Tanya C. Harper Memorial SAR Scholarship

The statement, "Tell me about yourself" always seems to stump me. Not because I don't have anything to say, but because I have entirely too much to say! I get a bit anxious and begin to ponder about what I should tell them. Should I tell them that I'm currently majoring in Biology at Temple University, or maybe that I graduated from the Community College of Philadelphia with a 4.0 GPA and highest honor? Should I tell them that I used to work at the Philadelphia Zoo and the Please Touch Museum, which have honestly been two of the most fun jobs that I've ever had? Or maybe I should tell them that I used to volunteer and eventually worked at the Free Library of Philadelphia. No. Maybe I should tell them that I used to work at an urgent care, registering patients for their virtual doctor's appointments and verifying medical insurances. I think I should probably tell them that I have a new job at the eye doctor, instead. Wait! I know what to tell them. I'll tell them that I recently completed an Emergency Medical Technician training course, obtained my CPR certification, and am now actively pursuing my EMT certification. I'll tell them about how I just recently completed my first semester at Temple University, and how I'm actively seeking a new part-time role as an Emergency Department Technician to enhance my clinical skills. I'll tell them about how I'm aspiring to go to medical school to become a primary care physician. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that I wanted to become a doctor. Even now at 21 years old, my dreams for the future have not changed. People would always ask me, "What type of doctor do you want to be?," and all I knew was that I wanted to become a doctor to hep save lives. As I became older, though, I eventually realized that I want to go into primary care. I want to become a primary care doctor for multiple reasons. One of the greatest reasons why I am interested in primary care is because I not only want to treat health conditions, but I also would love the opportunity to help prevent sickness. Of course I want to help my patients get better and live as comfortably with their conditions as they possibly can, but I also wish to use my position to keep people from living unhealthy lives. I am a big supporter of vaccinations, so I look forward to vaccinating my patients against diseases that are easily preventable. I look forward to examining them and catching a lump, mole, or rash which they initially may not have thought was a big deal. My goal is to be the person who patients can look up to and put their trust in when it comes to their health. Whenever I think about my future career, it makes me happy to think about all the hope I will be able to give people as well as all of the pain that I can relieve. As a primary care physician, I will usually be the patient's main source of guidance in terms of their health. I am also typically going to be one of the first people that they come to with medical issues, and it is going to be my job to make the best decisions and come up with a treatment plan for that patient or refer them to the correct individual. I am very excited to make a positive impact on my patient's lives through my medical career.

Hello, my name is Jayden Thomas, and I will be majoring in Biology/Pre-med at the University of Oklahoma. I am the oldest child in a family of five. I have a younger brother and sister whom I love dearly. Also, I am a dog lover and own two golden doodles named Appa and Jaeger. Equally, I am an avid reader and love to read about history, economics, and foreign policy. I am currently reading “Forgotten Ally” by Rana Mitter. The book talks about China’s little-known contributions to the allied war effort in World War 2. Moreover, in my spare time, I listen to podcasts. I prefer podcasts to music because podcasts allow me to listen to experts on any subject I find interesting. One of my favorite podcasts is “The Rest is History” by Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland. I enjoy the podcast because there are episode series that focus on specific topics in history. For example, the podcast recently did a four-part series explaining the complex history between Russia and Ukraine. Along with being a high school student at Edmond Sante Fe, I am a competitive swimmer at American Energy Swim Club and specialize in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly. As a student-athlete, I have learned time management which I will use in college. In addition to swimming, I volunteer in my community as an assistant soccer coach in a program called Top Soccer. Every Sunday, the program teaches soccer to children with special needs in Edmond, Oklahoma. My dream is to become a dermatologist, to help others who suffer from skin diseases as I do. I suffer from a rare skin condition called lichen planus. Lichen planus is a type of autoimmune disease which causes hyperpigmentation on the skin. I visited multiple doctors and dermatologists, receiving different diagnoses. The misdiagnoses led to numerous medications and treatments, which failed to work. My confidence in my body disappeared as the condition spread, and I stopped wearing short sleeve shirts or shorts in public. Eventually, I found a dermatologist who recommended getting a biopsy, and the results diagnosed my condition as lichen planus. While lichen planus is an incurable disease, it can be controlled with the proper treatment. My experience searching for a diagnosis was the motivating factor in pursuing a career in medicine. And through research, I found that my experience trying to obtain a diagnosis is not uncommon for minorities. According to the article “What ‘Skin of Color Dermatology’ Is Doing to Make Health Care More Inclusive” by Shivani Majmudar, roughly 15% of all images in common medical student resources represented the skin color of minorities. This lack of representation of minority skin images medical students learn from will lead to future dermatologists and doctors who don’t have the training to deal with medical issues on minority skin. Moreover, the article explains how only 3% of dermatologists are African American, which can lead to misdiagnoses and a shortage of dermatologists who have experience with darker skin. I hope to impact the medical world by becoming a dermatologist who advances research in minority skin conditions and teaches future doctors. This scholarship will assist me in attending the University of Oklahoma as a student majoring in Biology/Pre-med and putting me on the path to becoming a doctor. Thank you for your time and consideration.