Personal Narrative: My Interest In Disease Prevention

As I exit the locker room, I strap on my black cleats and tighten my gloves. I grab my silver helmet with the lightning bolt logo, touch the sign that says “Play Like A Champion Today,” and walk into the tunnel. Finally, we hear our team’s name, and we run onto the field ready to defeat the fear of losing embedded in our minds. The opportunity arose, and whether we seized it or not, this would be my last game. We took away from that day more than just a win, or a loss. As somber as I was to let this moment go, I knew I had not let my team down. There was no anguish, no agony. These lessons from football have carried over in my journey to become a physician. I knew I wanted a career in healthcare, and football has better prepared me for that.

Imagine a connected healthcare interface where your medications are linked to your smartphone, smart pill bottles remind you of when it’s time to take your medications, and prescription medications or surgeries are customized towards your individual genetic and physical needs. This is the future of healthcare - we just have a long way to go before we get there. As you look at startups in the healthtech space - many of them are well on their way to having one piece of the puzzle - AdhereTech with smart wireless pill bottle to TalkSpace with customized online mental health counseling. To create that integrated network I believe the buy-in will need to come from some of the largest healthcare companies currently, such as Johnson & Johnson, Cardinal

Last summer I wanted to work and earn a little cash and distract myself and not be home all summer. I didn't know where to apply so I applied everywhere I was even open to working in the fields my parents told me that the fields were the last place they ever wanted me to work. My mom and step dad Raul always told me that field work wasn't easy and that it was not for me but I didn't listen.

Everyone’s passion is different, whether it’d be drawing, cooking, fashion, etc. Mine so happens to be learning about health. Choosing this as my passion was easy because learning how the body works and how it reacts to different viruses and diseases or medicine is fascinating. I also enjoy helping others and putting their needs before mine. This passion takes me into building a career out of it by going into the medical field and becoming an RN. Knowing that becoming an RN won’t be easy won’t change my mind for my career but it will only want me to work harder and not stop trying. The best way to be prepared for the future is planning everything out which is something I will try to do.

As a one year old child when my parents first moved to Stump Tavern Road in 1959 when my father was stationed at McGuire AFB, I have seen the metamorphous of Jackson from a sleepy rural township into a suburban bedroom community. After college, I chose to return to Jackson and raise my Jewish family here for the same reasons so many choose it today; the quality of life, public school system, and aesthetics of the countryside. It is with this background I am writing to you today to applaud your courage and foresight and voice my full support of Ordinances #03-17 and #04-17 for a complete ban of dormitories in all residential and commercial zones. Unrestrained development is environmentally unsustainable and as the caretakers of this town

Images flashed in black and white across my eyes. I gazed in complete and utter silence with my mouth cracked open. My vision clouded as pools of tears swelled in my eyes like miniature water balloons. I furrowed my eyebrows and shut my eyes briefly as a small stream of salty water traveled down my freckled cheek and onto my paper. I was in my college history class watching a film focusing on the concentration camps during the holocaust. Skeletons of people, smoke stacks wheezing death in the air, and the look of despair ran rampant throughout the camps. It was in these solemn moments of watching the video that I was rocked to my core and heart was touched; I realized that I was going to become a missionary doctor.

Have you ever felt robbed of a childhood? At the age of six, I was placed into the DYFS system. I moved from house to house, not really having the chance to grow up like normal children. I didn’t get to experience things such as ; asking my older sister advice on boys, learning how to cook grandma’s favorite recipe, or going on family vacation to Disney world . I worked hard to get where I am right now. My experiences have made me of who I am today , my story will tell you my background, where I came from and why my application is incomplete without it.

The sharp scent of chlorine fills my nostrils as I crane over the microadjuster, determining whether my Platinum/Iridium wire tip is done reacting. Waving away the fumes, I observe the bubbles fizzling out, turn the voltage off, and twist the tip out of the machine. At 163 nanometers wide, it’s the sharpest tip I’ve etched this summer.

Other responsibilities included scheduling, verifying insurance, cash management, collecting copayments, registering patients, and scanning clinic records. New Patient Services Representatives (PSR) were trained, medical records were reorganized, and streamline processes improved patient flow. Work also entailed creating a wait list protocol and working with Rehab therapists to coordinate and handle scheduling issues, that may arise.

Nigeria, 2001, I awakened startled with people screaming indiscriminately. My dad's head was bleeding profusely, and my cousin, sitting in the passenger seat was bleeding from his neck. There were shards of shattered windshield everywhere. I was in the backseat uninjured but scared. This commotion was the aftermath of a car accident involving my dad, my cousin and me, while he was driving us to school. Next, we were rushed to the hospital, however, upon arrival, we were refused treatment until we paid an admissions fee. This practice was common in my country. Although the incident was disturbing, it drove me towards a career in healthcare, mainly working with patients who have a difficulty affording their medical care.

Having lived in three different countries in my childhood, it was a challenge for me to I wade through the unspoken rules of each culture. My Chinese heritage, reminded by my mother’s cooking, complements my penchant for Japanese snacks and trinkets. At the same time, I proudly represent Seattle where I grew up. My friends were often confused by my habits or certain beliefs and my family often did not comprehend what I was learning and struggling with at school. These obstacles were not solved overnight; I slowly learned to understand, taking the advice of many helpful teachers and mentors. I had to learn how to ask for help and advocate for myself. In my pursuit of medicine, I recognize healthcare transcends this cultural barrier, but the

The events occurring during the summer of 2012 opened my eyes to what would become my life’s ambition. I discovered first hand how moments matter and how fragile life can be. My destiny is in the medical field and I am a believer that things happen for a reason.

Scared, nervous, anxious my emotions were all over the place. I didn’t know the interview was going to be a group interview? “Great!” I said to myself, now I have to deal with making myself stand out more. I thought to myself I need this internship so I can be able to look at different careers in the medical field. I need to calm myself down now the interview is about to start. Each time it came to my turn I felt so nervous that I couldn’t get the right words out of my mouth. Nine questions went by and the interview was finally done. I shake hands with both interviewers as I step out the door I felt intimidated by the other applicants. I don’t even know if I aced the interview or completely bombed it.

Growing up I never thought I would pursue a career in healthcare. I always imagined myself as an engineer, someone capable of fixing the world's most difficult problems. As I've gotten older, I opened myself up to an entire new realm of possibilities when I considered more than just one profession. My mom is a physical therapist and I went to work with her often over the years. She is one of those therapists who brings in sunshine and the sound of chirping birds when she enters a room; patients light up when they see her and pass her name around the senior home as if it is a trade secret. I’ve never been one much for sunshine and rainbows, but I do bring a certain energy to the room as people have told me. I am an odd bundle of happiness mixed

From the time I was old enough to care for myself, assisting and tending to others needs was never a chore for me, it was a passion of mine. The feeling that overcame me after I put someone else that needed help before myself was uplifting. As I became older, I realized the medical field was the right path for my future. The medical field is such a diverse and open field with a significant amount of opportunities for advancement. The options for someone who is interested in the field are endless. The type of work that caught my eye was a nurse. The fast paced work and overall intensity of being a nurse intrigued me. However, once I started learning more about the different types of nurses, a nurse anesthetist excited me and is now the career