As a child, being at the doctor’s office made me anxious. I guess it was because nearly every child that exited the exam room came out crying. It always made me wonder what the doctor and assistants were going to do to me that would result in me bawling my eyes out. But of course, we all know the answer to that: needles. Fast forward to today, I aspire to be in this exact field as a physician assistant. It is quite ironic that the place I dreaded being in will potentially be the place I will be spending most of my time in. However, this time I will be experiencing it through the lens of a medical professional rather than a patient. While being a physician assistant, I also hope to give back to my community back in the Philippines by building my own medical organization to provide quality care to those in need. Taking trips back home every few years helped me to understand the needs of my community and, therefore, develop a vision for how I want to contribute to their needs. I hope to use my connections and skills to their benefit as a way to give back to the place that makes up a big part of who I am. These aspirations of mine began at a young age. I have always been fond of helping others, and I wanted my future career to involve helping others directly. This was because I was exposed to a family of nurses and doctors and I saw the difference they were able to make in the lives of others through their service. Therefore, in high school, I became part of the health academy. It was at this point that I fueled my curiosity for learning about the body. This influenced me to join a medical assistant program during my senior year to focus my learning in the field. I was able to extern at a clinic for this program and work with patients for the first time. It was not an easy experience but there was a spark in me that ignited a sense of purpose for me in the field. I could imagine myself in the shoes of a physician assistant although I was taking on the role of a medical assistant for the meantime. Furthermore, although they are not realistic, watching medical shows has partially played a role in envisioning the future I hope to have. Altogether, many pieces of my life have come together to help me create a picture of what I want to be in the future. These visions began as a young child and here I am still visualizing it all for myself. It gives me hope that every day I am closer to making the vision my reality.

As a 3-year-old immigrating from the Philippines to Hawai’i, I had no clue what was going on. I noticed that the environment and the people I was around changed, but I was too young to understand the concept of why these things happened. I had only adapted to my native tongue, the Ilokano language when we first moved here. When I began school, I was placed in an English Language Learner program to build my English vernacular. I remember the process being a difficult one, but since then English had become the primary language I spoke because many of the people I conversed with spoke English. That is not to say, however, that I had forgotten my native tongue. My parents continually speak Ilokano at home, which helps with keeping my native tongue alive as it is something I hope to pass on to future generations. In terms of career, it is no secret that the stereotype for a Filipino female is to be a nurse. My future career is quite similar to a nurse because it is in the medical field, however as a physician assistant. From a certain point of view, it is unfortunate that Filipinos are generally seen to hold lower positions in the field. Rarely will you ever see a Filipino doctor or physician assistant, but you surely will find a nurse. On the other hand, I want to contribute to breaking that barrier that limits the capabilities of my fellow Filipinos in aspiring for more. I have gone through phases of doubting whether this career path truly is for me because of the lack of representation of Filipinos in the position. It is my hope, however, to change this narrative for future generations. Additionally, Filipinos are almost always seen as hospitable people. My family has engrained in me the importance of caring for others, and I think this has partly influenced why I am interested in a field that is built upon helping people. This trait and the interest I have in learning about the body have led to my passion for the medical field. On another level, being a Filipino has influenced my values in life in terms of putting family first. Compared to other cultures, Filipino families prefer that their children remain close to family even past the age of maturity. Having this influence has led me to be considerate of my family in many of the life decisions I make. I feel that it is important to think about how they will feel about my decisions and how it will affect them. I am still able to make my own decisions but my family makes up a huge part of me, therefore, they have a major impact on my decision-making process. Moreover, returning good deeds given to you by others is something significant in Filipino culture. Personally, the biggest favor that has been done for me is the sacrifice my parents made in immigrating to Hawai’i for a better chance in life. They have worked hard in their jobs just so I could experience a better life, and that I will forever be grateful for. It is my hope that one day I will be working as a physician assistant while also ensuring that my parents are comfortable with where they are in life. They deserve to get a taste of all the hard work they have put into our family over time. I believe in the “heart of the Filipino” that all this will come to fruition.

