Looking at how far I have come makes me happy. Four years ago, I was a freshman at the University of Maryland sitting in my room and studying all day. I hated the lifestyle I was living, but I was too afraid to change it. My schedule consisted of going to classes, eating at the diner by myself, and then sitting in my room to study or watch TV shows. During that time, I was uncomfortable with who I am and with expressing myself. I always felt like a burden to others, so I thought the best way to live was to keep to myself. It wasn't until sophomore year that I slowly realized what my life could be. I joined an organization called the Vietnamese Student Association. Through this group, I was slowly able to talk to others and finally learned to step out of my comfort zone. Event after event, I realized what college was all about. College was more than just your name on a piece of paper. It was the experience and journey to grow into a more well-rounded adult. Throughout the rest of my college years, my schedule changed. Instead of going to classes, then to the diner, and then home, I was spending countless hours in public spaces chatting and playing with my friends. Whether it was procrastinating together, playing sports, or studying for exams, I was always surrounded by others. I remember reflecting on myself right before COVID hit and looking at how my life had changed for the better. I came to understand that I wasn't just a burden. Just like all my friends, it was a blessing to be in the company of one another, and I finally felt like I was a blessing as well.

One day, I will be a medical professional seeing patients who vary in their background, culture, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, etc. and my goal will be to treat them all the same, with the same level of respect, care, and empathy. I believe the best way to achieve this goal is to start accepting diversity at a young age. Growing up, I was blessed to live in a community where I was able to interact with people from different cultures. I had countless opportunities to learn about other people's experiences. It's during these conversations that my eyes open up to a plethora of new foods, languages, and traditions. Through conversations, you also learn about the many hardships that exist and that people face. Once you are able to realize these possibilities, you start to understand that everyone is unique but similar. Therefore, helping you realize that everyone is human with their own story and flaws, making it easier to accept it all. I just recently started my graduate program, so I am slowly getting used to my new lifestyle. In the future, I would love to do more volunteering to support the community around me. As of right now, I mainly work in a group called Diversity and Inclusion in my program. Our goal is to plan events/small gatherings that enlighten others about LGBTQ community, various races, religions, etc. Small actions like including everyone in my study sessions and hangouts are a small way of improving equality and diversity within my class.

It's a Sunday morning, I am looking over patients' charts for their upcoming surgeries and managing my rentals on the computer. My goals in the future are to work in the medical field as a physician assistant and to also own 2-3 homes that I rent out to others. My first goal is already underway. I have been accepted to PA school, and I will be matriculating on January 5th, 2022. My goal for managing and remodeling homes comes from my interest in real estate. Spending the time and energy to design a home, and then to watch it come to fruition is a very satisfying thought. I also enjoy watching vlogs of people house hunting and looking at the different details and structures of the home. To achieve this, I will reach out to my friends and family who already do house rentals. I would take note of their advice and recommendations. I would then look into talking to realtors, mentors, and others who are already in the business of renting out homes. I have seen many TikToks and Youtube videos on the process of owning a home and putting it up for rent. At the end of the day, I would use the money I obtain from working as a PA and use it to invest in real estate. Growing up, I have always had a desire to be in the medical field. The joy, connections, and satisfaction from working with patients and treating them have always been my motivation to pursue medicine. However, I also want to have a side hustle that allows me to explore my creative interests and goals. Therefore, being both a physician assistant and a landlord is my goal in the future.

