On August 12, 2024, I lost my grandmother, Ethel Waldron. All of my life I was blessed to have all 4 of my grandparents alive and well, until that dreadful day in August. Months before her death, I called my father, and he told me that she was not looking too well and he did not think that she would make it to Thanksgiving. Now, I heard my dad, and I believed him, but I was not 100% sold on the idea that she was dying. My grandmother was an avid cigarette smoker for many years and suffered from asthma, COPD, and other health issues. The phone call I had with my dad was not the first time he witnessed her not appearing too well. Now I want to paint you a picture of my grandmother. She was a woman on oxygen with several health issues, but she was not bedridden and was able-bodied. She could walk, talk, laugh, converse with you, and live like anyone else. The only difference was that she carried an oxygen tank everywhere. So when my dad would tell me in the past that she did not look well, I knew there was a slight decline in her health that just caused him extra concern, but there was not an instance where my grandmother was near death. She just had a very concerned son. Nonetheless, I heard the concern in my father's voice and did not want to risk the chance of not seeing my grandmother just in case this was "it". A couple of days later, I arrived in South Carolina where my grandmother resided, and to my astonishment, she did not look well. My grandmother was always a thick woman and I had never seen her small and frail before. My father had warned me that in addition to her appearance, her memory was not in the best condition. For the next 3 months, my grandmother's health completely declined. She was diagnosed with cancer and placed on hospice. During this time, I was honored to be able to take care of my grandmother alongside my father and aunt (her sister). I was not completely processing what was taking place. My grandmother was dying right in front of my eyes. This was it. I was so glad that I took heed to what my father told me about her condition because I would not have been able to live with myself if I had not been with her during her final 3 months of life. This relieved me of some of my guilt, but I had some guilt lingering. I felt guilty that I had not called her for her birthday in January, or on Mother's Day. I felt guilty that I did not communicate with her as often as I had before. I did feel that my time with her from June to August made up for lost time, but this was not the condition that I wanted to see her in. This made me realize that 1) as I get older, my loved ones do too. Due to this, time is even more precious, which leads me to my second point. 2) make time for my loved ones. Whether we are near or far, I must make time for my loved ones by consistently communicating with them and seeing them as often as possible. Almost 7 months later after my grandmother's death, which is crazy to say because it is approaching 1 year, I cling to the precious memories that I have of her throughout my life.

The field of interest that I have chosen is Naturopathic Medicine. Growing up, I have always been interested in holistic medicine and health. I discovered the career path of Naturopathic Medicine during my senior year of college. I thought that the only form of medical school was traditional medical school. Naturopathic medicine combines modern medicine and the wisdom of nature. I am so passionate about this field because I truly believe that the illnesses, ailments, and diseases that are rampant today can be prevented. This is not to say that we do not need modern medicine, because it is necessary. However, modern medicine primarily focuses on the back end of illnesses, ailments, and diseases. Whereas, naturopathic medicine focuses on the prevention of it. Naturopathic medicine concentrates on whole patient wellness through health promotion and disease prevention, while addressing the underlying cause of the patient’s condition. I want people to know that an ounce of prevention is far better than a pound of cure. As a Naturopathic Doctor, science and modern medicine are not removed, the approach to medicine comes from a different lens. The impact I would love to have on society as it pertains to naturopathic medicine is to 1) educate people on naturopathic medicine. 2) educating people on preventing ailments, illnesses, and diseases. 3) providing people with the tools, resources, and knowledge to help themselves. I believe in helping people become self-sufficient. Even as a doctor, I do not want people to rely on me, I want to teach people how to take control of their health. After graduating from medical school, I plan to have a private practice. I plan on offering virtual and physical services. I will also be very active within my community by providing affordable services. With dreams of being active within my community, I will also offer free services to those who are homeless. I dream of creating and organizing a team of people from different professions: lawyers, doctors, scientists, barbers, hair stylists, dentists, spiritual leaders, and housing and job coordinators. Each quarter of the year we offer our services for free to people who are homeless and in need. These services will include: providing them with free health care, helping them with their image, and helping them find work and housing. To me, offering free services is my way of truly giving back to my community. I want to use my skills as a doctor and my passion for health to transform the world one person at a time.

