I grew up in Memphis which houses a lot of underserved communities with a wide range of minority populations that can’t afford healthcare. Living here, I witnessed the health disparities, lack of health education, and mistreatment of patients by providers that didn’t bother to foster a relationship with their patients in these communities. As a minority you are often intimidated by these providers that don’t look like you or speak your language, so you don’t speak up and feel unsafe. Especially when they are in a rush and see you as only a patient, not a human. Knowing I wanted to pursue medicine, I wanted to ensure I pursued a career that involved advocating for these patients who are rarely spoken up for, even if we are of different cultures. Passionate about focusing on underrepresented communities, I wanted to see growth in my patient’s health, foster a genuine relationship with them, but most importantly educate on preventable risk factors to better their overall health. I believe the qualities of leading with empathy and building meaningful relationships with patients of all backgrounds are standard for an impactful PA. Truthfully, I believe the career itself of being a PA is impactful due to the many hats that PAs wear in healthcare. They’re the patient advocate, the educator, the therapist, and sometimes family to patients they care for years on end. I went into this career knowing I would be able to pridefully wear many hats for my future patients. Leading with empathy stems from my background as the only fluent English speaker in my family to translate important medical information regarding their care to them. From ages 7 to now, I have translated for various Spanish speakers who aren’t family in Memphis. Even working in healthcare, I would encourage patients to not be afraid to ask questions even though a language barrier would be present and ask for translators instead of utilizing family members to translate for them. I often see my parents when I translate for Spanish speakers therefore, I give them all resources for them to be in thoroughly involved in the process of their care. Building relationships with patients have been monumental in my life working as a previous MA and CNA, especially when serving underserved patient populations. I was able to make a connection with a patient when I worked in a women’s health office as an MA by being a listening ear where after I was able to console her and educate her on risky behaviors and participated in change talk vs sustain talk. Following up with her care months later, she shared a 3-month sobriety coin with me and thanked me for believing in her. A lot of our future patients are underserved, underrepresented, and low income. As PAs, it is up to us to be impactful in their lives, so their health outcomes beat the statistics/odds that are against them. Upon completion of PA school, I plan to center my care around these populations to improve their health and their overall person to avoid the mistreatment of patients, biased care, and continue leading with empathy while building meaningful relationships with my patients so they can feel safe in my care.