My first influence came from way before I was even born. It all began when my mother decided to have a child. At first, her pregnancy was going well, so she told me. But while my mother was in utero, she was burdened with the news that her child was ill. After consulting with numerous specialists, they diagnosed me with polycystic kidney disease in my right kidney, hydronephrosis in my left kidney, and nystagmus. My mother was heartbroken to find out that her daughter was suffering. And in the eyes of her doctors, they believed that my mother should terminate me. They "knew" that I would be a child with learning, speech, and walking disabilities. The doctors assumed I had no fighting chance except for one. My mother's obstetrician-gynecologist stood up for me and believed that I could be something, even with the number of surgeries I would have to endure. Doctor Behar allowed me to become the person I am today. At least, that's how my mother puts it every time she tells me this story. But even so, as the young little girl who had to thank that woman for giving me the life I live now, I knew I had to do something with it. Even with one kidney, I decided I would not let my illness define me, so I started studying hard and tried to involve myself in everything that interested me. Dr. Behar is why I want to pursue a career in obstetrics and gynecology. Because of her I wanted to create a safe environment for women. I wanted to provide a free and caring environment where women can discuss and learn their bodies, pregnancies, and journeys of self-discovery with me. I want to give all women comfort, care, and support. So I vowed that with the chance to live that I've been given, I would make the most of it. I would prove to those who thought I couldn't do it that I could be extraordinary. I pushed myself to skip a grade, have a 4.0 GPA in college, and participate in over 5 organizations. I excel at school, especially in math and science, and I work hard to be part of my community and help those in need. So perhaps one day I can be the change that gives people hope. The influences in my life contributed to my interest in medicine. As an obstetrician-gynecologist, I can provide vital primary care and advocacy. As a black woman, being this doctor can help me advocate for women's health in the face of patriarchal adversity, especially since men make up the vast majority of healthcare workers. I want to provide women of all races, ethnicities, and colors with a haven and, hopefully, inspire other African American women to become doctors like me. Life has given me a lot of meaningful experiences that have helped me develop into the person I am today, which is why I want the hard work that I have put in to overcome these experiences to mean something. So I will work hard every day and ensure that I gain all the knowledge I can so I can be the social change that the world of women needs, even if that means bringing their babies into the world, teaching them about their bodies and how to care for it properly, or giving them the support they need. I will be the change, and the influences in my life have caused me to work toward becoming a doctor.

The journey into my healthcare career began with college. I remember discussing with my family the many colleges I had applied to. After hearing about my application status, I have shared moments of joy and heartbreak with them. But there was only one person who I wanted to make proud. The person that was always by my side, who encouraged me and held me in my moments of fear, was my grandmother. She was the person I was the most excited to share this journey and part of my life with. My grandmother was there with me every step of the way. She was my rock until the shared moments began to slip out of her mind. It was the fall of last year; I was in my first year of college, doing what I needed to make my family, myself, and especially my grandmother proud. I received a call from my mother telling me my grandmother had gotten into an accident. Panic overwhelmed me; I felt helpless then because I was not there to help my grandmother in her time of need as she had helped me. As I spoke to my mother on the phone, she told me that my grandmother had fallen and broken her ankle but had no recollection of the incident. Because of her past surgeries due to an aneurysm, the doctors did extensive tests and suggested that my grandmother had Alzheimer’s. It was after that moment that my grandmother was never the same. In denial of her illness, she began to forget things more and more. My mother could not handle caring for my grandmother alone, so as the only daughter, I stepped up to help my mother. I would travel back and forth from school to home to assist my mother when I could. Helping care for my grandmother was a big task that I had no problem doing, but it began to take a toll on my mother and me. My mother was heartbroken when the woman who raised her lost herself day after day. And for me, caring for my grandmother affected how I performed in school. Traveling back and forth caused me to miss classes and some assignments; my grades began to decrease. But while my academics were my priority, I couldn’t shake the feeling of sadness, pain, and hurt. Especially when my grandmother could not recognize who I was. Alzihmers has taken away my best friend, supporter, and heart. It has shaken down my mothers in ways I have never seen. But it also taught me so many things. I learned to appreciate the moments I shared with my grandmother. Even though some days are more complicated than others, there is no doubt in my mind that my grandmother did not love my mother and me. Her love was too big for any illness to take away from us. Alzheimer’s allowed me to appreciate the lesson my grandmother taught me. I learned that my grandmother is a fighter and would want me and my mother to use the tools she gave us and use them to better ourselves. My grandmother battling this illness motivated me to work on my grades in school and continue to make her proud. Alzheimer’s tried to take away my best friend but taught me how to love, appreciate, and grow with the people in my life.

Throughout my education, I had so many challenges I had to overcome. I have dealt with school, personal life, and extracurriculars. All of these problems have shaped me into the person I am now. I know now how to work for what I want. During my education, I had to deal with homelessness and poverty. Unfortunately, my household was not stable. I had to deal with a mentally and physically abusive father who would kick my mother and me out of his house multiple times. Living without the protection, love, and resources of my father was hard. I had to learn to provide for myself. For example, I have never had my room, which became problematic for me when it came to studying and completing my homework. So I would walk to the library every day to complete my assignments. I would stay until it closed to finish all my AP course homework. While I had to find a place to live, my school life was also taking a negative turn. My health implications, such as having one kidney, prohibited my education. I was unable to learn some materials because of constantly being in the hospital, which would hurt my grades. Since I was taking over 3 APs and all honors classes to get into a good college, the work became stressful. In addition to that, without the assistance of my father emotionally and financially, in school I developed anxiety and had many panic attacks when things went wrong. The school became overwhelmed. But instead of allowing these implications to ruin my life, I found the good in it. I began to use my obstacles to push myself to do well in school and prove to myself, my dad, and society, that I could be great. I graduated high school in the top 20 with a GPA of 4.0. I participated in extracurricular activities such as Key Club, Intramural, Step, Sportsnite, Spark Challenge, Chamber Singers, Gay Straight Alliance, and Musical Theatre. All these obstacles help me develop what career I want to pursue and the characteristics I need to pursue it. During high school, I learned that I wanted to become an obstetrician-gynecologist. This career developed because of my father's absence and the male rejection I received as an unborn baby from a doctor. Before I was born, my medical implications became clear to the doctors and my mother. The male gynecologist encouraged my mother that because of these implications, I would come into this world with learning, mobility, and physical disabilities. However, when I was born and achieved all that I have, I proved that doctor wrong. This encourages me to pursue a career as an OB/GYN because I feel that women every day deal with a man telling them all the negative aspects of their lives. I want to pursue STEM education to become a safe space for those women going through pregnancies. I want to encourage them to have hope and trust that I want what is best for them and their babies. In addition to that, because of my father's absence, I understand what it is not to love yourself and how that can negatively turn. I want to become a place of comfort, love, and non-judgment for women in a sexually open society. There are so many implications placed on women when it comes to what they do with their bodies, and I want to, with STEM education, be the hope and security that they may need. With my knowledge, I can guide them with the right resources to be wonderful mothers and women.