Between the years of 1846 and 1849, a man performed experiments on black women in the name of science. Specifically, he performed surgeries on their reproductive organs without anesthesia. The results of these experiments were deemed revolutionary. The man who performed these experiments was James Marion Sims, and these experiments earned him the title of the father of gynecology. In the 19th century, there was a prevalent myth that black people were subhuman and therefore felt less pain. This widely accepted myth incentivized the use of black bodies for surgeries and scientific experimentation, especially among black women. Furthermore, the artistic media at the time perpetuated the myth through minstrelsy, a theatrical performance that depicted black caricatures. Much of this ideology persists today in the modern medical field, resulting in improper treatment of patients based on their ethnicity. Consequently, I am inspired to use art to address the disparities in medical treatment caused by misinformation. My first memory of having my pain dismissed was when I was twelve years old. I was at a church summer camp, but instead of enjoying the sun and waterslides I was curled up in bed. I was experiencing excruciating pain from my menstrual cramps and finding it difficult to move. When I explained through tears that I could barely walk and I needed ibuprofen to the medical professional on-site, his response was, “You don’t look like you’re in that much pain.” It was frustrating to learn that medical professionals could so easily dismiss my pain but even more concerning was that my story was not unique. From these circumstances, I realized that to ensure patients receive the treatment they need, diversity must be present. When I reached this conclusion, I decided I no longer wanted to be passive in my own pain or the pain of others. I knew I wanted to spark a conversation and raise awareness of the issue people perpetuate consciously and unconsciously. When James Marion Sims performed most of his surgeries in Alabama, minstrel productions were especially popular. Through inaccurate, dehumanizing representations of black people, the art form of minstrelsy maintained the myth that black people were less human and therefore felt less pain. After discovering this history, I recognized how art could influence our perception of others, especially within the context of healthcare. From this discovery, I used art to influence others for good, pushing them to question their mentality and be more empathetic towards those in pain. I created an art piece that discussed the history of pseudoscience and its impact on modern ideologies, stimulating a deep desire in me to have a more active role in medicine. I began to wonder how else I could use art to have an impact on medicine, utilizing art to mitigate the harms of misinformation. This fueled my passion for medical modeling, animation, and illustration. Each of these instruments integrates medical and artistic concepts in ways that can cultivate solutions for medical misinformation and representation. Models can represent those of various body types, procedural animations can dispel the myths spread regarding races' physiologies and resistance to pain, and medical illustrations can depict darker skin tones underrepresented in textbooks. Art has had a profound impact on the medical field in both positive and negative ways. Using the context of how misinformation has shaped our modern-day medical field, I would like to use artistic methods such as models, animations, and illustrations to push back against harmful myths. After gaining a foundation in medicine, I will create useful medical tools using art, that cultivates a space for diversity in medicine.

Since elementary school, the worlds of biology and animation have had a profound grasp on my mind. I loved learning about smear frames just as much as I enjoyed learning about organ systems. However, I noticed that at times it was hard to find easily consumable information on the latter. One thing that hinders this access is the inability to understand or relate to information, leading to apathy. I aspire to be a person who creates more access to information and learning through the innovation of artistry and scientific exploration. Before my time at NCSSM, I sought out chances to learn more about these areas and how they could create solutions. I took courses in art and biology and joined clubs in order to further pursue my passions. Then, while attending NCSSM I was inspired to find solutions to equity of access to opportunity through the exploration of the intersection of my two main areas of interest. I was accepted to the mentorship and research program where I could learn more about my chosen fields of study such as biomedical engineering. Furthermore, I sought out experiences such as Governor’s School where I could enhance my artistic skills and learn how to work in different mediums such as animation and digital sculpting. After working in these programs, I learned to combine these mediums with scientific research and apply these skills to my original goal of equitable access to learning opportunities. Often, information about science such as diseases and bodily functions can be hard to understand among the general populous. However, I discovered that by using what I learned from different mediums and scientific innovation, I could produce more easily digestible informative content, through animation, medical modeling, and illustrations. Furthermore, with these mediums, I could increase interest by creating content where people could see themselves in the knowledge being produced, such as depicting what certain diseases look like on dark skin in medical illustrations. Beyond high school, I would like to take classes, join clubs, and participate in internships where I can enhance my abilities to make these forms of art such as procedure animations and diagrams. I will participate in more art and science-related opportunities such as internships and clubs where I can create a more inspired and inventive vision of STEM. As a pupil, I will study the spheres of natural science and artistry, in order to facilitate innovation and produce progress.

