“The sky is your limit.” was a mantra that was repeated by my parents throughout my childhood. From a young age, I had an interest in science and how the body works. I also became interested in medicine from witnessing my mother and sister have pursued careers in the medical field. Over the years, my ideal career shifted as I got older and I began to explore what I was passionate about. More notably, my experience in HOSA (Healthcare Occupation Students of America) helped me find new career interests. Taking classes like Biology, Human Anatomy, and Healthcare Science helped me further explore my interests. After shadowing a Pathologist at a nearby hospital, I eventually settled on pursuing a career in medicine, specializing in Pathology. I want to become a pathologist to help others become informed about their conditions and use this information to make better decisions for their health. Receiving this scholarship will help me achieve my long term goal of becoming a Pathologist. Earning my bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences with Pre-Med is my short term goal. This area of study will better prepare me for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), and ultimately gain entrance into medical school. Majoring in Biomedical sciences will also assist me in forming a foundation for this aspect of medicine. It will equally help me choose which branch of pathology I'm interested in. Afterward, I intend on going into residency for a couple of years before advancing into Pathology. This scholarship will assist me in achieving my short and long term goals by giving me the opportunity to continue my education. It will provide me with financial assistance with textbooks, housing, school fees and other living expenses. Receiving this scholarship would help relieve financial strain on me and family. Entering this field is important to me because it would not only allow me to pursue my interest in medicine but it will help diversify the medical field. As a black woman in the healthcare field, you become aware of the microaggressions that comes with seeking care. Black women are often ignored and mistreated when seeking medical treatment. Knowing this has effected my career goals by shaping my philosophy on care by paying special attention to my patient's concerns. I want to become a medical provider who listens to their patients and take their concerns seriously. As of 2020, only 2.9% of Pathologists in the U.S. are Black. Increasing diversity in the medical field is key to helping close the gap in healthcare and providing opportunities for marginalized communities. I also want to be able to go into this career path to provide a different perspective on certain issues and how they affect people of color. By pursuing a career in pathology, I can set an example for others and inspire them to do the same.

“The sky is your limit” was a mantra that was repeated by my parents throughout my childhood. From a young age, I had an interest in science and how the body works. I also became interested in medicine from witnessing my mother and sister have pursued careers in the medical field. Over the years, my ideal career shifted as I got older and I began to explore what I was passionate about. More notably, my experience in HOSA (Healthcare Occupation Students of America) helped me find new career interests. Taking classes like Biology, Human Anatomy, and Healthcare Science helped me further explore my interests. After shadowing a Pathologist at a nearby hospital in November 2022, I eventually settled on pursuing a career in medicine, specializing in Pathology. Receiving this scholarship will help me achieve my goal of becoming a Pathologist. Entering a four-year college will help me get a head start on reaching my goals. I will be majoring in Biomedical Sciences with Pre-Med. This area of study will better prepare me for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), and ultimately gain entrance into medical school. Majoring in Biomedical sciences will also assist me in forming a foundation for this aspect of medicine. Additionally, I will participate in volunteering opportunities at medical facilities to help me acquire more skills relating to my career path. I also plan on achieving that dream by participating in internships which will allow me to gain experience. It will equally help me choose which branch of pathology I'm interested in. Afterward, I intend on going into residency for a couple of years before advancing into Pathology. I hope to have an impact on the STEM field by helping others become more aware of their conditions. I will also be able to use my knowledge of Pathology to offer diagnostic information to clinicians for better treatment of diseases. I would be able to use my position as a pathologist to help others use this information to make better decisions for their health. Entering this field is important to me because it would not only allow me to pursue my interest in medicine but it will help diversify the medical field. Currently, only 5.2% of Pathologists in the U.S. are Black. I also want to be able to go into this career path to provide a different perspective on certain issues and how they affect people of color. Increasing diversity in the medical field is key to helping close the gap in healthcare and providing opportunities for marginalized communities. By pursuing a career in pathology, I can set an example for others and inspire them to do the same.

“The sky is your limit” was a mantra that was repeated by my parents throughout my childhood. From a young age, I had an interest in science and how the body works. I also became interested in medicine from witnessing my mother and sister pursue careers in the medical field. Over the years, my ideal career shifted as I got older and I began to explore what I was passionate about. More notably, my experience in HOSA (Healthcare Occupation Students of America) helped me find new career interests. Taking classes like Biology, Human Anatomy, and Healthcare Science helped me further explore my interests. After shadowing a Pathologist at a nearby hospital in November, I eventually settled on pursuing a career in medicine, specializing in Pathology. Receiving this scholarship will help me achieve my goal of becoming a Pathologist. Entering a four-year college will help me get a head start on reaching my goals. I will be majoring in Biomedical Sciences with Pre-Med. This area of study will better prepare me for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), and ultimately gain entrance into medical school. Majoring in Biomedical sciences will also assist me in forming a foundation for this aspect of medicine. Additionally, I will participate in volunteering opportunities at medical facilities to help me acquire more skills relating to my career path. I also plan on achieving that dream by participating in internships which will allow me to gain experience. It will equally help me choose which branch of pathology I'm interested in. Afterward, I intend on going into residency for a couple of years before advancing into Pathology. I want to enter this field so I can help others become more aware of their conditions. I will also be able to use my knowledge of Pathology to offer diagnostic information to clinicians for better treatment of diseases. I would be able to use my position as a pathologist to help others use this information to make better decisions for their health. Entering this field is important to me because it would not only allow me to pursue my interest in medicine but it will help the medical field become more inclusive. Currently, only 5.2% of Pathologists in the U.S. are Black. I also want to be able to go into this career path to provide a different perspective on certain issues and how they affect people of color. Increasing diversity in the medical field is key to helping close the gap in healthcare and providing opportunities for marginalized communities. By pursuing a career in pathology, I can set an example for others and inspire them to do the same.

