My journey in the sciences began long before I understood what a scientific career truly meant. At age five, when my parents divorced, I learned very quickly that life would demand resilience from me. Growing up with emotional and financial instability, science became the one place where things felt predictable and meaningful. It gave me a sense of direction during a childhood that often felt uncertain.
At seventeen, I made the life-changing decision to immigrate to the United States alone. I arrived with a suitcase, no financial support, and no family to guide me through school or adulthood. Navigating an entirely new education system, culture, and language on my own was overwhelming, but it shaped the determination I rely on today. Every form I filled out, every job I worked, and every class I took was something I had to figure out independently. That experience has stayed with me throughout my scientific and academic journey.
I earned my Associate of Science in Chemistry, then went on to complete my Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of California, Irvine a major turning point in my confidence as a woman in science. UCI gave me my first real exposure to higher-level scientific coursework, research-based thinking, and the realization that I wasn’t just surviving in these spaces I was excelling in them. Even in environments where women, especially immigrant women, were underrepresented, I learned to hold my own.
My passion for health science ultimately led me to pursue graduate education as a Physician Assistant. Throughout my rotations in pulmonology, pediatrics, dermatology, OB/GYN, family medicine, and emergency medicine, I witnessed firsthand how deeply science and human connection intertwine in clinical care. My scientific background allows me to understand disease, but my immigrant journey allows me to understand people.
Being a first-generation immigrant has influenced every step of my education. I had to work while attending school, manage finances without support, and navigate all major decisions alone. These barriers strengthened me. They taught me discipline, empathy, independence, and an unshakable work ethic. They also gave me a unique ability to support patients who feel vulnerable, unheard, or overwhelmed by their circumstances.
As I prepare to graduate as a PA, my long-term goal is to continue my education and pursue a Doctor of Medical Science (DMS). I want to deepen my scientific knowledge, contribute to academic medicine, and eventually use my training to mentor young women especially women from immigrant backgrounds—who are entering science and healthcare. Growing up, I rarely saw women who looked like me or shared my story in senior positions. I want to become the representation I needed.
Safak Paker-Leggs’ mission resonates with me on a personal level. Her commitment to empowering women in scientific fields parallels my own ambition to uplift others and redefine what leadership in science looks like. This scholarship would not only support my continued education, but also help me carry forward her legacy ensuring that more women, especially immigrants, feel welcomed, valued, and capable of shaping the future of science.
My parents immigrated to the U.S. from China with nothing more than a single suitcase, a 7th-grade education, and a dream of escaping poverty working as farmers and carpenters. Their struggles with language barriers, cultural differences, and the relentless need to work left no room for doctor visits. Instead, they turned to Traditional Chinese Medicine and the philosophy of preventive medicine, a belief that sparked my own passion for nutrition and health. Yet, even the wisdom of preventive medicine proved powerless against cancer. Diagnosed in November 2022, he passed on Christmas Day 2023 from a battle with pancreatic cancer. My father, an immigrant who embodied strength, slowly withered before our eyes. What was presumed as a minor stomachache became a desperate race against time, and it was heartbreaking to watch his once-robust frame deteriorate into frailty.
From a young age, I took on the heavy responsibility of being my family’s social worker, care manager, and translator. I memorized their Social Security numbers, income details, and account information, handling everything from bills to securing utility assistance and unemployment benefits. My parents, immigrants with no English skills, relied on me to navigate life in the United States as a low-income family. What felt like a burden forced me to grow up quickly, managing adult responsibilities alongside school. Those challenges have now equipped me with a deep understanding of how to access vital resources and government programs, allowing me to support other low-income families in their fight to stay afloat. My advocacy to support my parents grew into empowering and assisting other low-income, Chinese immigrant community members in Cleveland.
My passion for promoting health and wellness in underserved populations is largely driven by my personal upbringing. The language, cultural, and economic barriers faced by my parents motivated me to organize community health fairs as a current medical student to provide free preventive health services to minority and low-income communities whose members lacked access to regular medical care. For some individuals, these health fairs served as their only annual checkup; for others, it was their first introduction to concepts such as “high blood sugar.” I strive to make healthcare less intimidating and more accessible through actively participating in free community health fairs such as these. I additionally volunteer at community gardens and food pantries, distributing fresh produce to those in need. Growing up in a food-insecure neighborhood, we often received assistance from food pantries and I saw firsthand how access to nutritious food can shape lives. I believe culinary and clinical medicine are closely linked, and that mindful eating has the power to influence the course of chronic diseases. By leading cooking classes and hosting plant-based nutrition lectures in medical school, I aim to inspire colleagues and patients to embrace lifestyle medicine and instill wellness in all parts of our daily lives.
Working alongside hospitalists and oncologists, as both a student and a caregiver, solidified my desire to pursue Internal Medicine, a specialty that integrates preventive care with complex medical management. What began as advocating for my parents from a young age has grown into a mission to champion preventive and holistic health for my community. I am so privileged to help navigate life in a new country for my parents who have endured a lifetime of hurdles and hardships and I am so inspired by their resilience that has been passed down to me.
