A pattern of kindness I’ve demonstrated is a history of building community through volunteering and service. I am the first in my family to go to college and come from a low-income family. As a Black student, I’ve thrived due to all the support I’ve received from my teachers, coaches, and advisors. Because of this, I will give back to my surrounding community in any way possible. I’ve been able to volunteer, lead events, and mentor many students with similar backgrounds to me. I strive to have a positive and meaningful impact on communities, especially where there may not be obvious opportunities. Furthermore, I built relationships with a community farm and contributed towards a meaningful cause during a lonely time as a student. The summer of 2023 was my first time living on my own and doing research for a university in Northern California. I went from being surrounded by my seven-person family– and all my college friends– to being completely alone. This was a challenging experience, but I knew I could commit to serving my community; I saw this opportunity in a community garden I passed by on my way to the lab. I researched the garden and found its mission was to provide marginalized (mainly homeless) individuals with fresh, healthy food and a safe space. I signed up soon and helped in the garden every weekend and during the week. I made friends with the other regular volunteers and helped program staff in any capacity. Even hundreds of miles away from my main support systems, I tried to strengthen a community and develop a kind, welcoming atmosphere. I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad, and I used my time in a new country to meaningfully support a newly established support center. Being exposed to a new culture, environment, and language were all such memorable and meaningful experiences for me, but I noticed the wealth disparities between native Cypriots and immigrants looking for a better life. It reflected my lived experience in the United States because my parents are immigrants. I had an intense need to help and had the opportunity to volunteer at Nicosia Mercy Centre. This is a center that provides food, clothing, and other necessities to new residents of Cyprus, and those acts of kindness mean a lot to me. As a brand-new center, I worked with the organization and a group of other volunteers to clean, decorate, and organize the new space. It was dedicated work that ultimately led to a clean, welcoming environment for people in a completely different country. We also helped organize and prepare dry food based on dietary restrictions. Near the end of the semester, I led a toy, clothing, and supplies holiday drive to provide a wealth of supplies for the center. I collected hundreds of dollars worth of supplies and painstakingly organized them to send to the center, just in time for the end-of-year holidays. I remember sorting toys through the night and imagining the excited smiles of children. This experience is one that still resonates with me, and I am so excited I was able to give back to a home that had done so much for me. From a young age, I recognized my drive for service and the positive impacts my kindness could have on others. I was in high school and was exposed to ways to become more involved in my community. One of the opportunities I learned about was volunteering, specifically in a memory care community. I resonated deeply with this opportunity because I’ve always lived with my grandparents and took them frequently to their appointments. I volunteered as a companion and listened to older people’s life stories. I helped care for the various community pets and took the therapy dogs to the immobile residents. I saw how the pets and activities helped older people struggling with dementia by giving them a positive, interactive experience. Over time, I began working there when I turned 18 and won an Engagement Award. My favorite part of the job was spending time sitting quietly with the residents while they pet the service dogs. I worked with my Activities Director to adopt new activities to sustain cognitive thought and helped improve older activities. One of my main goals is to always give back to my community in any way possible. Sharing my kindness will also bleed into my professional life. When I have the opportunity to devote more of my time to community service, there are a few places I’d love to volunteer at: the Alzheimer's Association and the Stepping Stones of Hope. My past and future are shaped by my experiences of kindness and paying forward events that have affected me so profoundly.

When I dream of my future, it's not of extravagant houses and vacations to beautiful vistas (though I'd love to go), but of the overarching feeling of relief of my situation. I imagine waking up in my bedroom at dawn and watching my sheer curtains flutter in the breeze. I’d take my time stretching, getting out of bed, and stepping onto my patio to watch the sunrise. Afterward, I’d leave my bedroom to greet my grandmother. I’ve always lived with my grandparents, and I always greet them first thing in the morning. In my imagination, she lives with me and enjoys her retirement fully. I do the same with my mom, who is preparing to retire and visits regularly. My three young siblings wake up one by one, and my younger cousins laugh and run throughout my house; my dreams are always filled with multi-generational laughter and love. In the life of my dreams, I’d be an established healthcare provider who has enough money to provide for my family and ensure my patients have this experience with their loved ones. I will accomplish this goal by being a hospice/palliative care physician assistant who will help guide patients and families through their terminal journey. I’ve volunteered and worked with people in end-of-life care since I was fifteen years old, and I’ve seen the tension and fear of the unknowns of terminal illnesses. It’s truly difficult to comfort families who have no idea about disease progression. No one asks to be sick or to develop debilitating diseases; I’ve watched this happen to my grandfather, and the horror of the situation still sticks with me. With my personal experience and desire to help, I’ll make sure to educate families early and give them options for the most dignified end-of-life care. I hope to provide an experience like the one I wished for myself with my grandpa. I also hope to eventually open a practice and provide personalized care to people on a larger scale. I’m a first-generation, low-income student who would be the first person in my family to own a business, and I am determined to take on the potential challenges. I’ll make sure my practice is a place where aspiring pre-health students can find online and shadow easily. The reason why relief is one of my biggest dreams is because of how stressed I am right now. I am currently a full-time graduate student with a part-time job, take pre-requisite evening classes, and care for my grandmother and siblings. The work seems never-ending, but one day, I’ll be able to support them while accomplishing my own life goals. The life of my dreams is one full of success, happiness, and most importantly, relief. I will be surrounded by my loving family and help patients to have the same experience with their families. Right now, I’m working extremely hard to get through the necessary steps of applying to healthcare programs. One day, I’ll be past these challenges and wake up in my room at dawn to the sound of laughter.