The sounds of roosters crowing, pigs oinking, and tractors passing by were the typical alarm clock for me to wake up in my small hometown in the Philippines. Now, in this city on O’ahu island of Hawai’i, an actual alarm clock is needed to break the morning silence. Living in a small town taught my family and me the importance of community. I mean, before leaving at the age of three, I was almost familiar with everyone living in our town. That is why moving to the U.S. was a huge culture shock when we observed that some communities hardly ever interact with each other. Although I left home at such a young age, my parents have reinforced traits in me to maintain our roots and have contributed to the person I am today. One of these traits is generosity. Experiencing times of having nearly nothing has taught my family and others back home the significance of receiving. Therefore, when we do receive good favors, we are likely to share that blessing with others. This relates to my passion for healthcare because I will encounter patients that will need my help in caring for them but may not have the resources to pay for the service. In this case, generosity is not in the form of money but in the form of providing care despite not being reimbursed for the service. When people decide to get into healthcare, the main motive is to provide care with or without the money because we have the knowledge and expertise for these situations. Thus, we would be robbing the core of humanity if we fail to utilize our skills to help others. Another trait engrained within me is to remain humble despite my status in life. It is no secret that having a career in the medical field also means a significant amount of income. When this becomes the drive for people entering healthcare, it hinders them from developing quality patient-physician relationships in order to provide the best care. Contrastingly, healthcare should consist of people who are not empowered by the money they make but by the service they provide to others which, ironically, is a humbling experience. It is a humbling experience because you get to witness life-changing events in the lives of your patients, in turn, changing your perspective of life. The last, but most important trait, that my background has taught me is the importance of perseverance. My family and I were not given the best odds in life, but we did not let our circumstances further define what our future held. Parallel to a career in healthcare, it is no surprise that the job will require a lot of mental and physical endurance, but perseverance is what gets us through. I have learned that keeping my eyes on the ultimate goal and reminding myself of my purpose every day sets me up for success even on the days I do not believe in myself. One of the most inspiring quotes that I have heard from one of my favorite shows was “do not quit before the miracle happens.” Repeating this to myself at the beginning of the day and throughout the day is what keeps me going. It is my hope that I am able to radiate this hope to my future patients and impact them in different ways. With that, I hope to collectively reflect these traits through my work and care. I want to pursue my interest in practicing medicine, while also leaving a mark on my patients with the care that they receive.

As a Filipino woman who immigrated to the U.S. at a young age, pressure has been put on me through the years to be knowledgeable about the society and culture here as my family depended on it. The main hindrance in adjusting to the culture for me and my family was learning the English language. The only language I knew how to speak when we first moved here was my native language, Ilokano. In the Filipino culture, the ability to speak fluent English is often seen as having higher status because the person is said to be educated. Because of this preconceived notion, my family had a difficult time trying to learn the language due to the fear of judgment by others. In turn, as an only child, my family relied on me greatly to learn and understand the language in school. When I reached the age of maturity, my family sought me to understand much of the correspondence they received regarding health insurance, legal matters, and many other adulting responsibilities. I believe that this eventually contributed to my maturing early on in my teen years because I needed to help my family. It is not because my family did not try to learn English because they did over the years, however most of what they speak and understand is basic English. Also, in Hawai’i, we speak pidgin which is not as formal but partly the type of English that my parents have adapted to. On the other hand, because my family continues to speak Ilokano at home, I am able to keep a balance between speaking my native language and English. Having this experience as a Filipino woman has caused me to be more mindful of the work that I aspire to do. For instance, I know that there are many other children out there who have to speak on behalf of their parents because of language barriers. With that, I hope to collaborate with families of different cultures to still offer them the care they need adequately. Many people often choose to not seek medical care because there are language barriers that must be overcome to receive the care they need, but I hope to dissolve this type of mindset as it is our duty to care for patients despite these challenges. One day, I aspire to organize a medical mission in my hometown in the Philippines because of the lack of quality health resources in the region. I believe it is important to return to your roots and give back to the people who have contributed to your identity. It is also one of my goals to inspire others through my experiences to showcase that we need more people of different cultures to hold authoritative positions as a representation of our people so they can be seen and heard. With a workplace rich in diversity, you can learn so much from people of different cultures which, in turn, will expand your versatility in the delivery of care.

