I remember going to Africa (specifically Ghana) as a 10-year old full of mixed emotions, mainly empathy and anxiety. It was my first time leaving the United States and I had no idea what my expectations were nor did I know what kind of experience I was looking for. After a week visiting my mothers side of the family, It was time to go to a far village in Tema to visit my father’s side of the family. My aunt (my father’s sister) has a rare condition that resulted in inflammation and bulging of the neck, this disease restricts her from being able to swallow and sometimes breathe properly. She has limited access to health care resources and medications to care for this rare disease. Additionally, the doctors are unsure of an accurate diagnosis. As a 10-year old girl I doubt I truly understood exactly what was going on but I never forgot this. I thought about her on a regular basis. I am now 22 years old and I still think about my aunt and how sick she can get. At about 17 years of age, I visited Ghana again and It broke my heart seeing my aunt sick constantly. From then on, I took on a personal oath and I vowed to become a doctor, I vowed to go back to Ghana and build health-care clinics that can be afforded to those who do not have access to healthcare benefits. This is my biggest dream in life and I have and will continue to work with every breath so I can accomplish this “goal.” It is not only a dream to me, but a long-term goal. To achieve this goal, I am constantly ensuring that I am getting competitive grades and maintaining a competitive GPA. Studying for long hours, attending study groups/professor office hours and doing well on exams are all short-term goals I’ve set so that I could reach other short-term goals which will then lead to achieving long-term goals. In addition to this, I am researching deadlines for medical school applications, preparing for the MCAT, accumulating volunteer hours and research experience to ensure that I am a well-rounded applicant. This boosts my chances at receiving multiple medical school acceptances to become that physician I so long to be and passionate about. Once I become a physician and have practiced for a few years, I should have the means to achieve the biggest dream in life — access to health care in struggling countries like my own. Thanks for your time. Kind regards, Kim Mensah