I am passionate about going into the medical field and have been since I was a child. That passion has since grown into a deep desire to be part of the remedy to the heartbreaking problem of inequality in global healthcare. I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, and have seen firsthand the devastating consequences of an ineffective public healthcare system. As a Christian, I feel called to serve and advocate for those suffering terrible injustice simply because they were born into poverty. I am now studying a degree in Biomedical Sciences with Global Studies at Liberty University and will be adding a minor in Creative Writing this coming semester. After graduating, I will continue my studies toward a medical degree. For a South African girl from a middle-income family, it is almost unheard of to study abroad, particularly in the USA. The tuition fees alone are beyond my or my parents' means. However, I believe that compromising the quality of my education would be compromising on the quality of care I will one day be administering to my patients, and that is simply not something I am willing to do. As such, I have been determined to put in the work towards funding my education externally. I devoted myself to my studies in high school, earning good grades. Those grades helped me secure a few academic scholarships that, along with some sponsorships and an on-campus job, have made it possible for me to attend Liberty University. In my first year of undergraduate studies, I not only had to adapt to life on my own as an international student, but I also suffered from regular, and at times debilitating migraine headaches. I have implemented lifestyle changes that I hope might mitigate the effects of these migraines, and though I still get them, I refuse to let this challenge derail my life's goals. I believe that a price cannot and should not be put on human life. It grieves me to know that millions of people are suffering and dying of perfectly curable or preventable diseases worldwide, simply because they cannot afford proper healthcare. Once I receive my qualifications as a surgeon, I wish to return to South Africa in order to serve the most vulnerable members of society - specifically pregnant women and young children in need of medical care. Often they have no other option than to go to understaffed, underfunded government clinics that run in appalling conditions. It is my dream to open a privately funded clinic dedicated to providing free high-quality care to women and children in rural and underprivileged areas of South Africa.

When I was four years old, I didn’t understand much about anything, but something I did know was that God existed and He loved me. One night I woke up when a deep echoing voice said one simple word: “Rachael”. I was startled and quite scared. Like Samuel from the Bible, I jumped out of bed and ran to my parents’ room, expecting to find that my father had called. He was fast asleep, so I returned to my room. Parting the curtains, I looked outside. Nobody lurked in the darkness. I closed the curtains and sat back on my bed, fear slowly building and then abating in the wake of an inexplicable peace. I somehow knew in the depth of my very being that it was God who had called my name. I went back to sleep and rested soundly that night. A few days later, I woke up flooded with that same peace and filled with the conviction that God wanted me to become a surgeon. Since then, so many things in my life have confirmed that this is indeed where the Lord is leading me to go. In the years after God called my name, I grew in faith. I attended a Christian school, and my parents were very intentional in teaching us God’s Word. As I got a little older, however, I began to feel pressured into being a model Christian. I’d fallen into living in the fear of failure. I had a reputation to uphold (or so I thought) and I cloaked myself in the labels I’d attributed to myself: good, smart, kind, hard worker, overachiever. I’d built my identity around being “good” instead of resting in God. I had fallen into legalistically trying to work my way through life in my own power instead of leaning on my Savior and growing in my relationship with Him. I hadn’t learned to truly walk in the freedom offered by Christ. I often remembered (and still do) that powerful voice, and I knew that I wasn’t alone—I just had no idea what that actually meant. It wasn't until I was in my final years of high school that I began to learn how to truly rest in the Lord. For the first time in my life, academics became challenging. My insecurities flared. How could I achieve God's purpose for my life if I couldn't keep straight A's? What use could I possibly be if I sank into academic mediocrity and was unable to earn scholarships? It was while working through these struggles that I began to understand that God doesn't require perfection, just obedience. I learned (and still continue to learn) that the Lord can do amazing things if we just surrender to Him and allow Him to work with our weaknesses. I didn't get straight A's, nor did I get a full scholarship to any international university. However, through a series of small miracles, God provided a way for me to attend an incredible Christian university on the other side of the world. He has continued to see me through financial strain, culture shock, health difficulties, and academic challenges, and has placed so many amazing people on my path. I now dream of opening a privately funded clinic in rural South Africa. I feel called to serve those who cannot afford proper healthcare and am excited to see how the Lord will use me, both now and in the future.