1) I knew from an early age that grit would benefit me throughout my life. The definition of grit is possessing resolve and courage; I’ve worked extremely hard to develop these qualities by having a strong work ethic and a positive outlook toward my future. As a first-generation, low-income, Black student, I always worked a lot harder than my peers to receive half of the recognition. I never let this discourage me from my ambitious goals. Throughout high school, I transferred multiple times to schools with limited funding and opportunities. My experiences only fueled my desire to get into a great college and surround myself with opportunities there. Despite being home during the peak of COVID (May 2020), I worked hard on my studies. My effort paid off; I was a National Honor Society scholar, on the Dean’s List, and tutored many students. I got accepted to Wellesley College and was ready to utilize the abundance of opportunities provided for its students. Throughout college, I was driven by my discipline, work ethic, and grit. I moved across the country during the height of the COVID pandemic. I was alone and spent roughly 16-20 hours a day in isolation. From my seven-person home, where there was always someone around, this was a complete 180. As I sat in the solitude of my dorm room, I promised myself that I would never fail academically and to do everything in my power to succeed. I worked tirelessly to complete quality problem sets and write great essays. I worked one to two jobs and tutored countless students during my college experience. These experiences made me a strong student and a stronger, capable leader. My grit gave me the drive needed to make the most of my college experience. As a budding scientist and healthcare professional, I will leverage my quality of grit to achieve success. I’m not scared of hard work, and if I fail, I’ll still be satisfied because I know I put in 110% of my effort. Since I am disciplined and work ethic-driven, I can handle challenging situations. Pursuing healthcare is an intense juggle between rigorous academics, a balanced home life, and meaningful extracurriculars. I am excited to tackle my ambitious goals. Grit has driven my approach toward my dreams and how I navigate the world. My work ethic and commitment to producing quality work will help me become the best version of myself as a healthcare professional. 2) The first time I heard about servant leadership was in church. In Matthew 20:26-28, Jesus says, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” In my interpretation, that verse means leading by dedicating your life to the needs of many. I find this meaningful because serving others builds on treasured qualities in our society, especially empathy, compassion, and reflection. All communities have unmet needs, but some community members can adequately voice their concerns, while others cannot. This may create disparities where some individuals are adequately provided for, while others don’t have the chance to describe their needs. Focusing on the US, one community with unmet, unvoiced needs is the elderly, especially those suffering from terminal illnesses like dementia. I’ve grown up with my grandparents my entire life and watched my grandfather succumb to Alzheimer’s disease. In the end, he needed a lot of care and couldn’t voice it. There are many elderly individuals without the support system that he had, and there are many people who suffer a scary, stressful end-of-life journey because of it. I hope to use my advocacy skills to be a voice for this community by being a passionate, involved healthcare worker. I currently work towards servant leadership by volunteering wherever I can. In the last year, I’ve helped clean up Condor Street Beach (Boston , MA), weeded and harvested for the Santa Cruz Homeless Garden Farm (Santa Cruz, CA), and cleaned/decorated/raised money for the Nicosia Mercy Centre (Nicosia, Cyprus). Now that I’m a graduate, I have time to pursue service opportunities that were out of reach. Currently, I work full-time, attend evening courses, and have a part-time weekend job. One of the most important things to me is volunteering, but time constraints and family commitments make it difficult for me to participate. To become more of a servant leader, I plan to volunteer at the Alzheimer’s Association near me, or the Stepping Stones of Hope Foundation in Phoenix. I strive for servant leadership to deepen my empathy, compassion, and leadership skills. I plan to create and execute an action plan that prioritizes volunteer opportunities outside my busy schedule. This will help me not only become more involved in my community, but to lead through servitude as an aspiring healthcare professional.