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and come from a Trinidadian-American household. My parents were born in America, but my maternal grandmother, whose household I grew up in was born and raised in Trinidad. My grandmother came to America seeking a better life and better opportunities. Her story inspired me to excel academically. She always enforced that the circumstances of an individual's life do not dictate their future, but it is what they do with those circumstances. This is something that has impacted my mentality most beautifully. It was a constant reminder that no matter what challenges I am faced with, I always have a choice. I can use it as momentum to propel me forward or as an excuse to keep me complacent. In addition to my grandmother's inspiring life story, my immediate and extended family always emphasized the importance of education. I am extremely blessed to come from a family where life was constantly spoken to me. I was always told that I could achieve anything I put my mind to. This unwavering support made my educational accomplishments easy. My parents always wanted me to bring home good grades, but they emphasized that putting genuine and consistent effort into my studies is just as important as having excellent grades. My mom would tell me that there may be times that I come across difficulties with my academics, but as long as I put my best foot forward, it did not always matter what grade I made. This taught me that I was not defined by a letter or number grade, but what defined me was my integrity and dedication. This is something that I carried with me throughout my undergraduate years and now my graduate years. I realized that education is beyond making an A or a B, it is about seeking, learning, and applying information. That is what true knowledge is. Thanks to my upbringing, I have never given up on my dreams. I never let go of my dreams and have always aimed for the stars. I am currently studying at NUHS (National University of Health Sciences) and am in my last semester of an accelerated pre-requisite program. Once I complete the pre-requisite program this summer I will begin the dual degree medical program to become a Naturopathic Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic. I am passionate about holistic medicine. When I complete my program in the next 4.5 years, I desire to own a private practice where I provide chiropractic adjustments and primary care naturopathic medical diagnoses and treatments. I also want to offer internship opportunities to students interested in a similar career path. I would love to provide mentorship to them and create a dynamic where I offer them advice from school, scholarship assistance, writing recommendation letters, and an overall safe space where they can express their dreams, goals, and concerns. I believe that it is imperative to give back to the community. No person on Earth has become successful on their own accord. Help was provided along the way, even if it was just words of encouragement that one held on to, to make it through. As my beloved Prophet ﷺ once stated, "He who does not thank the people is not thankful to Allah." My way of thanking the people is to give back in any way that I can, no matter how big or small that may be.

I come from a single-parent and low-income household. If there is one word that I can sum up to describe my ability to persevere through the challenges I faced, GRIT. From a young age, my challenges do not determine my destiny. I was firm in my mind and spirit on things that I would accomplish in my life. My parents divorced when I was 2, and I lived with my mom. My mom was on SNAP and did the best that she could to support my sister and I. Watching her navigate financial challenges and still pour life into us and telling us that we could achieve anything that we set our minds to was the blueprint for my future success. I strongly believe in giving back to the community and the world. One of the ways I will do so is by sharing my story with others via social media. I know that my challenges are a testimony to inspire others that they can overcome and achieve what they want. I also desire to give back to my community tangibly. I want to create a mentorship program for underserved youth and children who come from similar backgrounds as me. I am pursuing my goals by pursuing a Naturopathic Medical program to become a Naturopathic Doctor (ND). One would say that due to my background, I was not destined for greatness, but I am now on the path to becoming the first doctor in my family. I am pursuing this career path and am dedicated to excelling in my studies and involving myself in campus activities and clubs.

My journey toward pursuing a STEM degree has been anything but straightforward. I graduated from Spelman College in 2018 with a B.A. in Psychology, intending to enter education, work my way up to becoming a principal, and eventually establish my own school. However, after just one year of teaching, I realized that path was not for me. Reflecting further back, my first passion was always science. In high school, I loved science class and excelled in them. I dreamed of becoming a biomedical scientist and finding the cure for cancer. However, my plans shifted when I took a Psychology course during high school. Suddenly, I was torn between biology and psychology as potential majors. When I applied for college, I chose psychology as my major at Spelman. One of the benefits of attending Spelman was that students did not have to declare a major until sophomore year, allowing time to explore options. Early in my first year, I considered switching to Chemistry, but a conversation with the head of the department discouraged me. He warned that I would need to catch up on coursework, which seemed daunting, so I declared Psychology instead. Though I enjoyed psychology, I always wondered if I had let go of my true calling. After graduating, I spent four years navigating uncertainty about my career. Science remained my passion, but self-doubt and fear of the time commitment held me back. Society’s expectations to have a stable career by a certain age amplified these feelings. A pivotal moment came when someone said, “The time is going to pass anyway—you can either let it pass with or without a degree.” Those words shifted my perspective, and I finally gave myself permission to pursue my dream: becoming a Naturopathic Doctor (ND). I first learned about Naturopathic Medicine in 2018 and became fascinated. Unlike traditional MD programs, ND programs integrate modern medicine with holistic practices, addressing the body, mind, and soul to treat acute and chronic conditions. As someone passionate about holistic health, I knew this was the career for me. Determined to move forward, I contacted admissions at Sonoran University in Arizona and learned which science courses I needed to complete before applying. I began taking prerequisites but faced another setback during my second semester—a significant personal loss that left me unable to complete the coursework. Grieving and overwhelmed, I convinced myself that becoming an ND was unrealistic and stopped pursuing my dream. A year later, in May 2024, I was in a better place mentally and emotionally and decided to try again. This time, I discovered National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) in Lombard, IL, which offers a pre-requisite program with accelerated science courses. This program has been a perfect fit, and I am now in my final semester before starting the ND program in May. While I’ve been able to work and fund my education during the pre-requisite program, the ND program's demands will require me to stop working. This means I won’t have the financial means to contribute to my tuition. Although loans are an option, minimizing debt is crucial for me. Receiving this scholarship would reduce my financial burden, allowing me to focus fully on my studies. It would ease the stress of taking on significant loans and give me peace of mind as I transition into this next chapter. Becoming an ND is more than just a career goal; it’s a fulfillment of my lifelong passion for helping others through holistic medicine. This scholarship would make that dream more attainable by alleviating financial strain and allowing me to fully dedicate myself to my studies.

