My Passion For Service And Community

This fall is my first semester at “Cougar Nation”. I previously attended Saint Xavier University in Chicago, where I held several leadership roles. At the beginning of my sophomore year (August 2014) I resurrected an inactive organization on campus called the African American Studies Diaspora Club. The organization’s mission is to encourage and celebrate the gift of knowledge, power, and unity existing throughout SXU’s diaspora of African American students. Under my leadership, the AASDC became the premier Black organization on SXU’s campus as well as an excellent service to the Chicago community. My work within the organization allowed me to be blessed with several related opportunities of service to the SXU community. I was dedicated

For me, this ideal means living a life of service by being receptive to the needs of others and by being a voice to the underserved members in one’s community. From a physician’s standpoint, this value could manifest as a thoughtful doctor who sees people and not diseases; pains and not symptoms; friends and not patients. This principle of valuing all people while committing to a life of service is something I have strived for throughout my life.

My passion out of hundreds of careers in the U.S is to pursue a career in Nursing. I choose this career because l believes in the change that Nurse brings to help make the world a better place. To fully comprehend the changes Nurses are creating in our society today and why I ‘am passionate about been part of the revolution, one has to look at the role they play in enhancing healthcare service. Nurses play an essential role as the first line of defense for health wellness and information. In addition steeping into someone’s life at their lowest moment and making a difference to their overall experience is an incredible privilege. Mahatma Gandi once said, "the best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others. Hopeless

The situation that brought me from my first internship to the second one was frustrating and difficult. Nonetheless, it provided me with beneficial learning experiences for my career and life in general. One of the silver linings of interning at these two considerably different internship experiences was increasing my knowledge of two different types of business. The first of these areas was in the Non-Profit organization at PACS, where their mission is to empower individuals who are struggling. The nonprofit industry has always deeply interested me, and what I learned at PACS only fueled that interest. The time I spent at PACS was brief and ended abruptly. Nonetheless, I learned valuable and significant information and gained an understanding of the various business characteristics that are essential in nonprofit organizations.

Last year, I decided I wanted to make a larger impact in the world, so I decided to sign up for the Humanitarian Experience For Youth program. It was here I realized how blessed I have been and the depth of the passion I have for serving those less fortunate. During this 17-day service trip to Lima, Peru, I helped build a medical clinic in an area that lacked treatment for families. We built the walls with bricks and cement and I learned how to install rebar. I also helped local schoolteachers with their English program by volunteering in their classrooms twice a week. It was very rewarding to accomplish so much in so little time. The work was extremely exhausting, but I would do it again without hesitation. Because I’ve been the recipient of so much service, I want to always “pay it forward”.

My entire life I have seen my family, including my parents, struggle to pay bills and provide for their families. Not one person in my family went to college because their parents simply could not afford to send them. This, along with wanting to inspire others, make my parents proud, and to be self-reliant is why I am pursuing a higher education. I want to be successful, so much so that I will be able to help my family and future children with living and financial problems. I will make it more than possible to send my children and their children to college so that they may follow their dreams and inspire others. In addition, I want to inspire my students to excel in school so that they may be able to pursue all of their hopes and dreams as

As a very involved student in the community, I have had many opportunities to participate and lead service projects through nonprofit organizations such as HandsOn San Diego, Motiv San Diego, Boy Scouts of America, and the San Diego Food Bank. In my time with these organizations, I have gained precious lessons and experiences that have helped me to become a better service leader that can positively impact this world.

