"Good afternoon everyone! My name is McMina Clermont and I attend thee nations First Degree Granting HBCU, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania!" I say with such honor and pride when speaking amongst a student panel to the deans and presidents of the Philadelphia area Medical Schools at the 3rd Annual Equity in Medical Education Summit hosted by the Consortium Dedicated to Health Equity Education (CDHE). I go on to give my elevator pitch with such poise and finesse in the pronunciation of every word. "I am a double major in Biology and Health Science with the hopes of attending Medical School to specialize in Disaster Medicine and Emergency Response amongst NGOs and Humanitarian Aid." I smile from ear to ear to the point you can no longer see the whites in my eyes. While being on that stage, I think to myself, "I am not another statistic of the black women who seep in the after thoughts of should've could've would've." Sitting amongst other academically inclined men and woman of all diverse backgrounds. I look at the seats filled with other people who look just... like... me. Philadelphia has long stood—and will always stand—as a battleground for the freedom, education, and health equity of Black brothers and sisters in the fight against systemic injustice. Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, all the way to Pennsylvania attending the First HBCU, I think to myself, "Someone fought for me to be here. Now it's time to fight to stay here."

To me, becoming a medical doctor standing in the intersection of science, service, and justice. Growing up as the child of Haitian immigrants, healthcare was never something we could take for granted. Every phone call from Haiti following a hurricane or earthquake came with hesitation and fear—would our relatives be able to reach a doctor? Would they be turned away due to cost or lack of infrastructure? Even in the U.S., I witnessed how language barriers, insurance gaps, and systemic bias made accessing quality care difficult for immigrant communities like my own. These moments planted the seed that would grow into my commitment to a life of healing, advocacy, and service. As I’ve pursued the pre-medical path, I’ve fallen in love with the discipline of medicine. Each shadowing opportunity increased my appreciation for medical practitioners amongst the constant learning, the high-stakes decision-making, and most importantly, the opportunity to care for people when they are most vulnerable. I’m especially drawn to Emergency Medicine because of the combined efforts of humanitarians in disaster relief medicine and public health. But I’ve also come to understand that being a great doctor requires more than clinical skill. It requires empathy, lived experience, and the ability to connect with patients across lines of language, income, and background. These are the qualities that my own struggles have helped me develop. Financial hardship has been a consistent challenge throughout my academic journey. After my father laid in a coma for weeks after facing a terrible car accident, I spent hours in the hospital slowly giving up my dream of practicing medicine, dreading how further into debt my ambition would put us. After much encouragement and reassurance of my faith, I pushed forward relying heavily on scholarships, campus jobs, and careful budgeting. At times, I’ve had to work three jobs while maintaining a full course load and campus positions. I’ve skipped meals to afford textbooks, and turned down unpaid internships because I couldn’t afford to work without a paycheck. Despite these challenges—or maybe because of them—I’ve never lost sight of my goal. If anything, these obstacles have sharpened my focus and strengthened my resilience. They’ve taught me discipline, time management, and how to advocate for myself and others. In addition to my academic work, I’ve taken on leadership roles that reflect my passion for service and equity. As President of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students at my university, I’ve organized service projects, mentorship programs, and health education workshops that reach underrepresented students and underserved communities. I’ve also conducted research on nonprofit healthcare systems, learning how international aid can either uplift or undermine local capacity depending on how it's structured. These experiences have shown me that meaningful change in healthcare comes from both bedside compassion and systemic reform. I believe that the financial and personal challenges I’ve overcome will make me a more grounded, empathetic, and culturally competent physician. I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed by paperwork, medical bills, and a lack of answers. I also know how important it is to have someone on the other side of the exam table who listens and treats you with dignity. As a doctor, I want to be that person. I want to offer not just treatment, but trust—and to use my education to build healthier, more just communities both locally and globally.

