I am a post-baccalaureate student and I’m completing an undergraduate certificate program so that I am prepared for medical school. What brought me back to school is my son. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre which is a neurological condition, and he was later given a placeholder diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For the past 5 years, we have spent a lot of time going to doctors’ appointment and had various hospital stays as our medical team worked really hard to figure out what his actually condition is. Over these past 5 years, we have also had the pleasure of working with some amazing pediatric occupational therapist, physical therapist and swallow specialist. It’s been a ride. Last year, during a hospital stay, I became really frustrated. Although we have had some amazing experiences with our occupational and physical therapist, it appears that his neurologist has given up trying to figure it out. My son experiences a lot of pain during his flare-ups so as you can imagine, it’s really heartbreaking to witness and not be able to help. During the stay, they gave him morphine which is normally what they give him to control pain. However, during this stay, it was not working. One evening, frustrated, heartbroken, discouraged and concerned, I decided that I would become the solution my son needs but how would I accomplish that. My answer was to go to medical school. From the hospital bed, as I stay in bed with him during his visits, I applied to several post-baccalaureate programs. A few months later, I heard back from every University and chose a school and now I am on my journey. Now, what did I do before being propelled to pursue my medical degree. I am currently a licensed acupuncturist and I hold a doctorate in acupuncture. I truly enjoy helping people in any way I can especially in Preventative medicine. Practicing acupuncture has helped me push the narrative of having a proactive approach to healthcare rather than reactive. Every client of mine will tell you at some point or another, I have given them free treatments or their family members free treatments. Several times a year, I volunteer to give community acupuncture which is one of my favorite ways to spread the knowledge and importance of health. Annually, I volunteer my services for something called “Love and Kindness Day” which is a new non-profit but quickly became one of my favorites. I believe we all should strive to, at the very minimum, spread kindness every day so I love that they have created a day dedicated to that. Additionally, over the years, I have joined medical missions in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide free acupuncture and herbal medicine for those who have limited access to healthcare. I love practicing acupuncture, but there are limitations of the services I can provide. So, I look forward to being able to provide my services on a larger scale when I am a Physician. Specifically, the impact I desire to make is to pass the spirit of humanity to others. As I touched on previously, my son and I had quite a bit of concerning experiences while trying to receive proper care. Considering, that I am divorced and my son qualifies for Medicaid, it felt very much like we were being judged on that although I can’t say for certain. In those situations, you can only wonder why the patient next door is seemingly being cared for better than your child. However, I can say that, I didn’t feel like we were treated like people who were in the middle of a crisis with no one to turn to. My heart literally breaks thinking about the lack of care we received. At one point, I was told to go home and monitor my sons paralysis for 1 year and if it didn’t improve to come back. It did not make sense to me then nor does it make much sense to me now, as to why I was being advised to do that. My ultimate goal is to provide patients and their families genuine care, support, resources and everything that I can provide to ensure that they understand the diagnosis and understand the prognosis and treatment plan. I want patients to feel like they have a voice in their treatment and I want them to know that I, and my future team, will be there to support them and answer any questions they have along the way. I desire to create a movement and catapult change in the medical field, in how racial disparities, gender disparities and economic disparities influence patient care. To conclude, I am a driven and motivated mother who decided to pursue her dreams due to her son’s neurological condition. My heart has always been in preventative healthcare and in volunteer work. I am so thankful for the doctors who have been able to help my son re-learn how to walk, re-learn how to write, develop muscle strength and balance. I am forever grateful for their support, and I look forward to paying forward in a larger capacity than I can today.

I am a post-baccalaureate student who is pursuing a medical degree. What brought me back to school is actually my son. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre which is a neurological condition, and he was later given a placeholder diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For the past 5 years, we have spent a lot of time going to doctors’ appointment and had various hospital stays as our medical team worked really hard to figure out what his actually condition is. Over these past 5 years, we have also had the pleasure of working with some amazing pediatric occupational therapist, physical therapist and swallow specialist. It’s been a ride. Last year, during a hospital stay, I became really frustrated. Although we have had some amazing experiences with our occupational and physical therapist, it appears that his neurologist has given up trying to figure it out. My son experiences a lot of pain during his flare-ups so as you can imagine, it’s really heartbreaking to witness and not be able to help. During the stay, they gave him morphine which is normally what they give him to control pain. However, during this stay, it was not working. One evening, frustrated, heartbroken, discouraged and concerned, I decided that I would become the solution my son needs but how would I accomplish that. My answer was to go to medical school. From the hospital bed, as I stay in bed with him during his visits, I applied to several post-baccalaureate programs. A few months later, I heard back from every University and chose a school and now I am on my journey. Now, what did I do before being propelled to pursue my medical degree. I am currently a licensed acupuncturist and I hold a doctorate in acupuncture. I truly enjoy helping people in any way I can especially in Preventative medicine. Practicing acupuncture has helped me push the narrative of having a proactive approach to healthcare rather than reactive. Every client of mine will tell you at some point or another, I have given them free treatments or their family members free treatments. Several times a year, I volunteer to give community acupuncture which is one of my favorite ways to spread the knowledge and importance of health. Annually, I volunteer my services for something called “Love and Kindness Day” which is a new non-profit but quickly became one of my favorites. I believe we all should strive to, at the very minimum, spread kindness every day so I love that they have created a day dedicated to that. Additionally, over the years, I have joined medical missions in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide free acupuncture and herbal medicine for those who have limited access to healthcare. Although I love practicing acupuncture, there are limitations of the services I can provide. So, I look forward to being able to provide my services on a larger scale when I am a Physician. To conclude, I am a driven and motivated mother who decided to pursue her dreams due to her son’s neurological condition. My heart has always been in preventative healthcare and in volunteer work. I am so thankful for the doctors who have been able to help my son re-learn how to walk, re-learn how to write, develop muscle strength and balance. I am forever grateful for their support, and I look forward to paying forward in a larger capacity than I can today.

