Having just earned my PhD in biomedical sciences, and now pursuing an MD degree, I am a completely enamored by science and scientific discovery. While my specialty is biomedical sciences and infectious disease research, I will always have a special place in my heart for astronomy, which was my first love in science. There is an ever-present sense of wonder and awe associated with the study of the cosmos, because the field seeks to answer existential questions like "are we alone in the universe?", or even "why am I here?". It is therefore the field of astronomy that gives rise to my favorite scientific discovery: the discovery of the planet Uranus. Uranus had been described for centuries by varying scientists and stargazers, sometimes believed to be a star or even a comet. When Sir William Herschel, who is credited for Uranus' discovery, brought his descriptions of Uranus to the Royal Society in 1781, even he labeled it as a comet. However, his contemporaries pushed back, asserting it was a planet. Eventually a consensus was reached that Uranus was indeed a planet of our solar system, and Herschel was credited for its discovery. I love this discovery for so many reasons. First, the discovery of planets inherently requires astute observation of faint outliers, searching for objects that don't follow the normal trajectory of stars, a skill that is indispensable for scientific discovery. Second, it required the input and collaboration of many scientists over many decades and centuries, highlighting the collaborative nature of science and the occasional fallibility of scientists. Finally, as the first new planet identified since the ancient times, the discovery of Uranus represents the capacity for science to dramatically expand our understanding of the world and the universe, and inspire awe and wonder along the way.

I was never raised to be religious. Immersed in a foreign country as a child, I was surrounded by a variety of religions, and grew to have an appreciation for the value that religion holds in a person's life. However, I did not personally adhere to any beliefs about a higher power or the afterlife. As I have grown older, though, experiencing the loss of family and friends, I have reexamined my thoughts about what happens when we are gone. While I have yet to fully subscribe to any standard afterlife belief system, one perspective has taken root in my mind in recent years: regardless of what may or may not happen to my consciousness or soul when I am gone, one form of an "afterlife" could be described as the legacy I leave behind. As long as I leave a lasting impact on the world, and am remembered by those whom I leave behind, that will be a gratifying "afterlife" for me. I have therefore dedicated myself to ensuring I make a positive impact on this world so that someone might remember the legacy I leave behind. I began this impact-focused journey by entering graduate school, earning my PhD in biomedical sciences with the hopes of finding new therapeutics for human diseases. I am now striving toward my MD degree, which will allow me to not only continue performing long-term research that could help future generations, but will also allow me to treat and heal patients right now, giving them the opportunity to thrive and have an impact of their own. I hope to not only take these skills to my own community, but also to underserved populations abroad, where my impact can be even greater in countries with limited healthcare infrastructures.