Discovering Heavy Metal has allowed me to grow as a guitarist. I have been playing guitar for the past 13 years, but my skill has exploded during the past two years thanks to my discovery of rock. I started guitar by playing classical music up until 6th grade. I then learned the blues and joined my school's jazz band in 7th grade, which I still am in today. The blues were my first real introduction to rock, as many rock pioneers, such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Chuck Berry, relied on the blues structure and the pentatonic scale. I only embraced the blues scale in 10th grade when I used it in my first solo during my band's spring concert. I remember it vividly. I was playing up and down the G blues scale on my guitar with distortion on the song "Cold Duck Time." I got so many compliments after the performance. My love for Heavy Metal music started after my solo on the song "Green Onions" during a performance in my junior year. By this time, I was much more comfortable playing the blues scale, and I started to pick up speed when playing. My solo during that song became the highlight of the night. I loved it as well. I loved how well the blues scale blended perfectly with heavy distortion. When I got home, I went on Spotify and created my first rock playlist. I spent almost an entire week listening to classic rock songs and judging how well their guitar solos were. By the time the week was over, I had the classics: ACDC, Led Zepplin, and the Scorpions, to name a few. Only when a friend suggested some Metallica songs did I get into Heavy Metal. I fell in love with their heavy riffs, strong vocals, and Kirk Hammett's guitar solos. Because I was using Spotify, I could see artists related to Metallica. There, I discovered Megadeth. I fell in love harder than when I first heard Metallica. The high-speed solos, Dave Mustaine's questionable vocals, and the crazy fast guitar lines inspired me to learn the guitar even more. I learned sweep-picking and tapping to diversify my solos. This desire to learn more about the guitar also applies to my academic life. Just as I wanted to learn more about the guitar, I wanted to know about the human body and its responses to medicines. I am currently a high school senior and have been admitted into numerous accelerated pharmacy programs across the country. These programs allow me to get a PharmD degree in just six years out of high school. While these programs are beneficial in achieving my goals, they are also very costly. The average cost for six years in the program is around $300k. I am the oldest of four children, so this scholarship would significantly reduce the financial burden on my parents, who still have three more children to put through college. I have applied for FAFSA and many scholarships, but this scholarship would help me the most. My love for heavy metal has not only allowed me to grow as a guitarist but also helped me discover my love for pharmacy and medicine. Thank you all so much for your time and consideration.

I have always been amazed at how the absence of a single enzyme can significantly affect a person’s body. For me, it’s not an intellectual concept–it’s a reality that has touched my family’s life for nearly a decade. In 2015, my little brother Jonah was diagnosed with Mucopolysaccharidoses, or in simpler terms, Morquio Syndrome. It is an incurable disease that causes his body not to produce enough enzymes to break down cellular waste. Since his diagnosis eight years ago, I have watched him deal with partial hearing loss, low energy, and an inability to grow physically. He has endured multiple surgeries and must face a five-hour intravenous infusion of a medication weekly for life. He has done this all with a sense of calm and awe-inspiring confidence. Jonah’s condition has inspired me to orient my future toward research pharmacology. For many years, I have attended Rare Disease Day–a meet-and-greet event organized by BioMarin, the company that manufactures my brother’s medicine. At these events, I have met people with the same disorder as Jonah and BioMarin employees who dedicated their lives to researching how to treat Morquio. It is interesting to see how the disease affects every person differently. Some have more severe cases of it, while others have milder cases. In July 2023, I also toured one of BioMarin’s manufacturing plants. I had the opportunity to meet those overseeing the manufacturing of my brother’s medication. I witnessed all the hard work that went into making a simple 5 mL vial of a life-saving drug. Attending Rare Disease Day and touring BioMarin’s plant made me realize that people suffering from rare diseases deserve to live a normal and fulfilling life. During the tour, I saw myself working at a company like BioMarin, contributing to the research surrounding my brother’s disorder. I hope that one day, I can relieve all Morquio patients of the burden brought by this disorder. I have also seen how community holds high value in the medical world. The tightly-knit community at BioMarin is a great example. Each employee may specialize in different aspects of medicine, but they all share the same goal: helping those in need. I also share this goal and hope to work at a company similar to BioMarin to help accomplish this shared goal. It is important that a pharmacist prioritizes helping others. My connection with BioMarin has helped me come to the realization that I belong in the service industry. I have learned the importance of research and serving those in need. Their community has helped me recognize that no one deserves to be limited by their weaknesses. If not for my brother’s diagnosis, I wouldn’t have been able to realize this. Jonah has done so much for me, and now it’s my turn to do something for him by dedicating myself to research that can someday help him–and everyone with his condition.

