My dream is to make mental health services more available to fellow Hispanics who struggle with paying medical fees. I grew up as the first daughter of two immigrants from Mexico City, Spanish being my first language. I've experienced a lot of dismissive behavior from doctors throughout my life due to having government-aided health insurance. To make matters worse, the disbelief and shame surrounding mental health in the Hispanic community discourage those suffering from seeking help for their conditions. I, myself, dealt with the shame surrounding my mental health until I decided I could not live like that anymore. Due to growing up with limited funds, my family has always relied on government aid to pay for my sister's and my medical bills. Finding a healthcare practitioner that takes our insurance has always been somewhat of an uphill battle. In January of 2020, I finally made an appointment with a psychiatrist that took our insurance in order to begin the journey to fix my mental health. I was terrified walking into Dr. Jami's office, but once she sat me down and began to ask me questions, I knew it was ok to finally open up to someone. She exuded the most patient and kind energy really listened to me, and then made the diagnoses. She didn't just prescribe medication, she truly takes pride and joy in her work and wants to make a difference in her patients' lives. I had always known I wanted to go into the medical field, but my appointment with Dr. Jami sparked my interest in psychiatry. Once she settled on diagnoses, she gave me scanned copies of the disorders from her DSM-5, studies that have been done on those illnesses, and possible treatment routes to encourage that interest and had weigh in on what treatment option I wanted to go with. After much trial and error, we found the doses that worked best to provide me stability, she set me up with a therapist, whom I see weekly. Thanks to Dr. Jami, her kindness, empathy, and wisdom, I am alive today to tell my experience with mental health struggles and pursue a career in medicine. I owe her everything, her support for my career choice means the world to me, and she continues to be one of my biggest supporters to this day. When I earn my MD, I can be just like her, helping the underprivileged gain access to understanding and thorough healthcare. I can make a difference among young people and save lives, just as Dr. Jami saved mine.

My dream is to make mental health services more available to fellow Hispanics who struggle with paying medical fees. I grew up as the first daughter of two immigrants from Mexico City, Spanish being my first language. I've experienced a lot of dismissive behavior from doctors throughout my life due to having government-aided health insurance. To make matters worse, the disbelief and shame surrounding mental health in the Hispanic community discourage those suffering from seeking help for their conditions. I, myself, dealt with the shame surrounding my mental health until I decided I could not live like that anymore. Due to growing up with limited funds, my family has always relied on government aid to pay for my sister's and my medical bills. Finding a healthcare practitioner that takes our insurance has always been somewhat of an uphill battle. In January of 2020, I finally made an appointment with a psychiatrist that took our insurance in order to begin the journey to fix my mental health. I was terrified walking into Dr. Jami's office, but once she sat me down and began to ask me questions, I knew it was ok to finally open up to someone. She exuded the most patient and kind energy really listened to me, and then made the diagnoses. She didn't just prescribe medication, she truly takes pride and joy in her work and wants to make a difference in her patients' lives. I had always known I wanted to go into the medical field, but my appointment with Dr. Jami sparked my interest in psychiatry. Once she settled on diagnoses, she gave me scanned copies of the disorders from her DSM-5, studies that have been done on those illnesses, and possible treatment routes to encourage that interest and had weigh in on what treatment option I wanted to go with. After much trial and error, we found the doses that worked best to provide me stability, she set me up with a therapist, whom I see weekly. Thanks to Dr. Jami, her kindness, empathy, and wisdom, I am alive today to tell my experience with mental health struggles and pursue a career in medicine. I owe her everything, her support for my career choice means the world to me, and she continues to be one of my biggest supporters to this day. When I earn my MD, I can be just like her, helping the underprivileged gain access to understanding and thorough healthcare. I can make a difference among young people and save lives, just as Dr. Jami saved mine.

My mother arrived in Chicago, Illinois, in 1995, as a hopeful 20-year old looking for better opportunities for herself. When she first got here, she didn’t know anyone or the language, yet built a career for herself from the ground up, sometimes not having enough money to buy food so she could pay for rent. To this very day, she is the hardest working person I have ever met in my life, and I try to make her sacrifices worth it every day. Every time I see my mom in the crowd of graduations or an awards ceremony, her face shining with pride, I know I’m on the right track. Thanks to her unwavering support, I’m able to take advantage of every opportunity given to me and seize every chance to make her proud of who I’m becoming. The reason I’m able to even receive a college education is thanks to how she raised me. She inspires me every day to work as hard as I can to be successful, and I want nothing more than to make her proud and feel like every sacrifice was worth it. We may not be rich, and I may have not grown up with much, but she gave me everything she could and I could not be more grateful. My mom gave me the greatest inheritance ever, my heritage and unconditional love, and the ability to get ahead by being bilingual. Thank you, Mami, I owe you everything. I love you.