I am a post-baccalaureate student who is pursuing a medical degree. What brought me back to school is actually my son. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre which is a neurological condition, and he was later given a placeholder diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For the past 5 years, we have spent a lot of time going to doctors’ appointment and had various hospital stays as our medical team worked really hard to figure out what his actually condition is. Over these past 5 years, we have also had the pleasure of working with some amazing pediatric occupational therapist, physical therapist and swallow specialist. It’s been a ride. Last year, during a hospital stay, I became really frustrated. Although we have had some amazing experiences with our occupational and physical therapist, it appears that his neurologist has given up trying to figure it out. My son experiences a lot of pain during his flare-ups so as you can imagine, it’s really heartbreaking to witness and not be able to help. During the stay, they gave him morphine which is normally what they give him to control pain. However, during this stay, it was not working. One evening, frustrated, heartbroken, discouraged and concerned, I decided that I would become the solution my son needs but how would I accomplish that. My answer was to go to medical school. From the hospital bed, as I stay in bed with him during his visits, I applied to several post-baccalaureate programs. A few months later, I heard back from every University and chose a school and now I am on my journey. Now, what did I do before being propelled to pursue my medical degree. I am currently a licensed acupuncturist and I hold a doctorate in acupuncture. I truly enjoy helping people in any way I can especially in Preventative medicine. Practicing acupuncture has helped me push the narrative of having a proactive approach to healthcare rather than reactive. Every client of mine will tell you at some point or another, I have given them free treatments or their family members free treatments. Several times a year, I volunteer to give community acupuncture which is one of my favorite ways to spread the knowledge and importance of health. Annually, I volunteer my services for something called “Love and Kindness Day” which is a new non-profit but quickly became one of my favorites. I believe we all should strive to, at the very minimum, spread kindness every day so I love that they have created a day dedicated to that. Additionally, over the years, I have joined medical missions in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide free acupuncture and herbal medicine for those who have limited access to healthcare. Although I love practicing acupuncture, there are limitations of the services I can provide. So, I look forward to being able to provide my services on a larger scale when I am a Physician. So what does success look like to me? Success is still having the strength, faith and perseverance to push through despite the situation. To still smile and chose to be happy each and every day. Personally, success isn’t assigned a monetary value but rather the chose you make when you wake up in the morning. We could all find reasons to be sad, angry or upset, but the hardest chose will bring you the success you desire. To conclude, I am a driven and motivated mother who decided to pursue her dreams due to her son’s neurological condition. My heart has always been in preventative healthcare and in volunteer work. I am so thankful for the doctors who have been able to help my son re-learn how to walk, re-learn how to write, develop muscle strength and balance. I am forever grateful for their support, and I look forward to paying forward in a larger capacity than I can today.

