As a first-generation half-Filipino/half-Spaniard-Cuban college sophomore student, I aim to break barriers within my community. In 2018, my hero and father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to honestly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation: "Life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to contribute to medicine. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service and 24+ hours of clinical training; I graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class and am now a CNA. I hit a roadblock when I dabbled in the field of biological research at my current institution. I realized I had a huge passion for research, which opened up my potential avenues for a career. Currently, I am deciding between a PhD in cancer biology or obtaining an accelerated BSN and eventually becoming a nurse practitioner involved in research for cancer. Bottom line I want to contribute towards the advancements of techniques and technology that can help aid to closer means of finding a cure for specific cancers. At my current University, I have been a part of two research projects, including research on the Muller F element in D. willistoni by producing coding regions of the genomic data and furthermore showing conserved sequences and how vital evolution is, along with research with RNAi on Spr-2 mutant C. elegans, and showing how epigenetics plays an essential role on the functionality of our genes and how this can be used to cure specific diseases, as C. elegans are a model organism and the Spr-2 gene is an ortholog to the human gene. In the Fall of 2024, I will be a part of and contributing to research at Emory University on neuroblastoma in children with Dr. Kelly Goldsmith. I have pushed myself to go outside of my comfort zone and try different avenues I did not think I would like. I am forever grateful I have people in my life who helped support and encourage me to do so, as I have found the calling in my life. Losing my father not only caused tremendous emotional and physical turmoil in my life but also created financial problems. My mother was a stay-at-home mom, and my dad was the parent that worked. Towards the end of my father's life, we had as little as $70 in the bank account. My mother is not able to help contribute financially to my education, and I have had to pull out close to $30,000 in student loans. I currently make in-school payments to alleviate the interest, but it is still immense. With the money awarded, I would use it immediately towards the loans I pulled out, which would significantly help my financial burden. The money I save will go towards saving money to support myself and eventually support my mother, whose mental and physical health has begun to decline.

As a first-generation half-Filipino/half-Spaniard-Cuban college sophomore student, I aim to break barriers within my community. In 2018, my beloved father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Through the grueling and traumatizing process of watching your parent deteriorate, it can be easy to succumb to the grief of the situation. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to truly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation, and that is "life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to be in medicine. Prior to my father's passing, I was heavily considering becoming a doctor, but after my father's diagnosis and passing, I had a definitive calling to be a doctor. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service and 24+ hours of clinical training, graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class, and am now a CNA. I am also a national member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), which is a pre-health honor society. By being a member of this club, I take advantage of the opportunities to give to my community and gain more knowledge and experience in the medical field. Recently, I pushed myself and finished six weeks of nursing assistant training and accumulated 125+ hours worth of training while being a full-time college student in order to become a CNA and get hands-on patient exposure in the healthcare setting. As a CNA, I can help those who were in my father's exact position. Giving care to those just like my father deserved at the end of his life. I pursued CNA as a way of getting a strong understanding of the realities and expectations of working in healthcare. This job in college will significantly help bridge myself over to medical school and give me an advantage in offering how committed I am to medicine. With being in medicine and the healthcare setting, there must also be a sense of awareness and all that goes into a facility. As someone who is working their way up as a CNA, I will have more understanding and respect for our RNs and CNAs. All the labor and the patience it takes to work with patients of all kinds of different backgrounds. As a future doctor, I can better understand and empathize with my patients but also my staff. In healthcare, I have learned that in a facility, we work as a team. We cannot have one without the other. I hope to be able to bring a sense of camaraderie when I am a doctor with my team and bring the utmost patient care. My true passion and heart lie within oncology and interventional radiology, as I would mainly be working and treating cancer patients. I will aim to care for, treat, and give answers to patients and their families and give what they deserve, just like my father needed. Better than anyone else, I can sympathize with cancer patients and empathize with their families.

As a first-generation half-Filipino/half-Spaniard-Cuban college sophomore student, I aim to break barriers within my community. In 2018, my beloved father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Through the grueling and traumatizing process of watching your parent deteriorate, it can be easy to succumb to the grief of the situation. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to truly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation, and that is "life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to be in medicine. Prior to my father's passing, I was heavily considering becoming a doctor, but after my father's diagnosis and passing, I had a definitive calling to be a doctor. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service and 24+ hours of clinical training, graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class, and am now a CNA. I am also a national member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), which is a pre-health honor society. By being a member of this club, I take advantage of the opportunities to give to my community and gain more knowledge and experience in the medical field. Recently, I pushed myself and finished six weeks of nursing assistant training and accumulated 125+ hours worth of training while being a full-time college student in order to become a CNA and get hands-on patient exposure in the healthcare setting. As a CNA, I can help those who were in my father's exact position. Giving care to those just like my father deserved at the end of his life. I pursued CNA as a way of getting a strong understanding of the realities and expectations of working in healthcare. This job in college will significantly help bridge myself over to medical school and give me an advantage in offering how committed I am to medicine. With being in medicine and the healthcare setting, there must also be a sense of awareness and all that goes into a facility. As someone who is working their way up as a CNA, I will have more understanding and respect for our RNs and CNAs. All the labor and the patience it takes to work with patients of all kinds of different backgrounds. As a future doctor, I can better understand and empathize with my patients but also my staff. In healthcare, I have learned that in a facility, we work as a team. We cannot have one without the other. I hope to be able to bring a sense of camaraderie when I am a doctor with my team and bring the utmost patient care. My true passion and heart lie within oncology and interventional radiology, as I would mainly be working and treating cancer patients. I will aim to care for, treat, and give answers to patients and their families and give what they deserve, just like my father needed. Better than anyone else, I can sympathize with cancer patients and empathize with their families.