There's so much to learn about our universe and the world around us. As much knowledge as we have there's so much that we still do not know. Sometimes even the information that we have is inaccurate or incomplete. At one point, people believed the world to be flat. Now, we know that is not true. We know so much about the world, but yet when we look at something like the ocean there's so much that is undiscovered and should be explored. When it comes to genetics and the human body there's so much that we know about how it operates, but still so much that is untouched. Learning about the world around us is so important because the more we learn about our world the more we learn about ourselves. One doesn't have to be a professional or scientist to wonder about the world around us. As humans we are naturally inquisitive creatures. We can wake up and just wonder why something is the way that it is. Learning more about the universe helps us to be better human beings. Not only does it help us to be better individually, but on a collective level it aids in our development. So how do we take this phenomena and apply it to our everyday life? I believe the first step is to never stop learning. Curiosity is the catapult that leads to learning, but most people simply remain curious and never take the extra mile to learn new information. Oftentimes learning is attributed to going to school, but learning is far deeper than sitting down in a class being lectured or taught on a particular subject matter. Learning is present all around us, all we have to do is remain still and remain present. When we remain in the present we're able to reflect and reflection leads to understanding. As humans we are always looking to give meaning to our life. I believe every human being has asked themselves or will ask themselves "what is my purpose here on Earth?" we need to place meaning to our lives to have fulfillment. Recognizing that we should go beyond the scope of the education system and dive deeper into ourselves is the first step. The next step is to acknowledge that we cannot learn without community. We were not placed on this planet by ourselves. We are surrounded by people and it is very important not only for our survival but for us to thrive that we create communities. The saying, "two heads are better than one" is beyond true. We may be able to understand the world around us by looking within ourselves and being introspective, but we can go so much farther by being able to bounce ideas off of one another. When I look at how science has evolved today, it was able to advance so beautifully through community. Scientific theories were built upon by multiple scientists building off of one another experiments, hypotheses, and ideas. We cannot go about life on our own, we need each other. We need the thoughts, opinions, and ideas of others to create a functional society. If we look at any point in history no one did anything by themselves, there was always help and community present, and that's when we had some of the most magical and amazing things happen. As a prerequisite student who will begin my journey toward becoming a Naturopathic Doctor this summer, the human body and healthcare is my way of understanding the nature of our universe. To understand the universe it is important to begin with us as humans first because we are a part of our universe. As a medical student I hope to employ the following ideas on my journey: 1) always ask questions, even if it may seem like a dumb one. Contrary to popular belief, I was taught by my mom that the only stupid question is not asking one. I carry this belief with me today. When it comes to learning about the world around me, usually the simple questions that are asked open up a can of worms to knowledge. 2) know that no matter how much knowledge that I gain, I still know nothing. The more I further my studies, I realize that there is so much information that it can become quite overwhelming. The more I learn, the more I realize that I actually do not know much at all. This is important for me to always remind myself because the world around me is always changing which means that information is too. This allows for me to adapt with this information instead of remaining stuck on what once was. Lastly, 3) no matter how complex things are, it all comes back down to the simple things. The universe around us is so complex, and there are so many things to learn about it, but even with all of its complexities, the simplicity of it always shines through. I am a firm believer that the simple is actually where the real magic lies. All of the complexities and intricacies can be boiled down and brought back to the basics, to its simple form. I believe that these 3 concepts will make my journey to becoming a Naturopathic Doctor not only easier but enjoyable. These are also things that are transferable skills to life itself. Life and the universe around us is so beautiful, and what an amazing experience it is to be a part of it.

