Because of the political corruption within Cambodia, my parents fled to the United States, seeking a better life for themselves and their children. There, they found refuge in South Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, which I grew to know as home. However, despite the city’s endearing name, health disparities continue to be a problem within my city and among my community. According to the US Census, only 16% of Cambodian Americans earned a bachelor's degree or higher. The Pew Research Center found that 19.1% of all Cambodians in the US lived in poverty compared to 15.1% of all Americans. In a study conducted from 2015 to 2019, it was estimated that 49.9% of Cambodian Americans barely spoke English well. It was also found that 51% of non-citizen Cambodians lack health insurance compared to US citizens at 15%. Education, socioeconomic status, language proficiency, and access to insurance are all of the social determinants that led my parents to work double shifts to make ends meet, food insecurity throughout my childhood, and my mother’s diagnosis of cervical cancer and type 2 diabetes. For my mother, her immigrant status became a barrier that reduced her quality of life leading her to return to Cambodia, where healthcare treatment was more accessible. However, before leaving the United States, she shared with me her love for gardening. Wanting to connect with my mother’s roots, I began working at Resilient Roots Community Farm. As a community farmer, I had the pleasure of working with Black, Brown, and other Southeast Asian students to trellis tomatoes, harvest produce, and maintain the condition of the farm. One of my favorite activities was munching on the succulent raspberries I grew. However, my joy was amplified when our efforts grew beyond the farm’s aluminum gates, and we collaboratively went around the surrounding houses, knocking on the neighbors’ doors and inviting them to freely harvest produce in an effort to promote community engagement and combat food insecurity. While the raspberries were delicious, the community I helped foster was sweeter. As I witnessed the smiles on people’s faces in having their nutritional needs met, I became all the more committed to fighting for accessibility to nutritious meals, healthcare, and healthy living conditions for my community. This epiphany inspired me to become a Public Health Physician. As a public health physician, I intend to bridge my knowledge of preventative medicine and my language proficiency in Khmer and English to support my community (especially Cambodians) in increasing their access to health care and providing health education that can promote healthier behaviors and awareness. Since completing my associate's degree in Public Health, I am ecstatic to continue my path toward higher education at Temple University’s School of Public Health. However, my family's unusual circumstances have impacted my financial aid package, and I am faced with the dilemma of either having to take out large loans or delaying my education. With the “Treye Knorr Memorial Scholarship,” my financial burden would be alleviated, and I would be better equipped to focus on my studies without hindering my academic performance. With my education supported, I look forward to breaking the cycle of poverty within my community, increasing access to health insurance and cultural competency, alleviating my community’s stress, and addressing food insecurity in America. In doing so, I look forward to witnessing the City of Brotherly Love live up to its name, and our social determinants will no longer force us to work double shifts to make ends meet, experience food insecurity, and develop cancer and type 2 diabetes.

My Hero Academia (MHA). In MHA, we see the world from the perspective of Izuku Midoriya (Deku), a middle schooler who experiences bullying and setbacks due to his unique inability to obtain a Quirk. Yet, despite the doubts he faced from his peers, he continued to be positive, and his fascination with Quirks continued radiating from his Quirkless body. In the world of MHA, despite Deku’s setback, his role model, All Might, believed in him and helped him achieve the unachievable. In addition, the bonds between Deku and All Might, which stemmed from their shared insecurity, were beautiful to witness. In the world of MHA, UA, Deku’s dream school and the top-ranked school in the nation, was a place where uniqueness between classmates and peers brought people together. Despite the story being told from Deku’s perspective, each and every one of his classmates’ unique quirks shine during battle, and winning a battle does not pertain to one strong character but rather the collective team efforts between each individual member. In the world of MHA, each characters has internal demons that they have to overcome, from Bakugo’s insecurity to Todoroki’s hatred towards his abusive father, we as viewers are exposed to the wonderful image of friendship and the process of healing from internal battles. Although I regret to say that I have not watched the newest seasons of MHA, my experiences witnessing the character development of Midoriya and his UA classmates and peers and seeing them learn to care about one another and support each other in battles during the first few seasons hold a deep place in my heart, and I cannot recommend this show enough.