As a first-generation half-Filipino/half-Spaniard-Cuban college sophomore student, I aim to break barriers within my community. In 2018, my beloved father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Through the grueling and traumatizing process of watching your parent deteriorate, it can be easy to succumb to the grief of the situation. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to truly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation, and that is "life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to be in medicine. Prior to my father's passing, I was heavily considering becoming a doctor, but after my father's diagnosis and passing, I had a definitive calling to be a doctor. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service and 24+ hours of clinical training, graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class, and am now a CNA. I am also a national member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), which is a pre-health honor society. By being a member of this club, I take advantage of the opportunities to give to my community and gain more knowledge and experience in the medical field. Recently, I pushed myself and finished six weeks of nursing assistant training and accumulated 125+ hours worth of training while being a full-time college student in order to become a CNA and get hands-on patient exposure in the healthcare setting. As a CNA, I can help those who were in my father's exact position. Giving care to those just like my father deserved at the end of his life. I pursued CNA as a way of getting a strong understanding of the realities and expectations of working in healthcare. This job in college will significantly help bridge myself over to medical school and give me an advantage in offering how committed I am to medicine. With being in medicine and the healthcare setting, there must also be a sense of awareness and all that goes into a facility. As someone who is working their way up as a CNA, I will have more understanding and respect for our RNs and CNAs. All the labor and the patience it takes to work with patients of all kinds of different backgrounds. As a future doctor, I can better understand and empathize with my patients but also my staff. In healthcare, I have learned that in a facility, we work as a team. We cannot have one without the other. I hope to be able to bring a sense of camaraderie when I am a doctor with my team and bring the utmost patient care. My true passion and heart lie within oncology and interventional radiology, as I would mainly be working and treating cancer patients. I will aim to care for, treat, and give answers to patients and their families and give what they deserve, just like my father needed. Better than anyone else, I can sympathize with cancer patients and empathize with their families.

As a first-generation half-Filipino/Half-Spaniard-Cuban college sophomore student, I aim to break barriers within my community. In 2018, my beloved father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Through the grueling and traumatizing process of watching your parent deteriorate, it can be easy to succumb to the grief of the situation. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to truly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation, and that is "life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to be in medicine. Prior to my father's passing, I was heavily considering becoming a doctor, but after my father's diagnosis and passing, I had a definitive calling to be a doctor. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service at hospitals, my local church, and Alaska's Bakery (small local business) and 24+ hours of clinical training, graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class, and am now a CNA. I am also a national member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), which is a pre-health honor society. By being a member of this club, I take advantage of the opportunities to give to my community and gain more knowledge and experience in the medical field. Recently, I pushed myself and finished six weeks of nursing assistant training and accumulated 125+ hours worth of training while being a full-time college student in order to become a CNA and get hands-on patient exposure in the healthcare setting. As a CNA, I can help those who were in my father's exact position. Giving care to those just like my father deserved at the end of his life. I pursued CNA as a way of getting a strong understanding of the realities and expectations of working in healthcare. As a future doctor, I can better understand and empathize with my patients but also my staff. In healthcare, I have learned that in a facility, we work as a team. We cannot have one without the other. I hope to be able to bring a sense of camaraderie when I am a doctor with my team and bring the utmost patient care. My true passion and heart lie within oncology and interventional radiology, as I would mainly be working and treating cancer patients. I will aim to care for, treat, and give answers to patients and their families and give what they deserve, just like my father needed. Better than anyone else, I can sympathize with cancer patients and empathize with their families. I will use the money I save by paying down my undergraduate student loans by putting it towards my medical school education. With no financial support from my mother, it is all on me to fund my own college education and medical education. I do have to work harder and go through more obstacles, but that does not stop me from getting to my goals and dreams. Every amount I save goes towards my education and improving myself for my future medical career.

