With every scratch and metal clink sent down my auditory canal, tears ran down my face and my toes curled more and more. Part of my youth revolved around Dr. Nosan’s seventh-floor office in Denver, shifting from audiology testing to the examination room for my hearing loss. These early experiences led to my initial interest in a healthcare career. My time as a patient for a large portion of my life has given me an ability to empathize with future patients. Being able to care for patients with compassion and understanding is my absolute privilege and honor. The most significant experience that helped me finalize my desire to become an MD was observing how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the underserved population of Agua Prieta, Mexico. Working as one of the Spanish translators for the physician during a clinic, I began to gather a new patient's health history. I remember seeing tears welling up in the patient's eyes as she told us that she had been unable to monitor her blood glucose levels for weeks because her glucose monitor broke. Dr. McReynolds immediately ordered supplies for this Type 1 diabetic patient. After the patient left, we sat in silence. This was the first time I had witnessed the direct impact of healthcare underrepresentation on a patient, and from that point, I knew my passion for medicine had set my future career path in stone. My current studies as a second-year medical student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine (CUSOM) are preparing me to achieve my dream of becoming a doctor. Since I was in high school, when I thought about becoming a doctor, I have always thought about it in a research capacity. My academic and volunteering experiences have all strengthened my long-term goal of becoming a teaching physician who also conducts research. At CUSOM, I am a part of the Doctor of Medicine’s research track. My research is with Dr. Huang’s transplant lab, focusing on tissue rejection in skin grafts. I work with ELISA kits to evaluate if Galectin-3 is a biomarker for graft rejection on porcine models. We collect sera samples each day leading up to the transplant surgery, and every day thereafter. Then, I use the samples to run the ELISAs. I have completed 6 ELISA experiments so far, and I am very interested in helping this specific patient population. With the research track, I am allowed to spend more dedicated time on research, which is very important to me as I want to produce quality scholarly work that has a meaningful impact on the skin transplant community. Throughout my time at medical school, I intend to contribute in several ways to CUSOM’s research work to help further medical advancements, while pursuing my medical education. Although my future is not set, I see myself as a practicing research-oriented physician who also serves as an adjunct professor at CUSOM. I try not to think about it, but I do need financial help with my educational expenses. I have two and a half more years of school ahead of me and the thought of how much debt I am accumulating makes me hyperventilate. Even though I live frugally, I am already in debt in excess of $I00,000. I would be honored to receive the Powering the Future - Whiddon Memorial Scholarship.