1) The attribute that I embody the most is being a continual learner. My love for learning started at a very young age and was inspired from my dad. My father is one of the most brilliant individuals that I know. He is a deep and critical thinker, and always has his nose in a book. My father and I would have deep conversations about religion, politics, history, and society at large since I was 8 years old, maybe even younger. I believe that this inspired my love for learning in a school setting. I always had an internal joy at school, and although I did have my favorite subjects I saw the beauty and importance of all subject matters. As I became older, my love for learning expanded beyond textbooks and the classroom. I realized that there was daily internal learning from my own life that was required of me. It was important for me to become introspective and look at my life lessons and experiences, gather their meanings and apply it to my life to better my development. This is what I would come to learn as self or personal development. I also found a deep joy for this as well. I believe that learning is a lifelong skill and the journey is never ending. Embodying the spirit of continual learning has allowed me to see the beauty in the mundane, my faults and imperfections, my strengths, and above all a reminder that I am human and there is so much wonder and beauty in that alone. 2) The attribute that is my greatest area for improvement is getting things done and taking action. It wasn't until this year that I realized I had a perfectionist mentality. My perfectionist mentality prevented me from taking action with my goals. I realized that I was a perfectionist when I completed the 75 soft challenge. The 75 soft challenge is a spin on the 75 hard challenge. The 75 hard challenge is a challenge to build consistency and discipline over the course of 75 days. The way how an individual builds discipline and consistency is by following these 5 rules: read 10 pages of a nonfiction book, complete two 45 minute workouts with one workout being outside, stick to a diet without cheat meals, drink 1 gallon of water each day, and take a daily progress photo. If you missed a day of not completing one of the rules then you had to begin the challenge over. As one can see, the rules are very rigid, which is a beautiful thing, but I knew that I was not mentally prepared for this sort of challenge. That is when I did more research and came across the 75 soft challenge. The 75 soft challenge is not as rigid. Here are the 4 rules for the 75 soft challenge: complete one 45 minute exercise, drink 3L of water daily, read 10 pages each day, and follow a diet. Now, if you did not complete one of the rules you did not have to start completely over. This was a perfect challenge for me to begin increasing my discipline and consistency without feeling an immense amount of pressure. I reflected daily and I began to realize that for years I was operating out of a perfectionist mentality, which actually hindered me from accomplishing my goals. With having a perfectionist mentality, I always wanted things to align and look perfect for me to begin accomplishing a goal. For example, if I created a workout plan and I said that I would workout Monday - Friday and I did not workout on Monday, I would feel that there was no point in working out for the rest of the week. I felt this way because I broke a promise to myself and I told myself that I was not being disciplined and should wait until the following week. This delay was a never ending cycle and ultimately caused me to remain stagnant. When completing the 75 soft challenge, I realized that slow motion is better than no motion. There were days that I did not always hit all 4 of the rules, but I would tell myself that it is okay and tomorrow is another day to achieve more. I began to slowly break down the barrier of what I thought each day should look like, and told myself that achieving something is better than achieving nothing. What I noticed is that my consistency and discipline began to skyrocket and I saw the most progress with achieving my goals than ever before.

Balancing academic responsibilities with personal life is often a challenging endeavor. The rigorous demands of school can easily lead to imbalance, making it difficult to maintain mental well-being and personal fulfillment. Initially, I struggled to find harmony between these two facets of my life. At the start of each semester, my enthusiasm would peak as I meticulously planned assignments and set ambitious academic goals, often envisioning a semester filled with straight A’s. However, by mid-semester, this excitement would wane, replaced by feelings of overwhelm and burnout. My academic aspirations would feel out of reach, and I would find myself merely trying to make it through. This cycle often left little time for the things I love, like spending time with friends and family or pursuing hobbies, ultimately taking a toll on my mental health. This pattern changed when I came across a video that introduced me to the concept of honoring the natural phases of the female body. I learned about the four phases of the menstrual cycle: menstrual, follicular, ovulation, and luteal. This newfound understanding shifted my perspective on balance. I realized that my productivity and energy levels were not solely influenced by external factors but were deeply connected to my internal rhythms. By aligning my academic and personal life with these natural cycles, I could achieve greater balance and mental clarity. The menstrual phase, often referred to as "winter," is marked by lower energy levels due to a drop in estrogen. During this time, I focus on introspection, planning, and lighter tasks. The follicular phase, or "spring," brings a surge in energy and motivation as estrogen levels rise. This phase is ideal for initiating projects and tackling demanding academic tasks. Ovulation, or "summer," is the peak of energy and confidence. It is during this time that I schedule high-intensity tasks, such as exams, presentations, and social engagements. Finally, the luteal phase, or "fall," is characterized by fluctuating energy levels, making it an optimal period for detail-oriented or creative work. Implementing these principles into my daily life transformed my academic experience. At the start of each semester, I plan my schedule based on both academic deadlines and my body’s natural rhythms. I record important dates for assignments, midterms, and finals, and break down my workload into manageable chunks. For instance, during my follicular phase, I focus on reading ahead, taking notes, and completing assignments well in advance. This proactive approach prevents cramming and ensures I stay ahead of my coursework. I also adjusted how I use downtime between classes. If I have a 30-minute gap, I review notes from earlier classes to reinforce what I’ve learned while the information is still fresh. If I have multiple classes to review, I split the time evenly between subjects. At the end of the day, I dedicate an hour to revisiting and organizing all the day’s material. This routine allows me to retain information more effectively without long, exhausting study sessions at night or on weekends. Adopting this approach has not only improved my academic performance but also allowed me to maintain a fulfilling personal life. By staying ahead of my schoolwork, I have the freedom to spend quality time with friends and family, and indulge in my hobbies. This balance has had a profound impact on my mental health, reducing stress and increasing my overall satisfaction with life. Working with my body rather than against it has been a game-changer, enabling me to be productive while still enjoying downtime. This journey of self-awareness and alignment sooner, has proven to be invaluable in both my academic and personal growth.

