Hello, my name is Duy Nguyen. I was born in Vietnam and came to the United States when I was 2 years old. Growing up, I was always behind with all my school work since my family only spoke Vietnamese at home. My mother was always working relentlessly to financially support me and herself. As time passes, we decided to get a tutor to help me; however, nothing worked. That is when my mother met my stepfather. The man who shaped the morals and values of the person I am today is a significant role model in my life. He taught me what it meant to work hard and treat every failure as a stepping stone for success. I soon came to realize that in order to become successful in my academics, I must prioritize myself and not depend on others to do it for me. I decided to take accountability within my school work more seriously. With this mindset, I was able to improve my grades and test scores significantly and become extremely capable in my academic success. My stepfather always pushed me into the medical space by encouraging me to read medical books. At first, I was not really interested; however, when I started going into the gym for personal fitness, I came to be interested in this. I learned how the body interacts with one another and how to optimize my health. I became passionate about how this works on a deeper level and plan to help patients who are struggling with their health in other ways. My stepfather also pushed me to do other things other than school work, such as getting a part-time job. My first job I ever partook in was Winn-Dixie. Working for the first time was a new experience; this allowed me to interact with various customers from different races and cultures. I learned to put up with those who were difficult and cooperated with many coworkers through tough times. With this highly valuable asset within my person, I learned important skills such as communication, resilience, and growth. To this day, I am grateful to have the opportunity to truly work and understand what it takes to work in an environment with other people. My stepfather also persuaded me to volunteer in a hospital, specifically Holy Cross Hospital. This new opportunity was extremely beneficial for my passion within the medical field, as it gives me a secondhand view of what it was like to work in a medical environment. During this time, I was given the opportunity to interact with patients and nurses who aided those in need. I answered call lights, cleaned up messes, restocked rooms, and provided any additional assistance to the staff. I am eternally grateful to be given the opportunity to participate in both work environments. As a Southeast Asian immigrant, I am proud to say that my heritage had nothing to do with my goals and has not prevented me from reaching any of my goals. I am thankful for this opportunity for this scholarship, and thank you for your consideration.