As a first-generation half-Filipino/Half-Spaniard-Cuban college sophomore student, I aim to break barriers within my community. In 2018, my beloved father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Through the grueling and traumatizing process of watching your parent deteriorate, it can be easy to succumb to the grief of the situation. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to truly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation, and that is "life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to be in medicine. Prior to my father's passing, I was heavily considering becoming a doctor, but after my father's diagnosis and passing, I had a definitive calling to be a doctor. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service and 24+ hours of clinical training, graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class, and am now a CNA. I am also a national member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), which is a pre-health honor society. By being a member of this club, I take advantage of the opportunities to give to my community and gain more knowledge and experience in the medical field. Recently, I pushed myself and finished six weeks of nursing assistant training and accumulated 125+ hours worth of training while being a full-time college student in order to become a CNA and get hands-on patient exposure in the healthcare setting. As a CNA, I can help those who were in my father's exact position. Giving care to those just like my father deserved at the end of his life. I pursued CNA as a way of getting a strong understanding of the realities and expectations of working in healthcare. This job in college will significantly help bridge myself over to medical school and give me an advantage in offering how committed I am to medicine. With being in medicine and the healthcare setting, there must also be a sense of awareness and all that goes into a facility. As someone who is working their way up as a CNA, I will have more understanding and respect for our RNs and CNAs. All the labor and the patience it takes to work with patients of all kinds of different backgrounds. As a future doctor, I can better understand and empathize with my patients but also my staff. In healthcare, I have learned that in a facility, we work as a team. We cannot have one without the other. I hope to be able to bring a sense of camaraderie when I am a doctor with my team and bring the utmost patient care. My true passion and heart lie within oncology and interventional radiology, as I would mainly be working and treating cancer patients. I will aim to care for, treat, and give answers to patients and their families and give what they deserve, just like my father needed. Better than anyone else, I can sympathize with cancer patients and empathize with their families.

As a first-generation half-Filipino/Half-Spaniard-Cuban college sophomore student, I aim to break barriers within my community. In 2018, my beloved father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Through the grueling and traumatizing process of watching your parent deteriorate, it can be easy to succumb to the grief of the situation. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to truly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation, and that is "life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to be in medicine. Prior to my father's passing, I was heavily considering becoming a doctor, but after my father's diagnosis and passing, I had a definitive calling to be a doctor. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service and 24+ hours of clinical training, graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class, and am now a CNA. I am also a national member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), which is a pre-health honor society. By being a member of this club, I take advantage of the opportunities to give to my community and gain more knowledge and experience in the medical field. Recently, I pushed myself and finished six weeks of nursing assistant training and accumulated 125+ hours worth of training while being a full-time college student in order to become a CNA and get hands-on patient exposure in the healthcare setting. As a CNA, I can help those who were in my father's exact position. Giving care to those just like my father deserved at the end of his life. I pursued CNA as a way of getting a strong understanding of the realities and expectations of working in healthcare. This job in college will significantly help bridge myself over to medical school and give me an advantage in offering how committed I am to medicine. With being in medicine and the healthcare setting, there must also be a sense of awareness and all that goes into a facility. As someone who is working their way up as a CNA, I will have more understanding and respect for our RNs and CNAs. All the labor and the patience it takes to work with patients of all kinds of different backgrounds. As a future doctor, I can better understand and empathize with my patients but also my staff. In healthcare, I have learned that in a facility, we work as a team. We cannot have one without the other. I hope to be able to bring a sense of camaraderie when I am a doctor with my team and bring the utmost patient care. My true passion and heart lie within oncology and interventional radiology, as I would mainly be working and treating cancer patients. I will aim to care for, treat, and give answers to patients and their families and give what they deserve, just like my father needed. Better than anyone else, I can sympathize with cancer patients and empathize with their families.

As a first-generation half-Filipino/Half-Spaniard-Cuban college sophomore student, I aim to break barriers within my community. In 2018, my beloved father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Through the grueling and traumatizing process of watching your parent deteriorate, it can be easy to succumb to the grief of the situation. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to truly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation, and that is "life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to be in medicine. Prior to my father's passing, I was heavily considering becoming a doctor, but after my father's diagnosis and passing, I had a definitive calling to be a doctor. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service and 24+ hours of clinical training, graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class, and am now a CNA. I am also a national member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), which is a pre-health honor society. By being a member of this club, I take advantage of the opportunities to give to my community and gain more knowledge and experience in the medical field. Recently, I pushed myself and finished six weeks of nursing assistant training and accumulated 125+ hours worth of training while being a full-time college student in order to become a CNA and get hands-on patient exposure in the healthcare setting. As a CNA, I can help those who were in my father's exact position. Giving care to those just like my father deserved at the end of his life. I pursued CNA as a way of getting a strong understanding of the realities and expectations of working in healthcare. This job in college will significantly help bridge myself over to medical school and give me an advantage in offering how committed I am to medicine. With being in medicine and the healthcare setting, there must also be a sense of awareness and all that goes into a facility. As someone who is working their way up as a CNA, I will have more understanding and respect for our RNs and CNAs. All the labor and the patience it takes to work with patients of all kinds of different backgrounds. As a future doctor, I can better understand and empathize with my patients but also my staff. In healthcare, I have learned that in a facility, we work as a team. We cannot have one without the other. I hope to be able to bring a sense of camaraderie when I am a doctor with my team and bring the utmost patient care. My true passion and heart lie within oncology and interventional radiology, as I would mainly be working and treating cancer patients. I will aim to care for, treat, and give answers to patients and their families and give what they deserve, just like my father needed. Better than anyone else, I can sympathize with cancer patients and empathize with their families.

