At nine, my world changed when doctors discovered a tumor on my mother’s brain. Until then, medicine was unfamiliar, but it quickly became my entire life. Growing up in a rural town with limited medical resources, I saw firsthand the hardships my mother faced—not just from inadequate care but also from the isolation of being an African American woman in an all-white community. Watching her struggle with rural medical care, I realized the urgent need for change in rural healthcare. I want to bridge the gap in resources and personnel for underserved medical communities. However, my pursuit of this goal has been challenging. Growing up, I was often looked down upon and discriminated against as the only minority in my town. Despite these adversities, I remained determined to become the doctor and community member my town needs. I have always been committed to service and leadership, volunteering at the Humane Society and coaching Little League. I graduated as a salutatorian in high school and founded a nationally competitive Ethics Club. I’ve maintained Dean’s List honors at George Washington University while mentoring at-risk youth as a student engagement assistant at the Latin American Youth Center in Columbia Heights. This scholarship is more than financial aid—it’s a lifeline to dreams I once thought impossible. My mother was a teen mom, and my father, an immigrant, was deported, leaving her to raise us alone. With higher education expensive and medicine feeling out of reach, scholarships like these give students like me a chance. It’s not about how many obstacles you face but how much you’re willing to overcome. This will help me continue my education at GWU and relieve financial burdens, allowing me to fully pursue my passion for medicine and my commitment to serving others.