This past year, I have been working as a medical assistant in varying specialties, as well as, volunteering as a crisis text line counselor and a teaching assistant. All these efforts led me to receive an offer to Albany Medical College's physician assistants program and many others, which I am beyond thankful for. Throughout the process of applying and acquiring PCE and volunteering hours, I truly learned what it meant to understand and listen to others. Whether it is patients, texters, or even colleagues, people want to be heard. They want to have a comfortable, non-judgemental place to openly share what they are going through. They want to feel like there is someone who is on their side and an advocate for their health and well-being. The responsibilities of a PA revolves around diagnosing, treating, and hopefully curing. However, I also want to carry the mindset of creating a safe and comfortable environment for the patient. Being able to connect with the patient and to listen to their life story can further develop a relationship and trust between provider and patient. Not only are these attributes important during the visit, but I believe it is also important outside. No matter how talented you are as a provider, the decisions are all up to the patient. By establishing that relationship, we can help change the mindset of the patient and lead them towards a healthier path. The career of a physician assistant calls for strong levels of communication and teamwork. This means PAs have to be able to work well with others, especially their attending physician. Therefore, I want to be an advocate and support my future coworkers. Regardless of which career you pursue in the medical field, there is always a chance that you can burn out. When we look at statistics, doctors have a 40+% chance of burning out, and with the pandemic, nurses are having a high burnout rate as well. Burnout can be caused by many things, for example, work/life balance, overflow of patients, lack of control, etc. With this in mind, I want to make it my goal to support my colleagues as much as possible. I want to let them know that I will be there for them and I am willing to sit down and talk. These interactions can foster a stronger relationship between coworkers and promote overall teamwork. Making the clinic feel more relaxed and comfortable can help lower the rate of burnout and make work feel a little less of a burden. As a PA, my goal is to create these relationships with patients and coworkers. Through these interactions, I am hoping that I am positively impacting someone’s life, whether it is making lightening up someone’s day or lending a hand to support them. As I mentioned before, working in the medical field calls for very strong communication skills due to the countless interactions that we may have. If in a day, I can make just one person smile, my goal will be accomplished.

It all started with volunteering as a Crisis Textline Counselor, a platform where texters in crisis message in to have conversations. When I signed up and finished the training, I didn't put much thought into it, I saw it just as another volunteering experience. However, the conversations, the stories, and the feelings that were shared with me were truly impactful. This experience was definitely an eye-opener to the struggles that many people face. Conversations about abuse, rape, depression and even suicidal thoughts were shockingly common. Until this volunteering experience started, I never had a grasp on what people go through and the effects it had on the person's mental and physical health. I vividly remember the emotions I felt when I had first received a texter who was contemplating suicide as we talked. I was trained to go through a risk ladder, which is when I ask the texter how they are feeling and try to gauge where they are at on the process of dying by suicide. The worry, anxiety, and fear I felt that this random person is reaching out to me and is currently thinking about dying were overwhelming. In my head, I was thinking, "If I make one wrong move, this person can end up hurting themselves or worse." Even though I had a supervisor online and guiding me, the feelings of worry were still racing through my mind. During the conversation, I used techniques like confirming the texter's thoughts and feelings, providing a comfortable space to express themselves, and offering input when they wanted my opinion. As the texter and I conversed and we were able to move towards a calmer state of mind, I truly realized how hard they have worked to get to the point of giving up. Professional help, medication, support groups, friends/family, etc. are all resources a person can use to deal with varying problems. Initially, I thought the case for this texter was that they weren't broadening their search large enough, but I was wrong. As we went through coping strategies they have tried, medical professionals they have visited, and people that they have tried to reach out to, it showed me that my thoughts were the exact opposite. They have truly given it their all, but the texter feels like nothing has ever worked. The texter felt depressed and anxious, regardless of what they do. I kept on reminding the texter that healing and overcoming these emotions take a lot of time and effort. I told them that if you are able to take one step forward, regardless of how much time it took, that's the progress you need. After talking for a bit longer, I was able to recommend other coping strategies and hobbies that the texter can try. I mentioned that there may be hundreds of coping techniques that may not be helpful, but once you find that one good one, that is all you need. After sharing a few comments and words of encouragement, the conversation ended. This conversation made me realize many things. No matter how a person looks in front of you, you may not understand the magnitude of the stress and hardships that they internally face, and the efforts that they put into trying to live a healthier life. This taught me to live life a little more forgiving. An angry, intimidating person may be dealing with financial problems. A difficult customer may be grieving over a family member's death. Life is truly hard. Simply put, what I learned from these conversations is to be more understanding and welcoming.

