I come from a town where graduating high school is rare let alone graduating from college but I decided I would be the exception, I am going to be a physician. I am from Cordele, Ga a small town in the south where the crime rate is extremely high. Growing up I faced many obstacles. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and when I was 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 and I graduate with my bachelors degree on June 24, 2026. But I'm not stopping there, I've been accepted to the Medical College of Georgia through Augusta University to obtain a Master's Medical Physiology, which starts August 18, 2026. This is the first time I won't have as much help from financial aid and won't be able to live in on campus housing so I'll have a month to figure out have to cover tuition and pay rent, I've never really had financial help from my family for school or anything really! this scholarship would help so much with my dreams of becoming a Physiatrist physician. Thank you!

I come from a town where graduating high school is rare let alone graduating from college but I decided I would be the exception, I am going to be a physician. I am from Cordele, Ga a small town in the south where the crime rate is extremely high. Growing up I faced many obstacles. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and when I was 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 and I graduate with my bachelors degree on June 24, 2026. But I'm not stopping there, I've been accepted to the Medical College of Georgia through Augusta University to obtain a Master's Medical Physiology, which starts August 18, 2026. This is the first time I won't have as much help from financial aid and won't be able to live in on campus housing so I'll have a month to figure out have to cover tuition and pay rent, I've never really had financial help from my family for school or anything really! this scholarship would help so much with my dreams of becoming a Physiatrist physician. Thank you!

I come from a town where graduating high school is rare let alone graduating from college but I decided I would be the exception, I am going to be a physician. I am from Cordele, Ga a small town in the south where the crime rate is extremely high. Growing up I faced many obstacles. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and when I was 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 and I graduate with my bachelors degree on June 24, 2026. But I'm not stopping there, I've been accepted to the Medical College of Georgia through Augusta University to obtain a Master's Medical Physiology, which starts August 18, 2026. This is the first time I won't have as much help from financial aid and won't be able to live in on campus housing so I'll have a month to figure out have to cover tuition and pay rent, I've never really had financial help from my family for school or anything really! this scholarship would help so much with my dreams of becoming a Physiatrist physician. Thank you!

Something that make me stand out is my background, my path doesn't look most pre-med students. I come from a town where graduating high school is rare let alone graduating from college but I decided I would be the exception, I am going to be a physician. I am from Cordele, Ga a small town in the south where the crime rate is extremely high. Growing up I faced many obstacles. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and when I was 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 and I graduate with my bachelors degree on June 24, 2026. But I'm not stopping there, I've been accepted to the Medical College of Georgia through Augusta University to obtain a Master's Medical Physiology, which starts August 18, 2026. This is the first time I won't have as much help from financial aid and won't be able to live in on campus housing so I'll have a month to figure out have to cover tuition and pay rent, I've never really had financial help from my family for school or anything really! this scholarship would help so much with my dreams of becoming a Physiatrist physician. Thank you!

I come from a town where graduating high school is rare let alone graduating from college but I decided I would be the exception, I am going to be a physician. I am from Cordele, Ga a small town in the south where the crime rate is extremely high. Growing up I faced many obstacles. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and when I was 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 and I graduate with my bachelors degree on June 24, 2026. But I'm not stopping there, I've been accepted to the Medical College of Georgia through Augusta University to obtain a Master's Medical Physiology, which starts August 18, 2026. This is the first time I won't have as much help from financial aid and won't be able to live in on campus housing so I'll have a month to figure out have to cover tuition and pay rent, I've never really had financial help from my family for school or anything really! My inspiration is to show kids like me it doesn't matter where you come from, who your parents are, or what trauma youve been through...you can do anything!!! This scholarship would help so much with my dreams of becoming a Physiatrist physician and inspiring kids like me. Thank you!

I come from a town where graduating high school is rare let alone graduating from college but I decided I would be the exception, I am going to be a physician. I am from Cordele, Ga a small town in the south where the crime rate is extremely high. Growing up I faced many obstacles. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and when I was 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 and I graduate with my bachelors degree on June 24, 2026. But I'm not stopping there, I've been accepted to the Medical College of Georgia through Augusta University to obtain a Master's Medical Physiology, which starts August 18, 2026. This is the first time I won't have as much help from financial aid and won't be able to live in on campus housing so I'll have a month to figure out have to cover tuition and pay rent, I've never really had financial help from my family for school or anything really! I want to be able to show young black kids from rural areas that it doesn't matter where you come from or what your circumstances are or who your parents are...you can do anything! This scholarship would help so much with my dreams of becoming a Physiatrist physician and inspiring others. Thank you!