As a first-generation half-Filipino/Half-Spaniard-Cuban college sophomore student, I aim to break barriers within my community. In 2018, my beloved father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Through the grueling and traumatizing process of watching your parent deteriorate, it can be easy to succumb to the grief of the situation. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to truly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation, and that is "life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to be in medicine. Prior to my father's passing, I was heavily considering becoming a doctor, but after my father's diagnosis and passing, I had a definitive calling to be a doctor. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service and 24+ hours of clinical training, graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class, and am now a CNA. I am also a national member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), which is a pre-health honor society. By being a member of this club, I take advantage of the opportunities to give to my community and gain more knowledge and experience in the medical field. Recently, I pushed myself and finished six weeks of nursing assistant training and accumulated 125+ hours worth of training while being a full-time college student in order to become a CNA and get hands-on patient exposure in the healthcare setting. As a CNA, I can help those who were in my father's exact position. Giving care to those just like my father deserved at the end of his life. I pursued CNA as a way of getting a strong understanding of the realities and expectations of working in healthcare. This job in college will significantly help bridge myself over to medical school and give me an advantage in offering how committed I am to medicine. With being in medicine and the healthcare setting, there must also be a sense of awareness and all that goes into a facility. As someone who is working their way up as a CNA, I will have more understanding and respect for our RNs and CNAs. All the labor and the patience it takes to work with patients of all kinds of different backgrounds. As a future doctor, I can better understand and empathize with my patients but also my staff. In healthcare, I have learned that in a facility, we work as a team. We cannot have one without the other. I hope to be able to bring a sense of camaraderie when I am a doctor with my team and bring the utmost patient care. My true passion and heart lie within oncology and interventional radiology, as I would mainly be working and treating cancer patients. I will aim to care for, treat, and give answers to patients and their families and give what they deserve, just like my father needed. Better than anyone else, I can sympathize with cancer patients and empathize with their families.

As a first-generation half-Filipino/half-Spaniard-Cuban college sophomore student, I aim to break barriers in my community. In 2018, my beloved father, Robert was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Through the grueling and traumatizing process of watching your parent deteriorate, it can be easy to succumb to the grief of the situation. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to truly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation, and that is "life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to be in medicine. Prior to my father's passing, I was heavily considering becoming a doctor, but after my father's diagnosis and passing, I had a definitive calling to be a doctor. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service and 24+ hours of clinical training, graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class, and am now a CNA. I am also a national member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), which is a pre-health honor society. By being a member of this club, I take advantage of the opportunities to give to my community and gain more knowledge and experience in the medical field. Recently, I pushed myself and finished six weeks of nursing assistant training and accumulated 125+ hours worth of training while being a full-time college student in order to become a CNA and get hands-on patient exposure in the healthcare setting. As a CNA, I can help those who were in my father's exact position. Giving care to those just like my father deserved at the end of his life. I pursued CNA as a way of getting a strong understanding of the realities and expectations of working in healthcare. This job in college will significantly help bridge myself over to medical school and give me an advantage in offering how committed I am to medicine. With being in medicine and the healthcare setting, there must also be a sense of awareness and all that goes into a facility. As someone who is working their way up as a CNA, I will have more understanding and respect for our RNs and CNAs. All the labor and the patience it takes to work with patients of all kinds of different backgrounds. As a future doctor, I can better understand and empathize with my patients but also my staff. In healthcare, I have learned that in a facility, we work as a team. We cannot have one without the other. I hope to be able to bring a sense of camaraderie when I am a doctor with my team and bring the utmost patient care. My heart and passion lie within oncology and interventional radiology, as I would be helping and working with cancer patients. I will aim to help treat, care for, and give answers to patients and their families, just as my father deserved. Better than anyone else, I can sympathize with patients and empathize with patients' families. This scholarship hits home differently for myself.