My goal is simple, to live a comfortable and healthy life. This overarching goal is broken into two parts, to have a family and to work in the medical field. All these aspirations started with previous experiences I had growing up, as well as my desire to take care of others. Imagine a tall Christmas tree in the corner, music playing throughout the living room, and children, aunts, uncles, and grandparents gathered around to celebrate the holidays together. The joy and laughter in the air, and the smiles that show on the children's faces. That is what I desire. Growing up, the joy that my family and I had around the holidays has always been the highlight of each year. The gatherings and the shopping have always been exciting because it was a time where everyone can be together. I want to carry on this tradition and have a family of my own and then I can invite my family and friends over for the holidays. My personality of loving and caring can be carried over to my career. I prefer being in an environment where I can interact with others. Throughout my professional life, I have enjoyed interacting with patients and getting to know their stories. Understanding where the patient comes from and being able to connect and develop relationships has been a perk and joy of working in the medical field. As a future physician assistant, I can continue on this journey of interacting with others, but not only patients but colleagues as well. Simply put, my goal is to develop happy and healthy relationships with others and myself. My joy comes from things I do, but it also comes from seeing others happy. Therefore, having a family and working closely with others is my goal.

When I was volunteering as a Crisis Textline counselor, my main responsibility was to respond and listen to texters who were experiencing crisis and traumatizing moments. Active listening in these situations consisted of reading and understanding what the texter was worried about, exploring the details that the texter is comfortable sharing, and finally providing emotional support by either confirming their feelings and thoughts or providing advice/ideas. At the end of the day, active listening is when we provide a safe, non-judgmental environment for the other person to express themselves. Even though these crisis conversations were conducted through texts, I have taken these techniques and applied them to in-person situations. When I am talking to someone in person, I make sure that I maintain a comfortable level of eye contact and avoid distractions, such as my phone. Furthermore, I use body language to show the speaker I am paying attention, such as nodding. With all of this in mind, I would also continue to provide a safe environment for the speaker and give them the opportunity to talk about everything they want to say, just like through the texting platform. Once they are done talking, I would then respond by agreeing, clarifying, or asking questions to continue to explore how they feel. Active listening sounds like a straightforward task. However, I feel like it is crucial to listen properly. In my mind, this person is gathering the courage and strength to reach out to me in a time of need, so I should understand and respect that. To me, listening is a gesture that can lead to trust and support. It can lead to life-altering decisions; therefore, active listening is an important skill to have.

The person I am today is shaped through the advice, lessons, kindness, and support of the people that I have surrounded myself with. Whether it was a short moment or a long period of time, each person has impacted my life in some way. Sometimes I feel like I can't express how thankful I am towards my family, friends, and mentors. Nevertheless, my way of making them feel loved is by giving them my attention and time. One of my most favorite way to show my love for my friends is by asking them to go eat together. While eating, I try my best to have a conversation with them and to talk about anything new in their lives. Creating conversation helps build relationships, but it also helps me understand who they are better; therefore, giving myself opportunities to give them advice or to support them if they need it. Another way is gift-giving. Through these conversations and other encounters, I get to understand my friends/family better, which allows me to figure out what to get them as a present for a birthday or celebratory moment. Most people love gifts, including me, because it helps us feel like someone is thinking about us and cares enough to go out of their way to get a gift for us. Gift-giving and asking to hang out are great ways that I express my friendship and care towards another person. However, at the end of the day, I just want my friends/family to know that I am there for them. Supporting each other is crucial with the countless number of hardships one can face. I want to positively impact their lives as they have done for me.