My goal is to create a more accessible STEM experience by curating medical environments that affirm their different backgrounds. My experiences as a second-generation student from an underrepresented tribe in Nigeria, as well as having my pain dismissed due to my race drive me to create medical services that value equity, inclusivity, and different perspectives. In Cross River State, Nigeria, lies a rural village called Bendi. This is the village of my people whose culture and language are going extinct. With such little global influence, my people have limited medical resources and representation. Therefore, I am exceedingly passionate about my role in meeting the needs of this community and similar communities here in the United States. A personal memory I have of encountering this issue was at a sixth-grade summer camp. Instead of enjoying the waterslides, I was curled up in bed enduring immobilizing pain from menstrual cramps. When I went to the medical professional on-site and explained my symptoms, he remarked, “You don’t look like you’re in that much pain.” This was the first moment I recognized that being Black and Nigerian were not just labels, but apparatuses for how I experienced life. At age twelve, I found it emotionally jarring that due to bias and media misinformation, this framework negatively influenced my interpersonal and medical interactions. I channeled my emotions surrounding that experience through art and it helped me discover my enthusiasm for creation. Years later, I made the connection that art can be used for both my healing and the healing of others. Furthermore, art can spread awareness regarding marginalized groups' perspectives and mitigate the negative effects of bias in STEM. These circumstances led me to realize that I wanted to cultivate an experience in the medical field using art that encouraged empathy, cultivated variety, and produced medical tools such as medical models, procedural animations, and medical illustrations that represent diverse skin tones and body types. Reaching this epiphany I motivated people to include their cultural identities in tandem with STEM. At my alma mater, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, I led the Black Student Union as director, where I coordinated events that acknowledged the diversity across the diaspora. As a director, I organized a cultural fest of over 100 participants, managed biweekly meetings, and encouraged black students to pursue their perspectives in STEM. Furthermore, during my time as a Nasher Teen, I collaborated with young creatives of all backgrounds to curate an exhibit that asserts the value of different perspectives in all environments. Finally, I worked at a Duke University lab to study the effects of genetic mutations on Sickle Cell Anemia patients' pain levels, a disease most prevalent in African descendants. Under my mentor, Dr. Allison Ashley-Koch, I analyzed data that will contribute to addressing pain in the black community. Within all spaces, I will act as a beacon for my peers and inspire them to resist compromising their identities for acceptance in STEM. I will ensure that the backgrounds of anyone in STEM positively inform their experience and research. The Dr. Soronnadi Nnaji Legacy Scholarship will aid me in reaching this goal. The financial support received from this scholarship will fund the books and technology required for my studies. In return, I will uphold the legacy and values of Dr. Soronnadi Nnaji as a Nigerian American in STEM. In every community I participate in, I will posit the importance of understanding different cultural identities and acknowledging how they enhance the STEM community through variety. With each exhibit and every table of data, I will cultivate epiphanies that lead to empathy.

Cross river state in rural Nigeria, lies the Bendi village. Within the Bendi village, are the Bendi people, who speak the Bendi language. The people are farmers who pass on crops as their trade. Within this village was a chief who gave birth to a daughter. The daughter passed on her native language to her children, and one of these children traveled far away from her village to pursue her medical education and make a difference. This child grew up to be my mother who through her stories of my people, inspired me to make a difference in medicine through language. There are very few Bendi people worldwide, and even fewer who speak the indigenous language. Furthermore, my mother’s busy schedule prevented me from learning Bendi as a child. As a result, I became hyper aware of the medical discrepancies exacerbated by language barriers. When my grandmother was in the hospital for schizophrenia treatment, no one could understand her pleas. When my cousin’s seizures worsened my Nigerian family could not articulate this to me. When my grandfather died of stomach ulcers, I could not speak a single word of comfort to my mother in our language. These moments of my upbringing made me realize that language is an essential element of healthcare. Understanding a language will enhance understanding of a patient's perspective, physically and emotionally. Entering high school, I sought out ways to use language and research to make a difference in people’s lives. Influenced by my experience, I yearned to develop accessibility for people whose voices go unheard in medicine. This desire compelled me to apply to North Carolina School of Science and mathematics to strengthen my education. At North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, I took courses such as AP Biology, and Organic Chemistry where I explored the fundamentals of medicine and built a scaffolding for my educational future. I began to learn Bendi from my mother and using the foundation I cultivated, I pursued further research into my passion of advancing tools to address medical disparities through mentorship at Duke University. At Duke University I volunteered my time towards completing research on sickle cell anemia and the clinical effects of the disease. Through this research, I refined my skills of genetic analysis and learned how disparities in medical care can affect populations. Within my six months working in the Duke University lab I created summary statistics, research articles, and code that I intend to use as a model for the research I will conduct in the future. With these skills, partnered with language as a tool for empathy, I will ensure that the “health” and “care” in healthcare are united. I will create medical resources in lesser known indigenous languages, such as textbooks and research articles, and connect to others with language, uplifting their perspective. Hearing stories of my home village motivated me to make a difference in Nigeria using my native tongue. However, beyond my home in Nigeria, I will make a difference within my home state of North Carolina as well as globally. Every patient has a valuable perspective that should be taken into account when they are treated. Understanding language will improve empathy towards these perspectives as well as the patient experience in healthcare as a whole. I may not have been passed on the trade of my people, nor the language of my people, but I proudly take hold of the responsibility bestowed upon my mother to make a difference. I see this responsibility as an honor that I accept with zeal, because to pursue medicine is to produce change.