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Elise Yannayon

1x

Finalist

General information

Age
20
Gender
Female
US Citizenship
US Citizen
Ethnicity
Caucasian

Hobbies & Interests

  • Biology
  • Medicine
  • Advocacy And Activism
  • Community Service And Volunteering
  • Foreign Languages
  • Music Composition
  • Reading
  • Singing

Reading

  • Fantasy
  • Classics
  • Mystery

I read books daily.

Bio

Hello!! I'm Elise, an LGBTQ+ woman pursuing medicine. Currently, I'm interested in Obstetrics and Gynecology. As a future OB/GYN, I intend to advocate for all my patients and their bodily autonomy, as I believe it is essential to allow women to have the first choice in any topic that concerns their bodies. Additionally, as an LGBTQ+ woman, I wish to protect my LGBTQ+ clients by providing queer-friendly options in options such as sex protection, surrogacy, and IVF. As a Junior in High School, I founded an LGBTQ+-focused club in rural Arkansas, where we endured much discrimination. Despite this, we formed a family-like bond, provided an escape from the often harsh reality, and researched events and laws in history that affected our group. Additionally, after learning the Spanish language and creating personal relationships that rely on my understanding of the language and culture, I have been introduced to a new world in medicine. Many patients who only speak Spanish are often left untreated and misunderstood in medical settings. I hope to combat this by serving as an interpreter in undergrad and eventually becoming a bilingual doctor. With all my large dreams aside, I love to read, mostly fantasy and mystery novels, as well as hike in my free time (Arkansas has some of the most beautiful hiking trails in this region). My biggest hobby is creating music, then uploading whatever I make online. Recently, I have enjoyed playing on the Varisty Marvel Rivals Esports team.

Education

Hendrix College

Bachelor's degree program

2024 – 2028

Majors:
  • Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
GPA4.0 GPA

Beebe High School

High School

2020 – 2024

GPA4.0 GPA

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Graduate schools of interest:
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
Majors of interest:
Medicine, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other, Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
Medical school interest:
Yes
Test scores:
  • ACT34

Career

  • Lab Assistant - Collected and processed over 100 patient specimens with basic phlebotomy

    Hospital & Health Care · Unity Hospital

    Jan 2025 – Present

  • Internship - Shadowed medical professionals, learned practical skills such as suturing, taking blood pressure and CPR

    Medicine · Searcy Unity Health

    Jan 2023 – Jan 2023

  • Shadow - Followed an OBGYN and experienced ultrasounds, pap smears, and various birth control related topics

    Hospital & Health Care · Conway Regional

    Jan 2025 – Jan 2025

  • Child Counselor - Ensured safety of children, taught social/emotional skills, resolved conflicts

    Education · Beebe Schools

    Jan 2023 – Jan 2024

  • Carhop/Grill Member/Drive-Thru

    Restaurants · Sonic

    Jan 2022 – Jan 2023

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Medicine
Dream career goals:
Advocating bodily autonomy for woman and providing LGBTQ+-friendly options; Establishing a Free Women's Health Clinic with bilingual staff
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
  • Volunteering
  • Philanthropy
  • Entrepreneurship
Pay It Forward Scholarship
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.
Robert F. Lawson Fund for Careers that Care
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.
Janean D. Watkins Aspiring Healthcare Professionals Scholarship
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.
Elise Yannayon Student Profile | Bold.org