The success that I have achieved up until now is due to the support from many others. The kindness that many people have given me, from gifts to advice, has led me to who I am today. After receiving help and guidance from others, I define "giving" as a way to provide great experiences and happiness to others. Giving is important to me for two reasons. It helps the recipient towards a healthier, better life and it also gives me a sense of satisfaction and happiness. An example of giving back that I am excited about is gift-giving for my parents. Throughout my life, my parents have paid for my laptops, education, and even a car. They have never hesitated to give me what I wanted or needed to be happy. Their generosity has given me a life where all I need to focus on is my studies and my work, therefore, giving me a very, very comfortable life. My goal in the future is to give that type of mentality and attitude back to them. I want to provide them with gifts such as well-deserved vacations, jewelry, and technology that will make their lives easier. I want to create a space where they never have to worry about me and where they can enjoy their life comfortably. Even though this is just one example, I am eager to apply this type of mindset to many others. There are things aside from money and gifts that are just as important. Life is difficult, there are many choices and decisions that one must make, and sometimes that can feel overwhelming. However, if I can selflessly allow myself to be a resource to the younger generations, I will be playing my part in giving back and continuing this ripple of kindness.

Having some alone time and watching TikToks or Youtube, listening to music, or napping are all small things that allow me to decompress. Throughout my daily life, I interact with patients, fellow students, friends, family, etc., but having the time to focus on myself and giving myself a space to recharge makes me happy. Don't get me wrong, the time I spend with others is just as important. The laughters, conversations, advice, and the simple presence of others can provide me euphoria. However, having a moment to myself where I can mindlessly stare at a video or scrolling through social media is also important to me. Being a student and working adult can feel limiting. My entire life so far has been focused around these two things. When I watch videos, it feels like an escape to a different world. I am able to watch people explore and try out unique experiences throughout the world. I am able to sightsee the great Mount Everest, take a flight to Dubai, and try different foods all from the comfort of my bed. These moments excite me, because seeing the smiles and laughter that other people have gives me a sense of happiness. Aside from providing me comfort and relaxation, these videos also gives me goals and dreams. Thinking about the potential future of traveling and exploring the world is inspiring. It makes me look forward to the future and to work hard to be able to reach these goals. In the end, simple tasks like the ones mentioned above provides me a way to just smile. The worries and anxiety that can come from daily life vanishes, and I am given the time to admire the world and myself.

I was accepted into a physician assistants program in New York. The worry about not being given an opportunity to start school was over and I thought the stress I would feel would be gone as well. It was until the search for housing began that the stress really felt overwhelming. I had two other potential roommates, but conflicts with cost, location, preferences, and the inability to physically look at houses, became obstacles we had to cross. This was when the cycle of stress started. We would find a house, submit applications, and then someone would back out at the last minute due to some detail. This repetition continued for weeks until it was near Thanksgiving time and we were worried we couldn't find housing. This pressure and stress cause me to be anxious and devastated constantly. After hours of talking to my roommates, we found that it would be easier to find rentals in groups of two or individually, 1.5 months wasted. I spent 1.5 weeks contacting various landlords for potential listings and I non-stopped worried about if I could find affordable housing. On the day I had to travel up for paperwork, I drove around the city looking for "For rent" signs. After desperately searching for hours, I finally arrived at a house where I talked to the landlord through Facebook the day prior. The relief I felt when I found out that the house was comfortable, close to campus, affordable, and that the landlord will allow me to live there, was immense. I began to tear up because the pressure on my shoulders was finally lifted. Weeks of worry and anxiety were finally gone and it was just in time for the holidays.

