The day had finally come, our university’s annual involvement fair. Every year, over 500 organizations gathered to host a booth for their campus club. After two hours of playing minigames, sampling various cultural cuisines, and placing our information down to be added onto multiple club mailing lists, my friends and I noticed there was one club missing – a club for those interested in chemistry. Toward the end of our college freshman year, we created the Chemistry Club at UCI to build a community for chemistry enthusiasts. As one of the founders of the club, I assumed the role of vice president, a position which I maintained throughout the rest of my undergraduate career. One of the biggest challenges was finding a supervisor for our club, but I remained resilient. After submitting 15 emails to different professors, meeting with 3 potential supervisors, and one door-opening “yes,” our club would be ready to go by fall quarter the following year. Our first meeting had thirty members, filling the small room we had rented for the quarter. I was ecstatic to see the unexpectedly high turnout, feeling reassured about the need for our club. Our momentum was halted during the COVID-19 pandemic. With courses now completely remote, my board members and I brainstormed on how we could continue building community for our members. Before our first remote board meeting, I presented our community members with a survey, asking what they hoped to gain from the club and whether or not they would want to see the club remain active online, to ensure our members' voices would be highlighted. Overwhelmingly, our members wanted to continue club events, while also suggesting interactive ways to ensure high participation. As vice president, I led the weekly meetings and incorporated all the ideas of our community members. It was riveting to see our club just as engaged as they had been in person. Despite going online for the latter half of my second year and the full third year, we were able to keep members involved through online meetings, social events, and fundraisers. In my fourth year, the club became fully in-person and retained all of its online members, revealing to me the strength of the club’s foundation. Leading up to my graduation, two members expressed to me how crucial Chemistry Club was for their campus experience. Each meeting gave them the opportunity to learn career and academic options of chemistry while creating close friendships among like-minded peers. With my co-founders and I graduating, it was heartwarming and encouraging to hear their desire to continue the club. What made this so meaningful was hearing how much my presence in the club inspired them to lead it the same way I did, desiring to emulate my positive attitude and efforts to make everyone feel included. Despite having graduated over a year ago, these two members have kept the club active. As was my first experience starting an organization and fostering a thriving community for those who felt lonely in college, creating the chemistry club will always be one of my proudest pursuits from my undergraduate education. With the ultimate goal of becoming a physician, I want to continue highlighting the voice of my community and motivating those around me to create positive change for others. Regardless of the obstacle I may face, I will use the skills I developed as the founder of a campus organization to develop innovative ideas for improving the health of my local community.

“Go lynch yourself,” my classmate sneered. As one of four Black students in a predominantly white high school, I often received racially charged insults. I found refuge in track, which had older students of color who shared similar experiences. Their unwavering support and defense against such treatment made me feel less alone and inspired me to use my voice to make a difference. In my junior and senior years, I became the team captain and whether I was relaying a teammate’s injury to our coach or reporting intra-team bullying, I made it my mission to be the voice for any teammate who felt overlooked. As graduation drew near, I realized that being an advocate was my passion; I wanted to continue supporting vulnerable individuals after I left track behind. The following summer, I began volunteering at a local hospital. From escorting newly discharged patients to the lobby to reading admitted children their favorite books, I quickly grew a love for the sense of comfort I could bring others in their most vulnerable moments. However, my newly found haven was shattered upon hearing eight words: “I could never work for a female physician.” Despite being a woman herself, she believed women to be unfit leaders and stated only male physicians could effectively be the head of a healthcare team. At that moment, I reminded her of the necessity of women in healthcare as only about 35% of physicians were women at the time. While I was at first disheartened to hear these words from a trusted colleague, a fire lit within my soul – I sought to be a voice against harmful sentiments such as hers. I began shadowing the female physicians of my hospital, learning a new sense of compassion and patient-centered care. Inspired by my experiences with marginalized communities at the hospital, I began volunteering as a medical assistant at a clinic for opioid medication-assisted treatment. I was stunned to meet “Andrea,” a twenty-year-old seeking addiction treatment. Coming from a low- income household, she struggled with oxycodone and heroin abuse since she was fourteen, unable to stay clean for more than two months at a time. After her first visit, Andrea canceled her follow-up appointment four times in a row and stopped answering our calls. Three months later, I answered an unexpected call from her. I stood frozen as Andrea's voice cracked, confessing, "I relapsed." I became both elated she returned yet heartbroken she would be restarting her journey. Fearful of losing this opportunity, I raced to schedule Andrea for our earliest availability yet Dr. K was reluctant to resume her care. I pleaded to Dr. K, reminding him of stable patients who required even more persistence to commit to treatment. This led to him reinstating Andrea as a patient. Within a year, she reached her longest period of sobriety. Through this experience, I learned the crucial lesson of approaching every patient with a judgment-free attitude, realizing everyone deserves a fresh start at health, regardless of their past circumstances. Moved by the power of advocacy, I began using my voice to stand up for others, especially those marginalized in healthcare. After witnessing the impact of systemic inequities on patient outcomes, I realized that true change requires more than just speaking out. As a future physician, I will not only have the knowledge and expertise to diagnose and treat; I will provide care according to the unique background and circumstances of each patient. With a heart full of determination, I have embarked on this journey with one goal: to be an unrelenting force who fights tirelessly for health equity.