My diagnosis unexpectedly altered several aspects of my life. Due to my frequent moves, I went from merely having to cope with the difficulties of adjusting to new schools to also having to deal with my thyroid and mental health deteriorating. I experienced, depression, aches in my muscles, dermatological issues, changes affecting my facial appearance, excessive self-consciousness, and low self-esteem. It became a challenge every day to remain positive despite my symptoms and my physical appearance changing drastically– especially considering that others would stare and comment about it. However, after seeing that I wasn't the only one and that diagnoses are rising among younger generations, I felt a strong feeling of empathy for individuals who had gone through what I had. I understood that my disease served as a wake-up call to change my lifestyle and broaden my understanding of health. I've always been interested in science, medicine, and hospitals but when Grave's disease symptoms started to affect me, those interests expanded significantly. I decided that I wanted to become an Endocrinologist. Taking into account the fact that our world needs more medical professionals who can connect with their patients and foster a sense of trust to treat and educate them about their problems in the best way possible to stop the expansion of sickness, I established a long-term goal in my mind to be what I’d like to see in the world. I’m determined to get my Ph.D. and medical license to help people suffering from endocrine issues. I believe that my having a career in endocrinology will be beneficial to society because I’d be a relatable doctor that patients can rely on to help them reach their optimal health.I aspire to educate others on how to care for their bodies and maintain a high quality of life. In light of the psychological impacts of the illness, I want to provide guidance and care for the younger generations in particular. I suffered from depression and anxiety, which affected my academic performance and social well-being. I felt like I was facing my conditions alone; I didn’t feel that I was being supported to the best capability by my doctor because I wasn’t given specific information and resources. However, once I attain my degree, I'll do all in my power to spare as many people as I can from having to go through the avoidable tribulations that I did on my path to health and fitness.

Despite the challenges I face along the way, my ideal future would involve academic accomplishment and service to the community to contribute to the amelioration of society.

As a 17 year old with Grave's Disease, I know how crucial eating healthy is. After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, I've done research and found that, other than the environment and chemicals, foods are the main causes of various diseases, disorders, and illnesses. Like many others, I was introduced to meat, dairy, genetically modified, fast and processed foods at a very young age which led to many barriers to success. My barriers were fatigue, leaky gut (weak intestine junctions), weight gain, brain fog, poor memory, depression, acne, dull skin, unhealthy hair, and cavities. For a long time, I didn't have any clue or hope about my situation. I didn't understand the incredible connection between foods and the human body. I only knew that sugar caused the cavities, however, even that notion was not completely true. My poor diet was the cause of almost every single one of my problems. After finding out how bad said types of food affected the human body, I decided to make a change by going plant based, with the exception of Salmon due to my condition. I also try to avoid gluten, GMO foods, and gelatin. It's a challenging journey to health, yet worth it. Subsequent from cutting out certain foods my mental and physical health improved; I even saw that my grades were exponentially rising because I was no longer as fatigued and brain fogged as I was before when I consumed inflammatory foods. With a healthy diet in place, I started focusing on exercising to keep in shape and to live a good lifestyle. Many students believe, just as I used to, that they're simply not smart or motivated enough to achieve prodigious grades, but most likely they are wrong. They are, indeed. They just may need some nutritious meals to get them energized for school work. Despite how old a person is or whether they're a student or not, everyone needs nutrients to be healthy and function at their best capabilities. Without nutrition people get weak immune systems, inflamed, etc. For the world to function, people need to function, so that we have the time and energy to make a change. The younger generations, like college students, are the future. Therefore, students need to be supported and nourished to conquer the challenges of the world. The world needs bright, healthy people to help fix the financial, political, and global issues.

As a 17 year old with Grave's Disease, I aspire to be a pediatric Endocrinologist. I not only want to achieve my PhD, but I want to also achieve the impact on the younger generations with autoimmune diseases or simply struggle with their health. I know how difficult it can be to motivate yourself to do better and feel better while having a disease that can take a toll on one's confidence and overall mental health. I want to be that doctor that informs, supports, and encourages those who are going through difficult health-related situations.

My name is Adora Osby. I'm sixteen years old and I have a good idea of where I want to be in life. I don't have everything figured out, but I know what majors that I am interested in and my goals throughout life. I want a major that will allow me to help others. Perhaps, save lives in the hospital setting or travel the world to help those in need, help people with their finances, or become an entrepreneur and work to do both, but as my boss. Whether I choose a major in entrepreneurship, business, finance, economics, or biology, I'll be doing it to be educated and specialize in something useful to serve others and help make the world a better place. I believe that my positive impact on the world will be my positive mindset and my service.