My Memory Of My Interest

My interest in medicine first stemmed from my freshman Biology class and my Nutrition class. I was intrigued by our studies of cells, genetics, and disease. Both courses incited a sense of awe and curiosity within me. Dissecting a frog, was the stepping-stone for my interest in medicine. Seeing the frog's heart made me wonder how the human heart worked. My research into the human heart inspired me to learn more about the medical field. I sought out volunteer opportunities that would give me insight into a doctor’s typical day. During my volunteer experience, I learned that as a doctor you experience many obstacles, including patient compliance and insurance approval issues. In my journey to pursue medicine, I learned that becoming a doctor means more than helping people, it means being the team leader, being compassionate, and most importantly being committed to the patient’s well being.

At the age of ten, I read a book, “Gifted Hands” by Dr. Ben Carson, which inspired and begin to motivate my interest in pursuing medicine as a career because I could identify with his discovery of the joy of reading and his fascination with science. When I was 14, I had an epiphany at the doctor’s office. This event occurred a little after I had finished my final exams in school and the next step was to go to senior high school. But, I thought the preliminary chemistry and physics classes of junior high school were daunting and went on to convince myself that a career in medicine might not be right for me.

“If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” - Michael Jordan. Throughout my whole life, I have had so many obstacles that I had to overcome. I’ve learned that by working hard in Mexico and getting the things I wanted was a big obstacle that I had to overcome, but I gained more confidence in myself.

I first realized my passion for health promotion and disease prevention the summer following my first year of college. I had the privilege of attending the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP), which introduced me to numerous healthcare professionals. During the program, many of the professionals shared their stories about why they choose the profession, and with each story, I began to reflect deeply on my own background and what drew me to medicine. It was not until an emergency medicine physician spoke about his experiences, that allowed me to fully understand connecting my background to my future. The physician mentioned growing up in D.C., which brought to mind my family in D.C. It had been almost a year since my grandmother

As a child I grew up in a community of neighbors that had just as much as I did, hardships and challenges where unknown to me. It was in college in my Chicano/a studies courses that allowed me to view my life challenges. When asked to describe how I overcame life hardships, I can only think of the life lessons my father have instilled in me. Therefore, my socio – economic challenges are overcome daily by learning how to manage money, at an early age I was thought to save my money. Education challenges where coping with a learning disability without resources, my private tutor was my oldest sister. A family challenge was coping with the passing of my mother in

I came to this point of my life through an untraditional path. I was born in the southern Mexican peninsula to a hard working single mother. From an early age I learned the value of work. I began cleaning windshields at stoplights and polishing shoes when I was seven, primarily to help my mother keep my older sister in school. At the age of twelve my father offered to bring me to the U.S. to learn English and one day return to Mexico having mastered this precious skill. Although life as an undocumented migrant was filled with obstacles, false starts and uncertainty, I remained steady and I never abandon my dreams.

Health care involves so many different fields and so many different people; it is hard not to get interested in it. One thing that

Science and medicine has always fascinated me and has been interesting to be since my education started as a child. All my cousins used to play video games, playing house, playing cards, but instead I always forced everyone on pretending my patients and me treating them and caring for them as a doctor. I also wanted my family members to act if they were sick and they needed help. As time passed, I no longer had to play as it was the reality now and they really now needed help. I have witnessed my family members, my grandmother who passed away due to heart attack at an early age, my other grandmother who currently is sick, my grandfather who passed away also due to heart attack.

And to grasp how our systems work, I needed to have a deeper understanding of what they are made of, which is what biochemistry is all about- the chemistry of life. My interest in the human body started in fourth grade when I first learned about anatomy and the body systems. Until this day, I haven’t forgotten the names of the bones in the skeletal system. When I volunteered to translate and help out in a Medical Mission last summer in the Philippines, my interest in medicine grew. I knew I wanted to become a doctor, but this volunteer opportunity made me certain that the medical field was for me. It was fascinating to be involved in the discussion between the patient and the doctors since I was the one translating from English to Filipino and vice versa, and seeing how the doctors handle diagnoses and treatments was quite a learning experience. I’ve also taken Honors and Advanced Placement courses in Science and Math which also fueled my interest in my chosen field. Taking the AP Biology course really made me more aware and gave me a greater interest towards life and our human bodies. It’s mind-blowing to think about the complexity of our living systems and how we can be unaware of what is actually going on inside of us. This is precisely why I strive to become a doctor- I want to learn more about medicine and

I had the privilege to grow up in the city of Miami, a city where Hispanics are the majority. I consider myself lucky as I didn’t have the struggles most Hispanics face in other parts of the US. Although my family was not economically rich, I was rich because I was loved. My parents always supported my choices and taught me from an early age to have perseverance and kindness instilled within my heart. They taught me that there is no greater investment then that of knowledge and for that I needed to obtain a higher education.

Ever since as I remember my childhood I have always dreamed to work in the medical field and be the part of the solution when it was about helping people. As I was growing up I read a lot of medical literature and magazines that fascinated me more and I strongly decided to take medical field track. During the primary school and a high school period I have always volunteered and offered my help to the nursing staff and even some of my pears were more comfortable to speak about some health issues with me. However I have always suggested seeking a professional opinion. Consequently in my mind was always that thought that I would like to know more about and around medicine.

The need to learn and understand why things happen drives me, this being what first drew me to consider medicine, particularly the heart. Its defects interest me greatly, as death from ischaemic heart disease has remained one of the world's biggest killers for the last 15 years. On a visit to Cambridge University, I explored this further at a chronic heart disease lecture. How the disease arises led me to read a section of 'How we Die' by Sherwin Nuland, which detailed the heart structure, and the events of a heart attack. An Oxford University UNIQ summer school gave me insight into university life, which included practical work from undergraduate years. I was given the 'Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing' with extracts from experts in their fields to read. The combination of academic challenge and the prospect of independent living confirmed my desire to study medicine.

My interest in public health stems from my interest in healthcare. While growing up, I have seen family members suffer from maladies and were later able to, through the attentive care of the skilled physicians, enjoy life more freely. As a high school student, I enjoyed different science courses from Advanced Topic Biology, Health, and Human Diseases to Medical Diagnosis, Genetics, and AP Psychology. I was in awe at the way our body worked, how our body is so strong, and yet so vulnerable. During the beginning of my undergraduate study, I majored in Biology and took Pre-Professional Medicine courses in order to study more about our body and the mechanisms that occur inside of us. When I transferred to NYU, I changed my major to economics

Since early childhood, I have been fascinated by the complexity of the human body. The curiosity for its functioning and potential dysfunction led me to medical school and allowed me to successfully complete my training at the University of Brescia In Italy; far away from my family, fending for myself, learning a different language, living in a different culture and studying without help.

Besides learning science, I always wanted to learn more about how our bodies functioned. As a child, my innate curiosity was fed by reading books that explained the mysteries of the human body such as why we sneeze, or why our hairs stand when we are cold. As I learned more about the human body in college through courses on molecular biology and nutrition, my passion for applying science to health and the body grew. However, I still do not feel as though I have learned enough even after four years of studying biochemistry. I looked for other ways to enrich my knowledge of how the body works by enrolling in online courses such as medicinal chemistry, medicine in the digital age, and musculoskeletal cases in anatomy. As I learned more about medicine and the human body, I became more eager to use that knowledge to comfort others through medicine.