My two greatest motivators are my family and my goal to play an important role in medicine to positively impact my community. My parents have always been the most supportive people in the world. They have given me all I have needed and could ever desire, but the main thing they asked for was for me to work hard and be successful. After all the hard work and effort they have put into making sure my brother and I live a comfortable life, I dream of doing the same for them. When I graduate, I plan on paying for my parent's vacations and giving them time to enjoy their life. I want them to know that it is their time to relax and be happy, and that they have done enough. Through my current experience in the medical field, I have enjoyed building relationships and connecting with the patients. Learning and receiving advice from the patients through their experiences and returning that by giving them the care they deserve helps develop healthy provider-patient bonds. The idea that I can be a catalyst to another person's path to happiness and good-health helps me feel like I am giving back to the world. I am giving back the kindness that my parents, family, friends, advisors, etc. have shown to me. Overall, my motivation comes from seeing another person smile from something I did. I am a person whose emotions are impacted by the people around me. By creating happy and healthy bonds with patients, family, and friends, I am able to create a lifestyle where I am having enjoyable interactions as often as possible.

It was on Thanksgiving day in 2018. My cousins and my uncle were sitting around playing Dungeons and Dragons laughing till tears came out of our eyes. We have never played it before, but my uncle did his best to make us enjoy every moment of it. As I walked into the kitchen to get more food, I look around seeing all the aunts, uncles, and children talking loudly and laughing like there was no tomorrow. There was no family drama, no COVID-19, and no problems. It was simply a family gathering that I wished would never end.

In the kitchen, on Christmas day, I hear rumbling going down the stairs. The tunes of Christmas music echo throughout the room. Three children yelling and laughing with joy knowing that they get to open presents. I walk into the main living room with a fireplace watching the kids open their presents, and as I look out the window, snow is falling and my parents arrive. Growing up, I have always loved family gatherings. Parties and random hangouts were common in my household. Part of my dream is to have a house that has a place for big groups to hang out and enjoy, regardless of age. The idea of having a large living room with a fireplace in the center is the crucial point of my dream. I imagine a space that multiple family members can sit around watching movies, talking, or eating. Another part of my dream is to work as a physician assistant. I have always had a desire to work in medicine in order to continuously challenge myself and learn, while also giving people a new chance at a healthier life. I want to work in a position where I can talk with patients, while also having an opportunity to help perform surgery a few times a week. In the end, the biggest part of my dream is to give my family opportunities to enjoy life. I want to give my parents time to relax and time to go on vacation, travel the world, and explore new cultures. I want my children to be worry-free from finances, and just to figure out how to enjoy life. Overall, I want to be happy and satisfied from the moment I wake up till the moment I go to bed.

The wisest thing I have heard is to try your best. It's so simple, but my dad reminds me to try my best, because in the future when you look back at your obstacles and failures, you can't really have feelings of regrets. Whether it is doing well on exams, homework, work, etc. there is always an end goal that you are trying to reach. Maybe your goal is getting an "A" as a final grade for a class, and at the end of the semester, you were off by only 1%. If you ever slacked off, did not turn in homework, or did not study well enough, you would be disappointed in yourself because by completing everything, you most likely would have gotten that "A." Even the career I am pursuing came from my desire to try my hardest and succeed. I applied to dozens of jobs last summer, every morning till evening. I did not hear back from 99% of them. However, I kept on researching ways to succeed, for example, calling the office, emailing the manager, etc. If I never attempted to do these things, I would have never gotten the experience I had. Saying "I will try my best" is easy, and I am not saying that I never wavered or struggled. There were moments I thought about giving up and just finding other things to do. However, here I am today pursuing my dream and getting accepted to multiple physician assistant programs. Trying your best consists of putting in time and effort as much as your body and mind can allow. Even if you never got the score or job you wanted, it is easier on your mind to know that you did everything in your power to achieve it.

"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great" This quote resonates with every goal or dream I have ever tried to achieve. In my life, whether it is trying to get high final grades, being able to lift heavy weights, or even receiving scholarships to help pay for school; I had to take that first step by developing a great studying habit, practicing lifting form, and spending time and effort to apply to scholarships. This quote is a great motivator because it helps you avoid looking solely at the success of other people's efforts, but more at the progress that they have made to achieve that success. Going through social media can feel demoralizing and disappointing. The average person may see influencers post images of themselves having lots of money or a lean body, and can lead the viewer to feel like a failure or weak. However, viewers understanding that many of these influencers had to put in the effort and time to reach where they are, could make the viewers feel more optimistic. It's easy to see someone flaunt their money, but people do not want to talk about the hardships that the person has faced. Overall, this quote gives me motivation and hope to push forward. By looking up to others who have achieved my goals and understanding what they did to get there, I can also one day accomplish my dreams as well.