I am a post-baccalaureate student who is pursuing a medical degree. What brought me back to school is actually my son. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre which is a neurological condition, and he was later given a placeholder diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For the past 5 years, we have spent a lot of time going to doctors’ appointment and had various hospital stays as our medical team worked really hard to figure out what his actually condition is. Over these past 5 years, we have also had the pleasure of working with some amazing pediatric occupational therapist, physical therapist and swallow specialist. It’s been a ride. Last year, during a hospital stay, I became really frustrated. Although we have had some amazing experiences with our occupational and physical therapist, it appears that his neurologist has given up trying to figure it out. My son experiences a lot of pain during his flare-ups so as you can imagine, it’s really heartbreaking to witness and not be able to help. During the stay, they gave him morphine which is normally what they give him to control pain. However, during this stay, it was not working. One evening, frustrated, heartbroken, discouraged and concerned, I decided that I would become the solution my son needs but how would I accomplish that. My answer was to go to medical school. From the hospital bed, as I stay in bed with him during his visits, I applied to several post-baccalaureate programs. A few months later, I heard back from every University and chose a school and now I am on my journey. Now, what did I do before being propelled to pursue my medical degree. I am currently a licensed acupuncturist and I hold a doctorate in acupuncture. I truly enjoy helping people in any way I can especially in Preventative medicine. Practicing acupuncture has helped me push the narrative of having a proactive approach to healthcare rather than reactive. Every client of mine will tell you at some point or another, I have given them free treatments or their family members free treatments. Several times a year, I volunteer to give community acupuncture which is one of my favorite ways to spread the knowledge and importance of health. Annually, I volunteer my services for something called “Love and Kindness Day” which is a new non-profit but quickly became one of my favorites. I believe we all should strive to, at the very minimum, spread kindness every day so I love that they have created a day dedicated to that. Additionally, over the years, I have joined medical missions in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide free acupuncture and herbal medicine for those who have limited access to healthcare. Although I love practicing acupuncture, there are limitations of the services I can provide. So, I look forward to being able to provide my services on a larger scale when I am a Physician. To conclude, I am a driven and motivated mother who decided to pursue her dreams due to her son’s neurological condition. My heart has always been in preventative healthcare and in volunteer work. I am so thankful for the doctors who have been able to help my son re-learn how to walk, re-learn how to write, develop muscle strength and balance. I am forever grateful for their support, and I look forward to paying forward in a larger capacity than I can today.

I am a post-baccalaureate student who is pursuing a medical degree. What brought me back to school is actually my son. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre which is a neurological condition, and he was later given a placeholder diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For the past 5 years, we have spent a lot of time going to doctors’ appointment and had various hospital stays as our medical team worked really hard to figure out what his actually condition is. Over these past 5 years, we have also had the pleasure of working with some amazing pediatric occupational therapist, physical therapist and swallow specialist. It’s been a ride. Last year, during a hospital stay, I became really frustrated. Although we have had some amazing experiences with our occupational and physical therapist, it appears that his neurologist has given up trying to figure it out. My son experiences a lot of pain during his flare-ups so as you can imagine, it’s really heartbreaking to witness and not be able to help. During the stay, they gave him morphine which is normally what they give him to control pain. However, during this stay, it was not working. One evening, frustrated, heartbroken, discouraged and concerned, I decided that I would become the solution my son needs but how would I accomplish that. My answer was to go to medical school. From the hospital bed, as I stay in bed with him during his visits, I applied to several post-baccalaureate programs. A few months later, I heard back from every University and chose a school and now I am on my journey. Now, what did I do before being propelled to pursue my medical degree. I am currently a licensed acupuncturist and I hold a doctorate in acupuncture. I truly enjoy helping people in any way I can especially in Preventative medicine. Practicing acupuncture has helped me push the narrative of having a proactive approach to healthcare rather than reactive. Every client of mine will tell you at some point or another, I have given them free treatments or their family members free treatments. Several times a year, I volunteer to give community acupuncture which is one of my favorite ways to spread the knowledge and importance of health. Annually, I volunteer my services for something called “Love and Kindness Day” which is a new non-profit but quickly became one of my favorites. I believe we all should strive to, at the very minimum, spread kindness every day so I love that they have created a day dedicated to that. Additionally, over the years, I have joined medical missions in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide free acupuncture and herbal medicine for those who have limited access to healthcare. Although I love practicing acupuncture, there are limitations of the services I can provide. So, I look forward to being able to provide my services on a larger scale when I am a Physician. To conclude, I am a driven and motivated mother who decided to pursue her dreams due to her son’s neurological condition. My heart has always been in preventative healthcare and in volunteer work. I am so thankful for the doctors who have been able to help my son re-learn how to walk, re-learn how to write, develop muscle strength and balance. I am forever grateful for their support, and I look forward to paying forward in a larger capacity than I can today.

I am a post-baccalaureate student who is pursuing a medical degree. What brought me back to school is actually my son. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre which is a neurological condition, and he was later given a placeholder diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For the past 5 years, we have spent a lot of time going to doctors’ appointment and had various hospital stays as our medical team worked really hard to figure out what his actually condition is. Over these past 5 years, we have also had the pleasure of working with some amazing pediatric occupational therapist, physical therapist and swallow specialist. It’s been a ride. Last year, during a hospital stay, I became really frustrated. Although we have had some amazing experiences with our occupational and physical therapist, it appears that his neurologist has given up trying to figure it out. My son experiences a lot of pain during his flare-ups so as you can imagine, it’s really heartbreaking to witness and not be able to help. During the stay, they gave him morphine which is normally what they give him to control pain. However, during this stay, it was not working. One evening, frustrated, heartbroken, discouraged and concerned, I decided that I would become the solution my son needs but how would I accomplish that. My answer was to go to medical school. From the hospital bed, as I stay in bed with him during his visits, I applied to several post-baccalaureate programs. A few months later, I heard back from every University and chose a school and now I am on my journey. Now, what did I do before being propelled to pursue my medical degree. I am currently a licensed acupuncturist and I hold a doctorate in acupuncture. I truly enjoy helping people in any way I can especially in Preventative medicine. Practicing acupuncture has helped me push the narrative of having a proactive approach to healthcare rather than reactive. Every client of mine will tell you at some point or another, I have given them free treatments or their family members free treatments. Several times a year, I volunteer to give community acupuncture which is one of my favorite ways to spread the knowledge and importance of health. Annually, I volunteer my services for something called “Love and Kindness Day” which is a new non-profit but quickly became one of my favorites. I believe we all should strive to, at the very minimum, spread kindness every day so I love that they have created a day dedicated to that. Additionally, over the years, I have joined medical missions in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide free acupuncture and herbal medicine for those who have limited access to healthcare. Although I love practicing acupuncture, there are limitations of the services I can provide. So, I look forward to being able to provide my services on a larger scale when I am a Physician. To conclude, I am a driven and motivated mother who decided to pursue her dreams due to her son’s neurological condition. My heart has always been in preventative healthcare and in volunteer work. I am so thankful for the doctors who have been able to help my son re-learn how to walk, re-learn how to write, develop muscle strength and balance. I am forever grateful for their support, and I look forward to paying forward in a larger capacity than I can today.