As COVID-19 has taken its toll, online forms of communication have essentially taken over and with it comes consequences of its own. I consider this quote to be something undoubtedly real in today’s day and age as I have seen it portrayed by those around me. I have friends and I have met some people who spend a lot of their time playing games with their online friends whilst failing to interact with their in-person friends. When they do, I have noticed that their interactions become awkward as they are unable to hold a conversation. Also, as I entered college this year and have met many different types of people, I have observed that those who enjoy playing online games spend the majority of their time indoors rather than socializing and being outdoors. Consequently, this reduces their chances of interacting with others in real life. On the other hand, it is unfortunate to see kids as young as 7 years old being caught in the trap of online gaming forums. This introduces the concern as to what the state of social norms will be like a decade from now when the next generation has adapted to online forms of communication instead of real-life social interaction. This is especially considering that many things in life involve social interaction. However, with the rise of contactless options for services, many are now able to get around having to interact with others. It is as if, slowly, we are transforming into a humanless society as we are being stripped of our nature to interact with others in real life. I mean, part of the core of living is making connections with others through real-life conversations but that seems to be fading away. While being quarantined during COVID-19, I would say that I have personally experienced the effects of social isolation. As restrictions loosened and people began going out more, I felt the need to go out and socialize. During the first few weeks of being able to go out in public, I noticed that I had become socially awkward, even in simple encounters with the cashier at the store. I would avoid eye contact, stutter often in the middle of my sentences, and I felt social anxiety as I prepared to interact with someone. I have always had trouble with social anxiety but it felt as if it was amplified right after COVID-19. I did not like the feeling, but I knew I had to get over it somehow because it is important that I knew how to talk to others––simply put. To do so, I had to force myself to step out of my comfort zone until I got comfortable with being uncomfortable in social situations. It is still something I practice to this day because social anxiety still lingers from time to time, but I do not want it to take over my life. This is where the issue in society is today. Instead of recognizing and working through the issue that we have lost touch with human interaction, many try to go around it and this eventually strips us of an essential part of being human.

Growing up, my parents always stressed the significance of taking care of my physical health. They emphasized eating a healthy diet, participating in physical activities, and getting a sufficient amount of sleep. This was basically the idea I had about what “health” constituted. It was not until middle school that I learned that there are many aspects of health besides the physical form. These other aspects include mental and social health. Within the three parts of the health triangle, I would say that mental health has always been the one I struggled with the most. In other words, my mind has constantly been my greatest enemy. Especially as a teen, we are highly vulnerable to negative thoughts which influence our emotions and therefore determine our actions. Moreover, I wrestled with my mental health the most when it came to school. I was the type of student who would aim for straight A’s, be highly involved in school, and basically prioritize school above all. Although this had positive results, the act of sacrificing my mental health for school eventually served as a major negative consequence. Staying up late at night, having no social life, and processing tons of information in my head was not the ideal mental state to be in. Basically, I did not know when it was time to take a break and often felt overstimulated. I placed so much of my worth into being productive that I felt useless when I could not do anything. However, I began to lose the energy to do work because my mind became overwhelmed. In the midst of all this, I unknowingly put pressure on myself to consistently excel in what I did and left no room for failure. As you can see, I was essentially reaching a state of burnout. When those around me noticed how toxic this mindset became, they helped me to put a pause on everything and reflect on how I was being consumed by that mindset. I decided to take a break for a while by dropping everything and during that time, I understood how crucial it was to take care of my mental health. Knowing how much I can handle and setting healthy limits for myself served as the biggest takeaway during that time. I realized that mental health does not only affect one aspect of the health triangle but also influences the others because they are all connected, which showcases how much more important it is. Through this experience, I am now able to recognize when my mind needs to take a break. When I notice my body showcasing these signs, I maintain my mental wellness in the moment by pausing and practicing breathing exercises to keep myself afloat. Often, I alter my schedule to incorporate more time with family and friends because spending time with others helps me realize that the things I was worried about were not as big as I thought. In a way, it allows me to view life from a different perspective. As a Christian, I utilize prayer as a mental dump to release the weight of my stress and gain clarity in these situations. Currently, I am still discovering coping mechanisms that work for me, but I do my best to ensure that these techniques are healthy ways of coping. Although it was a struggle, if I had not reached a very low point in my mental health, I would have not come to grasp the significance mental health has on my overall well-being.

