1. A new WhatsApp notification lights up on my phone, and I glance at my mother’s message briefly. Just as I am about to shut my phone off, I pause and begin to question why she sent me a photo. Her texts usually consist of “anda sacar la basura” (go take out the trash) or “anda lavar y secar los platos” (go wash and dry the dishes). Knowing my mother, I knew that this photo would either be a religious quote or a baby picture of me. Instead, I find a large, slightly pixelated image of the family tree from her side of the family. Curiously, I scanned through the hundreds of names and faces, but one person in particular stood out to me the most. I zoomed into a slightly blurry image of a short, pale-skinned brunette girl, smiling brightly from ear to ear. Below her name, read in bold Arial font: Carolina Orellana. Throughout that week, the image would not escape my head. Weeks passed, and I began to question why my heart felt so emotionally driven by this small, frail-looking girl. I never physically saw her or heard her voice. My family never liked to discuss health, specifically topics that involved illness or death. I only knew Carolina from the whispers that my mother and my uncle exchanged when we rarely visited Ecuador. Carolina was my cousin who died early in her childhood of cancer. I only knew her by pictures but I always felt her in my heart. Whether I am kneeling in the church pews during mass or planning my school’s annual 12-hour event to raise funds for childhood cancer. I had always felt her presence within life. Although I knew so little of her, she inspired me and shaped me into the person I am today and my future. She's my constant reminder to never give up on my dreams and inspires me to be a healthcare provider who fights for children like her. My goal is to utilize my platform as a physician’s assistant who specializes in oncology by serving underprivileged communities such as the one I grew up in: Queens, New York. I will utilize my voice as a PA, to not only advocate for patients who face language and income barriers that often keep them from receiving proper care but also to be the voice of clarity when everything feels uncertain. Furthermore, I want to be the voice for my family who is afraid of speaking about our health concerns. Throughout my undergraduate studies, I hope to contribute to pediatric cancer research helping uncover the environmental and genetic factors that may affect outcomes in young patients. With every patient I help, every child I comfort, and every parent I reassure there will be part of the legacy she left behind. Throughout my career, I will continue to share her story–not only as a tribute to her life, but as a promise to use mine for something greater. 2. The moment my name was called, my heart instantly began to pump blood faster than I could blink. My blood ran through my capillaries and was expelled through my arteries all while I stood in front of the podium surrounded by nearly 200 students but my face was fixated on the speech below me. As I began to read the first few lines of my speech I felt the sudden wave of adrenaline being released. I knew the moment I would look up that my worries would all go away yet I still felt this immense fear. In the back of my mind, I remember that same feeling with all of the actions I have taken to get myself to where I am now, a leader who hopes to drive others. My National Honor Society Speech was the first time in my life that I had felt both nervous and confident talking about who I am. I spoke about my vulnerability as a proud Latina who grew up in an underprivileged community that relied on volunteers to get through the week. I expressed how my success was not driven by my desire for accomplishment but rather by the journey and impact that happens as a result of hard work. My desire to lead others has allowed me to build a stronger and more inclusive community to inspire the next graduating class to do the same. When I won my presidency I instantly knew my worth and potential to teach others and allow them to follow my footsteps. I utilized these strengths to tutor ESL students within my school so that they too would be encouraged to achieve their goals. Just as my heart expressed fear through its speed, it also expressed love and dedication toward my school’s MiniTHON chapter. I have had the opportunity to lead my school’s 12-hour event to raise money for childhood cancer with a group of like-minded individuals. My inspiration and action to influence participants to join this event has allowed me to lead and organize the upcoming 2026 East Stroudsburg High School South MiniTHON. I utilize my platform with MiniTHON to honor the memory of my cousin Carolina and create a safe space where students can advocate for those who are fighting cancer. Beyond my school community, my heart has a deep passion for volunteering at my two local hospitals, St. Luke's and Lehigh Valley Health Network. Within both of these hospitals, I play a vital role in patient advocacy by providing comfort, helping the nursing staff, or delivering supplies. Volunteering in these hospitals is not just something I do on the side but rather something that I hope inspires others to follow so that my local community benefits. Inspiration does not require accomplishments like degrees or titles but rather the impact through actions that it is having on others. Just like the heart is triggered by emotion, inspiration is triggered by action and I intend to continue moving forward. 3. Receiving this scholarship would allow me to focus on education as an aspiring physician's assistant by helping to fund college tuition, future research opportunities, and science courses to prepare me for a physician's assistant program. It will also allow me support preparation toward the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination. As a rising senior coming from a low income household, I currently balance two jobs while also volunteering at two hospitals. This scholarship would greatly alleviate the cost for my future education and relieve any financial pressures for college. Additionally this award will allow me to continue my future plans in inspiring first generation, low income, latinas through healthcare careers. My ongoing actions to inspire others will continue through my efforts in expanding participation, fundraising for my school’s minithon chapter, creating a stronger and involved community within my National Honor Society chapter, tutoring ESL students within my school, and helping my community by volunteering at hospitals to gain insight into the healthcare field. With this scholarship, I will not only be able to reach my dreams within healthcare but it will also allow me to continue to be an inspiration to others through impact and action.