Growing up, I developed a fascination with holistic medicine and health, though I had never heard of a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) until my senior year of college. Like many, I believed the only path to becoming a doctor was through the conventional route of an MD. Discovering naturopathic medicine—a field that bridges modern science with holistic practices—felt like finding my purpose. It offered the perfect blend of evidence-based care and a patient-centered approach that focuses on prevention and addressing root causes rather than symptoms alone. My passion for this field stems from my belief that many of the illnesses, ailments, and diseases we face today are preventable. While modern medicine is vital—especially in acute care and emergencies—it often emphasizes treatment after the fact. In contrast, naturopathic medicine prioritizes prevention and empowers patients with tools to achieve optimal health. It does not reject science; rather, it applies scientific principles through a different lens, one that integrates natural therapies with modern techniques. As a future ND, I aim to challenge misconceptions about holistic medicine, educating people that it is neither “quackery” nor merely a reliance on herbs. The impact I hope to have in this field is threefold: (1) educating the public about what naturopathic medicine truly is, (2) equipping individuals with knowledge and resources to prevent illnesses and take charge of their health, and (3) fostering self-sufficiency in my patients. My goal is to empower others, not create dependency. Even as a doctor, I want my patients to feel confident in managing their well-being. After completing medical school, I plan to open a private practice offering both virtual and in-person services. My practice will emphasize accessibility by providing affordable care and free services for those in need. I dream of creating a network of professionals—lawyers, doctors, barbers, hair stylists, dentists, and spiritual leaders—who volunteer their services quarterly to help homeless individuals regain dignity and hope. Homelessness often results from unfortunate circumstances, and I believe everyone deserves a second chance. As part of my community engagement, I will also make house calls and actively seek out ways to give back. For me, being a doctor is not about financial gain but about transforming lives. I firmly believe that when your heart and intentions are pure, abundance follows. Offering affordable and free care will not detract from my success; instead, it will amplify my mission to make healthcare equitable and compassionate. Through naturopathic medicine, I aspire to change lives one person at a time. My dream is to inspire a global shift toward preventive care, holistic well-being, and a deeper connection to health. By sharing my knowledge, offering my skills, and dedicating myself to service, I hope to create a ripple effect that uplifts individuals and communities alike.