In the land of opportunities, my Cambodian immigrant mother was diagnosed with Diabetes and Cervical Cancer. Her immigrant status became a barrier that reduced her quality of life, which led her to return to Cambodia, where healthcare treatment was more accessible. However, before leaving the United States, she shared her love for cultivation, which prompted me to work at Resilient Roots Community Farm. As a community farmer, I had the pleasure of working with Black, Brown, and Vietnamese students to trellis tomatoes, harvest produce, and maintain the condition of the farm. One of my favorite activities was munching on the succulent raspberries I grew. However, my joy was amplified when our efforts grew beyond the farm’s aluminum gates, and we door-knocked neighbors to freely harvest produce in an effort to promote community engagement and combat food insecurity. While the raspberries were delicious, the community I helped foster was sweeter, and my love for Public Health blossomed. Through my experience with health disparities and community engagement, I became inspired to become a Public Health Physician. As an aspiring Public Health Physician and first-generation low-income college student, my journey toward achieving my career goal is costly. In public health, economic challenges such as student loan debts are one of the social determinants of health. With the Maxwell Tuan Nguyen Memorial Scholarship, I could fund my education, alleviate the financial burden, and have more opportunities to continue my path toward addressing health disparities. As a Public Health Physician, I look forward to addressing Cambodian immigrant health disparities such as language barriers. Because of language barriers, many Cambodian Americans receive inadequate healthcare and inadequate health education. For this reason, I intend to use my public health knowledge and Khmer language proficiency to bridge that gap. In doing so, I look forward to providing health education to my community, ensuring that my community’s health needs are met, and using my medical knowledge to alleviate their health-related stressors. In addition, I intend to take Spanish courses and study abroad in Latin America to expand my knowledge of Hispanic culture and languages and help address the healthcare disparities within the Hispanic community (a community that I grew up with). While the land of opportunities has presented challenges in my family’s life, these challenges have only strengthened my resolve to address health disparities. The Maxwell Tuan Nguyen Memorial Scholarship would alleviate my financial burden and allow me to work toward cultivating health equity. Similar to farming, I am eager to collaborate with others to cultivate a healthier, more equitable America.

In the land of opportunities, my Cambodian immigrant mother was diagnosed with Diabetes and Cervical Cancer. Her immigrant status became a barrier that reduced her quality of life, which led her to return to Cambodia, where healthcare treatment was more accessible. However, before leaving the United States, she shared her love for cultivation, which prompted me to work at Resilient Roots Community Farm. As a community farmer, I had the pleasure of working with Black, Brown, and Vietnamese students to trellis tomatoes, harvest produce, and maintain the condition of the farm. One of my favorite activities was munching on the succulent raspberries I grew. However, my joy was amplified when our efforts grew beyond the farm’s aluminum gates, and we door-knocked neighbors to freely harvest produce in an effort to promote community engagement and combat food insecurity. While the raspberries were delicious, the community I helped foster was sweeter, and my love for Public Health blossomed. Through my experience with health disparities and community engagement, I became inspired to become a Public Health Physician. As an aspiring Public Health Physician and first-generation low-income college student, my journey toward achieving my career goal is costly. In public health, economic challenges such as student loan debts are one of the social determinants of health. With the Zamora Borose Goodwill Scholarship, I could fund my education, alleviate the financial burden, and have more opportunities to continue my path toward addressing health disparities. As a Public Health Physician, I look forward to addressing Cambodian immigrant health disparities such as language barriers. Because of language barriers, many Cambodian Americans receive inadequate healthcare and inadequate health education. For this reason, I intend to use my public health knowledge and Khmer language proficiency to bridge that gap. In doing so, I look forward to providing health education to my community, ensuring that my community’s health needs are met, and using my medical knowledge to alleviate their health-related stressors. In addition, I intend to take Spanish courses and study abroad in Latin America to expand my knowledge of Hispanic culture and languages and help address the healthcare disparities within the Hispanic community (a community that I grew up with). While the land of opportunities has presented challenges in my family’s life, these challenges have only strengthened my resolve to address health disparities. The Zamora Borose Goodwill Scholarship would alleviate my financial burden and allow me to work toward cultivating health equity. Similar to farming, I am eager to collaborate with others to cultivate a healthier, more equitable America.

Despite being a chemistry major, I never bonded with the field. While I enjoyed learning how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and finding the pKa value from the molarities of Sodium, the idea of studying public health lingered in my mind. As I learned about the health disparities that disproportionately affect the Cambodian communities in America and the impact of the Model Minority Myth on Southeast Asians, despite being one semester away from obtaining my Associate's degree, I decided to switch my major to Public Health. Through my public health curriculum, I started recognizing the many subtle disparities affecting health outcomes for my community, from the lack of green spaces and parks to the inaccessibility of grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods. As I saw the similarities between the contents of my curriculum and my early childhood experiences with food insecurity and having sick parents due to my parents’ immigrant status, I became inspired to become a Public Health Physician. As an aspiring Public Health Physician and first-generation low-income college student, my journey toward achieving my career goal is costly. In public health, economic challenges such as student loan debts are one of the social determinants of health. With the WCEJ Thornton Foundation Low-Income Scholarship, I could fund my education, alleviate the financial burden, and have more opportunities to continue my path toward addressing health disparities. As a Public Health Physician, I look forward to addressing Cambodian immigrant health disparities such as language barriers. Because of language barriers, many Cambodian Americans receive inadequate healthcare and inadequate health education. For this reason, I intend to use my public health knowledge and Khmer language proficiency to bridge that gap. In doing so, I look forward to providing health education to my community, ensuring that my community’s health needs are met, and using my medical knowledge to alleviate their health-related stressors. In addition, I intend to take Spanish courses and study abroad in Latin America to expand my knowledge of Hispanic culture and languages and help address the healthcare disparities within the Hispanic community (a community that I grew up with). While I have never bonded with the field of chemistry, I look forward to using my public health knowledge to convert health disparities into health equity. The WCEJ Thornton Foundation Low-Income Scholarship would alleviate my financial burden and allow me to continue my path toward higher education. As a result, I look forward to collaborating with others to cultivate a healthier, more equitable America.