A calling. Something I resonate with in regard to the field of medicine. My name is Taylor, and I am a first-generation half-Filipino/half-Spaniard-Cuban college sophomore student. In 2018, my beloved father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Through the grueling and traumatizing process of watching your parent deteriorate, it can be easy to succumb to the grief of the situation. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to truly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation, and that is "life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to be in medicine. Prior to my father's passing, I was heavily considering becoming a doctor, but after my father's diagnosis and passing, I had a definitive calling to be a doctor. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service and 24+ hours of clinical training, graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class, and am now a CNA. I am also a national member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), which is a pre-health honor society. By being a member of this club, I take advantage of the opportunities to give to my community and gain more knowledge and experience in the medical field. Recently, I pushed myself and finished six weeks of nursing assistant training and accumulated 125+ hours worth of training while being a full-time college student in order to become a CNA and get hands-on patient exposure in the healthcare setting. My passion lies in working with cancer patients, which is why I am choosing to pursue either oncology or interventional radiology. I want to give the care and find the answers for patients that my father deserved when he was at the end of his life. I can sympathize with the patients and empathize with the families of cancer patients. By starting off as a CNA, I hope to show my serious commitment to medicine long-term. With being in medicine and the healthcare setting, there must also be a sense of awareness and all that goes into a facility. As someone who is working their way up as a CNA, I will have more understanding and respect for our RNs and CNAs. All the labor and the patience it takes to work with patients of all kinds of different backgrounds and the work that goes into being a part of the healthcare team. As a future doctor, I can better understand and empathize with my patients but also my staff. In healthcare, I have learned that in a facility, we work as a team. We cannot have one without the other. I hope to be able to bring a sense of camaraderie when I am a doctor with my team and bring the utmost patient care.

Perseverance was the embodiment of my father. Despite any adversity in life, my father fought until the end, keeping a smile on his face. In 2018, my beloved father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Through the grueling and traumatizing process of watching your parent deteriorate, it can be easy to succumb to the grief of the situation. As my mother's mental health declined, someone in the family had to keep everything going. At 16, I was managing the finances of our family, my father's doctor appointments, and missing out on many school days to be a caregiver to my father because we could not afford one. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to truly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation, and that is "life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to be in medicine. Prior to my father's passing, I was heavily considering becoming a doctor, but after my father's diagnosis and passing, I had a definitive calling to be a doctor. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service and 24+ hours of clinical training, graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class, and am now a CNA. I am also a national member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), which is a pre-health honor society. By being a member of this club, I take advantage of the opportunities to give to my community and gain more knowledge and experience in the medical field. Recently, I pushed myself and finished six weeks of nursing assistant training and accumulated 125+ hours worth of training while being a full-time college student in order to become a CNA and get hands-on patient exposure in the healthcare setting. As a CNA, I can help those who were in my father's exact position. Giving care to those just like my father deserved at the end of his life. I pursued CNA as a way of getting a strong understanding of the realities and expectations of working in healthcare. This job in college will significantly help bridge myself over to medical school and give me an advantage in offering how committed I am to medicine. With being in medicine and the healthcare setting, there must also be a sense of awareness and all that goes into a facility. As someone who is working their way up as a CNA, I will have more understanding and respect for our RNs and CNAs. All the labor and the patience it takes to work with patients of all kinds of different backgrounds. As a future doctor, I can better understand and empathize with my patients but also my staff. In healthcare, I have learned that in a facility, we work as a team. We cannot have one without the other. I hope to bring a sense of camaraderie when I am a doctor with my team and bring the utmost patient care. "Each moment is an opportunity to be better."

As a first-generation half-Filipino/half-Spaniard-Cuban college sophomore student, I aim to break barriers within my community. In 2018, my beloved father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Through the grueling and traumatizing process of watching your parent deteriorate, it can be easy to succumb to the grief of the situation. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to truly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation, and that is "life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to be in medicine. Prior to my father's passing, I was heavily considering becoming a doctor, but after my father's diagnosis and passing, I had a definitive calling to be a doctor. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service and 24+ hours of clinical training, graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class, and am now a CNA. I am also a national member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), which is a pre-health honor society. By being a member of this club, I take advantage of the opportunities to give to my community and gain more knowledge and experience in the medical field. Recently, I pushed myself and finished six weeks of nursing assistant training and accumulated 125+ hours worth of training while being a full-time college student in order to become a CNA and get hands-on patient exposure in the healthcare setting. As a CNA, I can help those who were in my father's exact position. Giving care to those just like my father deserved at the end of his life. I pursued CNA as a way of getting a strong understanding of the realities and expectations of working in healthcare. This job in college will significantly help bridge myself over to medical school and give me an advantage in offering how committed I am to medicine. With being in medicine and the healthcare setting, there must also be a sense of awareness and all that goes into a facility. As someone who is working their way up as a CNA, I will have more understanding and respect for our RNs and CNAs. All the labor and the patience it takes to work with patients of all kinds of different backgrounds. As a future doctor, I can better understand and empathize with my patients but also my staff. In healthcare, I have learned that in a facility, we work as a team. We cannot have one without the other. I hope to be able to bring a sense of camaraderie when I am a doctor with my team and bring the utmost patient care. My true passion and heart lie within oncology and interventional radiology, as I would mainly be working and treating cancer patients. I will aim to care for, treat, and give answers to patients and their families and give what they deserve, just like my father needed. Better than anyone else, I can sympathize with cancer patients and empathize with their families.