I come from a town where graduating high school is rare let alone graduating from college but I decided I would be the exception, I am going to be a physician. I am from Cordele, Ga a small town in the south where the crime rate is extremely high. Growing up I faced many obstacles. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and when I was 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 and I graduate with my bachelors degree on June 24, 2026. But I'm not stopping there, I've been accepted to the Medical College of Georgia through Augusta University to obtain a Master's Medical Physiology, which starts August 18, 2026. This is the first time I won't have as much help from financial aid and won't be able to live in on campus housing so I'll have a month to figure out have to cover tuition and pay rent, I've never really had financial help from my family for school or anything really! this scholarship would help so much with my dreams of becoming a Physiatrist physician. Thank you!

I come from a town where graduating high school is rare let alone graduating from college but I decided I would be the exception, I am going to be a physician. I am from Cordele, Ga a small town in the south where the crime rate is extremely high. Growing up I faced many obstacles. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and when I was 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 and I graduate with my bachelors degree on June 24, 2026. But I'm not stopping there, I've been accepted to the Medical College of Georgia through Augusta University to obtain a Master's Medical Physiology, which starts August 18, 2026. This is the first time I won't have as much help from financial aid and won't be able to live in on campus housing so I'll have a month to figure out have to cover tuition and pay rent, I've never really had financial help from my family for school or anything really! this scholarship would help so much with my dreams of becoming a Physiatrist physician. Thank you!

I come from a town where graduating high school is rare let alone graduating from college but I decided I would be the exception, I am going to be a physician. I am from Cordele, Ga a small town in the south where the crime rate is extremely high. Growing up I faced many obstacles. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and when I was 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 and I graduate with my bachelors degree on June 24, 2026. But I'm not stopping there, I've been accepted to the Medical College of Georgia through Augusta University to obtain a Master's Medical Physiology, which starts August 18, 2026. This is the first time I won't have as much help from financial aid and won't be able to live in on campus housing so I'll have a month to figure out have to cover tuition and pay rent, I've never really had financial help from my family for school or anything really! this scholarship would help so much with my dreams of becoming a Physiatrist physician. Thank you!

I come from a town where graduating high school is rare let alone graduating from college but I decided I would be the exception, I am going to be a physician. I am from Cordele, Ga a small town in the south where the crime rate is extremely high. Growing up I faced many obstacles. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and when I was 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 and I graduate with my bachelors degree on June 24, 2026. But I'm not stopping there, I've been accepted to the Medical College of Georgia through Augusta University to obtain a Master's Medical Physiology, which starts August 18, 2026. This is the first time I won't have as much help from financial aid and won't be able to live in on campus housing so I'll have a month to figure out have to cover tuition and pay rent, I've never really had financial help from my family for school or anything really! this scholarship would help so much with my dreams of becoming a Physiatrist physician. Thank you!

The brain is the most complex organ and is the center of my academic interests. I currently have a concentration in human life sciences so I can learn more about physiological aspects of the brain and I have a minor in psychology to learn more about the behavioral aspects of the brain. My end goal is to obtain a MD-PhD to become a Physician Scientist. I've wanted to be a doctor for a while now but since I've started college I've fallen in love with the lab and doing research. A lot contributed to me wanting to be a doctor, it all started with my mom. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and at 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor, let alone a physician scientist, didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 I'll have my bachelors degree in a couple of months. I figured if I was going to be in school for a while I might as well get a head start, but I didn't really know how much hope I was giving my siblings and kids in my town, I became the exception. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, last year my mom started showing signs of schizophrenia and began having severe psychotic episodes. She lost custody of my siblings, and I thought that was my sign to just go home, stop school, and try to help my family. “Maybe I'm not not the exception” I thought but someone told me something I'll never forget, “the best thing you can do for your family is to keep going, do what you can to help but keep going because if you stop now your bound to fall into the same cycles as everyone else in this town but your different you've made it out, don't go back now.” So I'm going to keep going. After I graduate in May I want to do research for a year at Georgia Southern while I complete a post-bacc, starting this summer, and then apply for a MD-PHD program. I've set my mind to doing this so I'm going to complete it.

