Last August, Judas Priest came to Charlotte. I begged my parents to allow me to go see them, yet it was to no avail. As my parents would not indulge in this concert nor allow me to go, I have yet to experience a metal concert. This is ironic, because at my age, my dad had seen KISS and Metallica. They did take me to a Three Dog Night concert- quality music, but nothing like metal. Now my Paw Paw has always supported my love of metal. He has always played music for me and inspired me to learn to play guitar. I can remember listening with him to classics like “Crazy Train”, “Paranoid”, and Metallica’s version of “Turn the Page” for as far back as my memory goes. In recent times, I expanded my taste in heavy metal to nu-metal, especially System of a Down. A friend played “Chic n Stu” for me sophomore year, and immediately I was hooked. On drives to school and at track, I would listen to SOAD nonstop. That year, my Spotify Rewind had me in the top 0.5% of all SOAD listeners. On one notable bus ride from a track meet, my friend and I blasted “Chop Suey!”, and brought the whole team together to scream the lyrics. Metal gave me that unforgettable, priceless experience with my team. Music has always been my way of reaching people and making new friends, and heavy metal is no exception. I love its sound and how it helps me focus when studying. It’s fun to drive with the windows down while listening. Most importantly, it connects me to people of all ages and walks of life. This will be important when practicing medicine- my number one goal in life. There will be times I need to build a relationship quickly with a patient or put someone at ease. I can’t think of a better way to accomplish this than sharing music. Picking one favorite band is obviously too hard, especially since metal encompasses so many sub-genres. System of a Down obviously holds a special place in my heart, but recently I have been listening to a lot of Rob Zombie, Korn, Slipknot and Black Sabbath. I have SOAD’s Hypnotize on vinyl, as well as many Korn and Rob Zombie CDs. I value physical media, and love sitting in my room while a vinyl is spinning or driving with a CD. My favorite Black Sabbath song has to be “Black Sabbath” off their self-titled Black Sabbath, and I am most proud of my red-translucent Slipknot self-titled vinyl. Studying chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will prepare me for medical school and my future as a doctor. I will minor in Spanish for careers to increase my outreach. Though I am still unsure on what specific type of medicine to practice, I am heavily considering anesthesiology or endocrinology, because my little sister and I are type one diabetics. I want to be of service to my diabetic community as a physician who truly understands having to wake up in the middle of the night to fix a low blood sugar, having to be extra vigilant during sports to keep blood sugar steady, and the complicated relationship diabetics have with their non-functional pancreases. This scholarship is needed to help pay for college so I can relieve some financial stress from my parents. My parents work government jobs- my mom is a teacher and dad is a county appraiser. They have to pay for diabetic supplies and for gluten free food to accommodate my celiacs disease. Furthermore, my mom’s mother recently passed, and she has had to take on the burden of paying for Granny’s hidden loans and nursing home care. This scholarship would alleviate a portion of our financial duress, and would allow me to focus without worry on my studies. Maybe with more financial security, I can finally reach another goal in life- going to my first metal concert.