1. I have chosen to pursue a career in psychiatry, specifically providing mental health care for underprivileged communities. As someone that grew up poor and attended clinics with flexible payment plans, I know how essential these facilities are for underprivileged communities. 2. I am a proud first-generation student, with immigrant parents, and the household dynamic we have is very culturally different than most American households. My biggest worry when seeking help for my bipolar 2 disorder was to be brushed off by a white doctor and ignored. Thankfully, I met my psychiatrist, Dr. Jami. As a Desi woman, an immigrant herself, she completely understood my situation and listened better than anyone I've ever met. She has helped improve my quality of life tremendously and she has supported me throughout my journey unconditionally and has gone above and beyond to make sure I am ok. She was my inspiration when I decided to pursue psychiatry as a career because I know that I can impact my future patients the way she did to me. She changed my life for the better, and I have always wanted to help others live their best life. I know that by becoming a doctor, I can absolutely dedicate my life to helping underprivileged patients access the health care they deserve. 3. I currently work as a waitress in order to afford to pay for the leftover tuition my merit scholarships do not cover. I have received a great deal of aid from the government and my university, something I am deeply grateful for, but I cannot afford the tuition that is left over. If I am chosen, this scholarship would help a great deal in taking a substantial step toward paying off the loans I have currently, so I can focus on my schoolwork. This money would change everything for me in the best way possible. 4. I am pursuing a phlebotomy certification in order to complete the patient-contact hours required to apply for medical school. After the certification, I am working toward applying and finishing medical school and obtaining a residency opportunity. I am so excited for what the future holds, I do not know where I may end up as a psychiatrist, but I would love to set up a practice in my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. I aim to help immigrants and other people with financial struggles live fulfilling lives, with the best medical care I know I can provide. I know it would make my parents so proud that I would be helping others in Spanish and English as much as Dr. Jami has helped me.

My mother arrived in Chicago, Illinois, in 1995, as a hopeful 20-year old looking for better opportunities for herself. When she first got here, she didn’t know anyone or the language, yet built a career for herself from the ground up, sometimes not having enough money to buy food so she could pay for rent. To this very day, she is the hardest working person I have ever met in my life, and I try to make her sacrifices worth it every day. Every time I see my mom in the crowd of graduations or an awards ceremony, her face shining with pride, I know I’m on the right track. Thanks to her unwavering support, I’m able to take advantage of every opportunity given to me and seize every chance to make her proud of who I’m becoming. The reason I’m able to even receive a college education is thanks to how she raised me. We may not be rich, and I may have not grown up with much, but she gave me everything she could and I could not be more grateful. My mom gave me the greatest inheritance ever, my heritage and unconditional love, and the ability to get ahead by being bilingual. Thank you, Mami, I owe you everything. I love you.

My passion for music is one of my favorite ways of expressing creativity in my day-to-day life. Once the school year began, I found my university had a mariachi band, so I joined as the flute accompanist. What better way to pay homage to my culture while also allowing myself to participate in something I loved? This membership ended up being much more educational than I had originally planned when the professor asked if I wanted to learn how to play the vihuela. Another hobby made available to me on campus is the freedom to hike up neighboring mountain trails every week, as many times as I like. The unique beauty of the Southern Virginia wilderness has become a source of comfort for me, as well as a form of exercise and opportunity to meditate. I also began a macramé business on Etsy to be able to share a family tradition and skill with others. The steady pace of knotting and creating patterns brings a sense of peace to me, easing any stress I may be feeling at the moment. The arts have always been more than just hobbies to me. They are my dear friends, unwaveringly supporting me through thick and thin and teaching me healthy ways to cope with stress.

Despite pursuing a career in the forensic medical field, creative outlets allow me to destress with every knot, note, or step I make, creating something beautiful out of frustration or anxiety. These positive outlets have supported me emotionally, mentally, and even financially throughout my college experience. My passion for music is one of my favorite ways of expressing creativity in my day-to-day life. Once the school year began, I found my university had a mariachi band, so I joined as the flute accompanist. What better way to pay homage to my culture while also allowing myself to participate in something I loved? This membership ended up being much more educational than I had originally planned when the professor asked if I wanted to learn how to play the vihuela. I began a macramé business on Etsy to be able to share a family tradition and skill with others. The arts have always been a dear friend, unwaveringly supporting me through thick and thin and teaching me healthy ways to cope with stress. Creative freedom is such a blessing to have no matter your career path.

My first-grade teacher told my mom that I never quite knew when to stop talking at a parent-teacher conference after school the day before Columbus Day. I had spoken up during class to say that Christopher Columbus was a thief and not a hero and that he enslaved people. My mother asked why I was in trouble for saying something true, only to be told that 'it makes other kids uncomfortable.' Since then, I have had many similar encounters with teachers and administrators throughout my school career. However, in my senior year of high school, Diversify Our Narrative came to our district. D.O.N. is an organization that brings diversity to the school curriculum to inform more students about other cultures. As soon as I heard, I signed up to become an organizer for the group. After D.O.N. came Students for Equity and Action Committee, and I joined that, too. The passion for informing people peacefully and helping people learn to love one another has never stopped being a great source of happiness for me, even now that I'm in college. I continue to advocate for minority groups at my university and hope to continue helping correct past wrongs and help people learn new things about other cultures.

