Experiences shape the drive behind people’s career goals, but the inspiration behind my interest in healthcare would be incomplete without mentioning the place I came from as well. I grew up surrounded by natural life on my family’s small blueberry farm, Sister Oaks Farm, in Pikeville. Many summers since have been spent working at the farm. Those work days, surrounded by the rhythm of planting and watering, sparked my curiosity about the science of life. This scientific curiosity continues to drive my educational and career goals today. As I prepare to attend UNC Chapel Hill next year to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with minors in Sports Medicine and Spanish as a part of Honors Carolina, I am eager to gain the knowledge that will help me become a physical therapist and address gaps in healthcare access. Growing up in a rural area, I became increasingly aware of the health disparities communities like mine face. In school, I learned about “food deserts”, which describe communities lacking access to nutritious, fresh food. This was particularly applicable to my town, where Dollar General stores are more abundant than grocery stores. Additionally, limited internet access and healthcare centers in my hometown have impacted the elderly, vulnerable, and low-income populations. My inspiration in pursuing a healthcare career is primarily based on the need for more healthcare advocacy and access in rural communities like my own. By minoring in Spanish, I hope to be more accessible to the people in my community, and through advocacy, I hope to bring attention to the funding and resources issues rural areas face. This has shaped my desire to return to a rural area and open my own practice after I graduate. My interest also originates from a personal experience with the healthcare system. In my sophomore year of high school, I suffered a serious sports injury that led to three surgical procedures and two years of recovery. Throughout my rehabilitation process, I made meaningful connections with my surgeon, physical therapists, and athletic trainers. Seeing how much they believed in and supported me set an example for the type of healthcare professional I strive to be. This journey sparked my interest in sports medicine, where I hope to support athletes in their rehabilitation to return to their sport. As an athlete who has faced an injury before, I aim to support athletes in dealing with the mental aspect of recovery as well. As a woman entering healthcare, I am particularly motivated to advocate for the increased inclusion of women in experimental studies and encourage more young women to pursue a career in healthcare. Despite women being two to eight times more likely to tear their ACL, fewer than nine percent of sports medicine studies specifically focus on the female body. As the initiator and leader of a student sports medicine forum, I made sure to highlight the sex disparities in sports medicine research while teaching peers about sports medicine injuries. While this disparity is a result of the systematic and historic exclusion of women from scientific research, I hope to become part of the community of female healthcare professionals working to close the gap in scientific research with sustained advocacy and action. By winning this scholarship, I am one step closer to having a platform to advocate for the community that has gotten me to where I am today. My academic record has prepared me to combine curiosity, service, and empathy in a future career, and this scholarship would support my journey toward that goal.

Experiences shape the drive behind people’s career goals, but the inspiration behind my interest in healthcare would be incomplete without mentioning the place I came from as well. I grew up surrounded by natural life on my family’s small blueberry farm, Sister Oaks Farm, in Pikeville. Many summers since have been spent working at the farm, where I would come home covered in dirt and sweat, and satisfied. Those evenings, surrounded by the hum of cicadas and the rhythm of planting and watering, sparked my curiosity about the science of life. This curiosity continues to drive my educational and career goals today. Growing up in a rural area, I became increasingly aware of the health disparities rural communities face. In school, I began to learn about “food deserts”, a term describing communities that lack access to grocery stores and nutritious, fresh food. This was particularly applicable to my town, where Dollar General stores are more abundant than grocery stores. Additionally, limited internet access and healthcare centers in my hometown have impacted the elderly, vulnerable, and low-income populations in my rural community. As I began to realize the public health obstacles that rural areas face, I knew my future career would be helping these communities in some way. My inspiration behind my interest in pursuing a healthcare career is primarily based on the need for more healthcare advocacy and access in rural communities like my own. As I looked for opportunities to explore my interest in science, I was led to the North Carolina School of Science and Math (NCSSM). Being accepted into NCSSM provided me a stepping stone to learn independently, experience new opportunities, and create in a new environment. Leaving my home community was difficult, but this school allowed me to challenge myself academically and has inspired and encouraged me to pursue higher education. The immense opportunities I had at this school also remind me of the impact that additional funding and programs can have. Seeing how I thrived under this new environment has made it clear to me how rural communities can benefit immensely from sustained support and advocacy. This has shaped my desire to return to a rural area after I graduate to advocate for the people who make up the community I call home. By winning this scholarship, I am one step closer to having a platform to advocate for the community that has gotten me to where I am today. As I prepare to attend UNC Chapel Hill next year to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with Honors Carolina, I am eager to gain the experience and knowledge that will help me address gaps in healthcare access in communities like mine. My academic record has prepared me to combine curiosity, service, and empathy in a future career, and this scholarship would support my journey toward that goal.