In the land of opportunities, my Cambodian immigrant mother was diagnosed with Diabetes and Cervical Cancer. Her immigrant status became a barrier that reduced her quality of life, which led her to return to Cambodia, where healthcare treatment was more accessible. However, before leaving the United States, she shared her love for cultivation, which prompted me to work at Resilient Roots Community Farm. As a community farmer, I had the pleasure of working with Black, Brown, and Vietnamese students to trellis tomatoes, harvest produce, and maintain the condition of the farm. One of my favorite activities was munching on the succulent raspberries I grew. However, my joy was amplified when our efforts grew beyond the farm’s aluminum gates, and we door-knocked neighbors to freely harvest produce in an effort to promote community engagement and combat food insecurity. While the raspberries were delicious, the community I helped foster was sweeter, and my love for Public Health blossomed. Through my experience with health disparities and community engagement, I became inspired to become a Public Health Physician. As an aspiring Public Health Physician and first-generation low-income college student, my journey toward achieving my career goal is costly. In public health, economic challenges such as student loan debts are one of the social determinants of health. With the Boun Om Sengsourichanh Legacy Scholarship, I could fund my education, alleviate the financial burden, and have more opportunities to continue my path toward addressing health disparities. As a Public Health Physician, I look forward to addressing Cambodian immigrant health disparities such as language barriers. Because of language barriers, many Cambodian Americans receive inadequate healthcare and inadequate health education. For this reason, I intend to use my public health knowledge and Khmer language proficiency to bridge that gap. In doing so, I look forward to providing health education to my community, ensuring that my community’s health needs are met, and using my medical knowledge to alleviate their health-related stressors. In addition, I intend to take Spanish courses and study abroad in Latin America to expand my knowledge of Hispanic culture and languages and help address the healthcare disparities within the Hispanic community (a community that I grew up with). While the land of opportunities has presented challenges in my family’s life, these challenges have only strengthened my resolve to address health disparities. The Boun Om Sengsourichanh Legacy Scholarship would alleviate my financial burden and allow me to work toward cultivating health equity. Similar to farming, I am eager to collaborate with others to cultivate a healthier, more equitable America.

In the land of opportunities, my Cambodian immigrant mother was diagnosed with Diabetes and Cervical Cancer. Her immigrant status became a barrier that reduced her quality of life, which led her to return to Cambodia, where healthcare treatment was more accessible. However, before leaving the United States, she shared her love for cultivation, which prompted me to work at Resilient Roots Community Farm. As a community farmer, I had the pleasure of working with Black, Brown, and Vietnamese students to trellis tomatoes, harvest produce, and maintain the condition of the farm. One of my favorite activities was munching on the succulent raspberries I grew. However, my joy was amplified when our efforts grew beyond the farm’s aluminum gates, and we door-knocked neighbors to freely harvest produce in an effort to promote community engagement and combat food insecurity. While the raspberries were delicious, the community I helped foster was sweeter, and my love for Public Health blossomed. Through my experience with health disparities and community engagement, I became inspired to become a Public Health Physician. As an aspiring Public Health Physician and first-generation low-income college student, my journey toward achieving my career goal is costly. In public health, economic challenges such as student loan debts are one of the social determinants of health. With the Miguel Mendez Social Justice Scholarship, I could fund my education, alleviate the financial burden, and have more opportunities to continue my path toward addressing health disparities. As a Public Health Physician, I look forward to addressing Cambodian immigrant health disparities such as language barriers. Because of language barriers, many Cambodian Americans receive inadequate healthcare and inadequate health education. For this reason, I intend to use my public health knowledge and Khmer language proficiency to bridge that gap. In doing so, I look forward to providing health education to my community, ensuring that my community’s health needs are met, and using my medical knowledge to alleviate their health-related stressors. In addition, I intend to take Spanish courses and study abroad in Latin America to expand my knowledge of Hispanic culture and languages and help address the healthcare disparities within the Hispanic community (a community that I grew up with). While the land of opportunities has presented challenges in my family’s life, these challenges have only strengthened my resolve to address health disparities. The Miguel Mendez Social Justice Scholarship would alleviate my financial burden and allow me to work toward cultivating health equity. Similar to farming, I am eager to collaborate with others to cultivate a healthier, more equitable America.

