My Personal Statement

One of the main missions of the university is to help underserved communities. I believe that both my personal and academic experience has engrained in me the qualities that are essential for completing medical school and becoming a doctor. I want to become an osteopathic doctor that is involved in the community and serves those who lack proper health care. My primary care doctor, who is an osteopathic doctor, influenced my decision to pursue osteopathic medicine. She taught me that osteopathic medicine consists of treatment with holistic approaches, and it involves an education in physical manipulation. This aspect is particularly of interest to me because this is an approach that is used in India. Overall, I believe that I am a thoroughly qualified candidate to pursue a DO degree from Touro college of Osteopathic Medicine. The sheer pleasure I derive from helping people and sharing what I know, coupled with the mental stimulation intrinsic to the profession, make medicine the clear career pathway for

Truthfully, as an undergraduate I knew very little about the osteopathic profession. In 2013, however, I began working as a medical scribe with Dr. Ghaffari-Greene, DO, in the Sibley ER and she opened my eyes to the beauty of osteopathic medicine. Thanks to Dr. Ghaffari-Greene, and a number of other osteopathic physicians in the ER, I have come to understand what osteopathic medicine is all about. Three years after my first exposure to the osteopathic profession, I continue to be motivated to become an osteopathic physician for many reasons. These include the following:

A physician must be well rounded in a variety of fields to provide effective care. First, an interest in learning scientific knowledge must be accompanied by the ability to translate that knowledge into methods of treatment. Because science is constantly changing and improving, a physician should be continuously expanding their scientific learning within and outside of their respective fields. Most of the coursework that I have taken reflects my interest in the intersection between biomedical science and its applications through an anthropological lens. For example, I have performed public

It was a cold autumn night in North Carolina when I realized that my youth was being taken away from me. I wanted to run away and go back to the life that I had known; where I had the opportunity to go to school was happy and understood the language. Instead I was in a foreign land with my family and we could not return for there was no future in my homeland. According to my father, we had to keep migrating because it was the best thing for our family. It was then when I realized that this is not what I wanted for my family and I asked my father that we needed to go somewhere where I can go to school because it was affecting everybody including my little brother. My father raised me to believe I could accomplish anything I set my mind to

Lee University’ mission in scholastic curriculums is, “to develop within the students’ knowledge, appreciation, understanding, ability, and skills which will prepare them for responsible Christian living in a complex world.” In implementation, the practice of ethical action, redemptive service and responsible citizenship within the church, local community, and globally, are emphasized. As an older student at Lee University, I admit that these values were heavily communicated to me, by my mother, from an early age. After high school, I did not pursue a vocation and worked in a factory in Alabama for a couple of years. It was during this time, that I realized, that God wanted more out of and for me. I returned home to Tennessee, and by

My perceptive nature, which encourages seeking the deeper meaning of things, and compassion for others are characteristics that highlight my interest in pursuing a career in osteopathy. I often find myself examining all details regarding a given situation in order to gain a more comprehensive perspective. As an osteopathic physician, I will utilize my natural curiosity for investigation to observe patients from a holistic perspective, examining different aspects influencing their health as the human body is viewed as a complete unit. Likewise, having empathy is essential to building successful physician-patient relationships. Through my experiences of serving others in clinical settings, workplace environments, and community service, I have

My decision to pursue medicine and more specifically osteopathy was made fairly recently as I began to learn about osteopathic medicine in the last two years of my undergraduate career. Studying exercise physiology through my undergraduate career exposed me to a variety of healthcare philosophies, all using different methods and having different outcomes, but rooted in the same goals of improving a person’s well being. Exploring the nuances of nutrition, fitness and the applications of exercise clearly defined the difference between medicine and health and also showed me that it was possible to bring the two closer together in order to improve overall wellness. This understanding deepened my interest in preventative healthcare and I began to explore specific fields like integrative medicine and corporate wellness.