I am a post-baccalaureate student who is pursuing a medical degree. What brought me back to school is actually my son. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre which is a neurological condition, and he was later given a placeholder diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For the past 5 years, we have spent a lot of time going to doctors’ appointment and had various hospital stays as our medical team worked really hard to figure out what his actually condition is. Over these past 5 years, we have also had the pleasure of working with some amazing pediatric occupational therapist, physical therapist and swallow specialist. It’s been a ride. Last year, during a hospital stay, I became really frustrated. Although we have had some amazing experiences with our occupational and physical therapist, it appears that his neurologist has given up trying to figure it out. My son experiences a lot of pain during his flare-ups so as you can imagine, it’s really heartbreaking to witness and not be able to help. During the stay, they gave him morphine which is normally what they give him to control pain. However, during this stay, it was not working. One evening, frustrated, heartbroken, discouraged and concerned, I decided that I would become the solution my son needs but how would I accomplish that. My answer was to go to medical school. From the hospital bed, as I stay in bed with him during his visits, I applied to several post-baccalaureate programs. A few months later, I heard back from every University and chose a school and now I am on my journey. Now, what did I do before being propelled to pursue my medical degree. I am currently a licensed acupuncturist and I hold a doctorate in acupuncture. I truly enjoy helping people in any way I can especially in Preventative medicine. Practicing acupuncture has helped me push the narrative of having a proactive approach to healthcare rather than reactive. Every client of mine will tell you at some point or another, I have given them free treatments or their family members free treatments. Several times a year, I volunteer to give community acupuncture which is one of my favorite ways to spread the knowledge and importance of health. Annually, I volunteer my services for something called “Love and Kindness Day” which is a new non-profit but quickly became one of my favorites. I believe we all should strive to, at the very minimum, spread kindness every day so I love that they have created a day dedicated to that. Additionally, over the years, I have joined medical missions in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide free acupuncture and herbal medicine for those who have limited access to healthcare. Although I love practicing acupuncture, there are limitations of the services I can provide. So, I look forward to being able to provide my services on a larger scale when I am a Physician. To conclude, I am a driven and motivated mother who decided to pursue her dreams due to her son’s neurological condition. My heart has always been in preventative healthcare and in volunteer work. I am so thankful for the doctors who have been able to help my son re-learn how to walk, re-learn how to write, develop muscle strength and balance. I am forever grateful for their support, and I look forward to paying forward in a larger capacity than I can today.

I am a post-baccalaureate student who is pursuing a medical degree. What brought me back to school is actually my son. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre which is a neurological condition, and he was later given a placeholder diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For the past 5 years, we have spent a lot of time going to doctors’ appointment and had various hospital stays as our medical team worked really hard to figure out what his actually condition is. Over these past 5 years, we have also had the pleasure of working with some amazing pediatric occupational therapist, physical therapist and swallow specialist. It’s been a ride especially with very little support. Last year, during a hospital stay, I became really frustrated. Although we have had some amazing experiences with our occupational and physical therapist, it appears that his neurologist has given up trying to figure it out. My son experiences a lot of pain during his flare-ups so as you can imagine, it’s really heartbreaking to witness and not be able to help. During the stay, they gave him morphine which is normally what they give him to control pain. However, during this stay, it was not working. One evening, frustrated, heartbroken, discouraged and concerned, I decided that I would become the solution my son needs but how would I accomplish that. My answer was to go to medical school. From the hospital bed, as I stay in bed with him during his visits, I applied to several post-baccalaureate programs. A few months later, I heard back from every University and chose a school and now I am on my journey. Now, what did I do before being propelled to pursue my medical degree. I am currently a licensed acupuncturist and I hold a doctorate in acupuncture. I truly enjoy helping people in any way I can especially in Preventative medicine. Practicing acupuncture has helped me push the narrative of having a proactive approach to healthcare rather than reactive. Every client of mine will tell you at some point or another, I have given them free treatments or their family members free treatments. Several times a year, I volunteer to give community acupuncture which is one of my favorite ways to spread the knowledge and importance of health. Annually, I volunteer my services for something called “Love and Kindness Day” which is a new non-profit but quickly became one of my favorites. I believe we all should strive to, at the very minimum, spread kindness every day so I love that they have created a day dedicated to that. Additionally, over the years, I have joined medical missions in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide free acupuncture and herbal medicine for those who have limited access to healthcare. Although I love practicing acupuncture, there are limitations of the services I can provide. So, I look forward to being able to provide my services on a larger scale when I am a Physician. Being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community has given me the framework I need to succeed. I was enlisted in the US Navy during a time that it was illegal to be “gay” and was also investigated because of the assumptions that I was “gay”. That put a fire in me as it gave a tunnel vision level of focus that will never allow anyone to get in my way of succeeding. I am a driven and motivated to pursue my dreams. I look forward to paying forward in a larger capacity than I can today.