The brain is the most complex organ and is the center of my academic interests. I currently have a concentration in human life sciences so I can learn more about physiological aspects of the brain and I have a minor in psychology to learn more about the behavioral aspects of the brain. My end goal is to obtain a MD-PhD to become a Physician Scientist. I've wanted to be a doctor for a while now but since I've started college I've fallen in love with the lab and doing research. A lot contributed to me wanting to be a doctor, it all started with my mom. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and at 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor, let alone a physician scientist, didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 I'll have my bachelors degree in a couple of months. I figured if I was going to be in school for a while I might as well get a head start, but I didn't really know how much hope I was giving my siblings and kids in my town, I became the exception. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, last year my mom started showing signs of schizophrenia and began having severe psychotic episodes. She lost custody of my siblings, and I thought that was my sign to just go home, stop school, and try to help my family. “Maybe I'm not not the exception” I thought but someone told me something I'll never forget, “the best thing you can do for your family is to keep going, do what you can to help but keep going because if you stop now your bound to fall into the same cycles as everyone else in this town but your different you've made it out, don't go back now.” So I'm going to keep going. After I graduate in May I want to do research for a year at Georgia Southern while I complete a post-bacc, starting this summer, and then apply for a MD-PHD program. I've set my mind to doing this so I'm going to complete it.

The brain is the most complex organ and is the center of my academic interests. I currently have a concentration in human life sciences so I can learn more about physiological aspects of the brain and I have a minor in psychology to learn more about the behavioral aspects of the brain. My end goal is to obtain a MD-PhD to become a Physician Scientist. I've wanted to be a doctor for a while now but since I've started college I've fallen in love with the lab and doing research. A lot contributed to me wanting to be a doctor, it all started with my mom. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and at 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor, let alone a physician scientist, didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 I'll have my bachelors degree in a couple of months. I figured if I was going to be in school for a while I might as well get a head start, but I didn't really know how much hope I was giving my siblings and kids in my town, I became the exception. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, last year my mom started showing signs of schizophrenia and began having severe psychotic episodes. She lost custody of my siblings, and I thought that was my sign to just go home, stop school, and try to help my family. “Maybe I'm not not the exception” I thought but someone told me something I'll never forget, “the best thing you can do for your family is to keep going, do what you can to help but keep going because if you stop now your bound to fall into the same cycles as everyone else in this town but your different you've made it out, don't go back now.” So I'm going to keep going. After I graduate in May I want to do research for a year at Georgia Southern while I complete a post-bacc, starting this summer, and then apply for a MD-PHD program. I've set my mind to doing this so I'm going to complete it.

The brain is the most complex organ and is the center of my academic interests. I currently have a concentration in human life sciences so I can learn more about physiological aspects of the brain and I have a minor in psychology to learn more about the behavioral aspects of the brain. My end goal is to obtain a MD-PhD to become a Physician Scientist. I've wanted to be a doctor for a while now but since I've started college I've fallen in love with the lab and doing research. A lot contributed to me wanting to be a doctor, it all started with my mom. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and at 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor, let alone a physician scientist, didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 I'll have my bachelors degree in a couple of months. I figured if I was going to be in school for a while I might as well get a head start, but I didn't really know how much hope I was giving my siblings and kids in my town, I became the exception. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, last year my mom started showing signs of schizophrenia and began having severe psychotic episodes. She lost custody of my siblings, and I thought that was my sign to just go home, stop school, and try to help my family. “Maybe I'm not not the exception” I thought but someone told me something I'll never forget, “the best thing you can do for your family is to keep going, do what you can to help but keep going because if you stop now your bound to fall into the same cycles as everyone else in this town but your different you've made it out, don't go back now.” So I'm going to keep going. After I graduate in May I want to do research for a year at Georgia Southern while I complete a post-bacc, starting this summer, and then apply for a MD-PHD program. I've set my mind to doing this so I'm going to complete it.