Charity, to me, is not just about giving—it’s about responsibility. As the child of Haitian immigrants, I grew up understanding that even small acts of generosity could make a meaningful difference. Whenever disaster struck Haiti—whether it was an earthquake or a hurricane—my family sent what they could: clothes, money, prayers. But I also saw how much more was needed, how broken systems required more than temporary aid. These early lessons in compassion and resourcefulness shaped my understanding of charity as a lifelong commitment, not a momentary gesture. This commitment fuels my academic and professional path. As a pre-med student and President of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students, I lead service projects that support underserved populations in our local community. I also conduct research on nonprofit healthcare delivery and international aid—work that helps me understand how to build long-term, sustainable support systems rather than rely solely on emergency response. In the future, I plan to give back as a physician who not only treats individual patients but also works to reform the global systems that limit access to care. My goal is to lead international nonprofit health organizations and develop innovative, community-based models of care that serve vulnerable populations with

I spent many years being the new kid. I've transferred schools nearly 5 times, moved homes just as many times as I did schools, and states twice. I've been forced to adapt fast and become the person my surroundings required me to be in order not to be secluded from the bunch. I've learned recently that it's a survival method adopted genetically from the Paleolithic era that directly shapes our social constructs and mental desires to be accepted. The year 2019, as soon as I started settling into high school, a pandemic hit the world putting a crashing halt to all my social progress. Unfortunately, I got to see firsthand just what not having a community and helping hand can do to the teenage mind. I watched peers and friends grapple with their anxious thoughts and wrestle with depression. Amid the pandemic, days went on repeat, you were isolated, and consumed. I watched friends lose their match to their mental catastrophe. I learned that loneliness is just as detrimental as a disease. In some cases, loneliness can be fatal. As things turned around and school was back in order, I realized everyone was struggling too. What could I do about that? I could simply create an environment for these students to express themselves. From peer mentors, captain of the basketball team, to even youth director assistant, I found a way to be a source to others by sharing my struggles and lending sympathetic ears to others. I hope to go on to a university and bring these same intentions and positivity there. This scholarship will help me to continue my studies in Political Science and forward to make active changes within our society that may be overlooked.

In my lifetime, I intend to represent black women in a positive light around the world by extending my medical expertise and services across countries. My dream is to build a world where neighbors help each other without expecting anything in return simply because it is the right thing to do. In my lifetime, I will be a student, an athlete, an emergency medical doctor, CEO of a non-profit organization, a mentor, an educator, and a significant impact on the world who has become immune to hate.

In 2019, just outside Alexandria, Egypt, a man by the name of Rizwan walked into a pharmacy and purchased heart medication to fight against the blood clotting in his arteries. An illness that had been the sole proprietor to the Egyptian epidemic and the cause of death of nearly 82% of Egyptians. During this crisis, conniving scam- artists had uncovered a method to target the local drugstores and sell their counterfeit drugs. This indicated Egyptians were not only robbed of their money in its scarcity but also caused for a rapid increase in the country’s death rates. Bright Simons figured it out. Bright Simons is a Ghanaian traveling social innovator, founder, and president of mPedigree, titled World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. These are just some of his many astounding accomplishments. His enterprise has enlarged over the decade and expanded to nearly 3 continents. He has worked alongside governments helping them find innovative ways to solve the biggest problems in less developed countries. In this particular case, Bright Simons utilized his partnership with the largest pharmaceutical companies in Africa to create a sufficient solution to the problems of this Egyptian nation. Fake pills are a massive problem in the developing world. Easy to replicate and swap for plastic. The solution to this problem is relative to the resources available. Nearly 95% of Egyptians own and carry an operating smartphone. This led to the beautiful collision of where technology meets science. Simons created an algorithm of codes and one-time passwords to be punched into a phone for confirmation of the validity of the prescription drugs. The individuals telephone reports those numbers to the data based and are now capable of emitting feedback to telecom companies and device carrier toll-free. It quickly began to mend the issue of trust within the Egyptian administration. This took effect immediately and dwindled down the 12% of fake medication that previously existed in the market. This goes to show that the concerns of each environment harbors its own solution. It takes an idealist to find the answer hidden in the sand. Someone who is going to take a problem and give it a sustainable solution. We see this everyday here in the United States. The strict regulations by which our food is processed prevents e.coli, listeria, and other dangerous bacterias from being imported as a side dish to our Chicken Alfredo. Speaking of food, another example of this is genetically modified organisms as a solution to satisfy the rate in food supply demands that has spiked over the decades as our birth rates rise. Soon there will be solutions to the baby formula shortage, healthcare availability, and obesity. We as humans are the answers to any problem that has ever been articulated. Every single person has a role to play in this intricate system that brings our society together to function as one. You are science. You are a part of the never-ending cycle of questions and answers. Someday, like Bright Simons, you will be the answer to someone’s question or the solution to someone’s prayer.