Having service-connected PTSD comes with such a stigma that feels almost embarrassing to admit. Although, the VA hospitals try their best to accommodate the many veterans suffering with PTSD, it’s truly difficult to get the support you need. I have a few stories that I would like to share about my personal experience with navigating service-connected PTSD. In or around 2014, I was completing my degree in Acupuncture. Towards the end of the program, we are required to complete several internships. I remember when I started, that a VA hospital was an available internship and it was hard to get into. But to my surprise, I was accepted. Completing my Acupuncture internships at the Manhattan Veterans Affairs Hospital was one of the most special experiences for me. I will forever remember the people that I had the chance to meet and I often wonder how they’re doing. Veterans are one of my favorite communities to work with. Working with and helping Veterans feels mutually beneficial. It’s almost like the therapy I wish the VA would offer. Often times, we are dismissed and it feels like our concerns are simply summed up to “irrationalities”. During that internship, I had the opportunity to feel apart of a community again. It’s hard to explain, but unless you’ve been in the military or a military family member, it’s a culture that is like no other. People from all over the globe, join and somehow have created a culture of our own. Considering we are typically stationed very far from our families, almost instantly, strangers become family. This is how it felt when I working at the VA hospital during my internship. Initially, I mentioned it’s almost embarrassing to even admit you have PTSD. My diagnosis was actually pulled from my medical record randomly during a doctors appointment. The nurse pulled me to the side and asked if I needed any help. I thought that was the sweetest thing. I truly hope to be such a beacon of light to people, as she was for me. Completing the VA disability claim, I initially chose to work with an organization. That organization sent me to a psychiatrist or psychologist and being evaluated for something that you never speak about by a person that truly wants the information so that they can run an analysis and assign you a percentage of disability is daunting. A week or so after my appointment, the company that I was working with called. I was excited to hear because that appointment was really challenging. Almost instantly, the representative was yelling at me and asking me what I did wrong because the evaluator says I’m just fine. My heart sunk. How do I prove this invisible disorder? How could I have shared some of my most personal experiences and be labeled as “fine”? I was embarrassed and discouraged. I decided to submit my claim by myself, which was successful. I mention that story to explain why it is so hard to even speak about it because people will just say, you’re fine. There are so many reasons I chose to get into the healthcare field but my main goal has always been to assist veterans. We have to look out for one another because we have unique experiences that most people can not relate to. We deserve to feel seen. We deserve to be heard. We deserve the best care. Today, I carry with me the Navy values of Honor, Courage and Commitment to provide the highest quality healthcare for my fellow veterans.

I am a proud Navy veteran. However, I grew up during a period of time where it was illegal to be “gay” in the military. I always felt lucky that no one could tell. Thinking back on that, I understand how odd that must sound in this day in age. Considering my sexual orientation, while in the military, I really focused on work. The last thing that I wanted was to be exposed. However, the caring side of me wanted to protect “my people”. I could spot them a mile away. I would always offered younger LGBTQIA+ sailors a safe haven, so to speak, so that they could be themselves without repercussion. At the time, I lived outside of the military base I was stationed at and I didn’t have many other military members in my neighborhood so my fellow sailors could shine. I had made acquaintance with the owner of a lesbian bar and a local gay bar so those two places were always my go-to spots. I loved my fellow sailors, especially those who were apart of my community. So my apartment quickly became the place where people could be themselves with risk of being kicked out of the military. I also loved my job as it was exciting and really a maple dominated field that I excelled at. I have always loved to debunk stereotypes so it was a perfect fit. Considering my sexual orientation and also, just to maintain professionalism, I never dated anyone on base, despite that being the norm. I would be approached by people and I would politely decline. One day, my male roommate was approach by leadership at the command regarding my sexual orientation and he quickly let me know. From what I gathered, people were confused as to why I didn’t have a boyfriend so they assumed it could not have been them but I had to be a lesbian. Believe it or not, this opened the door for the military police to investigate by sexual orientation. Imagine my fright. I had created a safe haven for people to be themselves and now I was the center of an investigation that I wanted to prevent for so many others. I was questioned intensely about my past relationships despite only having been 19 or 20 years old. Reflecting on it, how many relationships did they expect I would’ve been in by that age. They then went to my hometown and questioned people. The investigator actually told my mother that a neighbor had said “some negative things” but they were choosing to exclude that from their report. Eventually, I was found to be a heterosexual. It actually makes me chuckle now. I have now been honorably discharged from the Navy but I am still friends with many of the people I kept out of harms way who are still enlisted. It was easy for me to hide and put the spotlight on me so I’m grateful that they chose to investigate me because now those same people can be themselves. I remember the day that it was no longer illegal to be “gay”. It actually gives me chills thinking about it. My Facebook page lit up with posts from my military friends who could now be openly themselves. This experience really defines who I am. I will always protect and care for the people in my community and those with different views. I am elated that we, as a country, have overcome that small step and I believe we will continue to improve until we all realize we are one.