One of the greatest things I learned about myself, is that I can accomplish and experience so much in a year. In just 1 year's time, from August 2020 to August 2021, I was able to work as a medical assistant in 3 different specialties; therefore giving me an immense amount of knowledge and skills, graduate from an undergraduate college with a 3.96 GPA, study and achieve high marks for the GRE, and receive acceptances to multiple physician assistants program. Aside from academia and professional work, I have also been able to accomplish many other social and health goals. Even though this may just be a list of things I have done in a year, it also shows me what I am capable of. Reaching milestones and goals has always been a scary concept to me. In my head, these words are correlated with a lot of time. This correlation has led me to feel too scared to take these opportunities and to put my foot forward to take that first step. However, this list shows that I am very capable of becoming successful. It shows that I am strong enough to put in the effort and heart into everything I do to achieve my goals. It shows that, regardless of time, I am able to learn, plan out, and carry out the tasks I need to build a healthy and happy life. This all simplifies to: I have learned to be proud of who I am today. If I ever feel like I have failed or accumulated too much stress to continue, I know that in just 1 year, I am capable of getting back on my path to happiness.

Friendship, to me, is an escape from stress, a bond with trust, a connection. Throughout my life, I have faced many obstacles. My friends were there to give me a shoulder to cry on when I was struggling most with school or traumatic experiences. Talking to people who have similar experiences and mindsets has helped me cope and push through challenging barriers. Friends also push you towards success. Good friends encourage each other to grow and to help each other accomplish goals. In my opinion, I had two phases of college. My freshman year was spent alone and solely focused on studying. I would stay in my room all day and eat at the diner by myself. I remember feeling isolated and that I hated the "college experience", leading to me going home every weekend. However, I was determined to make a difference my sophomore year. I started reaching out to different student organizations, and I eventually fell in love with the Vietnamese Student Association. This is when I found my lifelong friends. The friends I would stay up all night in the library with cracking jokes and messing around. The friends that I would go have fun with every weekend. The friends that made me feel like I wasn't alone in college. Most importantly, friends create memories. Stories being shared and different jokes being thrown out made each experience feel special. I am able to look back and tell others about the joyful and exciting life I had. With friends, I learned that the "college experience" is more than just studying material to succeed in life. It includes exploring interests and hobbies and finding what makes you unique. The most important thing I learned in college is, friendship, to me, is a necessity that I could never live without.

I keep a growth mindset by always striving to learn something new. My dream career is to become a physician assistant. From learning new diagnoses and treatments to adapting to each patient's unique medical history and background, a provider needs to consistently learn techniques that can improve a patient's health. With the technology we have access to, the ability for a future provider or even an avid learner to perform research is very straightforward and simple. Google is an amazing search engine that I utilize to carry out quick research on anything I am interested in. After graduating with my bachelor's, I have worked in different clinics that varied in specialties. When I would hear medical terminologies that I didn't know, such as the cranial nerves or acetabulum, I would search them up on Google to understand what the doctors were saying. I would even write on post-it notes and stick them to my computer to look over later. Medicine is vast and constantly growing, which is why I think I will always need to be open-minded and willing to grow. Even though I have mainly discussed the growth mindset being applied in medicine, I also apply it to everyday life. I have learned how to cook, change the tires or oil, fix leaks in the bathroom, etc. In my opinion, having skills in varying aspects of life makes a person more well-rounded. Being able to develop life skills, such as fixing up a car, can help you in the future and can allow you to help others. Simply put, there is a lot to experience in life, but not enough time. Being able to learn and grow, and expanding your skills can open many opportunities for you, whether professionally or even for your own happiness.

