The Day Journey Over Pothole Ridden Roads

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 asked my parents, my first love was to be a “Choo-choo” train. My parents told me the story that each year on my birthday they would ask me, “What would you like to be when you grow up?” I would answer without hesitation, “A Choo-Choo train!” The Little Engine That Could was my favorite book before bedtime. I remember how excited it made me feel when “The Little Train” made it over the mountain. It wasn’t until discussing my upcoming Senior year and applying to Medical School, I realized, my parents had planted a seed of optimism and hard work, when they decided to read me The Little Engine That Could book at bedtime growing up.

“Education is key,” my mom would say everyday growing up. My siblings and I learned basic arithmetic, reading, and spelling before we even started Kindergarten, because my parents knew education’s importance through experience. To clarify, when my mom ventured to America in her preadolescent years, her and her family had only a several bills in their hands. For years she worked after school to help chip in for housing and food, as well as to pay her college tuition. Years later, she earned her Associate’s degree, allowing her to become an accountant. Through her experiences, my mother knew the utmost importance of education, which she instilled in my siblings and I. I have always pursued knowledge with an insatiable appetite, always pushing myself in school, but fueled with the value of education, I pushed myself to new heights. Now, as a sophomore, I have already taken Physics and am taking Calculus One at The Ohio State University and English 12. But, despite my focus on academics, I know that education isn’t everything. Education is merely a tool that one can sharpen or leave to rust. What truly matters is what one does with the tool. Me? I plan to transform the multi-functional tool into a scalpel capable of medically helping

I decided to pursue a career in medicine when I was an adolescent. I scheduled a science-heavy course load in high school. Pursued a degree in Honours Biological Sciences. Shadowed a physician for two months. Graduated with distinction. Applied to medical schools and received my acceptance. My academic and professional career was already planned at the ripe age of fourteen. As the years progressed, my passion and interest in medicine waned. I was left feeling deeply unfulfilled. The career I was pursuing had ceased to be reflective of my interests. I struggled to procure the enthusiasm to apply to medical school, putting it off until I was in my final year of university. Every time I broached

Growing up, most kids in my generation had Disney Channel or Barbie Dolls. As I was raised with 6 siblings and cousins and having just emigrated from England, my family did not have ample money to expend on cable or fancy toys; subsequently, I resorted to books. As I read more and more, my interests began to broaden, and my keen admiration and curiosity for how and why things work in certain ways progressed. As I grew older, I realized that science could be used to answer many of life’s most complex questions. Once I was accepted early into The University of Georgia, I declared my major as Biology with a pre-medical intent, deciding to further pursue my curiosity about living organisms. I soon realized that I needed to achieve more, and decided

I am very fascinated with the sciences and I have no real capacity to be an artist. My parents have always pushed me in the direction of going to university, always hinting to the fact that they would be proudest of me if I were to become a doctor of some kind. Now that I have a choice of doing whatever I would like as a career, I find myself overwhelmed. It’s not like I hate the prospect of becoming a doctor, in fact I quite like it. The idea that people will one day look at me with the sort of reverence I look up to at doctors today, excites me. Also I do love helping other people solve their problems. Through this journal I have come to the realization that I need to start preparing now for university rather than

The future that children often dream for themselves is not the reality they live out later in life. Professor Kleinpeter saw herself becoming a Veterinarian. When the time came for her to choose a career, she turned away from the field. The amount of time it took to obtain the degree changed her mind. Instead, she looked to a career in education. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education along with a certification for Adaptive P.E. Kleinpeter taught Adaptive P.E. for 15 years all over Louisiana and in Houston, Texas. Then she decided, like her husband, she would become a doctor. The prerequisites required to be a medical doctor though was too much for her. So, by the advice of a friend, she decided to pursue a career as a psychologist instead.

The desire to discover never really left. I’ve always gone out of my way to learn something new. So it was to my disappointment when my middle school advisor in Geneva Switzerland told me that science and math were subjects I shouldn’t pursue. My high grades in Latin and German signified that I was more of a “languages person” and should therefore forgo a pursuit in stem fields and focus instead on classical languages and humanities. I countered their advice by shadowing a biologist who worked on altering genetics in mice. I found myself learning about anything I could despite the Swiss education system and my middle school advisor’s advice. When I transferred to Manhattan Center for Science and Math in New York City, I was encouraged to explore everything and anything. My first opportunity was the Advanced Science Research Program. After mere weeks of moving to a new country, my biology teacher encouraged me to apply. I never regretted the decision once. At the end of my sophomore year, some of my teachers suggested I take a few Advanced Placement courses during my junior year. I craved learning

Two decades and many existential crises later, one single aspect of my life has pulled me through: that passion I experienced as a child. I have questioned the source of this motivation more than once, and have sought out to put myself in all possible situations that would predict how I would feel later in my life as a doctor to make sure this passion was not mere infatuation.

Through a young age I questioned: Who am I? Who do I want to be? Will I make a difference? Am I choosing the right career path? Questions, questions and, more questions imprisoned my mind in my life. Perhaps, as long as I remain unknown to myself, my presence will be unknown to the world. At age of 16 I went to a scientific expedition to the North Pole. As I was greeted by the nature of the Arctic itself I opened my eyes and notice the world around me. I become aware of my passion for science, ultimately influenced my decision to want to pursue medicine. Foremost, exposed me to want to make a difference in multiple fields.

Throughout my numerous years in grade school, science had always been a subject that fascinated me. In my mind, I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career dealing with science, but I was unsure of which aspect that I wanted to pursue. However, during my senior year in high school I was allowed to select the science course that I took that year and due to my curiosity for the functions of the human body, anatomy was a no brainer. As I got deeper and deeper into the anatomy course, I became more and more fascinated and knew that I had found my passion; the human body and the functions of the numerous parts. It was in this course that I began to understand what was happening to some of my loved one's bodies as they tried to fight cancer, an idea which I was completely unfamiliar with at the time.

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.

My grandmother was diagnosed with tuberculosis when I was six years old, her prolonged struggle with the vicious disease and inadequate medical care, left me with many unanswered questions about health care. Subsequently, the more I sought out to learn about her disease the more I was compelled and inspired to do more for other facing similar challenges.

I grew up in a family with the low socioeconomic status. Neither my parent nor my older siblings entered higher education institution. Additionally, as a child raising as a member of the dysfunctional family, I faced many challenges. Nonetheless, my natural passion for learning and reading awaken my immense love for science. Unfortunately, my high aspirations to become a doctor encountered with the absence of an adequate financial, emotional and mental support. From an elementary school through the high school, I was trying on my own to take care of my intellectual development by engaging in the free extracurricular activities.Nevertheless, the fact that medical school was not accessible in my town, and my family did not offer me financial

My interest started in elementary school, because of the teachers who enhanced my passion for science. In elementary school, I never thought about turning my passion into an actual career; that didn’t happen until high school. Science always intrigued me, from the never-ending science fair projects to research projects. Georgetown University’s Masters’ program in Biotechnology/ BioScience will continue to enhance my passion for science, but will also enhance my other passion in health related professions. Throughout my life, I loved science and health, but more so, the satisfaction of putting someone’s well being before my own.