I served in the US Navy and during my enlistment, I was a Information Systems Technician. When I initially enlisted, I had no idea what exact a Information Systems Technician but I quickly learned it is one of the most fun yet important professions. Currently, I have a small business in which I provide IT services to help support my way through college. One of my favorite experiences in hacking was when I was sent to “hacking school” while enlisted in the Navy. Being sent to school while in the military is sort of like a break and this particular school, I could wear civilian clothes so that was another bonus! The first day of class, the instructor told us, each day we would be given a lecture and the lecture would end with an assignment. The next bonus he told us was, whenever we are done with the assignment, we would be dismissed. The assignment was always to hack into a website and get a document of some information on the backend, that isn’t readily accessible. I particularly love puzzles so to me it was like solving a puzzle. No exaggeration, every single day, I was the first to complete the assignment. My military command and instructor was so impressed and honestly, it helped with my self esteem. After that, my military command continued to send me to various trainings but nothing compared to this course. It was fun, motivating and created camaraderie. Present day, I don’t get to participate in these amazing military missions and activities but it has been a motivating factor in me pursuing medicine. Technology and medicine are two fields that may seem so far disconnected but are really just one in the same. They both require consistent research to provide improvements that will directly affect the world population. This is the aspect I most enjoy as I love to conduct research and help with advancements in society. Specifically why I love the blend of medicine and technology is because medicine truly relies on technology. For instance, society never understood how exactly the human body creates energy until the invention of the microscope and the realization of mitochondria. Present day, the advancement in technology allows neurosurgeons to do brain surgery, by mapping out the brain of a specific person. This allows the surgeon to understand that individual better and create a plan of action prior to surgery. In this same example, technology has also made brain surgery far less invasive than it has ever been before. To conclude, hacking and my love for technology helped pave my path to medicine. I hope to continue the advancements in technology to help improve the lives of others.

I am a post-baccalaureate student who is pursuing a medical degree. I have Jamaican and Haitian descent, not a usual mix but here I am, but it has given me the drive I have. What brought me back to school is my son. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre which is a neurological condition, and he was later given a placeholder diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For the past 5 years, we have spent a lot of time going to doctors’ appointment and had various hospital stays as our medical team worked really hard to figure out what his actually condition is. It’s been a ride. Last year, during a hospital stay, I became really frustrated. Although we have had some amazing experiences with our occupational and physical therapist, it appears that his neurologist has given up trying to figure it out. My son experiences a lot of pain during his flare-ups so as you can imagine, it’s really heartbreaking to witness and not be able to help. During the stay, they gave him morphine which is normally what they give him to control pain. However, during this stay, it was not working. One evening, frustrated, heartbroken, discouraged and concerned, I decided that I would become the solution my son needs but how would I accomplish that. My answer was to go to medical school. From the hospital bed, as I stay in bed with him during his visits, I applied to several post-baccalaureate programs. A few months later, I heard back from every University and chose a school and now I am on my journey. Now, what did I do before being propelled to pursue my medical degree. I am currently a licensed acupuncturist and I hold a doctorate in acupuncture. I truly enjoy helping people in any way I can especially in Preventative medicine. Practicing acupuncture has helped me push the narrative of having a proactive approach to healthcare rather than reactive. Every client of mine will tell you at some point or another, I have given them free treatments or their family members free treatments. Several times a year, I volunteer to give community acupuncture which is one of my favorite ways to spread the knowledge and importance of health. Annually, I volunteer my services for something called “Love and Kindness Day” which is a new non-profit but quickly became one of my favorites. I believe we all should strive to, at the very minimum, spread kindness every day so I love that they have created a day dedicated to that. Additionally, over the years, I have joined medical missions in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide free acupuncture and herbal medicine for those who have limited access to healthcare. Although I love practicing acupuncture, there are limitations of the services I can provide. So, I look forward to being able to provide my services on a larger scale when I am a Physician. To conclude, I am a driven and motivated mother who decided to pursue her dreams due to her son’s neurological condition. My heart has always been in preventative healthcare and in volunteer work. I am so thankful for the doctors who have been able to help my son re-learn how to walk, re-learn how to write, develop muscle strength and balance. I am forever grateful for their support, and I look forward to paying forward in a larger capacity than I can today.