My experience with mental health has forever changed my view on life. Growing up, I was always intrigued by people. I wanted to know why people thought the way they did and why they exhibited certain behaviors. In high school I took a college Psychology course that peaked my interest even more. I remember thinking that I could possibly major in Psychology in college. This is exactly what I ended up doing. I learned so much about human behavior and actions, brain development, and most importantly how important the human being's mental health is. My experience with mental health became very personal my Sophomore year in college when my mom attempted suicide. That day changed my life forever. One of the things that I realized is that suicide does not have a certain look. This is something that I have heard before, but experiencing it first hand gave suicide a completely new meaning to me. I realized that I can't have the mindset of "it can't/won't be my mom, dad, sister, brother, etc." because suicide knows no face, no name, and no language. After that incident I decided to completely reframe my internal worldview. I realized that I needed to pay even more attention to those around me. It isn’t always what people say, but it’s what they do not say that can give you true insight into their world. To change my worldview I began to focus on my self development. I know that may seem a little backwards because you would think that the focus should be on other people. However, one of the things that I have learned about mental health, specifically suicide, is that as a society we are entering into an era where we speak about mental health, but we consistently miss the signs of those who are in need of our love and support. One of the ways that we tend to miss these signs is that we are often in survival mode ourselves. I like to think of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. There are so many of us walking around and do not have their basic physiological and safety needs met. It is very difficult to even walk up the ladder of this hierarchy to self-actualization when the baseline is not met. So when it comes to mental health, so many people miss out on the signs of their loved ones because they can be so busy and wrapped up in trying to hold on together for themselves and make ends meet to pay bills and provide that there is little to no room for anything else. So with all of this in mind, one of the best ways that I can help others is to help myself. My job is to take myself out of survival mode and meet each level of my needs so that I can be a present family member, friend, neighbor, coworker, etc, and not miss out on the signs of others. Now, I do believe that we can work on these different levels of needs simultaneously and that there may be a few things missing from each level but I can still work on and even master the level above it. This is where self development comes into play. In my eyes self development pertains to my character as a human being. It’s taking a long hard look at myself and my entire life and being radically honest with myself. With this radical honesty, I am able to look at the mistakes that I’ve made, and the faults and flaws that I have that are not beneficial to myself or those around me. From there I can begin to unlearn behaviors and habits and replace it with healthier behaviors and habits. Combining the two actions of self development and mastering Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I have drastically changed the relationship with myself, family, friends, neighbors, and strangers. I now see mental health as a constant work in progress, it isn’t something that happens overnight and it is something that takes just 1% of effort each day. As cliche as it may sound, 1% of effort/change each day leads up to 365% of effort/change at the end of the year. That leads to a higher version of yourself and before you know it, 2,3,4,and 5 years go by and you realize that it started with day one so that one day you could evolve into who you are today. This also impacted my career aspirations of becoming a Naturopathic Doctor. When I graduated undergrad, I felt lost and confused as to what I wanted to pursue and as time passed and I became older I started to feel a rush because those who I went to school with were in their careers and seemed to be well off. Mental health taught me that life is not a race. I am always exactly where I am supposed to be. Becoming a Naturopathic Doctor is something that I desired to do, but I was letting the fear of my age, 28, stop me, feeling that I should have started sooner so that by the time I was this age I would already be in my career. I had to take a step back and realize how silly that sentiment actually is. I recognized that was an irrational fear and as long as I am alive, the time will pass anyway. I had someone tell me, “Amira you can either let the time pass and you will either be a doctor or you won’t.” That line changed my perspective forever. Although it was the obvious, sometimes we need to hear the obvious from someone else to make a difference in our own lives. Mental health, and the entire discipline of it, is what we need as the catalyst for change. It is what affects us personally and interpersonally. We should all make ourselves better to truly have an impact on the world around us. It truly does start with us.

The proposal aims to make mental health care more affordable and accessible through an annual nationwide mental health gala and associated volunteer programs. The gala would feature a blend of entertainment and education, including food, spoken word, musical performances, artwork, and interactive presentations by mental health professionals. These presentations would cover the latest mental health statistics, resources, tips, and role-playing activities to teach healthy communication strategies. Audience participation and interactive games would ensure an engaging and impactful experience. The event would also serve as a fundraiser, with proceeds sponsoring free therapy sessions for selected individuals through a lottery system. To ensure fairness, past recipients would be ineligible to participate again, while non-winners could access discounted therapy services for up to three months. Additionally, the gala would introduce affordable or free mentorship programs, including a "big brother and big sister" system to provide guidance in mental health and personal development. The overarching goals of the gala are threefold: to offer an enjoyable annual event that boosts attendees' mental health, to educate the public and provide resources on mental well-being, and to expand access to therapy and mentorship. By fostering community connections, raising awareness, and funding therapy for those in need, this initiative seeks to improve mental health care accessibility and create a supportive, empowered network for individuals across the United States.

Sustainable living is very important to me. Growing up, I did the basics like recycling at home, but I did not learn about the ways I can sustainable live until approximately 7 years ago. The internet is a wonderful place to learn amazing new things! Which is how I learned more about sustainable living, specifically from social media. Since learning about ways to live sustainably, which saves me time, money, and energy, not to mention I feel great about doing it, it has become second nature to me. One of the ways that I live sustainably is by conserving my water. I know it may sound very simple and maybe it may seem a little too simple, but when I brush my teeth in the morning, I do not leave the faucet running. I make sure to turn off the water while I brush and only turn it back on when I need to rinse. I also conserve my water when I am washing my hair. I like to deep condition my hair in the shower, and I usually let the conditioner sit for about 10-15 minutes. Since I am in the shower, I do not leave the water running, I take it off and then when I am ready to rinse the conditioner out of my hair, I turn it back on (this also saves the hot water too). Another way that I implement an eco-friendly lifestyle is that I reduce my plastic usage. I do not use plastic bags when I go grocery shopping, use glass containers and stainless steel items as much as possible, and I no longer purchase bottles of water. I invested in a water filter, from the company Pro One Water Filter, and this ensures that I have clean water for not only bathing and washing my hands, but also for drinking as well. I am an avid water drinker and would run through bottles of water very quickly so I know that I was accumulating a lot of plastic just from buying packages of bottles of water. Lastly, I eat as healthy as possible. I meal prep and make sure that when I grocery shop I stay at the front of the store, which is the produce aisle. This helps me to live sustainably because buying produce helps me to not waste my food. Produce will eventually go bad and it will perish rather quickly compared to processed foods and canned goods. This ensures that I do not waste my food and also eat healthy, it’s a win win for me. Decreasing my food waste and eating seasonal produce helps lower my carbon footprint which I believe is imperative. The reason why this is important is because we only have one planet. I know it sounds cliche, but it’s true. Just like we only have one body and should take significant care of it, I believe the same applies to Earth. This beautiful and amazing planet gives us everything that we need and desire. What better way to give back to Mother Earth than to take actionable steps to keep her thriving. Although I am only one person, every action from every human being counts. I hope that I can serve as an inspiration to others and they can begin to implement sustainable living in their daily lives. Also, one day I plan on having a family of my own and I will raise them on these principles as well. I hope that this can be a way that I break a generational curse and pass these principles down for generations to come.

