As someone who has had state insurance, I know how hard it is to get an appointment, especially with dermatologists. When I was struggling with acne and other skin conditions, I often had to wait months to get an appointment. This meant being insecure of my face and hiding certain parts of my body until I could get in, and my mom had to pay extra money because when I did get in, they did not accept our insurance. This worsened my mental health, my view of myself, and of my body. Now that I am going into college, I have realized that I have the power to change this reality. Because of my experiences, I chose to pursue dermatology to help people feel more comfortable and confident with their natural beauty. I can help them avoid expensive plastic surgery and focus on changeable things, like acne or painful skin conditions. Hopefully, I can help people feel less insecure about themselves through their treatment, avoiding what I, and others have been through. So, in a unique way, focusing treatment on those with state insurance will help patients' mental health, as their insecurities and discomfort will be removed. Because of this, when I become a dermatologist, I plan to focus on those with state insurance or medicaid, because everyone deserves equal access to healthcare, regardless of their insurance.

When my stay-at-home mom got divorced while I was in middle school, we were left with no money and no home. My mom had to rebuild our lives from the ground up, thanks to the gap left by our step-father and the absence of my biological father. My step-father is wealthy, which he uses (to this day) to harass my mom with lawsuits and custody cases, so that he can have full custody of my half-brother. Even almost a decade later we are struggling, but with us working as a team, my mom now has a full-time job, a home, and 3 children with straight A's. Luckily, I have a strong mom, who taught me firsthand how to persevere, and that you cannot accomplish when you give up on your goals. She always made sure to instill that college and setting realistic goals were important; that way, I would never have to rely on anyone else. She knows that education means independence, so she provides a strong support system for my siblings and me, allowing me to go to college and be supported, not controlled as she was by my father. This has been instrumental in my childhood, as I know that I will not be abandoned like we once were, and I have the chance to go as far as possible in my medical career. Because of my experiences, I really want to help people the way my mom helped us. She made us feel comfortable and safe again, so I want to use my career as a dermatologist to help people feel more comfortable and confident with their natural beauty. After the divorce, we were also on state insurance for a while. I felt the stigma around it whenever I was around doctors, and how difficult it was to find places that accepted it, especially dermatologists. This really made me want to focus my treatment on those who have higher financial needs, as a dermatology appointment can be the difference between life and death, thanks to skin cancer. Ultimately, my journey in dermatology will enable me to combine my passion for helping others with helping lower income households have more healthcare accessibility and outcomes for all. By focusing on those in underserved communities, I can help bridge the gap in healthcare access, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their financial situation, can receive quality dermatological care. With compassion and my knowledge as a future doctor, I can improve my patients quality of life, and possibly save them too.