Most Meaningful Accomplishment

Resilience: He showed resilience when he tried out for the football team even though the coach and player did not want him there.

Poor first-generation college students are underrepresented in medicine, despite their wealth of experiences giving them a unique and significant perspective into the challenges of patients. Even through tireless work and perseverance they may be only a few steps away from achieving their dreams. I am one of those students and I intend to become a physician. My interest in the ABLE Program is rooted in two main reasons. First, its focus on disadvantaged students. Second, ABLE aligns with my long-term goal of service to underserved communities across Michigan.

A reformation of the achievement levels of African-Americans starts through the investment of high achieving mentors, families, and friends. It begins with African-Americans straying away from statistical choices, such as placing improper value on education, community involvement, and health. The overcoming of such adversities involved with being an African-American woman has propelled my career goals. By striving to become a pharmacist and non-profit leader I am showing that the accomplishments of African-American women in health and leadership are not abnormal. One of the major causes of minority health disparities is the lack of minority health providers. As a healthcare provider, I will be better able to promote wellness in minority populations.

There are many reasons that have directed my decision towards attending Meharry Medical College. One of the most appealing characteristics of the college is the fact that diversity is greatly encouraged among students. Individuals who come from minority groups are treated equally and are fully accommodated to achieve their goals. Students are encouraged to serve others by becoming successful physicians in the community. I believe this is one of the most important values of the school and will allow me to help make a difference in the lives of many patients.

The memoir The Glass Castle, written by Jeannette Walls, takes the reader on her life journey as a child and how her family represents resilience. But, what exactly does it mean to be resilient? Resilience is the capability of a person to bounce back from a hard time, to get back on their feet after stumbling, to understand that there is no end and you can always become better. This essay will model the explanation of resilience in my words, the explanation of resilience from both what was seen in the memoir and Elizabeth Edwards, and how these three tie together to model the same title; resilience.

At times I wondered if I belonged, if there was a place in medicine for someone like me—a first-generation college student and Pell Grant recipient. I had difficulty reconciling my experiences at an elite college with my less privileged life at home. In my attempt to gain citizenship in both my provincial hometown and an institution with an endowment of $23.9 billion, had inadvertently alienated myself from both worlds? Like the young biracial girl I once was, I again found myself in that liminal in-between space, belonging neither here nor there—a lonely place to be. I grappled with the task of finding authentic membership in these two communities, but it wasn’t until later that I understood the value of that struggle. Since graduating, I’ve worked with patients at both extremes on the continuum of privilege, and my dual-citizenship in these two worlds has proved an invaluable resource. As a medical assistant at a concierge medicine practice and as a researcher working with low-income cocaine addicts, I’ve drawn upon my experiences to find ways to relate to these very different patient groups, and to quickly build rapport and trust, which is vital for the physician-patient

Accomplishment surges through my heated body, calves burning, as the last few steps are taken. As the mountain inclines, the vibrant green trees and grass are replaced with luxurious ruby rock that looks as though it is bleeding from its sides. The windy trail, wrapping itself around the mountain as thought it was giving a hug. The air, thin as a sheet, makes breathing a strenuous task. The trail, only wide enough for a sole body, has a sheer 5,790 foot drop from both sides. If you were to take one step left or right, you would succumb to the mighty cliffs. A long metal chain is drilled in the rock as a support, for the steep cliffs and thin trails have claimed over seven inexperienced hikers within the past few

My most significant accomplishment would have to be maintaining who I am, and keeping my grades up through the tests of life. Even though it is a broad topic, seeing as there are so many things that life throws at each of us, it really is a big deal to me. Staying true to myself through everything is one of my biggest goals in life, and I am happy to say that I have managed to do that so far. One thing I have learned through all of this is that it takes a lot to really become who you want to be, and you have to be very understanding of what makes others the way they are.

The instance that I felt the most significant sense of accomplishment was in the seventh grade. At the time, I was learning how to program and was struggling to understand how to proceed with the project that I was working on. I remember spending a few days on the project–a simple calculator, trivial now but back then it was a mountain of a task. After a long session of learning I finally got the program to work, a simple GUI where I could do many powerful but simple calculations; I was ecstatic. I felt like I could learn more and do more and build things that were fun and stimulating. That feeling has kept with me through my self-study of computer science and my work in programming. It has been a quite significant turning point in my development

During my freshman year, my most astounding accomplishment was penetrating a table to pieces by placing my weight upon it in biology class. However, that was not my only accomplishment; including earning my varsity letter this past year, being on the honor roll for the majority of my school career, played the violin at a choir cabaret, holding a place in the top five doubles team in middle school tennis, achieving a place in Symphony— the highest orchestra group at East Kentwood High School—acquiring a job at Meijer, being the only girl, working as cart pusher, and a myriad more.

My most meaningful accomplishment has been beginning to take care of myself holistically. As someone who is an introvert, I grew up spending a lot of time by myself. I was painfully shy when I was a child and making friends was not easy. As I grew older however, I began to feel the consequences of not having established meaningful relationships with my peers. Junior high was especially difficult because of the very exclusionary social environment. Cliques were all the rage and if you didn’t belong in one, people weren’t very receptive towards you. This affected my self-esteem substantially, and I settled for any friends I could find. As it turns out, these “friends” were not really friends. They were not supportive and liked to drag each other

April 17th, 1981 began my story of personal resiliency. This is the day I was born to a 15-year-old girl. My mother didn’t finish high school, struggled with alcoholism and was underemployed much of my childhood. As an infant, my father abandoned us. When I was 13, my sister died. You might imagine the struggles of enduring these situations as a child. What you’re imagining is probably accurate. However, I’ll spare the details because I don’t permit those details to define my story. The resiliency and resourcefulness I’ve demonstrated in the wake of these experiences defines my story. The struggles of growing up with an alcoholic parent in poverty did not defeat me. Rather, these events ignited an inner spirit of resilience and provided

Our team practice everyday for 2 hours and our record was 23-1. We were the first team ever to win in our age division to ever win for St.Mary’s. We had a hard time in the beginning of the season. One of our best players injured her knee. She was running towards the loose ball and her knee twisted. She was out for the rest of the season. Looking back on it made me better because I learned how hard you to to practice or try to achieve your goal.

The emergence of resilience theory in the 1970s as (Rak & Patterson, 1966) argue is associated with a reduction in emphasis on pathology and an increase in emphasis on strengths which makes it a product of the Strength theory. The theory addresses the strengths that people and systems demonstrate that enable them to rise above adversity, VanBreda (2001). Investigators like (Block & Block, 1980) assume that resilience is located “within the person.” Luthar, Cicchetti and Becker (2000) propose that there are multiple sources and pathways to resiliency, including social context. In agreement to Luthar and others’ idea, Powell (2014) argues that resilience theory believes that an individual’s response to his/her environment, whether

A notable personal accomplishment for me is my grade point average. During high school, I have taken many rigorous courses. Each course presented me with challenges, but I was undeterred by them. I developed study habits and a motivation that drives my personality. My organizational skills assist me on a daily basis. Without the use of calendars, lists and prioritization many of my assignments would be forgotten about. In addition to this, organization also allows me to take clear notes on complex topics. Another skill that I have developed over time is being able to balance a multitude of various activities. My daily schedule consists of three advanced placement classes and two extracurricular activities. This combination of activities stimulates