The field of healthcare that I have chosen to pursue is Naturopathic Medicine. With my degree as a Naturopathic Doctor I want to have my own private practice and complete philanthropic work. There are a myriad of reasons as to why I have chosen to go into the field of Naturopathic Medicine. The first reason is due to my strong belief in Naturopathic Medicine. This form of medicine is not just about herbs and acupuncture like many people believe, its purpose is embedded in disease prevention and health promotion coupled with the wisdoms of nature and the rigors of modern science. Naturopathic medicine has a beautiful balance and that is the beat of the drum to my life. I strive to be a balanced individual with anything that I do and that is one of the driving forces to pursuing this field of healthcare. My second driving force is my love for the human body, how immaculate yet simple it is, and how when given the right things the body can truly begin to heal itself. Thirdly, I believe that health is one of the most important aspects of human life. One can have all the money and materialistic items in the world, but if their health is not in order then they cannot enjoy the fruits of their labor. Ironically, as valuable as one's health is, many people do not take care of themselves the way that they should. Which leads me to diving into how I intend on using my medical degree in the future. I intend on educating people on how to take care of themselves, how to prevent certain diseases, and what to do if they are infected with a particular disease(s). The way I will educate people is in a couple of ways. The first way is through my private practice. As I grow my clientele, I will ensure that every person that I see requires the best care from me. I will do my due diligence to get to their root cause. Once I do so, I will then educate them on the next steps that they need to treat their ailment, prevent it in the future, and if it is fatal, educate them on how they can be the most comfortable and what they can expect. I will uphold honesty and transparency with my patients. The other way that I will educate people is by creating a YouTube Channel. This channel is going to be used to educate the public on what Naturopathic Medicine is truly about and what debunking things that are spread on the internet that are untrue. The reason why I want to also educate people through an online platform is because 1) the Internet is such a large portion of people's lives. People spend so much of their time scrolling and receiving information from the Internet. As much information that is spread on the Internet, there is so much of it that is false. Many people are walking around believing in many things on various subjects that just are not true. It is unfortunate, and because I have become aware of this issue I want to turn things around specifically within my field of work. Many people do not know what Naturopathic Medicine is. For example, people do not know that a Naturopath and a Naturopathic Doctor are not one in the same. Many people do not even know that there is such a thing as Naturopathic Medical School. Many people have not even heard of the AANMC. Overall, I want to educate, bring awareness, and help others.

I want to become a medical doctor because I want to give back to my community. I don't see becoming a doctor as just a career choice, I see it as a form of philanthropy. The human body and all of its constructs is a beautiful and fascinating being. It's simple, yet complex simultaneously. When it comes to health, this is such a delicate topic for many due to many people suffering from chronic conditions, has other ailments and conditions, or knows someone who suffers with chronic conditions and/or other ailments. When an individual's health is affected it affects everything else for that person. One of the very obvious ways health impacts someone is through their physical form. Whether it is aches and pains, deformities the eyes can see, low energy, mobility levels, and much more; their physical health is transformed in ways that is not conducive to excelling in their daily life. There are other areas of impact one's health has on their life. There is also their finances. Some people have a difficult time finding or maintaining work or a career due to their health. One's mental and emotional health is also in jeopardy as well. This poses challenges with how that person shows up for themselves and others. Lastly, if a person has any spiritual inclination this can affect how they show up in their acts of worship and devotions. Overall, health is something that affects every area of one's life if it is not good condition. This makes having the title as a doctor in the future someday very impactful. My number 1 goal is to give people the tools, knowledge, and resources to make their lives better. Whether it is through minimizing or completely eliminating their conditions, or helping to elevate the pain that they feel on a daily basis with their conditions. My objective is to teach people to be proactive with their health and not reactive. However, I know that I also have to meet people where they are and not everyone is proactive. My goal is to not judge them, but to help them. With all of these great aspirations that I have medical school's financial cost is not an easy feat. As someone who does not have the financial assistance from family to help me through medical school and as someone who wants to limit the amount of student loans I have to take out, scholarships is one way of my primary ways I would like to pay for medical school. I am someone who is currently in a pre-med program and balancing work and school, I know that when the time comes for me to enroll into medical school, I will not be able to work. I want to embark on the journey of medical school without a towering amount of debt hovering over me as I matriculate through my journey. In the past, I have had to delay enrolling into my pre requisite program because I did not have the finances to enroll into school. I wanted to begin my pre requisite program years ago, but could not and I thought that I would never make it to where I am today. This experience taught me to always remain patient and that things will fall into place when they should fall into place. This is something that I will contribute to my practice. If I am not getting enough patients to sustain me financially I will remind myself of this time to have grit and have resilience and to never give up on my dreams.

