Hobbies and interests
Writing
Songwriting
Kickboxing
Speech and Debate
Community Service And Volunteering
Tutoring
Student Council or Student Government
Reading
Biography
I read books daily
Jehiel Smith
1,495
Bold Points1x
FinalistJehiel Smith
1,495
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
I am Jehiel Smith and my life goal is to make African Americans more comfortable with going to the doctor. I plan to fight against medical gaslighting and listen to every patient's needs. I plan to debunk medical stereotypes about black people. Now and forever I will be an advocate for equality in healthcare. This is the beginning of my journey.
Education
Greenfield High
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Bachelor's degree program
Majors of interest:
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
Career
Dream career field:
Medicine
Dream career goals:
Orthopedic Surgeon, private practice owner
Home Health Aide
Premier Financial Management2021 – Present3 yearsPersonal Care Worker
Premier Financial Management2020 – Present4 yearsTransport Intern
Aurora St Lukes2022 – Present2 years
Sports
Boxing
Club2021 – 20221 year
Research
Race
Milwaukee Excellence (Personal Project) — Lead Researcher2017 – 2019
Arts
Head of the Music Ministry at Restoration Temple
Music2018 – 2020Milwaukee Excellence
TheatreBHM Year: 2017,2018, 2019, and 20202018 – 2019Restoration Temple
Photographyi managed the Apostle media relations to make him look nice when advertising his ministty2018 – 2020God With Us Ministry
MusicChristmas Skit and I direct and teach the youth somgs throughout the year2018 – Present
Public services
Advocacy
Student Council VP and General Memeber — Vice President2018 – 2021Volunteering
God With Us — Obtaining a list to who need the toys and then delivering the toys2010 – 2016Volunteering
Milwaukee Rescue Mission — Volunteer2020 – Present
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Entrepreneurship
DeAmontay's Darkness Deliverance Scholarship
My name is Jehiel Smith, an entering freshman who aspires to be a physician. The greatest adversity I’ve faced would be losing my Dad during the Covid-19 pandemic. My Dad was our family's financial and emotional support. When he passed away, my previous family dynamic seem as if it was just a dream. My way of paying for college was now gone. The last few years before my dad passed away, he was taking care of my mother. After he died, it was now my job to help my mother with her health. This would include Medication management, cooking, and cleaning are all a part of being her caretaker. Between being a caretaker, grieving, experiencing the pandemic, and managing schoolwork; I felt overwhelmed. My GPA began to drop, and I was diagnosed with depression. Every stressor that happened over the past few years has broken me down.
My mother and my doctors have always encouraged me to go to therapy. The challenge was the suggestion of seeing a therapist goes against my spiritual and my cultural beliefs. Previously I had been severely depressed. My mother tried to give me help without avail. When I was younger I completely dispelled the idea. I believed that therapy was for crazy people, people who could not handle their problems, people who didn’t have a community of people to talk to, and most of all, I didn’t believe therapy was for black people. I believed the misconceptions that the media catered to. I also never saw anyone in my community openly go to therapy. This always made me feel like if I decided to go I would be an outsider and it was an injustice to my spiritual values. To appease my mother I decided I would go to therapy. The first few weeks were rough, I didn't know if I could truly say how I feel to my therapist. I mean before then I didn’t even tell my friends how I felt about situations in my life. In distress, I texted one of my favorite teachers so that I could release all of my burdens. Ms. Robinson told me, “Well stay in therapy, that’s going to help you a lot. The day that you feel like you’re better don’t stop therapy. Something doesn’t have to be “wrong”, for you to go to therapy." These encouraging words let me be open to accepting therapy in its entirety. I told my therapist everything. Ms. Robinson challenged my opinion on therapy, and because of this, I am no longer depressed and handled the burdens that carried me.
Every experience I’ve had has increased my passion for medicine. I want to be a physician who helps people realize how serious mental health is. I want to help my patients trust that therapy can help them heal their emotional wounds. My physicians and my mother’s care drove me to seek healing through therapy. One day as a physician I hope to do the same.
Share Your Poetry Scholarship
Can You Bear Our Gifts?
We sing of Freedom,
We sing for Happiness,
We sing for a Way Out,
We sing for our Souls,
We sing of Love,
We sing of Hope,
We sing of nurture,
We dance of might,
We dance of grief,
We dance of Love,
We dance for freedom,
We dance to relieve,
We dance because we believe,
Can you interpret our talents, gifts or mortalities or is that a mystery that you will never know?
We write of Peace,
We write of Love,
We write of struggle
We write of success
We write of power
We write of corruption
We write to escape
We write to create
We write to release, and to relieve
We speak with Power
We speak out of peace
We speak of Love
We speak of change
We speak of turn a rounds
We speak of God
We speak of tragedy
We speak of suffering
We speak of freedom
Can you bear the gifts my sisters and brothers behold?
Can you bear the gifts that ancestors held on their finger tips?
Can you bear the gifts that come naturally with the color of my skin?
Blackness is a gift itself, so I ask once again, can you bear our gifts?
Sikora Drake STEM Scholarship
I am pursuing a biology degree. My parents always taught me that serving your community is important. My community service detailed volunteer work in the church and throughout the city. I believe the best way for me to serve my community is to become a doctor. Being a doctor collaborates with my desire to help people and my love of human anatomy.
Becoming a physician is considered one of the toughest career paths to attempt. I am willing to go through every challenge if it means I can help the community. Due to misconceptions, stereotypes, and even misinformation every physician doesn’t know how to care for a black person properly. One of the key factors in being a doctor is listening to every word your patient says, when it comes to black people and medicine we have a difficult relationship. My people often feel that a doctor doesn't believe them when something is wrong. . For years in medical research books, it was stated that black people needed less anesthesia due to their skin being darker. This was constantly debunked now for decades, yet why was this falsehood not being brought to justice sooner? For a long time in the medical community, the race has affected health outcomes, they rely on statistics rather than what is presented in front of them to diagnose black patients.
Another example is body dysmorphia in black males. It is believed that all black males have naturally athletic body types and that our bodies couldn’t develop eating disorders. This statement has also been debunked. Due to the constant pressure for black males to use athletics as a “ way out” from their current impoverished situation has caused them to overwork their body and believe that their body isn’t strong enough, or fast enough. A Lot of black men suffer from this because they have the stress of trying to provide for their families, so there's no room for them to heal from this trauma in their personal life, and doctors refuse to even consider body dysphoria to even be a factor; I want to be a doctor who recognizes the signs, who acknowledge the signs and help my fellow black brother heal from the things no one else seems to notice.
After taking care of my mother for the last few years, I realized how much non-black doctors don't listen to their black patients. In comparison, every black doctor my mother has taken care of her with patience and compassion, but a lot of the doctors I met, didn’t show the same courtesy. Just as those doctors are positive representations in my community, I want to do the absolute same. Diversity in the medical field is needed so we can debunk myths and so that every doctor regardless of race can properly help my black brothers and sisters.