My plan as a future geneticist is to find long term solutions to autoimmune disorders and other genetic illnesses. I have always had a great interest in the sciences and in public service. However, I never knew how to combine the two until my diagnosis with type one diabetes in middle school. As a geneticist, I hope to do everything I can within the medical field to find better solutions to genetic illness. Many genetic and autoimmune disorders today are controlled by focusing on symptom treatment rather than attempting to fix the source of the problem. This is the largest issue with diabetes today. Injecting insulin daily for meals only goes so far to treat the disorder. While a well-controlled blood sugar does ensure sustained health for diabetics, inevitably many will suffer from finger or toe loss, accelerated worsening of eyesight, and a brittle condition in later years, making blood sugar control significantly more difficult. These issues have yet to be solved and still affect even the most careful diabetics. I had the opportunity to speak with a doctor in my chosen specialty and she opened my eyes to what is possible with clinical genetics. The doctor I spoke with specialized in personalized genetic medicine. This type of treatment is very costly but ensures that whatever disorder the young recipient is suffering from is eliminated in their later years. This treatment inspired me to look beyond current therapies for autoimmune and genetic disorders. It showed me a future where genetic illness could be eliminated at the source. Personalized medicine is currently only possible for newborn patients, as their DNA is most alterable. Despite this, personalized medicine has far-reaching implications, even for those who suffer from genetic illness in their adult or adolescent years. With my education, I want to expand the use of personalized genetic medications to adults and make such medication more affordable to parents and their newborns. By making such medicine work for adults, the additional pains of diabetes outside of blood sugar control could be cured and even reversed if already manifested. Currently, the path to curing autoimmune and genetic illness in adults is stem cells. However, stem cell research and personalized genetic medicines have a major barrier to be used as widespread treatment- their cost. Currently, certain medications can cost between two hundred fifty thousand and one million dollars. These medications are experimental and still far from being available nationwide. One of the largest barriers to treatment within the United States is medical insurance coverage, due to the price of treatment. The only way to ensure that genetic illness and autoimmune disorders are eliminated is to make these treatments widespread and affordable. Everyone deserves to have the opportunity to live their own life, and when a medical issue is a barrier to such a fulfilled life, it is the doctor's job to preserve their patients’ future. There should be no barrier to medical treatment, not gender, not race, and certainly not socioeconomic status. I understand discrimination as a member of the LGBTQ community and know well enough that no demographic an individual belongs to should be a reason for the loss of their future. By giving affordable and accessible treatment to anyone in need, we can realize a better, healthier future for humanity.