Migrating to the U.S. from the Philippines at a young age definitely served as a culture shock. Luckily, my family decided to live in Hawai’i because this state is probably one of the most diverse, so adapting to the culture and norms of this new environment was not as difficult as it would have been if we had moved to the mainland (continental U.S.). Throughout elementary, middle school, and high school, I was basically surrounded by people who looked like me and talked like me. In college, on the other hand, I was exposed to people from different cultures, whether that be from a different state or even a different country. To provide a bit of background, I did not know how to speak English when I came to Hawai’i because the Filipino language, Ilokano, served as my native tongue. None of my family members were fluent in English, so the first time I formally learned to speak the language was in school at the age of 4. I recall not being able to play with the other kids because I could not understand them nor could they understand me, and I was a shy kid. With the help of an English Learning program offered by my school, I was able to improve my English. Even though I knew how to speak English then, I was insecure about the way I spoke because of my accent. I often compared the way I spoke to the way other kids spoke, and this greatly reduced my confidence to speak up. During middle school, I began to appreciate the accent I had as I found friends who shared similar struggles as me. From there, I was able to connect with other people of different ethnicities, common to Hawai’i, and was able to learn more from them about speaking the language. In high school, I slowly began to lose my Filipino accent which I had not noticed until I went home to the Philippines. Fortunately, I was able to maintain my accent when speaking Ilokano but maintain an American accent when speaking English, so I realized that I had not fully lost my native tongue. Furthermore, in Hawai’i, many locals speak a slang of English called “pidgin” which I began to adopt in high school. This affected the way I spoke English as the structure of sentences in pidgin is not exactly grammatically correct. Once I entered college this year, I found myself very cautious of the way I spoke because a part of me felt embarrassed––a feeling similar to my experiences during my younger years when we transitioned to Hawai’i. However, at this age, I realized that hiding parts of me that truly make me who I am removes my sense of identity, something I did not want to change. Consequently, I embraced who I was and freely expressed the different cultures that have contributed to my identity, allowing me to meet others with the same intention. Through these experiences, I have come to realize that I can make an impact on the world through my STEM education by being a representative–as a Filipino and someone from Hawai’i. I hope to be able to showcase to others that we have a spot in this community, although we do not see many like us playing a role. This prompted me to produce the change. Staying within my comfort zone for the past couple of years showcased that change does not happen on its own, instead, we have to take action to see that change come to life.