The last few months I have collaborated with many non-profits and local politicians to help them succeed with their events and programs. I’ve been reported in a video interview with Huffington Post and in a local newspaper article called “Patch” concerning about the South Asian communities. But, my greatest achievement is organizing a "back-to-school" giveaway in my own community. I donated and organized an event to help out parents and children who are struggling financially. It is a wonderful feeling when one can help out a child in need and influence them in any possible

My path to medicine does not follow a typical route. It was not until I was 25 that I found my passion for medicine. Shortly before then, I had emigrated from Australia to the United States. I saw this move as an opportunity to leave my first career, banking, behind. I had known for a few years that banking just was not for me. While I liked helping people achieve their goals, financial goals seemed rather shallow. After all, there is only so many houses, cars, boats, etc. that somebody can enjoy. I wanted to help people in a way that was more personally fulfilling, so I decided to train as an EMT shortly after I immigrated. I saw EMT training as a pathway to help people in what is often a time of their greatest need. However, it was not

My psychology background and love of volunteering has led me to try interest into furthering my education towards assisting others. Before attending Knox, I had the tough choice of turning away my offer from Aurora University. Although Aurora gave me a strong financial aid package, Knox College had a solid pre-medical program and opportunities for early medical school acceptance. Knox is a fine institution that really challenges its students. My years being there were a struggle as they expected so much information to be learned in their trimester system. The biggest challenge was having consistent learning habits, as in high I really didn’t need to study that much for exams. I could just grasp quickly at the information and would be able to

I was motivated to come to college because of how I grew up watching my parents struggling. My parents immigrated from Mexico before I was born, the older I get the more I realize the immense sacrifices they have made for me. It’s very important to me that I give myself the future that they fought for me to have. Not only did I know their struggle was for me, I also knew that the only way to not struggle like they did was to continue my education and better myself. I grew up in a small american town in the southern states, as a person of color I realized I had to work much harder than others to succeed half as much as they do. I was motivated by how people underestimated me. I was motivated to come to college because of myself. I get to

Throughout my high school career, I have been involved in numerous clubs and organizations where I held several leadership roles and participated in a number of community service events. If I were asked four years ago why I am interested in leadership positions at school or volunteering, my answer would have been simply because I needed community service hours for school and need to build up my resume. It Now that I am a senior in high school and I have been exposed to nuance service opportunities, I have finally grasped the concept of true leadership and service. I am a former volunteer at the Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital and I currently serve as the SGA vice president, and a member of the POPS program. Through these leadership positions and volunteer programs, I have been able to make a difference in the lives of a number of families and learned something new about myself through each opportunity.

As I watched generations of struggle throughout my family, I tend to find myself excelling in these I choose to do. Most indidvuals decsrbie be as a hard work and determined person. My background and up bringing allowed me to florish in my academic endevours. That success and strive behind it, become my overall motivation. Knowing the completion of the single task allows me to complete the moral goal, motivates me to contiue in most things I do.

My desire and passion for helping others is intertwine with my personal and professional life experiences. Growing up in Guatemala, a third world country, helped me become the person I am today. My first twelve years in my native country taught me lessons that changed my perspective and shaped who I am and who I want to be in the future. From a young age, I had this great admiration for nature and in Guatemala I was able to admire it. I remember endless nights looking at the stars and patiently waiting for a shooting star. Nature was my play room. Life in Guatemala was beautiful but it wasn’t easy. It was not until I came to the United States that I begin to realize how much my mother had sheltered me from the violence and poverty that surrounded us. Sadly, my beautiful country is fill with corruption. The rich exploit the poor and laws are created to protect does in power regardless of their wrongdoing. In Guatemala, women are treated unequally because our society has rigid gender roles and has created a culture that takes pride in masculinity and machismo. It was well known in my small village that if a man found a female attractive and wanted her for himself he could “robarte” which translates to “steal you.” My mother and many other women in my family experienced this. My father was a policeman in Guatemala and he was attracted to my mother. My mother, on the other hand, was not looking for any serious relationship because she was only 17 years old. The city closest to

A lot of people throughout my life have asked me,” What is your true passion TJ?” Most people think automatically that its either football, wrestling or even mathematics. Yes, these are a few things that I love and would be grateful if I could pursue them as a career but none of them are my true passion. I believe and know that my true passion is working and or learning through anything I may do. I will explain why with a few examples of things I do throughout my day to day life.