Happiness comes from many sources. Whether it's enjoying a snack or hanging out with my friends, or receiving high marks on exams, each experience provides me happiness. Sometimes it can be immense and overwhelming happiness, where I start tearing up, and sometimes it is a simple happiness that puts a smile on my face. Regardless of the magnitude of happiness that the event brings, I feel thankful for these experiences at the end of the day. One of the most impactful sources of happiness recently was getting my first acceptance to PA school. I vividly remember the day it happened. I was sitting at my table on a Saturday talking to my friends online and playing video games. All of a sudden, I get a notification on my phone from Gmail, and the brief banner that popped up said "Congratulations..." My heart started racing and I opened up my phone and started reading the email. I read it and started yelling for joy. All my friends were confused about what had happened. I told them I got accepted and that I am on the path to my dream career. They all cheered and congratulated me, and I just remembered tearing up. Even though this was just one experience, I think the thing that brings me the most happiness is achieving goals and going down my dream path to becoming successful. My family has worked hard to raise me to become who I am today, and I have worked hard to prove to them that I can achieve my dreams. Every moment where I get closer to that dream, like doing well in school, getting a job, etc. proves to both my family and me that I am able to do great things.

Generosity is giving time, effort, and/or money to help someone. Generosity is lending a helping hand to someone you value and care about. Generosity is simply thinking about others. Regardless of the purpose and the action, generosity leads to people feeling better. Throughout life, everyone experience moments of stress, anxiety, fear, pain, etc. During these times, having support from others can be crucial. It doesn't necessarily have to be the most extravagant help, like mentioned in the prompt, it could be as simple as a smile or a "good job." In my opinion, generosity plays two roles, one role consists of helping the person at hand through a tough time, and the other role is giving the helper a sense of satisfaction. This shows that acts of generosity can help strengthen the bonds between people, especially between people who are already friends. Not only do bonds develop, but a cycle can develop as well. People who receive help and kindness may be more willing to pass it on to someone else. There are videos of people giving money to the homeless and the homeless person would go around sharing it with other people, or people continuing a chain of paying for meals for each other in a drive-through. To me, generosity is a trait that everyone should have. It is something that can brighten up people's days, and with many aspects of life that cause pain and exhaustion for people, I feel like a small act that can change a person's day, regardless of what it was, can be a lifesaver. I have received help from many others throughout my life, emotionally, physically, and financially. I will always be appreciative of their efforts, and I can only repay them back by being there for them and for other people.

November 20, 2013, was the first time I learned that life wasn't easy and perfect. This was the day I experienced a death of a family member, my grandpa. This moment led me to become mature, responsible, and to try to live every day with little to no regrets. Growing up, I did not spend a lot of time with my grandpa and I did not give him the attention he deserved. After his passing, I tried my best to make up for this by giving more time to the people around me, for example, my family and friends. I would go out of my comfort zone to try new activities and hobbies out, I would travel more, and I would just be more open-minded to new experiences. During my undergraduate studies, I studied and worked hard, but I also made time for others and to enjoy my freedom to explore new hobbies. His death opened my eyes and helped me understand that life is short and that you need to do what you can to be successful, but also, to enjoy your life. Today, I am a person who works hard and studies hard to reach my goals and my dream career, and I have achieved that since I am attending PA school in a few months. Today, I am a person who reaches out to others to hang out, provide them support, or to simply catch up. Today, I am a person who learns from my own mistakes and learns how to adapt to new experiences or milestones. The person I am today was shaped through the hard work I put into myself for the past decade, but it all started on November 20, 2013.

