Throughout my journey to medicine, I have learned that the greatest barriers to becoming a physician often begin long before applying to medical school. Growing up in a low-income, first-generation household, I quickly realized that pursuing medicine required far more than determination. Standardized test fees, application costs, travel expenses, research opportunities, and mentorship all carried financial barriers that many talented students simply could not overcome. I was fortunate to find mentors who believed in my potential and invested in my future. Their support changed the trajectory of my life and shaped how I define success. That belief inspired me to begin co-founding Legacy of Lazarus, a nonprofit organization that is currently in its final stages of development. Our mission is to reduce the financial barriers that prevent aspiring physicians from pursuing careers in medicine by providing scholarships for MCAT preparation, application expenses, educational resources, and mentorship for students from underrepresented and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. We are also developing free educational programming to help students navigate every stage of the premedical journey, from finding research opportunities to preparing competitive medical school applications. For me, Legacy of Lazarus is about more than financial assistance. It is about changing who has the opportunity to become a physician. Every student who abandons that dream because of cost represents not only an individual loss, but also future patients who lose a physician capable of understanding their experiences. By investing in students who might otherwise be overlooked, we hope to strengthen the diversity, compassion, and accessibility of the future healthcare workforce. My passion for nonprofit work has also been shaped by my research experiences. Through St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, I studied the implementation and sustainability of Pediatric Early Warning Systems in pediatric oncology hospitals across Latin America. I learned that improving healthcare requires more than scientific discovery. Lasting change depends on organizations that can build partnerships, remove barriers, and ensure evidence-based care reaches every child regardless of geography or available resources. My independent global health research in rural Uganda reinforced that lesson. I met patients who traveled hours on foot to receive care at temporary mobile clinics because no permanent healthcare services existed within reach. Those experiences demonstrated that many of healthcare's greatest challenges cannot be solved by physicians alone. They require organizations committed to addressing systemic barriers and creating sustainable solutions. The nonprofit sector provides a unique opportunity to bridge those gaps. It allows healthcare professionals, educators, researchers, and community leaders to work together toward a shared mission while focusing on long-term impact rather than short-term outcomes. That collaborative approach reflects the kind of physician I hope to become. Throughout my career, I plan to continue caring for patients while building organizations that expand access to education and healthcare for underserved communities. Whether helping a student overcome the financial obstacles of medical school applications or helping a child receive life-saving medical care, my purpose remains the same: ensuring that circumstances beyond a person's control never determine the opportunities they are given. Although Legacy of Lazarus has not officially launched, building the organization has already reinforced what I hope my career will represent. Developing its mission, planning fundraising initiatives, and designing programs that address barriers I experienced firsthand have shown me that creating lasting change requires more than good intentions; it requires sustainable systems that continue serving communities long after they are established.

Before working with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, I believed pediatric medicine was defined primarily by the care physicians provide at the bedside. My experience studying Pediatric Early Warning Systems (PEWS) across pediatric oncology hospitals in Latin America showed me that some of the most important work happens long before a physician enters a patient's room. My research examined why hospitals implementing the same evidence-based intervention achieved different outcomes. Through qualitative interviews with physicians, nurses, and hospital leaders, I explored the barriers and facilitators that determined whether PEWS remained effective years after implementation. I expected conversations about clinical protocols and medical decision-making. Instead, I heard stories about communication between healthcare teams, adapting interventions to different languages and cultures, building trust among clinicians, and creating systems that could withstand staff turnover and limited resources. Those conversations fundamentally changed how I think about pediatric medicine. Saving a child's life is not only the result of an accurate diagnosis or an effective treatment. It also depends on whether hospitals have the infrastructure, collaboration, and support necessary to consistently deliver that care. I realized that research is most meaningful when it extends beyond publication and leads to sustainable improvements that children and families experience every day. Working with St. Jude also introduced me to a global community united by a common belief: a child's chance of surviving serious illness should never depend on where they were born. That mission resonated deeply with me because I have seen how geography and socioeconomic circumstances influence health. Growing up in a low-income, first-generation household, I witnessed how financial hardship could limit access to healthcare. Later, while conducting independent global health research in rural Uganda, I met patients who traveled hours on foot to reach a temporary mobile clinic because no healthcare services were available in their communities. Although these experiences occurred on different continents, they reflected the same reality: access to care is often determined by circumstances beyond a patient's control. Together, these experiences reshaped my understanding of what it means to care for children. Pediatric medicine is unique because every intervention has the potential to influence an entire lifetime of health. Caring for children also means caring for their families, recognizing the social and environmental factors that affect treatment, and advocating for systems that allow every child to benefit from advances in medicine. That combination of compassion, prevention, collaboration, and innovation is what draws me to the field. As a physician, I hope to unite clinical care with implementation science and global health research to improve how evidence-based pediatric care reaches children around the world. I want to help develop interventions that are not only effective in clinical trials but also practical, sustainable, and equitable in the communities that need them most. My experience at St. Jude taught me that meaningful discoveries do not change lives on their own. Their impact begins when every child, regardless of geography or circumstance, has the opportunity to benefit from them.

When I was ten years old, my grandmother died from a ruptured appendix after waiting days to reach a hospital in rural Brazil. Her death was not the result of a rare disease or a lack of effective treatment. It was the result of limited healthcare access and delayed medical care. Although I was too young to understand the complexities of healthcare systems at the time, I understood that where someone lives should never determine whether they live. That experience became the foundation of my sense of purpose. As I grew older, I realized that many communities face barriers similar to those my grandmother experienced, whether because of financial hardship, provider shortages, or limited healthcare infrastructure. Rather than accepting those inequities, I became determined to help change them. Throughout college, I pursued opportunities that reflected that purpose. Working as a certified nursing assistant taught me the importance of compassionate, patient-centered care. My research at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and my independent global health research in rural Uganda have shown me how evidence-based interventions can improve healthcare delivery and expand access to underserved populations. Leadership and mentorship have also reinforced my belief that lasting change comes from empowering others. My purpose is no longer defined by a single loss but by the responsibility to prevent similar stories whenever I can. As a physician, I hope to combine compassionate care, research, and implementation science to build healthcare systems that ensure every patient has the opportunity to receive the care they deserve.