I am a post-baccalaureate student who is pursuing a medical degree. What brought me back to school is actually my son. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre which is a neurological condition, and he was later given a placeholder diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For the past 5 years, we have spent a lot of time going to doctors’ appointment and had various hospital stays as our medical team worked really hard to figure out what his actually condition is. Over these past 5 years, we have also had the pleasure of working with some amazing pediatric occupational therapist, physical therapist and swallow specialist. It’s been a ride. Last year, during a hospital stay, I became really frustrated. Although we have had some amazing experiences with our occupational and physical therapist, it appears that his neurologist has given up trying to figure it out. My son experiences a lot of pain during his flare-ups so as you can imagine, it’s really heartbreaking to witness and not be able to help. During the stay, they gave him morphine which is normally what they give him to control pain. However, during this stay, it was not working. One evening, frustrated, heartbroken, discouraged and concerned, I decided that I would become the solution my son needs but how would I accomplish that. My answer was to go to medical school. From the hospital bed, as I stay in bed with him during his visits, I applied to several post-baccalaureate programs. A few months later, I heard back from every University and chose a school and now I am on my journey. Now, what did I do before being propelled to pursue my medical degree. I am currently a licensed acupuncturist and I hold a doctorate in acupuncture. I truly enjoy helping people in any way I can especially in Preventative medicine. Practicing acupuncture has helped me push the narrative of having a proactive approach to healthcare rather than reactive. Every client of mine will tell you at some point or another, I have given them free treatments or their family members free treatments. Several times a year, I volunteer to give community acupuncture which is one of my favorite ways to spread the knowledge and importance of health. Annually, I volunteer my services for something called “Love and Kindness Day” which is a new non-profit but quickly became one of my favorites. I believe we all should strive to, at the very minimum, spread kindness every day so I love that they have created a day dedicated to that. Additionally, over the years, I have joined medical missions in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide free acupuncture and herbal medicine for those who have limited access to healthcare. Although I love practicing acupuncture, there are limitations of the services I can provide. So, I look forward to being able to provide my services on a larger scale when I am a Physician. To conclude, I am a driven and motivated mother who decided to pursue her dreams due to her son’s neurological condition. My heart has always been in preventative healthcare and in volunteer work. I am so thankful for the doctors who have been able to help my son re-learn how to walk, re-learn how to write, develop muscle strength and balance. I am forever grateful for their support, and I look forward to paying forward in a larger capacity than I can today.

I am a post-baccalaureate student who is pursuing a medical degree. What brought me back to school is actually my son. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre which is a neurological condition, and he was later given a placeholder diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For the past 5 years, we have spent a lot of time going to doctors’ appointment and had various hospital stays as our medical team worked really hard to figure out what his actually condition is. Over these past 5 years, we have also had the pleasure of working with some amazing pediatric occupational therapist, physical therapist and swallow specialist. It’s been a ride. Last year, during a hospital stay, I became really frustrated. Although we have had some amazing experiences with our occupational and physical therapist, it appears that his neurologist has given up trying to figure it out. My son experiences a lot of pain during his flare-ups so as you can imagine, it’s really heartbreaking to witness and not be able to help. During the stay, they gave him morphine which is normally what they give him to control pain. However, during this stay, it was not working. One evening, frustrated, heartbroken, discouraged and concerned, I decided that I would become the solution my son needs but how would I accomplish that. My answer was to go to medical school. From the hospital bed, as I stay in bed with him during his visits, I applied to several post-baccalaureate programs. A few months later, I heard back from every University and chose a school and now I am on my journey. Now, what did I do before being propelled to pursue my medical degree. I am currently a licensed acupuncturist and I hold a doctorate in acupuncture. I truly enjoy helping people in any way I can especially in Preventative medicine. Practicing acupuncture has helped me push the narrative of having a proactive approach to healthcare rather than reactive. Every client of mine will tell you at some point or another, I have given them free treatments or their family members free treatments. Several times a year, I volunteer to give community acupuncture which is one of my favorite ways to spread the knowledge and importance of health. Annually, I volunteer my services for something called “Love and Kindness Day” which is a new non-profit but quickly became one of my favorites. I believe we all should strive to, at the very minimum, spread kindness every day so I love that they have created a day dedicated to that. Additionally, over the years, I have joined medical missions in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide free acupuncture and herbal medicine for those who have limited access to healthcare. Although I love practicing acupuncture, there are limitations of the services I can provide. So, I look forward to being able to provide my services on a larger scale when I am a Physician. To conclude, I am a driven and motivated mother who decided to pursue her dreams due to her son’s neurological condition. My heart has always been in preventative healthcare and in volunteer work. I am so thankful for the doctors who have been able to help my son re-learn how to walk, re-learn how to write, develop muscle strength and balance. I am forever grateful for their support, and I look forward to paying forward in a larger capacity than I can today.

