I watch her eyes flicker around the room, an unfamiliar language assaulting every sense. She approaches the front desk with every movement timed and careful. “Español?” she asks, searching my face for understanding. I smile and nod, before responding if she has an appointment. The change is instantaneous: her shoulders dropping and a sparkle of relief in her eyes. This interaction is not singular; it happens every afternoon when I volunteer at UAMS 12th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is for moments like these that I will be a doctor. I have been drawn to medicine since high school, especially topics covering women’s health. Time and time again, I have seen how uncomfortable women can feel discussing their bodies’ most intimate functions, especially when they must do so in an unfamiliar language. These interactions highlight a crucial factor of healthcare that most miss. Healthcare is not just about diagnosis and treatment; it is about trust, comfort, and the ability to communicate without fear or shame. I want to be part of the movement in Obstetrics and Gynecology that focuses on minimally invasive practices and prioritizes patient-centered care, ensuring each woman feels heard and respected. Beyond individual appointments, I hope to make a larger impact by advocating for language accessibility in all medical situations. The barriers that the Spanish-speaking community faces are not unique to the UAMS Free Clinic; they exist across the USA. As the Spanish-speaking population grows, it is becoming a necessity to have someone on staff who is bilingual or to have access to online interpreters. Whether through separate medical Spanish programs, interpreter services, or culture training for healthcare providers, I want to be a voice for change in making women’s healthcare more inclusive. Recently, I was asked what my biggest goal in life was. The answer appeared so quickly, that I was nearly shocked: I want to open a free women’s health clinic that welcomes all women, regardless of status, language, or financial ability. This clinic would not only provide high-quality medical care but also preventative screenings, prenatal care, and classes on reproductive health -- services that are often inaccessible to minority communities. Every woman should feel empowered and confident in her health without the additional barriers of cost or lack of communication. Medicine, to me, is not just a profession, but a way of life. I want to dedicate my time to bridge the gap between language and effective medicine. I do not only wish to practice medicine but to transform it: one person, one conversation, one more community at a time.

Hello, my name is Elise Yannayon, certified mountain climber. I am an 18-year-old Senior at Beebe High School on track to graduate as Salutatorian for the class of 2024 with a total of seven AP classes and an Arkansas Seal of Biliteracy. In the fall of 2022, I founded Beebe's Inclusion Alliance Club which serves as a safe place in which to teach and learn from students of topics concerning the LGBTQ+ community. To foster creativity, we host a poetry contest every December. I have served as Captain of the Beebe Quizbowl team for two years, but have been a member for three. I aim to attend Hendrix College with minimal debt and maintain an impressive transcript. My overarching goal in life is to educate women about their bodies and contribute to the health of the next generation by becoming an OB/GYN. I have known since I was very young that I would pursue a career in life sciences. In Freshman year, I began to look at different careers to see what I wanted to do after college. I tossed around ideas like being a pediatrician, a pharmacist, or a geneticist. However, after taking Lifespan Development in my Junior year, I firmly knew what I was to become. As a part of the class, we had to research a career associated with children. It was at this time that I took a deeper look into what being an OB/GYN entails. It was as if everything clicked. This was further solidified last June during an internship at a Unity hospital in Searcy. Alongside learning CPR and basic nursing skills, I visited labor rooms and spoke with the doctor about her experiences. I felt like what she described was something I could do through several lifetimes. The journey would be hard, yet that did nothing but excite me more. I had a similar mindset in the summer of 2021 when I registered for an unplugged mountain hiking experience in Colorado with my local church's youth group. This trip drove me to mental and physical extremes. Although it seems like the drive from Arkansas to Colorado should have been the easiest part of the entire experience, it was a source of stress. We encountered events ranging from missing medical documents to a broken-down car. These misfortunes were frustrating, yet I kept in high spirits. In Salida, Colorado, we were assigned the 13,000-foot-tall Mt. Guyot. With a pack nearly taller than myself, I set off with the rest of the group to begin our five-day hike. By the end of the first day, my entire body ached, and my head pounded relentlessly as I yearned to rest. I doubted myself, unsure if I could climb the summit after only tackling a small portion of the looming mountain the day before. The anxiety settled deep within me, yet I knew my determination stretched higher than any mountain. The hiking guides awoke us early the next morning, thus commencing the most strenuous day as my group hiked from the camp to the summit in six hours, as the guides told us afterward. We traversed over boulders and narrow paths, afraid to look down. The view from the top was unlike anything that I had ever seen: the beauty of the land and heavens above were ineffable. Physically, I had blisters and sore legs. Yet, mentally, I was the strongest I had ever been. My biggest accomplishment was preserving in the face of overbearing challenges and still coming out on top, quite literally. I know that this accomplishment will be prevalent throughout my future career.