I am a motivated first-year undergraduate student seeking a future career within the medical field and STEM-related areas, hoping to foster inclusivity and bring change within overlooked communities. The American healthcare system has historically overlooked minorities, justifying the lack of access to healthcare from all aspects. I plan to earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD), specializing in either pediatrics or anesthesiology. My interest in healthcare started with a curiosity for the way our bodies work, which drives a wonder for “why” and “how" each molecule, cell, and nerve can keep us alive every day, but the layers underneath open a world of possibilities, and crucial for change-especially in underserved communities. I want to advocate for the black child who is 2x as likely to visit the emergency room due to asthma compared to other children. It starts with knowledge of the lungs and inflammation in the airways but ends with being socially aware. Is it dust mites in the household? Can they afford an air purifier? Ultimately, these questions can be answered with a well-rounded education. Being awarded this scholarship will fulfill my long-time aspiration to attend Spelman College debt-free and complete my bachelor's degree in Health Science, an accomplishment that most of my immediate family could not complete and something I know will make them proud. I am a child of divorced parents, and growing up, my mother instilled a belief that I could do whatever I put my mind to, so I let my mind run wild with constant new interests that shaped my lively childhood. At the same time, she worked hard to provide a nurturing environment for growth. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my mother was unemployed for 18 months and was unsuccessful in finding meaningful work until late 2022. If granted this scholarship, I can relieve some of the financial burden of paying for college from my mother, who financially supports me more than 50%. For the future, this scholarship will help me pay for an education where I can align the foundational knowledge needed to be a physician with a vision of viewing my future patients holistically, aside from their health concerns. Growing up in the Baltimore City Public School system, I’ve been fortunate enough to become involved in several STEM-related activities that helped me to define a clear path toward my future, such as MERIT Health Leadership, a career-oriented program that I have participated in from middle school to present, with a goal to expose underrepresented populations to the evolving field of STEM. Being deeply involved with MERIT has opened doors for fostering inclusivity within spaces that never felt truly welcoming for people of color, which has paid off with my opportunities to clinical shadow multiple health professionals from Johns Hopkins Hospital, Mercy Medical, and Veterans Medical Center. To be exposed to this field as a high school student, I feel empowered to erradicate barriers and be a representation of African-American women in the medical field, which is essential and critical in today’s society. I found that this curiosity I’ve developed over the years may not always have exact answers right away, but I learned that it’s okay to experiment with the unknown. Taking the initiative drives my interest to keep investigating and searching for answers, which I'm confident will bring advancement to underrepresented groups to uplift diversity and take down barriers affecting marginalized groups within any community. My aspiration to become a physician will not just fit the generic role but represent the minority. Change can happen when we bring light to specific issues that target and impact those with similar experiences.

A 10-minute trip takes me to Safeway, the closest grocery store with fresh produce. A 2-minute walk revealed Broadway. Bright neon signs yelling “Convenience store” with a subtitle of snacks, tobacco, and drinks. I resorted to these stores when the fridge was empty when my mother had to work. Walking down the long sidewalks of a reality that was close to home but far from perfect, became a growing concern for me. Growing up surrounded by a community facing socio-economic challenges such as food deserts, community service has become an importance to me in order to develop resilience and a drive to create change. One, in particular, is my volunteering at City Weeds, a grocery store in West Baltimore, a huge food desert lacking in grocery stores with nutritious healthy food options. My efforts to package boxes with healthy foods to be given out to the community was a small step that had a great impact on an overlooked community, and I’ll bring this experience as a reason to pursue more community-oriented outreach during my time at Spelman College, where I will be majoring in Health Science on the pre-med track. I find giving back to those in need can make a meaningful impact for them, and a sense of pride in myself as I continue on my academic and career journey. Inclusivity and diversity are essential to the growth of any community, and the healthcare system has historically overlooked minorities, justifying the lack of access to healthcare from all aspects. This makes it even more important to have representation of those who come from underserved, marginalized backgrounds. These are the backgrounds that foster and drive inclusivity in any space, but in an even broader sense, these are the backgrounds of those who have dealt with the same experiences as their counterparts and understand the impact that they face because of those experiences. This character thrives from identity. From a specific perspective, I identify as an African-American woman. For many women who identify similarly to me, there becomes a series of many unanswered questions, unreliable resources and so much more just to have clarity and balance in taking care of our health and wellbeing. Even if you take away gender, identifying as Black/African-American alone plays a huge role in how individually we are treated in society, and that feeds itself off into how we are treated in the healthcare system as well, and this spectrum is known as health disparities, impacting where we live, work, and function everyday in order to stay healthy. Ultimately, it takes initiative to bring change. Obtaining my bachelors degree in Health Science and my MD degree thereafter will take more than academic excellence. I aspire to become a physician who does not just fit the generic role, but represents the minority. The advancement of underrepresented groups in any STEM field will help to uplift diversity and take down barriers affecting marginalized groups within any community. When we bring light to specific issues that target and impact them, change can happen.