“The sky is your limit” was a mantra that was repeated by my parents throughout my childhood. From a young age, I had an interest in science and how the body works. I also became interested in medicine from witnessing my mother and sister have pursued careers in the medical field. Over the years, my ideal career shifted as I got older and I began to explore what I was passionate about. More notably, my experience in HOSA (Healthcare Occupation Students of America) helped me find new career interests. Taking classes like Biology, Human Anatomy, and Healthcare Science helped me further explore my interests. After shadowing a Pathologist at a nearby hospital in November, I eventually settled on pursuing a career in medicine, specializing in Pathology. Receiving this scholarship will help me achieve my goal of becoming a Pathologist. Entering a four-year college will help me get a head start on reaching my goals. I will be majoring in Biomedical Sciences with Pre-Med. This area of study will better prepare me for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), and ultimately gain entrance into medical school. Majoring in Biomedical sciences will also assist me in forming a foundation for this aspect of medicine. Additionally, I will participate in volunteering opportunities at medical facilities to help me acquire more skills relating to my career path. I also plan on achieving that dream by participating in internships which will allow me to gain experience. It will equally help me choose which branch of pathology I'm interested in. Afterward, I intend on going into residency for a couple of years before advancing into Pathology. I want to enter into this field so I can help others become more aware of their conditions. I will also be able to use my knowledge of Pathology to offer diagnostic information to clinicians for better treatment of diseases. I would be able to use my position as a pathologist to help others use this information to make better decisions for their health. Entering this field is important to me because it would not only allow me to pursue my interest in medicine but it will help diversify the medical field. Currently, only 5.2% of Pathologists in the U.S. are Black. I also want to be able to go into this career path to provide a different perspective on certain issues and how they affect people of color. Increasing diversity in the medical field is key to helping close the gap in healthcare and providing opportunities for marginalized communities. By pursuing a career in pathology, I can set an example for others and inspire them to do the same.

One of my earliest memories of elementary school was when I was in first grade. We were introduced to the concept of cells by constructing cell models. From that moment, I knew what my passion was: science. Initially, my interest in science stemmed from the many labs we did in class. This eventually developed into a curiosity about how natural processes occur and how the world works. Since then, I've had an interest in science-related subjects. As I got older, I was able to explore different branches of science. I also became more interested in healthcare science. In my freshman year of high school, I took Biology and Intro to Healthcare science. Taking these classes helped me learn more about these subjects. It wasn’t until my junior year that I was finally able to figure out what I wanted to do: Pathology. I didn't come across the idea of becoming a pathologist until a little over a year ago. Before then, I wasn't sure what career I wanted to pursue. I was interested in exploring how diseases and conditions occur in the body. One reason why I chose this career is so I can follow in my mother's footsteps. My mom is a nurse practitioner and my older sister is currently in medical school. From a young age, I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. Another reason why I want to go into pathology is to help widen and diversify the medical field. Currently, there is a lack of diversity in the medical field. I want to provide a different perspective on certain issues and how they affect people of color. I also want to be able to go into this career path so I can set an example for others. Furthermore, I want to pursue this career because I want to be able to diagnose what disease or condition a patient has. I want to be able to use this knowledge to help others be more aware of what conditions they have. This career would give me the ability to have more insight into what and how certain medical conditions are affecting patients. When others are more informed about what's going on with their bodies they can use this knowledge to be more cautious with their health. Becoming a pathologist would allow me to be able to help others by using my knowledge of medical conditions and diseases. If I can reach this goal, it would inspire others to do the same.

One of my earliest memories of elementary school was when I was in first grade. We were being introduced to the concept of cells by constructing cell models. From that moment, I knew what my passion was: science. Initially, my interest in science stemmed from the many labs we did in class. This eventually developed into a curiosity of how natural processes occur and how the world works. Since then, I've had an interest in science related subjects. As I got older, I was able to explore different branches of sciences. I also became more interested in healthcare science. In my freshman year of high school, I took Biology and Intro to Healthcare science. Taking these classes helped me learn more about these subjects. It wasn’t until my junior year when I was finally able to figure out what I wanted to do: Pathology. I didn't come across the idea of becoming a pathologist until about a little over a year ago. Before then, I wasn't really sure what career I wanted to pursue. I was really interested in exploring how diseases and conditions occurs in the body. One reason why I chose this career so I can follow in my mother's footsteps. My mom is a nurse practitioner and my older sister is currently in medical school. From a young age, I wanted to pursue career in the medical field. Another reason why I want to go into pathology, is to help widen and diversify the medical field. Currently, there is a lack of diversity in the medical field. I want to provide a different perspective on certain issues and how they affect people of color. I also want to be able to go into this career path so I can set an example for others. Furthermore, I want to pursue this career because I want to be able to diagnose what disease or condition a patient has. I want to be able to use this knowledge to help others be more aware of what conditions they have. This career would give me the ability to have more insight on what and how certain medical conditions are affecting patients. When others are more informed about what's going on with their bodies they can use this knowledge to be more cautious with their health. Becoming a pathologist would allow me to be able to help others by using my knowledge of medical conditions and diseases. If I am able to reach this goal, it would inspire others to do the same.