As a first-generation half-Filipino/half-Spaniard-Cuban college sophomore student, I aim to break barriers within my community. In 2018, my beloved father was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Coming from a dysfunctional family, at 16 years old, I had to assume the role of a parent and adult. Through the grueling and traumatizing process of watching your parent deteriorate, it can be easy to succumb to the grief of the situation. Unfortunately, cancer took my father away from my mother and I in less than 8 months. There are no words to truly describe the insurmountable pain I felt after losing my father. However, I knew the reality of the situation, and that is "life goes on." After many months, I got to a point where I realized that wallowing in my pain any longer had no benefit for me and was weighing down my potential. I understood that my father would want me to push on and pursue my goals and dreams. From a young age, I always knew I needed to be in medicine. Prior to my father's passing, I was heavily considering becoming a doctor, but after my father's diagnosis and passing, I had a definitive calling to be a doctor. Once I started college, I went straight into shadowing many physicians and have accumulated over 500+ shadowing hours, giving to my community through 600+ hours of service and 24+ hours of clinical training, graduated top of my certified nursing assistant class, and am now a CNA. I am also a national member of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), which is a pre-health honor society. By being a member of this club, I take advantage of the opportunities to give to my community and gain more knowledge and experience in the medical field. Recently, I pushed myself and finished six weeks of nursing assistant training and accumulated 125+ hours worth of training while being a full-time college student in order to become a CNA and get hands-on patient exposure in the healthcare setting. As a CNA, I can help those who were in my father's exact position. Giving care to those just like my father deserved at the end of his life. I pursued CNA as a way of getting a strong understanding of the realities and expectations of working in healthcare. This job in college will significantly help bridge myself over to medical school and give me an advantage in offering how committed I am to medicine. With being in medicine and the healthcare setting, there must also be a sense of awareness and all that goes into a facility. As someone who is working their way up as a CNA, I will have more understanding and respect for our RNs and CNAs. All the labor and the patience it takes to work with patients of all kinds of different backgrounds. As a future doctor, I can better understand and empathize with my patients but also my staff. In healthcare, I have learned that in a facility, we work as a team. We cannot have one without the other. I hope to be able to bring a sense of camaraderie when I am a doctor with my team and bring the utmost patient care. Ideally, I'd like to work in areas where there is a dense minority population. Studies show that people of color get significantly less patient care and are more susceptible to different illnesses/diseases. I also would like to go to schools with heavy Hispanic influence to encourage the youth, especially young Hispanic girls to join STEM/Medicine.

As a first-generation Filipino and Spaniard/Cuban college student, I want to set an example for those around me and change the patterns in my family of not pursuing higher education. The events that have occurred in the past three years, have changed my life and thinking indefinitely. The immense pain I felt when losing my father when I was 16 years old due to basal cell carcinoma was unbearable. The only thought that kept me intact was that his blood ran through my veins and that I could continue his legacy in my life. At 17 years old, my mother confessed to me that the man who I thought was my biological father, in fact, was not. The man who gave me life was a close family friend who I always knew as "Uncle George." Although I was gladdened to know that my biological father was alive and well and that I had half-siblings, I also felt a sense of loss. To realize that I was not of flesh and blood of the man I thought was my biological father, pained me. Although Robert Campbell was not my own flesh and blood, he was and is still my father. His legacy does continue to live in me, and in everything that I do. I want to show my peers although you may endure many adversities, anything and everything is possible with courage. I aspire to add diversity to the research field, as I am interested in doing research on the hedgehog pathway inhibition for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma. What matters most in my life is to live every day fully with no regrets, remember to forgive others and yourself, and realize that there is so much you have to offer this world and those around you. These next four years of college will be immensely difficult and stressful. As my single mother does not financially support me in seeking higher education, I completely have to rely on my job's income, scholarships, and financial aid/loans to keep me in college. Meanwhile, I must maintain my GPA and extracurriculars in order to be the best student and future doctor I can be. Quite simply, I want to live this life to the absolute fullest. Tomorrow is never guaranteed, and that is a hard lesson learned.

