STDs are illnesses plaguing tens of millions of people in the US and hundreds of millions in the world today, which also happens to include a person very dear to me. My friend, who has been sexually active for a little over a year, unfortunately contracted an STD due to carelessness in his sex life. He had shown symptoms a week after his sexual activity, but was not certain if it was an STD. He would not get this certainty until a visit to the doctors, in which 3 weeks had already passed. He was diagnosed with Chlamydia and put on antibiotics, but damage was already inflicted. Now, every day for the rest of his life, he has to deal with pain in his groin whenever he wants to use the restroom or have sex. Although people should indeed be cautious when having sex, many are not, especially younger people. These diseases can then be spread further and infect at an exponential rate. Many people in my school have admitted to participating in sexual activities, but do not always use condoms. They also admit to not testing for STDs after their encounters. There could be hundreds of young adults carrying STDs, knowingly or unknowingly, but they do not talk about it due to social stigmas or ignorance of what symptoms look like. This only further drives the nail in the coffin and infects more people. My solutions involve advertising for STD check-ups and cheap STD kits. The advertisement would come in the form of health programs and posters with QR codes to informational videos that would raise awareness about how dangerous protected and unprotected sex can be and what an infection may look like. This encourages people to use condoms, receive vaccinations, and/or abstain from having sex altogether. The STD kits are pivotal for prevention as they relieve people of fear and provide a convenient way to test for infection. Many may not talk to their doctors about being sexually active and therefore never get the treatment they need for their illnesses. These kits could be sold at local pharmacies and online to make them easy to acquire, and would remove the stigma of other people finding out. Affordability also plays a big role in whether or not people test for infection. Many young people are still in school and may not have jobs to pay for expensive kits. Cheap kits also allow for people with low funds to receive this enlightenment, prevent it from spreading, and receive treatment before chronic damage is done.

Growing up in a first-generation Latin-American household, learning rarely came from textbooks first. It started in a humble trailer, in conversations, hands-on moments, and the little lessons imbued into everyday life. One of the earliest ways my parents taught me about the world was through plants. We didn’t just have a garden; we had a classroom in the soil. My parents showed me how to gently press seeds into the earth, how to recognize the difference between healthy leaves and those in distress, and how patience and care lead to growth. I didn’t realize it at the time, but nurturing plants taught me responsibility, observation, and the value of tending to living things. It sparked a quiet passion in me for biology and the rhythms of life, a passion that would grow the same way those seeds did. Another unexpected teacher in my life was the guitar. I didn’t take formal lessons at first; I taught myself by watching videos, strumming until my fingers ached, and learning through trial and error. Guitar gave me a new way to express emotion, but even more importantly, it taught me discipline. I learned that progress happens one practice session at a time, and that frustration is sometimes part of the journey. Eventually, I became good enough to play for others, and those moments showed me how sharing what you love can connect you to people in powerful ways. Somewhere between gardening and guitar, I fell deeply in love with anatomy. At first, it was simple curiosity: How does the body actually work? But that curiosity turned into obsession. I found myself watching dissections, studying diagrams, memorizing bones and muscles for fun. The human body felt like the most complex and marvelous instrument of all, and I wanted to understand every last part of it. Anatomy combined everything I love: science, structure, creativity, and care. All of these experiences have led me to one clear goal: I want to become a pediatrician. I’ve always enjoyed being around kids. They’re precious little bundles of life and curiosity full of the potential to change the world. I want to support them not just physically, but emotionally and culturally. As a first-generation Latin-American student, I’ve seen how language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, and limited access to health education can affect families like mine. I know what it’s like to translate doctors’ terms for my parents, or to feel like the healthcare system wasn’t built with us in mind. That’s exactly why I want to change it. I plan to bring compassion, cultural understanding, and bilingual care to medicine. I want families to feel seen and heard, not rushed or ignored. I want to educate communities about health the same way my parents educated me about plants, patiently, practically, and with love. I want to be a beam of hope for other first-generation students and show them that people like us can become doctors, lawyers, presidents, and still stay true to our roots. My passions, whether it’s nurturing plants, mastering guitar, or exploring anatomy, all revolve around growth, connection, and dedication. Becoming a pediatrician is how I plan to bring those passions together and make a positive impact on the world. I don’t just want to treat patients, I want to empower the next generation to grow healthy, confident, and cared for, just like the seeds I planted years ago.