As a current Health Policy MPH candidate at Yale, I aim to become a pediatric oncologist and scientist who bridges laboratory discoveries and equitable cancer care. During two summers in the Pediatric Oncology Education Program at St. Jude Children’s Hospital, I saw the power that research-driven medicine has to restore hope as I spent time at the research bench and in the clinic. Yet I also saw how cures often remain financially out of reach for patients outside St. Jude’s walls, including my own family members, who I witnessed lose their battle. These experiences solidified my plan to pursue an MD/MPH, equipping me to treat children with cancer while addressing systemic barriers to care through policy and public health. At Clemson University, I spent four years mastering molecular and cellular techniques in DNA repair and cancer biology, completing a dual departmental honors thesis characterizing a novel oncogenic mutation. At St. Jude, I exceeded program expectations, dedicating over 1,200 hours to investigating rare oncogenic mutations in pediatric AML. My work led to publications in Leukemia and Blood Cancer Discovery, an accepted abstract at the American Society of Hematology, and three oral presentations. My integration of scientific inquiry and advocacy through an oncology and disability lens earned me multiple research and service awards, Clemson’s highest undergraduate honor, and the national Truman Scholarship. Navigating the healthcare system both as a patient with a disability and an advocate taught me the difference that empathy, accessibility, and patient-centered communication make in outcomes. Receiving this scholarship would greatly alleviate my financial hurdle to higher education and enable me to continue this work, ultimately ensuring that every patient, regardless of background, ability, or socioeconomic status, receives the same quality of care I witnessed at St. Jude.