I am a post-baccalaureate student who is pursuing a medical degree. What brought me back to school is actually my son. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre which is a neurological condition, and he was later given a placeholder diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For the past 5 years, we have spent a lot of time going to doctors’ appointment and had various hospital stays as our medical team worked really hard to figure out what his actually condition is. Over these past 5 years, we have also had the pleasure of working with some amazing pediatric occupational therapist, physical therapist and swallow specialist. It’s been a ride. Last year, during a hospital stay, I became really frustrated. Although we have had some amazing experiences with our occupational and physical therapist, it appears that his neurologist has given up trying to figure it out. My son experiences a lot of pain during his flare-ups so as you can imagine, it’s really heartbreaking to witness and not be able to help. During the stay, they gave him morphine which is normally what they give him to control pain. However, during this stay, it was not working. One evening, frustrated, heartbroken, discouraged and concerned, I decided that I would become the solution my son needs but how would I accomplish that. My answer was to go to medical school. From the hospital bed, as I stay in bed with him during his visits, I applied to several post-baccalaureate programs. A few months later, I heard back from every University and chose a school and now I am on my journey. Now, what did I do before being propelled to pursue my medical degree. I am currently a licensed acupuncturist and I hold a doctorate in acupuncture. I truly enjoy helping people in any way I can especially in Preventative medicine. Practicing acupuncture has helped me push the narrative of having a proactive approach to healthcare rather than reactive. Every client of mine will tell you at some point or another, I have given them free treatments or their family members free treatments. Several times a year, I volunteer to give community acupuncture which is one of my favorite ways to spread the knowledge and importance of health. Annually, I volunteer my services for something called “Love and Kindness Day” which is a new non-profit but quickly became one of my favorites. I believe we all should strive to, at the very minimum, spread kindness every day so I love that they have created a day dedicated to that. Additionally, over the years, I have joined medical missions in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide free acupuncture and herbal medicine for those who have limited access to healthcare. Although I love practicing acupuncture, there are limitations of the services I can provide. So, I look forward to being able to provide my services on a larger scale when I am a Physician. To conclude, I am a driven and motivated mother who decided to pursue her dreams due to her son’s neurological condition. My heart has always been in preventative healthcare and in volunteer work. I am so thankful for the doctors who have been able to help my son re-learn how to walk, re-learn how to write, develop muscle strength and balance. I am forever grateful for their support, and I look forward to paying forward in a larger capacity than I can today.

I am a post-baccalaureate student who is pursuing a medical degree. What brought me back to school is my son. When he was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Guillain Barre which is a neurological condition and he was later given a placeholder diagnosis of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For the past 5 years, we have spent a lot of time going to doctors’ appointment and had various hospital stays as our medical team worked really hard to figure out what his actually condition is. It’s been a ride. Last year, during a hospital stay, I became really frustrated. Although we have had some amazing experiences we’ve also had some not so amazing experiences. My son condition causes a lot of pain and as you can imagine, it’s really heartbreaking to witness and not be able to help. He’s typically prescribed morphine to control pain. However, during this stay, it was not working. One evening, frustrated, heartbroken, discouraged and concerned, I decided that I would become the solution my son needs but how would I accomplish that. My answer was to go to medical school. From the hospital bed, as I stay in bed with him during his visits, I applied to several post-baccalaureate programs. A few months later, I heard back from every University and chose a school and now I am on my journey. Now, what did I do before being propelled to pursue my medical degree. I am currently a licensed acupuncturist and I hold a doctorate in acupuncture. I truly enjoy helping people in any way I can especially, if I have the capacity. Every client of mine will tell you at some point or another, I have given them free treatments or their family members free treatments. Several times a year, I volunteer to give community acupuncture which is one of my favorite ways to spread the knowledge and importance of health. Annually, I volunteer my services for something called “Love and Kindness Day” which is a new non-profit but quickly became one of my favorites. I believe we all should strive to, at the very minimum, spread kindness every day so I love that they have created a day dedicated to that. Additionally, over the years, I have joined medical missions in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala to provide free acupuncture and herbal medicine for those who have limited access to healthcare. I look forward to being able to provide my services on a larger scale when I am a Physician. To conclude, I am a driven and motivated mother who decided to pursue her dreams due to her son’s neurological condition. My heart has always been in medicine and in volunteer work. I am so thankful for the doctors who have been able to help my son re-learn how to walk, re-learn how to write, develop muscle strength and balance. I am forever grateful for their support and I look forward to paying forward in a larger capacity than I can today.