The American healthcare system must be changed, and I am determined to push for it. Residing in a country without universal healthcare urges me to become a healthcare provider and care for my community. My name is Mia Cruz, and I am a 19-year-old college student in California. My development as a child pushed me through many adversities. My siblings and I were neglected by our family and sent in and out of foster care. My brothers and sisters ceased all efforts to maintain a stable life; they stopped trying in school and went down the wrong paths. Continuing to see young kids like myself go through such hardships and realize we are all growing up with no adequate support, pushed me to find ways to get out of this family curse. While maturing early on through middle school and high school, I felt the need to be the one to make the change in our large family. I strived only to receive straight A’s in school, participate in all athletic and academic activities, and give back to our struggling community. Not only did I have to get a part-time job in high school to help provide for my family, but I was also a team captain for the wrestling team for three years, achieved Principal’s Honor Roll every semester, and also volunteered at numerous locations to tutor young students in need. It was my realization of the horrendous hardships that I went through as a child that granted me strong work ethic. On top of that, one of the reasons why I was taken by CPS was because I tested positive for Methamphetamine at the age of 18 months. Knowing this while growing up made me vouch to stay drug-free and spread that motivation to my peers in school. Additionally, the need for change in our healthcare system became apparent when I began losing multiple family members due to bad health. Coming from a low-income family, most of my relatives could not pay for health insurance. I have lost my father, two aunts, both of my grandparents, three uncles, and three cousins within the years 2014-2021; their causes of death could have been prevented with substantial medical funds and support. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) claims that there were over 30 million uninsured Americans in 2020. With many of my family members still unable to comfortably pay for proper health coverage, I desire to make my way into the medical field and work in a non-profit, low-income-friendly organization. During the life-changing experience of the pandemic, where healthcare was most in need by mass, many Americans suffered as locations could not serve their community. Of course, medical professionals need to address issues of the pandemic and general health care like medical, dental, behavioral, and vision care. However, at a low cost, medical teams also need specialty services, including transgender care, homeless programs, HIV programs, neighborhood care, and many more. With so much going on in our community, it is essential to ensure professionals provide care to all by stretching their services to different areas. I hope to use my experience to advocate for others in diverse situations and be the support that struggling families need.

The American healthcare system must be changed. Residing in a country without universal healthcare urges me to become a healthcare provider and care for my community. My name is Mia Cruz, and I am a 19-year-old, Filipino college student in California. My development as a child pushed me through many adversities. My siblings and I were neglected by our family and sent in and out of foster care. My brothers and sisters ceased all efforts to maintain a stable life. While maturing early on through grade school, I felt the need to be the one to make the change in our large family. I strived only to receive straight A’s in school, participate in all athletic and academic activities, and give back to our struggling community. Not only did I have to get a part-time job in high school to help provide for my family, but I was also a team captain for the wrestling team for three years, achieved Principal’s Honor Roll every semester, and also volunteered to tutor young students in need. Additionally, the need for change in our healthcare system became apparent when I began losing multiple family members due to bad health. Coming from a low-income family, most of my relatives could not pay for health insurance. I have lost my father, two aunts, both of my grandparents, three uncles, and three cousins within the years 2014-2021; their causes of death could have been prevented with substantial medical funds and support. The CDC claims that there were over 2 million uninsured Asian-Americans in 2019, and in 2010–2011, Asian-Americans were significantly more likely to be uninsured compared to whites. With many of my family members still unable to comfortably pay for proper health coverage, I desire to make my way into the medical field and work in a non-profit, low-income-friendly organization. During the life-changing experience of the pandemic, where healthcare was most in need by mass, many Americans suffered as locations could not serve their community. Of course, medical professionals need to address issues of the pandemic and general health care like medical, dental, behavioral, and vision care. However, at a low cost, medical teams also need specialty services, including transgender care, homeless programs, HIV programs, neighborhood care, and many more. I hope to use my experience to advocate for others in diverse situations and be the support that struggling families need.

The American healthcare system must be changed, and I am determined to push for it. Residing in a country without universal healthcare urges me to become a healthcare provider and care for my community. My name is Mia Cruz, and I am a 19-year-old college student in California. My development as a child pushed me through many adversities. My siblings and I were neglected by our family and sent in and out of foster care. My brothers and sisters ceased all efforts to maintain a stable life; they stopped trying in school and went down the wrong paths. While maturing early on through middle school and high school, I felt the need to be the one to make the change in our large family. I strived only to receive straight A’s in school, participate in all athletic and academic activities, and give back to our struggling community. Not only did I have to get a part-time job in high school to help provide for my family, but I was also a team captain for the wrestling team for three years, achieved Principal’s Honor Roll every semester, and also volunteered at numerous locations to tutor young students in need. Additionally, the need for change in our healthcare system became apparent when I began losing multiple family members due to bad health. Coming from a low-income family, most of my relatives could not pay for health insurance. I have lost my father, two aunts, both of my grandparents, three uncles, and three cousins within the years 2014-2021; their causes of death could have been prevented with substantial medical funds and support. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) claims that there were over 30 million uninsured Americans in 2020. With many of my family members still unable to comfortably pay for proper health coverage, I desire to make my way into the medical field and work in a non-profit, low-income-friendly organization. During the life-changing experience of the pandemic, where healthcare was most in need by mass, many Americans suffered as locations could not serve their community. Of course, medical professionals need to address issues of the pandemic and general health care like medical, dental, behavioral, and vision care. However, at a low cost, medical teams also need specialty services, including transgender care, homeless programs, HIV programs, neighborhood care, and many more. With so much going on in our community, it is essential to ensure professionals provide care to all by stretching their services to different areas. I hope to use my experience to advocate for others in diverse situations and be the support that struggling families need.

The American healthcare system must be changed, and I am determined to push for it. Residing in a country without universal healthcare urges me to become a healthcare provider and care for my community. My name is Mia Cruz, and I am a 19-year-old college student in California. My development as a child pushed me through many adversities. My siblings and I were neglected by our family and sent in and out of foster care. My brothers and sisters ceased all efforts to maintain a stable life; they stopped trying in school and went down the wrong paths. While maturing early on through middle school and high school, I felt the need to be the one to make the change in our large family. I strived only to receive straight A’s in school, participate in all athletic and academic activities, and give back to our struggling community. Not only did I have to get a part-time job in high school to help provide for my family, but I was also a team captain for the wrestling team for three years, achieved Principal’s Honor Roll every semester, and also volunteered at numerous locations to tutor young students in need. Additionally, the need for change in our healthcare system became apparent when I began losing multiple family members due to bad health. Coming from a low-income family, most of my relatives could not pay for health insurance. I have lost my father, two aunts, both of my grandparents, three uncles, and three cousins within the years 2014-2021; their causes of death could have been prevented with substantial medical funds and support. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) claims that there were over 30 million uninsured Americans in 2020. With many of my family members still unable to comfortably pay for proper health coverage, I desire to make my way into the medical field and work in a non-profit, low-income-friendly organization. During the life-changing experience of the pandemic, where healthcare was most in need by mass, many Americans suffered as locations could not serve their community. Of course, medical professionals need to address issues of the pandemic and general health care like medical, dental, behavioral, and vision care. However, at a low cost, medical teams also need specialty services, including transgender care, homeless programs, HIV programs, neighborhood care, and many more. With so much going on in our community, it is essential to ensure professionals provide care to all by stretching their services to different areas. I hope to use my experience to advocate for others in diverse situations and be the support that struggling families need.