As a first-generation Filipino and Spaniard/Cuban college student, I want to set an example for those around me and change the patterns in my family of not pursuing higher education. The events that have occurred in the past three years, have changed my life and thinking indefinitely. The immense pain I felt when losing my father when I was 16 years old due to basal cell carcinoma was unbearable. The only thought that kept me intact was that his blood ran through my veins and that I could continue his legacy in my life. At 17 years old, my mother confessed to me that the man who I thought was my biological father, in fact, was not. The man who gave me life was a close family friend who I always knew as "Uncle George." Although I was gladdened to know that my biological father was alive and well and that I had half-siblings, I also felt a sense of loss. To realize that I was not of flesh and blood of the man I thought was my biological father, pained me. Although Robert Campbell was not my own flesh and blood, he was and is still my father. His legacy does continue to live in me, and in everything that I do. I want to show my peers although you may endure many adversities, anything and everything is possible with courage. The athletic ability of figure skating, musical talents, work skills, and experience in numerous pre-health clubs, will allow me to reach out to a broad spectrum of students and share my experiences. I aspire to add diversity to the research field, as I am interested in doing research on the hedgehog pathway inhibition for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma. I'd like to make my Filipino/Spanish/Cuban-American community proud and give insight into the diversity each and every one of us has. We have all had to work harder, and have more pressure from our parents and relatives to be successful. We have more on our shoulders to be self-sufficient and to take care of our parents/family one day. Ever since I was a young girl, I knew in my heart of hearts that I wanted to be a doctor one day. Many of my friends and close family members were worried that losing my father to cancer would deter me from pursuing my dream of becoming a doctor. If anything, losing my father to cancer, only fueled that passion and drive of pursuing a medical career. What matters most in my life is to live every day fully with no regrets, remember to forgive others and yourself, and realize that there is so much you have to offer this world and those around you. With every inch of my body, I want to help those and be the doctor that my father never had. These next four years of college will be immensely difficult and stressful. As my single mother does not financially support me in seeking higher education, I completely have to rely on my job's income, scholarships, and financial aid/loans to keep me in college. Meanwhile, I must maintain my GPA and extracurriculars in order to be the best student and future doctor I can be. Allowing myself to be involved in so many activities, allows for me to meet diverse people and become a more well-rounded individual. Quite simply, I want to live this life to the absolute fullest. Tomorrow is never guaranteed, and that is a hard lesson learned. My only purposes in life are to love others, help others, and give my unconditional support to those in need.

As a first-generation Filipino and Spaniard/Cuban college student, I want to set an example for those around me and change the patterns in my family of not pursuing higher education. The events that have occurred in the past three years, have changed my life and thinking indefinitely. The immense pain I felt when losing my father when I was 16 years old due to basal cell carcinoma was unbearable. The only thought that kept me intact was that his blood ran through my veins and that I could continue his legacy in my life. At 17 years old, my mother confessed to me that the man who I thought was my biological father, in fact, was not. The man who gave me life was a close family friend who I always knew as "Uncle George." Although I was gladdened to know that my biological father was alive and well and that I had half-siblings, I also felt a sense of loss. To realize that I was not of flesh and blood of the man I thought was my biological father, pained me. Although Robert Campbell was not my own flesh and blood, he was and is still my father. His legacy does continue to live in me, and in everything that I do. I want to show my peers although you may endure many adversities, anything and everything is possible with courage. The athletic ability of figure skating, musical talents, work skills, and experience in numerous pre-health clubs, will allow me to reach out to a broad spectrum of students and share my experiences. I aspire to add diversity to the research field, as I am interested in doing research on the hedgehog pathway inhibition for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma. I'd like to make my Filipino-American community proud and give insight into the diversity each and every one of us has. We have all had to work harder as Filipino-Americans, and have more pressure from our Filipino parents/relatives to be successful. We have more on our shoulders to be self-sufficient and to take care of our parents/family one day.

