Growing up in rural Appalachia, we didn’t always have the same experiences as other kids. There were no sidewalks, and the closest parks were 20 miles away. Children in these area didn’t always receive the same quality of food or health education as other children in more populated areas. From a young age, I became interested in how the health of people where I lived differed from the health of people I saw living in larger cities nearby. After graduating high school, I had the amazing opportunity to go to the University of Kentucky to continue my education. I struggled to find an area of study that allowed me to explore and create a community that promoted the health of its people. Then I was introduced to the field of Public Health which immediately resonated with my goals and experiences. The summer after my freshman year of college I was given the news that they had found a mass in my father’s colon and that emergency surgery was scheduled for the next day. I immediately drove to my dad's small town in Arkansas to see him before the procedure. The doctors told us he had stage four colorectal cancer and may not make it through the surgery. Further, they said if he did, he likely had around four months to live. Over the course of two days, my summer went from Fourth of July celebrations to making arrangements for my father’s passing. This is not an uncommon story unfortunately. Many people in our community and many other Appalachian communities who have worked in landfills, factories and coal mines like my father are diagnosed with cancer and sometimes at a very young age. Thankfully my father was given the unique opportunity to enroll in a clinical trial for a newly developed immunotherapy treatment at MD Anderson. I flew out to Houston every other week throughout my dad’s treatments. At first, I dreaded going to the hospital. The thought of having to see people dying of cancer shook me with the fear that my dad may be next. This fear quickly transpired into curiosity, and I became invested in his clinical trial. I spent a lot of time in the hospital with him listening and talking to other people in his situation. I met people who came from thousands of miles away and some who lived right around the corner. I noticed a similar theme among each person. While fearful and exhausted, many were able to find hope amidst their unfortunate situations. I heard stories of how grateful they were to be there and how the doctors changed their lives. It was amazing to see so many people, sometimes those with only days to live, speak with such optimism and gratitude for what these health professionals were doing for them. This experience helped me to realize I had a calling in medicine. I was recently accepted to Ohio University's Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and will start in the Fall of 2023. I have an interest in going into pediatrics because childhood is the most formative years of a person's life. I appreciate the importance of recognizing signs and symptoms of conditions relating to physical and mental development at this age and providing appropriate treatment for the needs of the child to ensure wellness across their life span. My goal in medicine is to not only heal but to be an advocate for my patients and to protect and promote the health of all people in the community.

The summer after my freshman year of college I was given the news that they had found a mass in my father’s colon, and that emergency surgery was scheduled for the next day. I immediately drove to my dad's small town in Arkansas to see him before the procedure. The doctors told us he had stage four colorectal cancer and may not make it through the surgery. Further, they said if he did, he likely had around four months to live. Over the course of two days, my summer went from Fourth of July celebrations to making arrangements for my father’s passing. This is not an uncommon story unfortunately. Many people in our community and many other Appalachian communities who have worked in landfills, factories and coal mines like my father are diagnosed with cancer and sometimes at a very young age. Thankfully my father was given the unique opportunity to enroll in a clinical trial for a newly developed immunotherapy treatment at MD Anderson. I flew out to Houston every other week throughout my dad’s treatments. At first, I dreaded going to the hospital. The thought of having to see people dying of cancer shook me with the fear that my dad may be next. This fear quickly transpired into curiosity, and I became invested in his clinical trial. I spent a lot of time in the hospital with him listening and talking to other people in his situation. I met people who came from thousands of miles away and some who lived right around the corner. I noticed a similar theme among each person. While fearful and exhausted, many were able to find hope amidst their unfortunate situations. I heard stories of how grateful they were to be there and how the doctors changed their lives. It was amazing to see so many people, sometimes those with only days to live, speak with such optimism and gratitude for what these health professionals were doing for them. This experience helped me to realize I had a calling in medicine. This scholarship will help support me while I pursue a degree in medicine at Ohio University's college of medicine. I hope to one day be able to use my experience and skills as a physician to treat patients and support their families as they go through the journey of cancer treatment. Cancer treatment is a journey no one should have to go through but hope and the care of family and healthcare teams can make a world of difference.