The American healthcare system has historically overlooked minorities, justifying the lack of access to healthcare from all aspects. This makes it even more important to have representation of those who come from underserved, marginalized backgrounds. These are the backgrounds that foster and drive inclusivity in any space, but in an even broader sense, these are the backgrounds of those who have dealt with the same experiences as their counterparts and understand the impact that they face because of those experiences. My interest in healthcare started with a simple curiosity for how things work. I found that everything is a work in progress, a process that may not always have answers right away. I learned that it’s okay to experiment with the unknown. Taking the initiative is what drives my interest to keep investigating and looking for answers, and I believe that is the character that is needed within the healthcare industry today. I plan to earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD), specializing in either pediatrics or anesthesiology. This character thrives from identity. From a specific perspective, I identify as an African-American woman. For many women who identify similarly to me, there becomes a series of many unanswered questions, unreliable resources and so much more just to have clarity and balance in taking care of our health and well-being. Even if you take away gender, identifying as Black/African-American alone plays a huge role in how individually we are treated in society, and that feeds itself off into how we are treated in the healthcare system as well, and this spectrum is known as health disparities. It takes initiative to bring change, and once learning about health disparities, I was driven to be apart of the change. A 10-minute trip takes me to Safeway, the closest grocery store with fresh produce. A 2-minute walk revealed Broadway. Bright neon signs yelling “Convenience store” with a subtitle of snacks, tobacco, and drinks. I resorted to these stores when the fridge was empty, and my mother had to work. As I walked down the long sidewalks of a reality close to home but far from perfect, I could sense that there was an issue that became a growing concern for me. At City Weeds, a grocery store in a severe food desert, I packaged boxes filled with nutritious foods to help my community improve their health. Efforts like these encouraged me to reflect on how it takes initiative to bring change. True community involves looking within the good and bad parts to rebuild the community for the better, and this action inspires me to major in public health in college. I want to advocate for the black child who is 2x as likely to visit the emergency room due to asthma compared to other children. It starts with knowledge of the lungs and inflammation in the airways but ends with being socially aware. Is it dust mites in the household? Can they afford an air purifier? Ultimately, these questions can only be answered with the opportunity to have a well-rounded education. I found that this curiosity I've developed over the years may not always have exact answers right away, but I learned that it’s okay to experiment with the unknown. Taking initiative drives my interest to keep investigating and searching for answers, which I'm confident will bring advancement to underrepresented groups to uplift diversity, and take down barriers affecting marginalized groups within any community.

