One can say that being a minority is one of the most difficult things to be in this present time. Yes, it is difficult, but we must use it to our advantage. No one understands the pain of being turned down from institutions or having to work five times harder than the person next to you for the same position. Not only do I live in the Bronx, but I am also a Hispanic woman. Growing up I was taught that this world is not going to work to my advantage, but I would have to take the obstacles and learn from them. In 2016, I transferred to an all-girls Catholic high school in the Bronx, that is run by predominately Caucasian people and had few staff members who were minorities. My parents did not want me to attend the public high school I was zoned in to and worked extremely hard to pay for the expensive tuition. In order to be admitted into the school, I was put through several tests and interviews so they could determine if I was a "good fit”. There was one incident where I asked to be placed in an Italian class rather than Spanish because I am fluent and have spoken it my entire life. I will never forget the remark and the face the dean made. She said, " The problem is...We do not know if you speak Spanglish at home, so therefore we believe you need to be placed in elementary Spanish.". I was shocked when I heard that and from that point forward, I knew I had to prove to her not only am I fluent in Spanish but am an excellent student who should not have opportunities taken away from me. Two weeks into the school year, my Spanish teacher approached me and asked why I was placed in her elementary class. She then allowed me to take a diagnostic test and based on the results I was placed in AP Spanish Language my sophomore year. The dean never apologized for racially profiling me, but I did not need her apology. I appreciate my first Spanish teacher, Ms. Bravo, who allowed me to prove myself, saw my potential, and didn't let it go to waste! This situation allowed me to see what my mom always told me, to use my obstacles as an advantage and to learn from them. The dean represented all the privileged people that I would face who would judge me based on my appearance and ethnicity. Every day minorities are troubled with the fact that they are “less” than their competitor, which is not true. It hurts knowing that although we are all human and have the same goal, the person who isn’t a minority will be able to succeed even though they did not work as hard as we did. Overall, what I learned was that I must work diligently and not let others bring me down to reach my end goal of one day becoming a doctor. Although I am nineteen years old and will be a Junior at Baruch, I am still learning how to overcome personal challenges on the road to becoming a doctor. One way I conquer the obstacles I face is by staying true to myself and focusing on what I want to become. By motivating myself every day, I feel one step closer to being the doctor I’ve always dreamed I’d become. With this scholarship money, I will be able to pay my academic expenses and will worry less about one more thing on my road to success.

I am currently on the path to becoming a physician, all because of my younger sister Loren! At eleven months Loren was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis, EOE. Essentially, she has an overload of white blood cells called eosinophils in her esophagus that causes inflammation and several allergies. If she ingests any product from the cow she will go into anaphylactic shock and could die. Loren has inspired me to go down this career path because she couldn’t express her pain and had to undergo unnecessary tests throughout her infancy. When I become a doctor, I will advocate for my patients in and out of the clinic. I will represent patients who cannot communicate their pain either because of language barriers or disabilities. As a Hispanic woman from the Bronx, I must protect and care for my underrepresented patients. Following my graduation in 2023, I hope to have been accepted into a local medical school in NYC and begin my courses in August of 2023. After medical school, I begin my residency and match with an OB-GYN program. Thereafter, I will begin my fellowship and train as an official OB-GYN. I currently advocate for patients is through my position at the Bronx Abortion Clinic. I volunteer as an escort and act as a barrier against the rude and unpleasant protestors. I also virtually volunteering as the Chief of High School Training for Pre-Health Shadowing. As Chief of HTP, I delegate tasks and projects with high schoolers and open Pre-Health Shadowing clubs at their schools across the country. I thoroughly enjoy meeting high schoolers who are interested in the pre-health field because I was once in their shoes. I love being their mentor and guiding on this vigorous path, although I am also learning along the way...