I currently have a concentration in human life sciences so I can learn more about physiological aspects of the brain and I have a minor in psychology to learn more about the behavioral aspects of the brain. My end goal is to obtain a MD-PhD to become a Physician Scientist. I've wanted to be a doctor for a while now but since I've started college I've fallen in love with the lab and doing research. A lot contributed to me wanting to be a doctor, it all started with my mom. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and at 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor, let alone a physician scientist, didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 I'll have my bachelors degree in a couple of months. I figured if I was going to be in school for a while I might as well get a head start, but I didn't really know how much hope I was giving my siblings and kids in my town, I became the exception. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, last year my mom started showing signs of schizophrenia and began having severe psychotic episodes. She lost custody of my siblings, and I thought that was my sign to just go home, stop school, and try to help my family. “Maybe I'm not not the exception” I thought but someone told me something I'll never forget, “the best thing you can do for your family is to keep going, do what you can to help but keep going because if you stop now your bound to fall into the same cycles as everyone else in this town but your different you've made it out, don't go back now.” So I'm going to keep going. After I graduate in May I want to do research for a year at Georgia Southern while I complete a post-bacc, starting this summer, and then apply for a MD-PHD program. I've set my mind to doing this so I'm going to complete it.

The brain is the most complex organ and is the center of my academic interests. I currently have a concentration in human life sciences so I can learn more about physiological aspects of the brain and I have a minor in psychology to learn more about the behavioral aspects of the brain. My end goal is to obtain a MD-PhD to become a Physician Scientist. I've wanted to be a doctor for a while now but since I've started college I've fallen in love with the lab and doing research. A lot contributed to me wanting to be a doctor, it all started with my mom. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and at 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor, let alone a physician scientist, didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 I'll have my bachelors degree in a couple of months. I figured if I was going to be in school for a while I might as well get a head start, but I didn't really know how much hope I was giving my siblings and kids in my town, I became the exception. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, last year my mom started showing signs of schizophrenia and began having severe psychotic episodes. She lost custody of my siblings, and I thought that was my sign to just go home, stop school, and try to help my family. “Maybe I'm not not the exception” I thought but someone told me something I'll never forget, “the best thing you can do for your family is to keep going, do what you can to help but keep going because if you stop now your bound to fall into the same cycles as everyone else in this town but your different you've made it out, don't go back now.” So I'm going to keep going. After I graduate in May I want to do research for a year at Georgia Southern while I complete a post-bacc, starting this summer, and then apply for a MD-PHD program. I've set my mind to doing this so I'm going to complete it.

The brain is the most complex organ and is the center of my academic interests. I currently have a concentration in human life sciences so I can learn more about physiological aspects of the brain and I have a minor in psychology to learn more about the behavioral aspects of the brain. My end goal is to obtain a MD-PhD to become a Physician Scientist. I've wanted to be a doctor for a while now but since I've started college I've fallen in love with the lab and doing research. A lot contributed to me wanting to be a doctor, it all started with my mom. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and at 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor, let alone a physician scientist, didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 I'll have my bachelors degree in a couple of months. I figured if I was going to be in school for a while I might as well get a head start, but I didn't really know how much hope I was giving my siblings and kids in my town, I became the exception. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, last year my mom started showing signs of schizophrenia and began having severe psychotic episodes. She lost custody of my siblings, and I thought that was my sign to just go home, stop school, and try to help my family. “Maybe I'm not not the exception” I thought but someone told me something I'll never forget, “the best thing you can do for your family is to keep going, do what you can to help but keep going because if you stop now your bound to fall into the same cycles as everyone else in this town but your different you've made it out, don't go back now.” So I'm going to keep going. After I graduate in May I want to do research for a year at Georgia Southern while I complete a post-bacc, starting this summer, and then apply for a MD-PHD program. I've set my mind to doing this so I'm going to complete it.

I currently have a concentration in human life sciences so I can learn more about physiological aspects of the brain and I have a minor in psychology to learn more about the behavioral aspects of the brain. My end goal is to obtain a MD-PhD to become a Physician Scientist. I've wanted to be a doctor for a while now but since I've started college I've fallen in love with the lab and doing research. A lot contributed to me wanting to be a doctor, it all started with my mom. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and at 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor, let alone a physician scientist, didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 I'll have my bachelors degree in a couple of months. I figured if I was going to be in school for a while I might as well get a head start, but I didn't really know how much hope I was giving my siblings and kids in my town, I became the exception. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, last year my mom started showing signs of schizophrenia and began having severe psychotic episodes. She lost custody of my siblings, and I thought that was my sign to just go home, stop school, and try to help my family. “Maybe I'm not not the exception” I thought but someone told me something I'll never forget, “the best thing you can do for your family is to keep going, do what you can to help but keep going because if you stop now your bound to fall into the same cycles as everyone else in this town but your different you've made it out, don't go back now.” So I'm going to keep going. After I graduate in May I want to do research for a year at Georgia Southern while I complete a post-bacc, starting this summer, and then apply for a MD-PHD program. I've set my mind to doing this so I'm going to complete it.

