At the age of nine years old I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, (T1D), and had a very sudden change in my life. As a result I am interested in going into the medical field in order to become a Pediatric Endocrinologist. My entire life was changed in mere minutes, and as a kid, at first I did not fully understand what was happening, but my parents were completely terrified of, not just mine, but all of our lives changing. They had no idea what being type one diabetic meant. They thought that they were going to lose one of their children. As time went on and I began to fully understand the depth of what was happening in my life, I began to feel isolated and burnt out from being different from the other kids I knew. Even though the doctors claimed to understand what I was going through, I knew that they did not really understand. Even today I still struggle knowing that my doctors have not personally experienced life with diabetes. They advise based on knowledge and theory, but I want to give kids the reassurance that I do truly and sincerely understand what they are going through and how much their life is changing. I would also love to be able to assist in advancing research regarding Type 1 Diabetes and the treatments that can help make life easier for adolescents. Being able to aid in making a change for children experiencing the same thing I did is what pushes me to become a Pediatric Endocrinologist. I also want to be able to spread awareness about Type One Diabetes, and be able to plant a seed of knowledge in not only those afflicted by it, but also the general public’s minds that diabetes doesn’t happen because you’re old, or overweight, or eat too much candy. These common misconceptions are extremely harmful to those with Type One Diabetes. It is so important for people to be educated about the causes of Type One Diabetes as to not make someone who is already going through such a huge life change feel even more isolated than they already feel. I not only want to be able to help the future generation of type one diabetics, but also the people around them to understand what is really happening in their lives, and be able to support them with all the changes they are going through.

I realized that I was transgender when I was fourteen. Growing up in Texas and being transgender had a major impact on my viewpoint of society and my ideals. It made me see how many people were actually seeking gender affirming care and were being denied. When I was sixteen I started testosterone and one year later the Texas government passed SB 14, which banned gender affirming care for minors. I got to experience the joy of being who I am and seeing the effects of testosterone for a year before it was taken away from me. This action fueled me to become more interested in politics and to fully form my belief that everyone should be allowed to do what they wish with their body. Banning someone from something as simple as taking the steps to be themselves in what feels like a foreign body is atrocious. While these things were happening and its thoroughly hurt me, I never let that affect my ability to be my true self. I have wanted to work in medicine since I was 9 years old, and going through the process of starting testosterone and seeing the doctor that I did helped me realize what I really wanted to do. I want to become a Pediatric Endocrinologist in order to help young people that are going through the same things that I did as a 16 year old discovering who I am and getting gender affirming care. I aim to help the next generation of transgender youth acquire the things that make them feel like themselves, and to let them know that they are not alone. Going through a transition without anyone around you going through the same thing can feel extremely isolating. I want to be able to comfort anyone going through their transition process in knowing that the person helping them with the medic aspect of their transition has been through this experience before. I am currently enrolled in at The University of Texas at San Antonio and majoring in biology to help make this dream a reality. I plan on completing my bachelors and continuing on to medical school, so I can work as a Pediatric Endocrinologist and help transgender youth. The want to see change in the medical field when it comes to transgender individuals and the current narrative surrounding transgender people in politics has only further fueled me to achieve my goals.