My dream looks like long days and restless nights. I refuse to live in the fantasy that success doesn't come with hardship. In fact, it is the words of the wise that say "it gets worse before it gets better." I believe my dream will come with moments where I look in the mirror (as I do now) and whisper to myself that just a step at a time is what gets you to the finish line. I aspire to live a life like Nelson Mandela and his selflessness, thoughtfulness, and sacrifices. That the pressure I should face in the coming future should benefit the health and wellness of others and generations to come. Within my lifetime I can take joy in the hard work and not the breaks. I plan to attend college fall of 2023. I intend to major in Political Science and Government or Public Health and take Medical School prerequisite classes. During my 4 years of schooling, I plan to become an EMT then later on become a paramedic. I plan to spend most of my off days volunteering locally and my vacations volunteering abroad. I would then further my education in med school. From then on I'd become an Emergency Medical Doctor. Later, I would become a Disaster Medical Doctor in which I would aspire to be the founder of non-profit organizations helping other countries. I say this to you not to gain your applause for my ambiguous dreams and hopes, but to show you that my dream isn't about me. Nor is it about the false pretenses that working hard to live lavishly is a fulfilling life for me. My dream looks like living my life to provide unwavering service to others.

My simple pleasure is cooking. Cooking is an art many can dance yet no one can hone. It can be passed on from generation to generation or picked up along. It comes with great incitement and provision. It's the feelings in between— hmm it needs more seasoning— and —ahhh this is utter perfection. It’s my mother’s favorite way to say “I love you.” With the little that we had, she never ceased to remind us with all 5 of our senses of how much we meant to her. So as a thank you for her unconditional love through spices and herbs, I learned to speak her language. I started with ramen packaged soup. Then trash bins filled with burnt fried eggs. Then on to simple pasta, rice, and some very few imperfect traditional dishes. Over the years, after all that frustration, I managed to form letters out of my edible creations. They managed to express just enough that whoever eats it gets the gist of what I am trying to say. Similar to a baby babbling, reaching, and trying to fix words together to communicate its necessities. The way it brings families and communities together after having spent long days fighting the good fight is a joy that no pain can take away. Food can spark interesting conversations between strangers and make them the best of friends. It can heal hearts that no one thought could ever mend. It is a simple pleasure that should be learned, taught, traded, and shared.

The Fear in The Underrepresented. I stood 4 feet 11 inches tall. My skin glazed like a honey melon when the sun hit it. My nose was so well-rounded I could sniff the scent of rain in the air. Always wearing Mitch matching socks and my left shoe on my right foot. When I was younger, I was fond of playing rough with kids outside. I had no distant knowledge of Eurocentric standards and my tongue never tasted doubt. All that passed through my lips were hymns and gospels from Wednesday and Friday nights' bible study. In church, I was told you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you and no one could tell me otherwise. I was a young girl with a dream and I hadn't known what the world had to offer but I was so excited to see it. I watched that eagerness slowly fade when I would walk in a building of high-quality functioning and it would make me feel dirty and poor. As if, when I walked in, everyone fixed their gaze directly at my dirt-colored skin. As if I was a leper and full of infectious disease. It was very rare that my mother would bring me where weren't accepted. We stayed in the projects where everything was accessible for an affordable price and all ran by people like me and you. CNAs, Mechanical Engineers, Nursing aids, Teachers are all just a phone call away and a walking distance. People that I would see when walking to the bus on the way to school each morning. They'd honk and wave and tell me they hoped I was staying away from candy and sweets. Each time, I would just grin with a smile full of white lies. They were the mothers of the boys I would play with. The sisters to the aunts that passed me toys each Christmas when my mother couldn't afford any. They were who I wanted to be someday. A pillar in the community. The reason oppression and inequality hadn't torn us down to the white meat. The reason why I had faith and hoped for change. I can imagine how our communities would collapse without them. If not for Ms. Sherry begging Ms. Edna to go to a radiologist to get a mammogram, would she have just assumed that lump in her breast was normal during her early stages of menopause? Or if not for the choir director and school teacher always encouraging us to brush our teeth, tongue, and gums. What about the lady at the corner of the street who always had freeze pops prepared for hot summer days and had a stash of band-aids just in case one of us fell some days. Somewhere down the line of life, I want to be the familiar face that makes children feel safe. The hand that passes out wound disinfectant supplies. Being the strength behind the halligan bar freeing you from your crushed car doors. Do not fear. Help has come this time in a familiar face. I'll be one more person of color in a firefighter truck seeking to heal not harm. It's important to increase racial diversity in healthcare because I would trust a familiar face during my unfamiliar circumstances.