In the land of opportunities, my Cambodian immigrant mother was diagnosed with Diabetes and Cervical Cancer. Her immigrant status became a barrier that reduced her quality of life, which led her to return to Cambodia, where healthcare treatment was more accessible. However, before leaving the United States, she shared her love for cultivation, which prompted me to work at Resilient Roots Community Farm. As a community farmer, I had the pleasure of working with Black, Brown, and Vietnamese students to trellis tomatoes, harvest produce, and maintain the condition of the farm. One of my favorite activities was munching on the succulent raspberries I grew. However, my joy was amplified when our efforts grew beyond the farm’s aluminum gates, and we door-knocked neighbors to freely harvest produce in an effort to promote community engagement and combat food insecurity. While the raspberries were delicious, the community I helped foster was sweeter, and my love for Public Health blossomed. Through my experience with health disparities and community engagement, I became inspired to become a Public Health Physician. As an aspiring Public Health Physician and first-generation low-income college student, my journey toward achieving my career goal is costly. In public health, economic challenges such as student loan debts are one of the social determinants of health. With the Veerakasturi and Venkateswarlu Ganapaneni Memorial Scholarship, I could fund my education, alleviate the financial burden, and have more opportunities to continue my path toward addressing health disparities. As a Public Health Physician, I look forward to addressing Cambodian immigrant health disparities such as language barriers. Because of language barriers, many Cambodian Americans receive inadequate healthcare and inadequate health education. For this reason, I intend to use my public health knowledge and Khmer language proficiency to bridge that gap. In doing so, I look forward to providing health education to my community, ensuring that my community’s health needs are met, and using my medical knowledge to alleviate their health-related stressors. In addition, I intend to take Spanish courses and study abroad in Latin America to expand my knowledge of Hispanic culture and languages and help address the healthcare disparities within the Hispanic community (a community that I grew up with). While the land of opportunities has presented challenges in my family’s life, these challenges have only strengthened my resolve to address health disparities. The Veerakasturi and Venkateswarlu Ganapaneni Memorial Scholarship would alleviate my financial burden and allow me to work toward cultivating health equity. Similar to farming, I am eager to collaborate with others to cultivate a healthier, more equitable America.

In the land of opportunities, my Cambodian immigrant mother was diagnosed with Diabetes and Cervical Cancer. Her immigrant status became a barrier that reduced her quality of life, which led her to return to Cambodia, where healthcare treatment was more accessible. However, before leaving the United States, she shared her love for cultivation, which prompted me to work at Resilient Roots Community Farm. As a community farmer, I had the pleasure of working with Black, Brown, and Vietnamese students to trellis tomatoes, harvest produce, and maintain the condition of the farm. One of my favorite activities was munching on the succulent raspberries I grew. However, my joy was amplified when our efforts grew beyond the farm’s aluminum gates, and we door-knocked neighbors to freely harvest produce in an effort to promote community engagement and combat food insecurity. While the raspberries were delicious, the community I helped foster was sweeter, and my love for Public Health blossomed. Through my experience with health disparities and community engagement, I became inspired to become a Public Health Physician. As an aspiring Public Health Physician and first-generation low-income college student, my journey toward achieving my career goal is costly. In public health, economic challenges such as student loan debts are one of the social determinants of health. With the Morgan Levine Dolan Community Service Scholarship, I could fund my education, alleviate the financial burden, and have more opportunities to continue my path toward addressing health disparities. As a Public Health Physician, I look forward to addressing Cambodian immigrant health disparities such as language barriers. Because of language barriers, many Cambodian Americans receive inadequate healthcare and inadequate health education. For this reason, I intend to use my public health knowledge and Khmer language proficiency to bridge that gap. In doing so, I look forward to providing health education to my community, ensuring that my community’s health needs are met, and using my medical knowledge to alleviate their health-related stressors. In addition, I intend to take Spanish courses and study abroad in Latin America to expand my knowledge of Hispanic culture and languages and help address the healthcare disparities within the Hispanic community (a community that I grew up with). While the land of opportunities has presented challenges in my family’s life, these challenges have only strengthened my resolve to address health disparities. The Morgan Levine Dolan Community Service Scholarship would not only alleviate my financial burden but also allow me to work toward cultivating health equity. Similar to farming, I am eager to collaborate with others to cultivate a healthier, more equitable America.