I absolutely love this question because my road to medical school was filled with doubts, anxiety, and mishaps. I graduated from Spelman College in May 2018 with my B.A. in Psychology. At the time of graduating, I thought that I would enter into education. My goal was to climb the ladder by becoming a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and found my own school. I had many offers prior to graduating and within my last semester I felt that this was not the path for me. When I reflect, before beginning my college career, my passion was always science. I absolutely loved and thrived in my science courses in high school. I loved learning about the human body, chemistry, physics, you name it. My intentions for college was to major in Biology so that I can find the cure for cancer. My senior year of high school I took a college Psychology course and it intrigued me. As I applied to schools I listed Biology as my future major for some schools and Psychology as my future major for other schools. At Spelman, I put Psychology as my future major, but we did not have to declare our major until our Sophomore year. As I matriculated through my college career, I decided that I wanted to switch my major during my Sophomore year to Biology. I remember speaking with the Biology advisor and was told that I shouldn't bother switching because science majors start taking their courses during their Freshman year. That was my first obstacle I faced on my road to medical school. This is a moment I would tell my younger self not to listen to that advisor. This is my dream and even if I have to take summer classes to catch up that is okay. Never let anyone deter you from what you want from life. Fast forward to after I graduated from college and I completely let the dream of going to medical school go. I worked different jobs but never found contentment. I felt that I was not walking in my purpose. I told myself things like, "medical school will take too long to complete" or "that's an old dream, I don't want that anymore." It's not until around 4 years after I graduated that I began to entertain the thought of going to medical school. I realized I had sabotaged myself into believing that medical school was not something that I no longer wanted when I did want it. I made up these excuses out of fear. When I was finally honest with myself, I bumped into another issue, my inner voice. At this point I was 26 years old. Even though 26 is young, I had watched many of my peers enter in their careers and I felt behind. Somehow I began to fixate myself on my age. "You're too old to go back to school. If you go back now by the time you graduate you will be 30." In hindsight, it is a silly reason, but society has a way of sucking us into its toxic vortex and make us complacent. I let that fixation waste 2 more years of my life. At the age of 28, I finally mustered up the courage to say I will longer waste time on fear and go after my dreams. I would tell my younger self that 30 is not old, age does not matter, what matters is that start. I would also tell myself that I am never late, I am right on time, my journey is personal, never compare it to others.

My name is Amira Waldron. I am 28 years old born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Ever since I was a little girl I have always had a passion for holistic health. The human body is truly a living miracle and I believe that it is imperative for everyone to be aware of this miracle. My goal has always included educating and empowering people to care for themselves and become self sufficient when it comes to their health. I searched high and low for a profession that will enable me to do this and that is when I came across the Naturopathic Medical profession. Instead of becoming a MD (medical doctor) I could become a ND (naturopathic doctor). As a Naturopathic Doctor, medical school is involved, but the teachings vary than the average medical school. There are many similarities, but the main difference is the focal point. In naturopathic medical school the focus is on the root cause and not solely the symptoms. I am so grateful that this profession exists because now I can execute my purpose in this world. I have known since about 5 years old that my purpose on Earth was to help people in a profound way. I want to have a private practice where I help people in person and virtually. I want to give people the one thing that truly matters, their health. When someone's health is impacted it affects every other aspect of their life. It can make daily tasks extremely difficult and place people in survival mode instead of thriving in their life. I want people to wake up each and everyday loving their life and not going through the motions. I want to see people smile, laugh, and be at peace. Guiding and educating people to having a healthy mind, body, and soul, will allow them to reclaim their life in ways they thought was not possible. I also want to create a 100% free program to help those in poverty or those who are homeless. I know that everything in this world costs money and many people simply do not have the means. I want to give back in a way where money is not at the forefront. I am not becoming a doctor for the accolades or for the money. I truly want to give back hope to not just the community, but to the world. I believe that having a giving heart and spirit will come back to me in ways that money can't. I am extremely excited and grateful to take the steps to making my dream come true.