of boldness, courage and positivity going for an infinite amount of time. What do you want to leave behind when you're gone? While there is no right or wrong answer, it is my belief that if you have left no significant impact on the life of at least one person through your lifespan enough for your life to be highlighted past death, you have missed the mark.

The slaughtering of an entire nation in order to gain power is all to real in our current climate. Genocide, being an extremely vile and cruel act of violence is often hard to depict without relying too heavily on a pathos approach. However, Avatar: The Last Air Bender makes this feat look easy with its perfect blend of comedy, innocence and fantasy action in a world who has been burned by the fire nation for over 100 years. Hope and determination keep team avatar from falling into despair and allows them to push past all obstacles that come their way. Avatar caught my attention as a child when I was about 9 years old. I began watching in its 3rd season as the series finale was coming to a close. I was captivated by the bending scenes. Especially because as a then 9 year old, why wouldn't I want to shoot fire out of my finger tips? The graphics were ahead of its time and all the main characters had a youthfulness to them that made me feel safe. The writers and artistic developers did an amazing job at making team avatar look like children traveling across the world fighting fire lord Ozai's minions while still being able to have fun in their off time. This made me feel comfortable, like I could be apart of this team and I could be apart of this world without having to be fearful of pain and suffering. Fast forward to my teenage years. This show was just as captivating as it was for me as a child, but for different reasons. The agony the 4 nations felt from the fire nations attacks became more dramatic to me. While the bending was of course was just as incredible in my teenage eyes, social issues within the show began to stick out to me more. Katara not being allowed to water bend, Princess Yue being forced to marry a guy she does not love, individuals losing their homes and being forced to flee to Ba Sing Se for safety and more. I began to develop a new level of awareness of how these issues shaped the identity of the characters and how the issues found in the world of Avatar were not contained to just this show, but could be found in our real world. In human history, there is a vast history of gender inequality, genocide occurring due to an individual or group of people in hope to cease power as well as the the destruction of communities that lead to the displacement a large body of people. Every social issue in Avatar has a real life counter part and I believe this is what makes this show so timeless and special. Anyone, at any age can watch this show can find value and comfort. A kid can watch and for a second feel like they can be a bender on team avatar and hangout on ember island on their off day. A teen can watch and begin to appreciate the character develop that unfolds throughout the series and an adult can watch and admire how the humor, horror and action all come together in a way that provides entertainment for any audience member. This show has purpose, heart and soul which I believe is what makes it work so well and allows me to continue watching it now that I am 25. There are always new lessons that can be found in this show and overall, its impact on its viewers has no limits.

If I am being honest, I didn't expect to survive my freshman year of college. I believed I would be responsible for my very own demise as I was plagued with mental health challenges that were passionate about dominating my life. This seemed to come on both suddenly and aggressively but unknown to me, the catalyst for this anguish was not sudden, but patient. My parents would have you believe I am a genius but I would tell you otherwise. From a young age, I have always struggled with my identity and figuring out what value I have being a human on this earth. If any at all. Socially, I am classed as someone who is "high risk". Being black, part of the LGBTQ and intelligent has not been the best combination. Growing up, I have often felt confused, angry, alone and uncertain of my abilities even with supportive family and friends. These feelings I felt were locked inside me and seemed to never get a chance to see the light of day as individuals like me seemed to have no safe space or confidants. It was me versus my mind for years and I had no idea how bad I was losing until freshman year of college hit. Doubt, poor self esteem and uncontrollable anger poured in as I tried to adjust to life as a legal adult who was working full time at 18 enrolled as a full time college student. A feat I had no idea I was not ready for. There is a danger in having a mental disorder brew for years as you enter the phase of early adult hood. Triggers and traumas that I should have processed years before remained unhealed and unspoken of. Mental health services were not as abundant as they are in present day and was quite the taboo subject if my memory is correct. I constantly felt like a shell of a human being but did not have the education or support needed to know I was struggling with severe anxiety and major depression. So bad to the point where I felt life was not worth living and that I would never be a "normal person". Years and years of feeling alienated from a majority of the population had finally caught up with me. I dropped out of school and struggled to maintain jobs for a period of time. These jobs, even in the field of healthcare did not stimulate much for me and I still felt robbed of purpose and self worth. Getting a degree seemed like a perfect end to this loop but I could not find the capacity to intellectually perform the way I wanted. Worsening the depressive and suicidal thoughts in my head and making me near incapacitated. Forcing me to take a long term leave from work. During this time, I was lucky enough to find a long term therapist and complete an amazing PHP program that helped me develop my wise mind and help me understand mental illness and how to control its impact. Death seemed peaceful and kind but thankfully, I am in a headspace where I am in no rush for that type of peace. While putting a name on a mental health disorder does not truly mean much, it opened doors to resources and treatment I never knew was available. I am hopeful for the day I am able to work as a physician in order to use the pain I have experienced as fuel for helping others better their quality of life both physically, and mentally.

When I first began my college journey in 2017, my life was almost cut short by my very own hands. I was angry, confused and unsure of the purpose my life had and how to make use of the experiences I had been through to benefit others. There is no manual or life guide to help a teen understand how to make a difference in a decaying world on a large and noticeable scale. I have always strived for perfection as failure has never been an option for me. I had the luck and curse of having parents who expected at least one of their kids to make it in this world. Slacking off was never tolerated but as I aged, I hit an academic plateau and was not sure If I had it in me to complete a higher level of education after high school. The precocious, kind and disciplined kid I was years before faded as time went on. Internal struggles with my sexuality, ethnicity and constant need to please others caused major wear and turn on my mental health which caused a drastic decline in my academic life and intellectual confidence. How can someone who does not understand HOW to be who they are focus on being a 4.0 student? When you wake up with the belief the world is not satisfied by your existence, getting an A on a Spanish test is hardly a priority. Life continued down this hazy pathway until I hit the lowest of lows when making my first attempt at becoming a college student. Do you want to know the most exciting thing about sitting in a hospital bed, completely vulnerable with nurses and family members surrounding you when you did not expect to see the next day? You have the realization that you have hit rock bottom, and even that was not enough to halt your life. You have hit the end of descension and the only direction to go from there is up. Gratitude begins to pour into you because you realize maybe you do have something to offer to the world; knowledge and wisdom from pain from unique experiences only you have been through. Health and science have always been an area of interest of mine and after all the drama that my life was, I finally came to a point where it was apparent I needed to become a physician. As a physician, I would have the practical knowledge with a mixture of real-life experiences with my health issues needed to truly help other individuals in my community with the hope of having this knowledge be passed on to other communities and future generations. While becoming a physician who specialized in mental health was the initial goal, that goal seemed to limit the scope of what I wanted to do. Mental health is not just fixed by meds and therapy but by caring for the overall wellness of our bodies and minds together. I have seen and experienced enough correlation with physical/mental health to know you do not just target one or the other and as a primary care physician, I would be able to tackle the entire human. Having a scholarship to help fund my goal of med school to be of service to struggling individuals in our society would be the ultimate privilege and would only fuel my drive to push through the academic rigor I will experience on my journey.