Growing up, I was told to always put my education first. My parents were firm believers in the idea that test scores, extracurricular activities and anything school-related should be my top priority. I carried this idea with me throughout my primary school education and well into college, as reflected by my good grades and academic achievement awards. Over time, I also learned that success means nothing if I am not happy with how I choose to use my education. In other words, if I am working towards something that I find meaningless or does not bring me joy, I will never feel successful. To me, achieving a high level of education in a subject I am passionate about is the very definition of success. During my undergraduate career, I worked in a biobehavioral research laboratory that focused on adolescent development. The research study I assisted in the most was designed to prevent risk-taking behaviors in African American youth. This meant providing an interventional program for our participants and their families across Orange County: discouraging drug use, early sexual behavior, or any HIV-related activities whilst encouraging good grades and future success planning. Our lab was fortunate enough to have an in-house biostatistician. I quickly realized that he played a vital role in the research we were conducting. He helped me navigate the lab’s shared database, and even discussed the technicalities of each study’s design with me. After working with him I promised myself I would aspire to be as impactful in my field and as self-assured in my abilities as he was. Thus, I believe earning a Masters in Public Health (MPH) degree with a concentration in biostatistics will help me achieve those aspirations by giving me the educational foundation needed to practice statistical analysis techniques in healthcare. This program and any subsequent financial aid would open up many opportunities for me to effectively solve population-level issues in medicine. In 2021 I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and decided to gain more patient care experience during my gap years. I completed a career college program in my hometown and began working as a medical assistant. I loved interacting with patients and working within an interprofessional team, however, I couldn’t help but feel restricted. Working as a medical assistant would limit me to working with one individual at a time. I could see patterns amongst patients I cared for, and I knew I could use all the data I collected for a bigger purpose, but I did not have the prior education or funding to do so. I wanted to help the community at large and tackle their issues with a strategic, research-based approach. This is around the time I decided to revisit my love for public health. Viewing inequities as large, population-level problems as opposed to one person’s issue makes the challenge so much more gratifying once solved, as well as the solution all-encompassing for those affected. Public health to me is the definition of ‘looking at the bigger picture.’ I am pursuing a graduate-level education in public health because I strive to be a part of the researchers that look at an issue in its entirety and pay special attention to the group of people that are not only affected, but are often overlooked. The idea of success is subjective. One may view success as having lots of money, being famous, surrounding yourself with loved ones, etcetera. But in my opinion, being successful is much simpler than that. To me, the definition of success is being content with what one has. A successful person is happy with what they have achieved and reaps the fruits of their labor. This way, anyone has the capacity to be successful. Attending a MPH program after years of working in the healthcare field would allow me to develop the analytical skills required to improve population health outcomes, cultivate health equity, and lead advancements in public health programs and research. I want to be able to utilize the skills I develop from this program on the frontlines one day as an aspiring healthcare provider. Most importantly, I want to prove to myself that I can be successful not in spite of my non-traditional background, but because of it. This scholarship would help me achieve those aspirations and more.

The United States of America is one of the few countries granted the title of a superpower nation, exerting its influence on the world at a global scale. With a well-established government, competitive economy, and rich history of war and civil rights movements, the power it holds is rightfully so. For centuries, immigrants around the world have sought refuge in the US to find peace and build wealth for their families. Yet, if someone were to ask me “Is the US a nice place to live?” my answer would surprise you. In my opinion, based on the amount of resources and wisdom this country was founded on and newfound knowledge it has to build off of, the U.S. is not a nice place to live. It is a country built on hypocritical values, where the government promotes free speech yet reprimands those who speak up for what they believe in. And I speak for the majority when I say that our healthcare system is one of the many failing aspects of our country. As an American born and raised in the US, I believe the lack of universal healthcare we have in the States is downright uncivilized. I get it. Changing our current healthcare system for the better is a challenging task to think about, let alone achieve. Implementing a change at the level of our U.S. healthcare system would be costly, difficult to enforce, and take years to get right. But, it would be worth it. Granting access to high-quality healthcare at affordable costs is a right everyone living in the US deserves to have. And although my solution might not be original or easy to carry out, it is vouched for by the masses. If there was one thing I could change about our current healthcare system, it would be the idea that healthcare entities should run their facilities like businesses. Instead of healers, healthcare companies view their staff as employees liable for any and all mistakes made on shift. Instead of those vulnerable and in need, their patients are reduced to customers who hold little value if they cannot pay for the company’s services. This business-like model is used by all healthcare entities, from large organizations like Kaiser Permanente to small private practices that are found on every neighborhood corner. If healthcare system CEOs and management actually cared about their staff and patients, they would start by doing the bare minimum: treating their healthcare workers better. Management should implement better work practices such as adequate staff-to-patient ratios, longer and more frequent breaks for those who work long shifts, and strict punishments for bullying within the workplace. These changes would drastically ameliorate the healthcare system we have in the US, simply because better work practices translates to better patient care practices. As a current Masters in Public Health student and previous healthcare worker, I am a firm advocate for both patients and healthcare staff alike. Treating our healthcare staff with better working conditions is step one to creating a better healthcare system in the US, and it ultimately starts from the top down. I hope that one day, those in authority can come to realize that remodeling the current US healthcare system would greatly benefit everyone involved, including future generations to come.