I have always been amazed at how the absence of a single enzyme can significantly affect a person’s body. For me, it’s not an intellectual concept–it’s a reality that has touched my family’s life for nearly a decade. In 2015, my little brother Jonah was diagnosed with Mucopolysaccharidoses, or in simpler terms, Morquio Syndrome. It is an incurable disease that causes his body not to produce enough enzymes to break down cellular waste. Since his diagnosis eight years ago, I have watched him deal with partial hearing loss, low energy, and an inability to grow physically. He has endured multiple surgeries and must face a five-hour intravenous infusion of a medication weekly for life. He has done this all with a sense of calm and awe-inspiring confidence. Jonah’s condition has inspired me to orient my future toward research pharmacology. For many years, I have attended Rare Disease Day–a meet-and-greet event organized by BioMarin, the company that manufactures my brother’s medicine. At these events, I have met people with the same disorder as Jonah and BioMarin employees who dedicated their lives to researching how to treat Morquio. It is interesting to see how the disease affects every person differently. Some have more severe cases of it, while others have milder cases. In July 2023, I also toured one of BioMarin’s manufacturing plants. I had the opportunity to meet those overseeing the manufacturing of my brother’s medication. I witnessed all the hard work that went into making a simple 5 mL vial of a life-saving drug. Attending Rare Disease Day and touring BioMarin’s plant made me realize that people suffering from rare diseases deserve to live a normal and fulfilling life. During the tour, I saw myself working at a company like BioMarin, contributing to the research surrounding my brother’s disorder. I hope that one day, I can relieve all Morquio patients of the burden brought by this disorder. I have also seen how community holds high value in the medical world. The tightly-knit community at BioMarin is a great example. Each employee may specialize in different aspects of medicine, but they all share the same goal: helping those in need. I also share this goal and hope to work at a company similar to BioMarin to help accomplish this shared goal. It is important that a pharmacist prioritizes helping others. My connection with BioMarin has helped me come to the realization that I belong in the service industry. I have learned the importance of research and serving those in need. Their community has helped me recognize that no one deserves to be limited by their weaknesses. If not for my brother’s diagnosis, I wouldn’t have been able to realize this. Jonah has done so much for me, and now it’s my turn to do something for him by dedicating myself to research that can someday help him–and everyone with his condition.

I have always been amazed at how the absence of a single enzyme can significantly affect a person’s body. For me, it’s not an intellectual concept–it’s a reality that has touched my family’s life for nearly a decade. In 2015, my little brother Jonah was diagnosed with Mucopolysaccharidoses, or in simpler terms, Morquio Syndrome. It is an incurable disease that causes his body not to produce enough enzymes to break down cellular waste. Since his diagnosis eight years ago, I have watched him deal with partial hearing loss, low energy, and an inability to grow physically. He has endured multiple surgeries and must face a five-hour intravenous infusion of a medication weekly for life. He has done this all with a sense of calm and awe-inspiring confidence. Jonah’s condition has inspired me to orient my future toward research pharmacology. For many years, I have attended Rare Disease Day–a meet-and-greet event organized by BioMarin, the company that manufactures my brother’s medicine. At these events, I have met people with the same disorder as Jonah and BioMarin employees who dedicated their lives to researching how to treat Morquio. It is interesting to see how the disease affects every person differently. Some have more severe cases of it, while others have milder cases. In July 2023, I also toured one of BioMarin’s manufacturing plants. I had the opportunity to meet those overseeing the manufacturing of my brother’s medication. I witnessed all the hard work that went into making a simple 5 mL vial of a life-saving drug. Attending Rare Disease Day and touring BioMarin’s plant made me realize that people suffering from rare diseases deserve to live a normal and fulfilling life. During the tour, I saw myself working at a company like BioMarin, contributing to the research surrounding my brother’s disorder. I hope that one day, I can relieve all Morquio patients of the burden brought by this disorder. I have also seen how community holds high value in the medical world. The tightly-knit community at BioMarin is a great example. Each employee may specialize in different aspects of medicine, but they all share the same goal: helping those in need. I also share this goal and hope to work at a company similar to BioMarin to help accomplish this shared goal. It is important that a pharmacist prioritizes helping others. My connection with BioMarin has helped me come to the realization that I belong in the service industry. I have learned the importance of research and serving those in need. Their community has helped me recognize that no one deserves to be limited by their weaknesses. If not for my brother’s diagnosis, I wouldn’t have been able to realize this. Jonah has done so much for me, and now it’s my turn to do something for him by dedicating myself to research that can someday help him–and everyone with his condition.