The brain is the most complex organ and is the center of my academic interests. I currently have a concentration in human life sciences so I can learn more about physiological aspects of the brain and I have a minor in psychology to learn more about the behavioral aspects of the brain. My end goal is to obtain a MD-PhD to become a Physician Scientist. I've wanted to be a doctor for a while now but since I've started college I've fallen in love with the lab and doing research. A lot contributed to me wanting to be a doctor, it all started with my mom. When I was in the 4th grade my mom had a surgery and afterwards she was prescribed opioids, Oxycodone to be exact, although the risks of opioid addiction were never fully explained to her. Eventually she got addicted to opioids and remained in and out of rehab for years and at 11 my dad was shot and killed, which was the peak of her addiction. When I was 13 my mom accidentally got pregnant so she got clean. During her addiction I decided I wanted to become a mental health and addiction counselor at the time being a doctor, let alone a physician scientist, didn't even seem like an option. I mean I came from a low income family and a small town where either you ended up shot or in jail, I had never met anyone who did anything big with their life from my town, unless you count playing D1 football. Also my mom wasn't the only addict I saw, addiction was all around it filled my family and so did mental health, I have 4 family immediate members with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder so being a mental health and addiction counselor seemed pretty fitting. After my mom got out of rehab she told me, “if I could get clean then anything is possible and anything you want to do is achievable if you put your mind to it”, so I did that. I started dual enrollment when I was 15 and graduated high school when I was 16, I got my associates degree when I was 17 and now I'm 19 I'll have my bachelors degree in a couple of months. I figured if I was going to be in school for a while I might as well get a head start, but I didn't really know how much hope I was giving my siblings and kids in my town, I became the exception. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, last year my mom started showing signs of schizophrenia and began having severe psychotic episodes. She lost custody of my siblings, and I thought that was my sign to just go home, stop school, and try to help my family. “Maybe I'm not not the exception” I thought but someone told me something I'll never forget, “the best thing you can do for your family is to keep going, do what you can to help but keep going because if you stop now your bound to fall into the same cycles as everyone else in this town but your different you've made it out, don't go back now.” So I'm going to keep going. After I graduate in May I want to do research for a year at Georgia Southern while I complete a post-bacc, starting this summer, and then apply for a MD-PHD program to become a Psychiatrist. I've set my mind to doing this so I'm going to complete it.

I study human life sciences to better understand the physiological processes of the brain, and I minor in psychology to explore how those processes influence behavior. Together, these fields fuel my passion for neuroscience and medicine. My ultimate goal is to earn an MD-PhD and become a physician-scientist who treats patients while also conducting research that leads to long-term solutions for neurological and psychological disorders. My drive to enter this field is deeply personal. When I was in fourth grade, my mom had surgery and was prescribed oxycodone. She wasn’t told about the full risks of opioid addiction and eventually became dependent. At eleven, I lost my dad to gun violence during the peak of her addiction. Addiction wasn’t just something I heard about, it was in my home, in my community, and in my family. Four of my immediate relatives have schizophrenia, and five have bipolar disorder. I saw firsthand how much people suffer when they don’t receive proper care. When I was thirteen, my mom became pregnant and chose to get clean. She told me, “If I can get clean, anything is possible,” and that changed my mindset. Even though I came from a low-income family in a small rural town where opportunities were scarce, I refused to limit myself. I started dual enrollment at fifteen, graduated high school at sixteen, and earned my associate degree at seventeen. Now at nineteen, I am about to complete my bachelor’s degree. After graduation, I plan to spend a year conducting research and completing a post-baccalaureate program at Georgia Southern before applying to MD-PhD programs. I am committed to this path and determined to make a difference.