I always knew there was something different about me. It started in the fourth grade, when I stopped talking at school. My childhood friends would tell me how quiet I had gotten, how hard it was for me to make eye contact, and how I stopped participating in class all together. Anything that drew attention to me was something I avoided, even if it was something to be celebrated like a birthday party or an award ceremony. I was plagued with anxious thoughts of how others would perceive me: is my voice too high? Am I walking funny? Does my outfit look okay? Am I annoying others by being here? Would it be better if I just left? My anxiety bled into my home life as well; I didn’t want to see the cousins I grew up with, and family gatherings became something I loathed. This form of severe social anxiety stayed with me throughout my childhood and well into my young adult life. Now that I am in my mid-twenties, I look back on life and have a lot of regrets. Coincidentally, the one thing I regret the most about my college experience is that I prioritized studying over forming connections. I would go out of my way to avoid social events or decline invitations to hangouts. Most of my weekends were spent on-campus at a library or in a study center. I let my social anxiety keep me from having romantic relationships, making lifelong friendships, and even networking amongst my peers. During my sophomore year, I sought out therapy at my university’s counseling center for help. I hoped that talking to a therapist would help quiet down my anxious thoughts. Unfortunately, most school counseling centers only offer short-term therapy, which wasn’t enough to help my chronic battle with social anxiety. Upon graduating, I decided to pursue my dream of working in medicine. Despite knowing that I would be working collaboratively and interacting with strangers everyday, I began working full-time in the healthcare industry. The transition from university student into the workforce was a difficult change for me. At this time, I noticed how my mental health issues were taking a physical toll on me. I would lose my appetite and become nauseous at social gatherings. I had no motivation or energy to take care of my hygiene. And most concerning was that I felt hopeless. I knew that there was no cure for something as complex and long-term as my anxiety, but I wanted to get help one more time. I contacted my health insurance’s mental health services department; from there, I was self-referred to a psychiatrist. Over the next couple years I regularly attended cognitive behavioral therapy, started taking antidepressants, and prioritized hobbies that brought me joy. The conscious decision I made to improve myself outside of my professional and academic career had paid off. Additionally, finding ways to cope with my anxiety inadvertently taught me the importance of advocating for mental health. This is why I hope to conduct research relating to mental health in Asian Americans in the future. I am interested in exploring how untreated mental health issues can manifest into chronic physical illnesses— specifically generational trauma in Asian American immigrants. These ailments include diabetes, arthritis, stroke, and much more. I believe earning a Masters in Public Health degree with an emphasis in biostatistics will help me achieve these aspirations by giving me the educational foundation needed to practice statistical analysis techniques in healthcare settings. Graduate school and any scholarships would open up many opportunities for me to effectively solve population-level issues in medicine.