The American healthcare system has historically overlooked minorities, justifying the lack of access to healthcare from all aspects. This makes it even more important to have representation of those who come from underserved, marginalized backgrounds. These are the backgrounds that foster and drive inclusivity in any space, but in an even broader sense, these are the backgrounds of those who have dealt with the same experiences as their counterparts and understand the impact that they face because of those experiences. My interest in healthcare started with a simple curiosity for how things work. I found that everything is a work in progress, a process that may not always have answers right away. I learned that it’s okay to experiment with the unknown. Taking the initiative is what drives my interest to keep investigating and looking for answers, and I believe that is the character that is needed within the healthcare industry today. I plan to earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD), specializing in either pediatrics or anesthesiology. This character thrives from identity. From a specific perspective, I identify as an African-American woman. For many women who identify similarly to me, there becomes a series of many unanswered questions, unreliable resources and so much more just to have clarity and balance in taking care of our health and well-being. Even if you take away gender, identifying as Black/African-American alone plays a huge role in how individually we are treated in society, and that feeds itself off into how we are treated in the healthcare system as well, and this spectrum is known as health disparities. It takes initiative to bring change, and once learning about health disparities, I was driven to be apart of the change. A 10-minute trip takes me to Safeway, the closest grocery store with fresh produce. A 2-minute walk revealed Broadway. Bright neon signs yelling “Convenience store” with a subtitle of snacks, tobacco, and drinks. I resorted to these stores when the fridge was empty, and my mother had to work. As I walked down the long sidewalks of a reality close to home but far from perfect, I could sense that there was an issue that became a growing concern for me. At City Weeds, a grocery store in a severe food desert, I packaged boxes filled with nutritious foods to help my community improve their health. Efforts like these encouraged me to reflect on how it takes initiative to bring change. I want to advocate for the black child who is 2x as likely to visit the emergency room due to asthma compared to other children. It starts with knowledge of the lungs and inflammation in the airways but ends with being socially aware. Is it dust mites in the household? Can they afford an air purifier? Ultimately, these questions can only be answered with the opportunity to have a well-rounded education. Being awarded this scholarship will fulfill my long-time aspiration to go to college and obtain a bachelor's degree, something that the majority of my immediate family could not complete, and something that would make them proud. This degree will help me align the foundation knowledge needed to be a physician, viewing my future patients holistically, aside from their health concerns. I found that this curiosity I've developed over the years may not always have exact answers right away, but I learned that it’s okay to experiment with the unknown. Taking initiative drives my interest to keep investigating and searching for answers, which I'm confident will bring advancement to underrepresented groups to uplift diversity, and take down barriers affecting marginalized groups within any community.

A 10-minute trip takes me to Safeway, the closest grocery store with fresh produce. A 2-minute walk revealed Broadway. Bright neon signs yelling “Convenience store” with a subtitle of snacks, tobacco, and drinks. I resorted to these stores when the fridge was empty when my mother had to work. Walking down the long sidewalks of a reality that was close to home but far from perfect, became a growing concern for me. Growing up surrounded by a community facing socio-economic challenges such as food deserts, I have developed resilience and a drive to create change, which led me to participate in many community health-based outreach as an approach to a solution. One, in particular, is my volunteering at City Weeds, a grocery store in West Baltimore, a huge food desert lacking in grocery stores with nutritious healthy food options. My efforts to package boxes with healthy foods to be given out to the community was a small step that had a great impact on an overlooked community, and I’ll bring this experience as a reason to pursue more community-oriented outreach during college, as I find giving back to those in need can make a meaningful impact for them, and a sense of pride in myself as I continue on my academic and career journey. The American healthcare system has historically overlooked minorities, justifying the lack of access to healthcare from all aspects. I plan to earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD), specializing in either pediatrics or anesthesiology. My interest in healthcare started with a curiosity for the way our bodies work, which drives a wonder for “why” and "how" each molecule, cell, and nerve can keep us alive every day, but the layers underneath open a world of possibilities, and crucial for change-especially in underserved communities. I want to advocate for the black child who is 2x as likely to visit the emergency room due to asthma compared to other children. It starts with knowledge of the lungs and inflammation in the airways but ends with being socially aware. Is it dust mites in the household? Can they afford an air purifier? Ultimately, obtaining this degree will help me align the foundation knowledge needed to be a physician with viewing my patients holistically, aside from their health concerns. I found that this curiosity I've developed over the years may not always have exact answers right away, but I learned that it’s okay to experiment with the unknown. Taking initiative drives my interest to keep investigating and searching for answers, which I'm confident will bring advancement to underrepresented groups to uplift diversity, and take down barriers affecting marginalized groups within any community. My aspiration to become a physician will not just fit the generic role but represent the minority. Change can happen when we bring light to specific issues that target and impact those who share similar experiences to us.