If you were to ask me what I wanted to be when I was in elementary, I would have not known but I knew it was not anything related to science. Fast forward to now, in my first year of college, I am a biology major hoping to go into medicine as a physician assistant (PA). It is quite ironic to think about, but I can say that I am fairly content with the major I have chosen with my experience so far. I believe the main reason why I was not as tuned into the sciences at a young age was because of how perplexing the material was to comprehend. Considering that I was a child who lacked interest in school, this subject was not my forte. As I matured, however, I began to question many of the things around me and found myself curious about why things are the way they are. Most of these questions I had could be answered by science, so I did my research––thanks to Google. Furthermore, I noticed myself thinking like a scientist and my personality was quite analogous to science in which I preferred having explanations for things, specifically ones that are definite and concrete. As I learned more things through research and being more involved in my science classes, I have come to recognize the essence of science in society. Basically everything we see and touch has some sort of scientific explanation behind it, we just tend to overlook it. Your ability to understand what I am saying can be explained through science. It is with no doubt that science is unable to explain everything as it is constantly evolving; however, it does serve as the basis for most of what we know––and possibly what we do not know yet. If science did not contribute this much to our knowledge, society would fail to progress as science has fueled tons of innovations that have changed the way we live our lives. COVID-19 is a prime example of this as it showcases how science impacts our lives on an enormous level. If science had not introduced the concept of mRNA vaccines, which are the type used for COVID vaccines, then we would possibly still be locked in our homes due to the fear of catching the virus. Science gave us the opportunity to be released from that state, within a convenient amount of time as well, through scientific advancements. With that, I believe a question we should ask ourselves is: what would we do without science?

“I hate math!” is the typical line I whisper to myself in math class when I am not able to understand how to solve a problem. Deep inside, however, I know I do not hate math. I just hate not being able to solve a problem because I love math and I am quite good at it. Others would question why math was my favorite subject back in high school because they do not see how some concepts can be applied to life in the future. Although they do present a fair point, I still enjoyed math because of the experience it gives when going through problems. There is a step-by-step approach to it that I, personally, favor because it eventually leads to an answer at the end. On the other hand, other subjects involve more complicated methods that either do not end up with an answer or the answer is unclear. In other words, I like that math involves definite solutions–except in cases of imaginary numbers, irrational numbers, infinities, and a few more of course–more often than other subjects do. In a way, it relates to my personality because I am a person who is structured and likes to evaluate issues with defined solutions. Furthermore, it is always a great feeling to get the right answer on a math problem that involved numerous steps because of the sense of understanding the material and feeling of accomplishment. It is a much more satisfying experience when your professor gives you a challenging problem once you begin to understand a concept and you are able to get the answer correct. In a way, sometimes it feels as if there is a rush of adrenaline as I get closer to finding the solution to a problem because of the excitement in determining if I got the correct solution. With that, I would say that it is the experience that solving a math problem entails, especially the difficult ones, that gives reason to why I love math.

“Time for a science project!” was the line I dreaded hearing back in elementary. Ironically, science was the subject I least enjoyed because I felt that the concepts were too complicated for my brain to comprehend at that age. It was not until middle school, however, that I began to notice myself thinking like a scientist. I would question how certain things operate, specifically in relation to nature and humans, and I would try to determine those answers myself through the Internet. When I took my first biology class in high school, I found myself curious about the material as if it was all I wanted to learn about. Personally, I thought it was amazing how cells, structures that cannot be visualized under the naked eye, play such a huge role in how organisms work collectively. Throughout high school, I contemplated on what I wanted to do in the future that would somehow relate back to biology. As I became part of the Health & Sciences academy at my school, I saw how many concepts in biology can be connected to the medical field. In addition to that, I have always had a passion for providing service and learning about the body, so I decided to integrate these two interests. As a result, I am now majoring in Biology as a Pre-Med upon attending Physician Assistant (PA) school to become a Physician Assistant. Seeing many PA students major in biology for their undergraduate studies helped assure me that this path was for me. As a Filipino female and first-generation student, it is uncommon to see those with a similar status reach the dream that I am also striving to achieve. There is really not much representation for us out there, and if there is, it certainly took a lot for them to get to that point. Although this truth stands, I desire to break this expectation of living because I want students, who will be in my shoes in the future, to not have to doubt their capabilities. I hope for them to choose their career paths freely without having second thoughts about whether they are enough for the job. In turn, this contributes to the diversity in the workplace which is crucial because there is so much you can learn, career-wise and about life, from those around you. Transitioning from a high school surrounded by those from similar ethnic backgrounds to a university that does not consist of many people like me showed me that there is so much you can learn from people of different backgrounds. With that, I hope to increase diversity in the workplace by encouraging those like me and showcasing that we have our own skills and abilities to bring to the table.