Growing up, I loved two things: learning and science. Constantly being taught new perspectives and innovative solutions to biological issues is the reason why I wanted to pursue medicine. Incidentally, this thirst for knowledge also ran in the family. Both of my parents are seasoned clinical lab scientists, my godmother is a retail pharmacist, and a handful of my aunts are dental hygienists. Medicine was familiar to me, but I noticed that being in a profession with the same functions and responsibilities for years on end would leave my relatives yearning for something fresh. That is why I wanted to be a healthcare provider with options. I chose to pursue the physician assistant (PA) profession partly because of the lateral mobility it offers. The possibility of experiencing multiple specialties without additional licensure was very appealing to me. As a life-long learner, specialties as niche as breast oncology or as in high demand as primary care are all areas I would be honored to explore and work in once I become a PA-C. Another reason I am steadfast on this profession is because I possess the soft skills needed to excel as an outstanding PA. During my undergraduate career, I had the opportunity to conduct research. I assisted in a biobehavioral study designed to prevent risk-taking behaviors in African American adolescents (African Americans are disproportionately affected by high morbidity and mortality associated w/ HIV-related risky behaviors). Not only was I able to help so many families across the Orange County community, I also learned so much in return. Despite cultural differences, I saw that these parents wanted the exact same thing my Asian American parents wanted for me: good grades, racial pride, a wholesome lifestyle. Most importantly, I learned that people with different backgrounds all strive for the same goal-- a better and healthier future for their loved ones. My experience as a human subject research assistant has gifted me with the cultural-competence needed to help others in my community achieve that collective goal as a future PA. Aside from medical assisting, I continued my role as a healthcare team member throughout my undergraduate career and beyond by volunteering. Volunteering at hospitals such as the UCI Medical Center and Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian has shown me what high quality care should be. As a result, my standard for care is not only evidence-based and innovative, but also community-oriented and comprehensive in the medical services provided. For four years I volunteered at a skilled nursing facility in which a majority of the patients required hospice care. Comfort care duties such as providing patients with companionship and complimentary refreshments became my specialty. Spending time with elderly patients who were often in pain and lonely from residential care shaped me into an immensely empathetic individual. I became an active listener that surveyed each patient's hospital experience and relayed their suggestions back to the healthcare staff. I asked incoming patients getting-to-know-you questions to help facilitate healthcare provider and patient interactions, which elevated overall patient satisfaction. This small role within the healthcare team allowed me to perfect my bedside manner (communication/interpersonal skills) early on, which I plan to utilize as a compassionate PA-C one day. I was initially drawn to the PA career due to the lateral mobility it offered, yet I decided to pursue this profession wholeheartedly because I knew I had the soft skills needed to become a culturally-competent, critically-thinking, and caring PA. I hope to further my education and continue to learn about medicine at a PA program soon.

Growing up, I was privileged enough to be taught that being wasteful was a bad thing. At home, my parents would scold me for not finishing my food or leaving the water running for too long. At school, my teachers were adamant about drilling us on the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. I didn’t really understand the importance of sustainability at the time. All I could think about was how people around the world put in so much time and effort making these things– food, water, fancy packaging– accessible to us, and that was why it was important not to take things for granted. Only later on in my earth science classes did I learn how being wasteful is bigger than all of us; our careless actions as a collective can harm the environment as well. One way I live sustainably that I believe anyone can do is use reusable drinking bottles. Replacing a one-use plastic bottle with a reusable one is a great way to visibly see how much less plastic you are using on a daily basis. Thankfully, many public places now support the use of reusable bottles by having refillable-water bottle stations: libraries, hospitals, parks. Another way I reduce my plastic-use is by using shampoo and conditioner bars instead of the typical plastic bottles full of liquid. It doesn’t take up as much space, doesn’t involve any plastic waste, and you may be supporting a small business that sells sustainable products like this. Another way I live a more eco-friendly lifestyle is by wearing pre-owned clothing. For as long as I can remember, I’ve worn hand-me-downs from relatives and family friends alike. I am fortunate enough to have many older women in my family, but there are definitely solutions for those who don’t. There are thrift shops in almost every plaza and online shops that ship internationally. Thankfully, 90’s and early 2000’s fashion trends have become popular again, so I recommend that everyone take advantage of this craze. Re-using one’s old low-rise jeans, mini skirts, and sequin scarves has never been easier. I start graduate school this fall, and thus I have been collecting house appliances to prepare for living in a new apartment. One of the items I am most proud of is a small compost bin I got from my sister for my birthday. Even though I will be busy with attending classes full-time and working part-time, I am consciously trying to incorporate composting into my daily life. Not only does it instill good habits, like cooking and eating fresh produce, it is also beneficial for the environment as well. Outside of daily eco-friendly choices, I am committed to promoting sustainability at a much larger scale. I am determined to incorporate climate change into my curriculum as a public health student; I am already planning on enrolling in environmental elective courses and partaking in research studies relating to climate change issues. I want to be a part of the educated professionals that demonstrate to the world that consumer capitalism plays a large part in deteriorating the health of not only our society, but our planet as well.