Over the course of the semester, my biology class ventured into the woods behind the school to observe and conduct labs, including an assignment called a ‘sit-spot journal’. We had to pick a place, surrounded by nature, and answer the questions our professor had provided ahead of time. The first thing I noticed about my college campus was its location. Nestled at the feet of very big mountains from all sides, about 2 miles from a large water reserve called Carvins Cove. Seeing this, I decided to give hiking to Carvins Cove a try. My sit-spot ended up being about 2 miles from my campus, deep in the forest. I immediately fell in love with the Virginia wilderness, the dense greenery, the way the ground resembled stained glass from the sunlight streaming through the treetops, and the therapeutic tickle of Carvins Creek on my right. The assignment felt less and less like work and more like therapy with every passing second. The second I stood in the clearing in my sitspot, a beautiful pool of crystal-clear water in front of me, and closed my eyes, I knew peace in the purest sense of the word. I had never felt that kind of comfort and calm as I do in the forest. Now, twice a week, I make the 4 mile hike to Carvins Cove for that peace. I know that no matter how hard life may feel, I can always go back to my beautiful home in the woods.

Macramé originated in the Middle East around the 13th century, and has since then spread around the globe as an art form, one of these places being my native México. Making macramé bracelets have been a part of my family as a pass-time and business for generations and were passed down to me. Now, I can use these skills in order to help myself through college and as a way of continuing the tradition. Despite pursuing a career in the forensic medical field, this creative outlet allows me to destress with every knot I make, creating something beautiful out of frustration or anxiety. This positive outlet has supported me emotionally, mentally, and even financially throughout my college experience. Along with macramé, my passion for music is one of my favorite ways of expressing creativity in my day to day life. Once the school year began, I found my university had a mariachi band, so I joined as the flute accompanist. What better way to pay homage to my culture while also allowing myself to participate in something I loved? This membership ended up being much more educational than I had originally planned when the professor asked if I wanted to learn how to play the vihuela. The arts have always been a dear friend, unwaveringly supporting me through thick and thin and teaching me healthy ways to cope with stress. Creative freedom is such a blessing to have no matter your career path.

After attending an autopsy for an anatomy class in high school, I left the cadaver lab at Northern Illinois University feeling happier than I ever had before. That was the moment I knew I wanted to become a forensic medical examiner someday. It’s truly my perfect fit as far as careers go. Being able to problem solve (find the cause of death), know exactly how the human body works, and being able to help solve police cases is something that greatly appeals to me, hence my major in biomedical sciences. Finding a career that brought me joy and allowed me to help others has been a question that plagued me since I was young, all other options had some sort of aspect that would make me resent my decision to pursue said career. Though the path to accomplish my dream is difficult, I know every second will be worth it, and I’m more that willing to work as hard as I can in order to fulfill this dream.

Discrimination in the medical industry is no secret. For years, women, people of color, those with mental disorders, and so many more have been gaslit and silenced by an industry that prioritizes the amount of money that these patients can give them. Now, my field of medicine will not deal with the living, rather, those that have been deceased. My responsibility will be to determine the cause of death, if my patient deserves justice for foul play or if they simply passed on. I, too, have been surrounded by deaths that didn’t add up, or relatives’ deaths that could have been avoided had they just been listened to. Marginalized groups have a right to trust their healthcare providers, and our responsibility as their doctors is to treat their sick as if they were our closest relative or friend. We must understand their pain and work with them in order to best solve their problem, and having more medical staff that are part of minority groups would best heal this communication gap. We can do better, together.

Macramé originated in the Middle East around the 13th century, and has since then spread around the globe as an art form, one of these places being my native México. Making these bracelets have been a part of my family as a pass-time and business for generations and were passed down to me. Now, I can use these skills in order to help myself through college and as a way of continuing the tradition. I named my shop "sorella" after the Italian word for sister, a little homage to the person that supports me the most in everything I do. My family and everything they have sacrificed in moving to a new country motivates me and is part of my drive to make them proud. Making a positive impact on others or helping them heal is all I have ever wanted to do, and with this, I can. Thank you for this opportunity, I appreciate it very much.

Guillermo Del Toro is a two-time Academy Award winning film director, born in Guadalajara, Mexico, he and his work have a place in my heart as the harbinger of childhood comfort and imagination. He doesn’t shy away from using dark motifs in his films, exploring the good and bad side of humanity, and brings imagination and fantasy to life. His movies are just as complex and unique as a human being, and his work brings me joy that is unparalleled in emotional impact and self-reflection.