Religion
Christian
Church
Nondenominational
Reading
Academic
I read books multiple times per week
Michell Tejera
645
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WinnerMichell Tejera
645
Bold Points1x
Finalist1x
WinnerBio
I was born and raised in Venezuela, a country I fled three years ago to seek refuge in the United States. I am an asylee, and although my immigration status prevents me from many opportunities only available to residents or citizens, I am beyond grateful and blessed for the one chance I got to get into college and start my journey as a physician. I am deeply in love with serving the youth and kids at my local church, as I have discovered how crucial for the new generation is to learn from God almighty. My job is to make them feel welcome and understood and let them know that we can healthily have fun without compromising our well-being with drugs, alcohol, etc.
Education
North Park University
Bachelor's degree programMajors:
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Miscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
Career
Dream career field:
Medicine
Dream career goals:
Reconstructive surgery
Research
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology
University of Illinois in Chicago — Laboratory AssistantPresent
Public services
Volunteering
Prism Lab — Translator2022 – 2022Advocacy
People Church — Youth Volunteer/Social Media Director. Pre K/K-K Kids volunteer2021 – Present
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Entrepreneurship
Yan Scholarship
WinnerI was born and raised in a small town in Venezuela, the so-called worst and most dangerous country in the world. Although the lack of opportunities for food/water scarcity did not go unnoticed, one thing I ever learned from my parents by quoting Venezuelan liberator Simon Bolivar "A man without education is an incomplete being" - a sentence that 99% percent of Venezuelans were taught in elementary school. The reason why I wanted to pursue higher education was never in question for me; I was certain that I could not be "complete," and has always been very motivated to pursue my education as it was rooted deep down by the somewhat broken Venezuelan education system my parents as they are professionals themselves - a Teacher and an Engineer.
My passion for higher education in Medicine also started by visiting the Hospitals in Venezuela, where the quality of its physicians exceeds expectations. Still, they are immersed in a precarious socioeconomic situation. I grew up surrounded by diseases commonly found in third-world countries, where the least privileged would die to the left and right, and a dormant desire to understand what was happening around me was starting to awaken me. In Venezuela, Doctors knew what to do in each case, but knowledge could not save the agonizing patient in Venezuela; however, sympathizing and caring for them made the difference. I fell in love with the beauty and majesty of the human body but also with the ugly and depressing side of Medicine due to my cultural background. For me, my convictions are rooted in going beyond helping and instructing people on what to do. Instead, I aspire to be like the physicians of my homeland that turn nothing into everything for their patients.
Even though I always knew I wanted to pursue higher education, all my plans shattered when I had to move to the US to escape the tyranny and dictatorship of the Venezuelan government. I was 19 years old when the bitter-sweet moment of leaving my country came to life, it was a dream hidden in the worst nightmare. The privileges of living in one's own country were gone, and I became an invisible immigrant with zero opportunities (or so I thought). However, my parents (my greatest supporter) believed in me. They thought I could succeed, so they dropped everything in Venezuela so that I could have everything in the USA as an educated person. My parents worked hard in Venezuela to get their professional degrees, but once we moved to the USA, they put down their diplomas as they did not speak the language to work long hours in factories so I could go to college. Today, three years after moving to the USA, I say with tears in my eyes that my motivation to pursue higher education is my parents and my beloved Venezuela.