The influence of one's parents plays a pivotal role in shaping the course of an individual's life, often guiding them toward a chosen career path. As the child of a military veteran, my experience was set apart--my father's motivational qualities were underlying symptoms of his time in the Air Force. Being the daughter of a veteran was pivotal in imprinting values, providing inspiration, and shaping my perspective on service and sacrifice, which ultimately shaped my career aspirations. This experience has instilled in me a sense of responsibility to contribute positively to society by becoming a physician assistant. My father's story served as a building block for my siblings and I. His family left the Philippines, and after high school, he entered the military and served as a medic. Entering the Air Force as a mere immigrant, his experiences and relationships shaped him into a hardworking citizen with true American ideals by the time he left. His identity as a veteran played a significant role in his ability to lead his family: from a young age, we were pushed to play sports to excel in teamwork in communication, we volunteered at our church to learn compassion and leadership, and most prominently, we were pushed to excel in the sciences. As I built my interests and learned key values, it became evident to me that I wanted to serve others by pursuing a career in healthcare. The role of a physician assistant began speaking to me when I was seventeen, when we reached an age of further comprehension and my dad became more vocal about his time in the first air medical staging flight. He threw anecdotes in at the dinner table or car rides about treating patients as they transitioned through facilities, recalling stories of psychotic soldiers or emergency revivals. I was captivated. My father's journey through various medical treatments exposed me to the complexities of the healthcare system, highlighting the need for more empathetic providers who truly understand their patients' unique backgrounds and needs. I had found my calling. Healthcare does not come without its challenges. The long nights, time away from his family, and encounters with difficult patients proved to be one of the most testing periods of his life. However, his sacrificial endeavors shaped him into the dignified man he is today. His service in the military combined with work in medicine proved to be satisfying, building characteristics of selflessness, compassion, and perseverance that followed him for the rest of his life. This perspective was the pivot in my push towards an innovative career that has a greater lasting interpersonal impact. The combination of my love for science and passion for human connection will be fulfilled by a profession where I would have the privilege of diagnosing illnesses, prescribing medications, and even performing minor procedures. My experience as the daughter of a veteran has deeply influenced my decision to become a physician assistant. It has shown me the transformative power of healthcare professionals and their ability to make meaningful differences in people's lives through service, dedication, and selflessness. Engagement in medical knowledge alongside my love of science can be combined with the use of empathy and communication skills in a field that is fulfilling and impactful. I can provide personalized care that goes beyond just treating symptoms while working in an intellectually stimulating field. I am inspired by my father's service and motivated by his strength, which fuels my passion for medicine.

I am the daughter of two immigrants, but the status of “immigrant” is the only thing they have in common. In a culturally tumultuous age, I grew up trying to be like my father—in my eyes, an ideal citizen. He fit into every aspect of our community apart from his ethnicity: church involvement, community connections, and the stable career of an engineer. The other option would have been to be like my mother when I grew up. Her second and third languages crept their way into her accented English, accompanied by her bold personality—all signs of the culture she never let go of. The disparity between my parents once made me believe I had to choose one as the perfect immigrant to look up to. However, their differences ended up being the key in my recognition of the importance of sustaining one's culture. Though I inherited both ethnicities of a Filipina and Ethiopian, the only culture in my household was my mother’s. My father brought no traditions from the Philippines. Tagalog wasn’t part of his dialect, and he cooked spaghetti rather than pancit. In the immaturity of a child, I formed the idea that the culture of Filipinos was to act like “proper” Americans. I became growingly unsettled when my mom blazed in Amharic on the phone in public or told stories of childhood in Asmera before the war. I did not want to be seen as an oddity. I forged an identity that I believed would be better received, straightening my curls to a crisp, rejecting Ethiopian dishes, and using the same speech as my white classmates. But if I was ever truthful to myself, I knew this identity was not my own. I constantly found myself craving the familiarity of Ethiopian culture. At a time when my identity crisis had peaked, I asked my father if he ever wished he brought traditions with him from the Philippines. To my shock, he replied with a somber “yes." His response held great weight to me because I thought he defined the perfect immigrant for so long. Steady income, close friends, and a happy family still didn’t replace the culture he was missing. I vowed to protect the culture that my mother had preserved so well. It started with smaller acts. I shaved my heat-damaged hair, which transformed into a thicket of Ethiopian curls. Later on, I started a social media platform on TikTok with videos on ethnic hair, culture, and practices. My profile served as an area for those looking for an immersive and interactive way to learn about others' heritage, as well as their own. By the end of the year, my platform amassed far more of an audience than I could've imagined and I was ecstatic that my voice was helping build my community. When I moved into college, many people recognized me from my social media presence. I took advantage of this immediately, using it to network and bring low percentages of mixed students together in my college community by attending events such as Taste of Africa, joining clubs, and participating in advocacy gatherings. The contrast between my parents prompted me to discover one of the greatest values of life: cultural heritage. I could never value the culture passed down to me from my mother if I didn’t experience the absence of it in my father. My outlook on life has changed. Opening a new chapter in my life going into college, I strive to continuously involve myself in my culture so that I can educate others.