If I were to choose an intended audience to target, my choice would be adolescents currently attending high school. High school students in this day and age have their plates full to the brim. With all the classes they are required to take, the pile of homework they’re assigned each night, and the extracurricular activities they’ve signed up for, it’s no wonder that they don’t have much time to think about the future. Despite having full schedules, I believe that a modern home economics, or life skills class, would be worth freeing up time for. My plan would be to create an impactful video and several different flyers to promote my idea and maximize its reach. The video would be distributed through social media platforms such as Facebook,

Through my whole life I have always desired to go to college. I observed the hardships that members of my family endured by choosing not to go to college and lacked the proper skills needed for a sufficient job. I never want that for me, and one day when I have a family of my own I want to be able to do my share in providing for them properly. While both of my parents have taken post secondary classes, neither have obtained a college degree, and they have always pushed me to pursue my dreams in getting into a school of my choice. I have always loved my science classes and have dreamed of majoring in a science field. When I was younger, my great-grandmother died with Alzheimer's, and I was so devastated that I told my mother I was going to grow up and cure Alzheimer's. I never wanted another soul to feel what I was feeling at that moment.

When I first moved to the United States, one of the things that confused me the most about Americans was their apparent lack of hospitality. It was almost astounding the way our neighbors were so inhospitable to those around them. They did not converse with anyone on the block nor did they give out the feeling of wanting to converse with anyone. The only friendly people there were the Filipino families next to our house and the one four houses down from ours. I loved my culture because as a kid, I grew up being taught to respect everyone around you and always be kind and caring. It was taught to me by my grandparents, my parents, my teachers, and my peers. The Filipino sense of hospitality is, in my opinion, one the the best things in the

The first reason I have chosen to pursue a career in osteopathic medicine deals with having grown up around it all of my life. My father is an osteopathic physician and I have been familiar with osteopathic medicine since I was a young child. I have seen the difference a physician can make in the life of a patient. Whether it was from shadowing physicians in clinics or seeing the “backstage” life of a physician through my dad, medicine is a career I am comfortable with. Like most people, I know a career in medicine means getting to help people every day. However, I am also aware of the much less known aspects of medicine, like the long hours and stress. By growing up around medicine all of my life, not only have I seen the rewarding aspects

However, the desire for community and meaningful relationships is a double-edged sword. In medicine, sickness and pain are unavoidable. As medical professionals, we strive to eliminate or minimize suffering as much as possible, but if suffering were nonexistent, our presence would be mute. This unfortunate reality poses a difficulty in pursuing a career

I possess many personal characteristics necessary for becoming an osteopathic physician. Being raised in a Navy family in a large city, I have acquired several advantageous attributes, such as quickly adapting to my surroundings and having the ability to interact with a diverse population. My upbringing has fostered me to have an open mind, respect for others, and good teamwork skills. Additionally, I was raised to have integrity, work hard, and be kind to others. Through my upbringing, I have also acquired a strong desire to help others. Of my volunteering events, my charity clothing drive that gives gently used clothing to students in need has had the most profound affect on me. Their appreciation for things I take for granted leaves me humbled.

Discovering the goals of osteopathic medicine; specifically holistic medicine and preventative care, made me feel more confident about my decision to become a physician and find solutions to the problems I faced at The Ear. I have continued to gain new perspectives on medicine and the direction I want my career to take since volunteering at The Ear.Through developing my own goals I learned more about the role osteopathic medicine plays. For example, my senior year at MSU I discovered a passion for using health education as a preventative care method, while teaching elementary students about the benefits of healthy eating and its effects on heart health at science outreach events. I learned about the importance of preventative care and education in osteopathic medicine while discussing these events with a current DO medical student who told me about the emphasis his curriculum placed on these same

Osteopathic medicine resonates so strongly within me due to its holistic approach to care. A belief that the body is a divinely ordained machine that is capable of incredible abilities, and healing, constantly amazes me. I believe that a patient is much more than a symptom and should be cared for as such.