Refocus Personal Statement

It is undoubtedly because of my parents, and their unwavering support, that I have decided to dedicate my energy towards helping others. Both of them inspired my love affair with science and medicine in their own ways, and not just through their support of me and my decisions. Before I graduated high school, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Her doctors were amazing, and the support staff we met with were equally incredible. This positive experience during this difficult period cemented in my mind that whatever I did, I wanted to help people. For years, my father struggled with prescription drug abuse, before finally checking himself into a rehabilitation facility. His eventual triumph over his addiction has inspired me in ways he could never imagine. Discovering effective medicines that do not hold a risk for dependency is an issue that is very personal for me and is something that I am determined to pursue once I am finished my PharmD degree.

As a part of the HBCU Alumni Alliance’s Higher Education initiative program; Alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are concerned about the inadequate representation of minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related professions. Consequently, DCHBCUAA STEM professionals have designed and organized an instructional hands-on STEM workshop for students in grades 10-12, to enlighten them on the different facets of professions available in the sciences. As a part of our community partnership with Kaiser Permanente, we have a workshop scheduled for Saturday, April 29, 2017, from 800 am-5:00 pm, at 2101 Jefferson Street in Rockville, Maryland.

I was born the fourth of December 1991 in Cranbrook British Columbia. I lived there for 18 years. Before joining the military I worked as a fry cook at a Burger King for three years and held part time jobs working for the College of the Rockies summer camp programs during the summer. My parents are currently living together in Cranbrook BC. My father works outside the province testing railway tracks for two months at a time, then returns home for two to three weeks. My mother acts as the main contact point of the family, she works as a financial clerk. I have a 22 year old sister who will be attending university in Calgary this September. I attended Mount Baker Secondary School in Cranbrook and graduated in 2009

Over the last four years at Joliet West high school I have been involved in clubs and have also taken courses that are centered around my academy of human services. In the future I hope to utilize the knowledge and skills I have developed at Joliet West and pursue a career in social sciences where I can have a positive impact on my community.

I will help my community at school, be a leader and create new organizations. I’m planning to be involved in the organizations mentioned before and also with my partners at school. I will be a leader that help everyone and brought them together to get better results. Also I’m planning to create a nonprofit organization where I could have the opportunity to be a philanthropist, making activities to get enough resources and help communities to get a better nutrition and mainly make them happy.

A goal of President Barack Obama’s Educate to Innovate initiative in 2008 was to increase the contributions of underrepresented minority (URM) students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) (White House, 2009). Notably, in the context of the United States, the fastest growing and youngest URMs are Hispanics. Demographic projections suggest that Hispanics will comprise 30 percent of the U.S. population by 2040 and the majority demographic group in several states (United States Census, 2008). Thus, the need to encourage and support innovation and competitiveness in STEM participation is important, especially for Hispanic students, who are significantly underrepresented. In 2009, Hispanics represented 16 percent of the U. S. population and 26 percent of all undergraduate enrollments, but they earned just 11.9 percent of STEM bachelor’s degrees in that year (National Science Foundation (NSF), 2010). In terms of STEM disciplines, Hispanics received 3.4 percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded in the life sciences, 0.7 percent in the physical sciences, 0.5 percent in mathematics, 2.6 percent in the computer science field and 4.7 percent in engineering (Chen, Ho & Soldner, 2013). This low STEM degree

I will strive hard and put my best efforts to excel in my profession not only academically, but also at work or when I am providing services to patients. I will be productive and always take my responsibilities attentively. According to me, my pride in my profession starts at my institution (LIU). For example, if I notice one of my classmates posting offensive status on social media related to the profession or about LIU, I will take a step forward to explain him/her that their activity is against professionalism. I will be an active learner. I will dress professionally and on the day of my clinical rotation, I will ensure that I am dressed properly. I will try to be adaptive as much as possible in my work front. I will deal with patients

Eventually working with motivational speakers to create my own non-profit organization and if possible even to work on a school to get equal opportunity for education.

I am passionate about education and I am dedicated to ensuring that everyone, despite their socio-economic challenges, has an equal opportunity to be exposed to various STEM career opportunities. Historically, African-Americans tend to be excluded from the STEM field. Due to my commitment to increasing number of underrepresented minorities in STEM major, during my senior year in high school I launched The MASTERS After School Math Enrichment Program at The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia.

Industry , government, and academic leaders argue that americans should make the science, technology, engineering and mathematical fields (STEM) more accessible. “They have high-quality, knowledge-intensive jobs that lead to discovery and new technology,” improving the U.S. economy and standard of living;(Lavender 1). One focus area for increasing the STEM workforce has been to reduce disparities in STEM employment by sex, race, and Hispanic origin. Actually, women, Blacks, and Hispanics have been underrepresented in the STEM employment. Some researchers find that women, Blacks, and Hispanics are less likely to be in a science or engineering major at the start of their college experience, and less likely to remain in these majors by its conclusion.

In class, “Frame of Reference” was referred to as the combination of everything that a person knows, strives for, and values. It is something that plays a part in every decision that we make; sometimes something as small as what you should have for breakfast to something as big as marriage. For me personally, a major decision that I have recently committed to was what college I wanted to go to. I knew exactly what I wanted to major in (education) and based on what I had heard from my family, friends, and guidance counselors, I figured Bowling Green would be right for me. Thus, I used my “Frame of Reference” (all of what I knew and exactly what I was striving for) to make a final decision. The thing is, there are numerous people that I

“Some people called it ‘the root of insanity’, by others is known as ‘a spark of holiness’, and sometimes, it’s hard to tell the difference... But if you find something that you truly love, dedicate it all you’ve got; and leave the rest alone.” Roman Gerry- Kites.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines are the principle drivers of the global economy as they serve as the primary source for innovation and advancement. As a country we are not producing enough individuals trained in STEM to meet the current demands of the marketplace. As a result the United States is steadily losing its competitive edge an increasingly complex world that is ever-changing. Currently, in the United States, minorities constitute approximately 30 percent of the population (Dalton, Ingles & Fritch, 2015), however only account for 16 percent of STEM degrees (Sass, 2015). Educational attainment in STEM amongst underrepresented populations is not only ethical but, vital to the United States future as it jockey for position in the global economy (Chen, 2009; Dalton et. al, 2015).

Every person has something they’re passionate about — something that they love. Throughout my life, music and fashion have always been there. Music is something that I have grown up with. In my home there’s rarely a moment of silence — always a radio playing or someone singing. Music speaks to many emotionally, inducing sorrow, anger, sympathy, and a plethora of other emotions. What music accomplishes for most by listening to the words, melodies, and rhythm — fashion does for me by style, color, and texture.

It was a humid spring morning in Louisiana. I remember holding on to the ladder for my friend and tried to avoid the reflection of the sun from the shiny vinyl words “Habitat for Humanity” on her shirt. Before I could wipe the sweat drop off my forehead, I heard someone yell, “Watch out!”