Most people will tell you how diabetes has negatively impacted their lives, but anyone who knows me, knows my secret to a happy life is optimism. I am not one to waste time and tears over something I can make better. Two weeks apart in February 2022, my then eight year-old sister and I were both diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. One hundred years ago, my sister and I would have died. Because Banting and Best, scientists who developed insulin therapy, never gave up in the face of adversity, we began a new life. Like Banting and Best, I want to be among the first endocrinologists to implement functional cures for diabetes. Being diabetic inspired my life’s purpose at age fourteen. I became determined to study chemistry and become an endocrinologist. As a diabetic whose world and faith was shaken upon diagnosis, I know what it is like to be rushed into a new world I had before been blind to. Having representation in the medical profession is important and needed. Diabetes has been training me to be a medical professional. The future I am working for will change lives. My patients may undergo gene editing and islet transplants that do not require immunosuppression in order to make their lives as normal as possible. Pursuing a career in the medical profession is coming at a pivitol time when developments in treatment and functional cures seem to be coming quickly. First hand experience at diagnosis demonstrated to me the need to facilitate diabetic support groups for newly-diabetic and veteran diabetics to help each other and learn from others like them. My sister was diagnosed first. I was as devastated as she was. When my diagnosis came at the end of February, I knew it was terrible, but I also knew we would forever be one another’s support. I am a patient and a care provider for her. Finding out our endocrinologist was type 1, also diagnosed at fourteen, and seeing his success was the most comforting and encouraging fact we learned in all our diabetic education. Likewise, my patients will know they have support to get the best treatment possible so they do not have to let the disease inhibit them, either. What better encouragement can they have than learning that from a fellow diabetic? The achievements I can use to inspire others came with the extra challenge of monitoring blood glucose levels, planning ahead, preparing for anything, organizing and inventorying supplies critical to keep us alive, and being aware of costs and prioritizing spending to allow for medical expenditures. These are skills being diabetic has instilled in me that I think gives me an advantage over other medical students. The ultimate goal is that my patients will live without having to worry every day about the costs and consequences of this disease. I have worked my hardest to master the most challenging courses, because I know I am not just working to have good grades or win awards. I have a responsibility and drive to use my achievement for the highest good, positively impacting the most people. Someday, I will introduce my patients to a cure. It would be an amazing full-circle experience to be able to provide that for my sister.

Even as a child, I knew I wanted to be a doctor. I remember searching up specialties and telling my teachers I wanted to be an anesthesiologist because I liked the name. I have always had a desire to help people, and also remember fondly investigating inchworms on the playground and falling in love with the science around me. Since my type one diagnosis, I have become more focused in my studies. Being diabetic has taught me the importance of community, and with that in mind, I became determined to become an endocrinologist. I see it as the best way of helping my diabetic community. My sister, my chemistry teacher, and Aunt “Beef” all have type 1 diabetes, and we have learned to support each other. When my chemistry teacher’s Dexcom had been reading low for days, I lent him a lancing device and he soon found out he was 300 rather than 80–a dangerous misreading. Another time, late at night, I went to fill my insulin pump only to discover we were low on insulin. Aunt Beef came immediately and gave us spare vials. In turn, we have loaned her Dexcoms when hers failed before her prescription refill. No one else can possibly understand the challenges and worries of diabetes better than another diabetic. Having representation in the medical profession is important and needed. Diabetes has been training me to be a medical professional. My experiences with my diabetic community has shown me the need to facilitate diabetic support groups for newly-diabetic and veteran diabetics to help each other and learn from others like them. Whenever I face a block in the road, or am discouraged by school, I remind myself of my family. My mom is a teacher and my dad is a tax assessor. They have sacrificed in order to give me a private school education. I know about vacations not taken, retirement delayed, meticulously watching bills, and rolling change in the summer for spending money. Whenever I feel set back or challenged I remember I need to give it my all to make their trust in me and my future career worth it. Two weeks apart in February 2022, my then eight year-old sister and I were both diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. One hundred years ago, my sister and I would have died, but because Banting and Best never gave up in the face of adversity, we began a new life. Like Banting and Best, I want to be among the first endocrinologists to implement functional cures, like islet transplants that do not require immuno-suppression. My patients may undergo gene-editing and islet transplants in order to make their lives as normal as possible. As a fellow diabetic whose world was shaken upon diagnosis, I know what it is like to be rushed into a new world I had before been blind to. My patients need to know they have support to get the best treatment possible so they do not have to let the disease inhibit them. My dream is that my patients will live without having to worry as much about their disease. Some day, I will introduce them to a cure. It would be an amazing full-circle experience to be able to provide that for my sister. With my family’s support and love, I will not let any setback stall me, and will study vigorously in college in order to become the best endocrinologist possible.