Some people believe that having a healthy life can be accomplished by only maintaining a healthy body. However, taking care of both physical and mental health is crucial in living a long, healthy life. Whether it's reading books, listening to music, working out, playing sports, and/or simply napping, etc there are a lot of strategies that you can use to live a healthy and happy lifestyle. The first step to achieving a joyous life is to have a growth mindset. Understanding that life is always changing and that you have to adapt to the different milestones and experiences in life is important. Discovering what interests you, what you enjoy doing, and who you would like to spend time with (friends, significant other, etc.), can take a lot of time, but by accepting that you can grow and learn, you can find yourself in a happier place. Aside from finding what is good for you, it is important to also do research and get medical advice on what you can do to stay physically healthy, for example, getting annual checkups and visiting the doctor when a problem arises. Learning about different vitamins, medications, and preventative actions and implementing them into your life can lead to a positive lifestyle. Physical health problems can lead to mental health problems and vice versa. By building a good support system for yourself and finding ways to enjoy yourself and be happy, while also taking care of your physical health, you will be able to live a long, healthy life.

As a person who currently works in the medical field and will continue working in the medical field, and also volunteering as a crisis text line counselor, you become more open-minded in understanding people's struggles. When a person becomes agitated or frustrated easily, initially we make think that they are just a rude person. However, mental and physical illnesses, finances, family, and relationship struggles can all play a factor in someone's stress and overall health. Simply put, you don't exactly know what someone is going through just from meeting them one time and having one interaction. Being patient and calm during many conversations and situations can help deescalate an intense situation, or simply allow space for you and the person in front of you to communicate efficiently. On the other hand, I feel like others being patient with me is important as well. It's like the saying, "treat others how you want to be treated." As a student and future provider, I will always be learning. Whether it's from doctors, nurses, PAs, etc. I would be grateful if someone was willing to be patient with me if I make mistakes or I am unsure of things. Like I mentioned earlier, being patient allows for healthy and effective communication to occur. This type of communication allows for each party to be more understanding of each other and the situations we are in. Everyone will always have some problem going on, it's up to us to be open and receptive to allow for safer and positive interactions.

I work with patients who deal with many medical illnesses and I also volunteer as a crisis text line counselor, where I talk to texters who are going through traumas and mental struggles. A combination of these activities can definitely wear my mental health down. However, partaking in various hobbies and activities allows me to freshen up every day and start the next day with a fresh mindset. I utilize different activities because each unique hobby helps me with different aspects of my life. For me, working out is one of my most favorite past times, because it shows that I am able to grow continuously if I apply myself correctly, whether that is dealing with mental or physical health. Activities like watching movies, listening/singing along with music, or watching food vlogs help me relax and decompress, whereas, playing volleyball and eating with others help me keep social and catch up with friends. Regardless of the hobby or activity I choose, at the end of the day, they all provide me with a way to focus on myself. Summarizing my story, living life can be difficult. Stressors from school, work, relationships, etc. can cause you to feel exhausted. However, it is also important to prioritize yourself, because, without a healthy mindset and physical body, it would be challenging to perform any tasks adequately or exceptionally.

The idea of rewiring nerves to allow for sensation through prosthetics is my most favorite discovery. The brain is the most intricate and mysterious organ in my opinion. From creating false realities like dreams, or controlling the entire body's movement, there are many parts of the brain that lead to the different functions of the body. The reason I find this discovery intriguing is that it shows there are potential manipulations of the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system that allows for something such as wild as "feeling" through a prosthetic arm. The most important part of this discovery is that it can change the future for amputees. Amputees can now be able to have sensation through their prosthetic limbs, giving them feeling and intimate interactions. Aside from rewiring nerves, this further prompts me to be excited for what the brain and body are capable of. The idea of feeling through an inanimate object would sound crazy decades ago, but here we are today showing that it is possible. Maybe we can simulate dreams for people who are handicapped to allow them to walk freely, or maybe we can manipulate the brain to stimulate the growth of missing body parts. Even though we have to question ethics when manipulating the body, especially the brain, I believe that this discovery shows that humans are capable of finding ways to better the lives of many people.