Starting from a young age, my father always taught me how to become mentally and emotionally strong; especially in stressful and overwhelming situations. I began to struggle with mental health from the start of my Freshman year of high school to the end of my Junior year. Although the reasons varied from time to time, they were still immensely challenging to say the least. During my Freshman year of high school, I was balancing academics and my full-time sport of figure skating. My entire life I have been thin, not because I starved myself but because I was blessed enough to have a fast metabolism and was continuously active. Being in figure skating, everyone is made aware of the type of body and fit a figure skater has to have for ideal performance levels. Once I hit puberty, I started to notice that my body was changing; my hips were getting bigger and so were my breasts. I was not fond of this, as it would throw off my rotation and axis in my jumps but I realized it was normal. But, what made this worse was when my coach mentioned that I needed to lose weight. Keep in mind, that I had not gained any weight during this period, and was naturally attaining more of a womanly figure. The pressure to be as thin and tiny as possible consumed me, and I, unfortunately, became anorexic and bulimic for the next 3 years. The toll my eating disorders took upon me was immense, and I became ignorant of the concern my friends and family were showing me. Non-stop, I would be thinking about food all day long, and when I became stressed, I would binge and purge. In my Sophomore year of high school, my father was diagnosed with stage IV basal cell carcinoma. At this point, I had to give up figure skating for the sake of our family's financial state. My anorexia had gotten better, but the binging and purging were manifesting into something far worse. Many days, I had to stay home from school and take care of my father, as we could not afford a caregiver. I took on the role of a parent and adult and had to manage the family finances and help take my father to his doctor appointments with my mom. The mental health issues I endured at the time were pushed aside so I could focus on my academics and my father. The day my father passed away, triggered such pain and a feeling of desolation within me. Months went by where I could not muster up the strength to get out of my bed or let alone leave the house. I couldn't get myself to eat, sleep, or even drink water. Losing my father was and is still the biggest loss of my life and I knew that I was suffering from depression. I mustered up the courage to see a therapist, and the Lord knows that it changed my life forever. Although there are issues between my mother and I still, my mental health has manifested into something beautiful. I know and have learned how to set boundaries and to know when I need to recharge. I can assess if my behavior is dangerous or hurtful to myself, and I feel that I am in a good conscious place. I have been through adversity and experienced negative mental health issues. To persevere and become stronger than ever before, is something I would never trade.

As a first-generation Filipino and Spaniard/Cuban college student, I want to set an example and change the expectations in my family. My entire life has been about dedication and pushing myself beyond my limits. At the age of four years old, I started competitive figure skating and continued to do so for nearly 12 years of my life. In my heart of hearts, I knew I could push myself and make it to the Olympics, but tragedy hit the summer going into my Sophomore year of high school. My father was diagnosed with stage IV basal cell carcinoma. As difficult as it was to quit skating, I knew it had to be done for the sake of our financial situation. Therefore, at the age of 15, my dad decided it was time for me to learn and manage the bills and taxes, as he knew his cancer had advanced. With all the chaos and grief within my first semester as a sophomore, I managed to finish with a 3.9 GPA, amongst the disorder in my life. The passing of my father was devastating, and financially my mother and I were uncertain and in danger. My mother simply cannot afford my college and does not support me in seeking higher education due to the cost. Therefore, I am in dire need of all the scholarships I can receive, as I alone am paying for college and have pulled large loans, and am indebted to family friends. I want a clear and strong understanding of the biomedical sciences, in order to be accepted into medical school after I complete my undergraduate studies. Becoming a doctor is not only something I can realistically see myself being, but it is something I know I can obtain with hard work and time management. Having a strong pre-medical basis is essential in helping prepare me for the challenges I face in medical school and my residency. I know that college will give me the foundation and tools necessary to become not only a well-rounded student but also a well-rounded human being and doctor. The experiences and opportunities I am blessed enough to receive will then give me the chance to grow in all aspects of my life. I hope to be an anesthesiologist, but I'd also like to participate in research in regards to hedgehog pathway inhibition for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma, which is the specific type of cancer my father passed away from. Helping people is the reason why God put me on this earth, and I want to set an example for my family and future generations down the line.

I want a clear and strong understanding of the biomedical sciences, in order to be accepted into medical school after I complete my undergraduate studies. Becoming a doctor is not only something I can realistically see myself being, but it is something I know I can obtain with hard work and time management. Having a strong pre-medical basis is essential in helping prepare me for the challenges I face in medical school and my residency. I know that college will give me the foundation and tools necessary to become not only a well-rounded student but also a well-rounded human being and doctor. The experiences and opportunities given to me will then give me the chance to grow in all aspects of my life. Being an undergraduate student thus far has shown me the academic challenges and rigor of college. I hope and will continue to raise my GPA after this terrible first semester of college. My personal life has been filled with chaos and heartache, but I know I will persevere after this second semester. College has created a drive and determination within me, and learning excites my soul to the core.

As a first-generation Filipino and Spaniard/Cuban college student, I want to set an example and change the expectations in my family. My entire life has been about dedication and pushing myself beyond my limits. At the age of four years old, I started competitive figure skating and continued to do so for nearly 12 years of my life. In my heart of hearts, I knew I could push myself and make it to the Olympics, but tragedy hit the summer going into my Sophomore year of high school. My father was diagnosed with stage IV basal cell carcinoma. As difficult as it was to quit skating, I knew it had to be done for the sake of our financial situation. Therefore, at the age of 15, my dad decided it was time for me to learn and manage the bills and taxes, as he knew his cancer had advanced. With all the chaos and grief within my first semester as a sophomore, I managed to finish with a 3.9 GPA, amongst the disorder in my life. The passing of my father was devastating, and financially my mother and I were uncertain and in danger. My mother simply cannot afford my college and does not support me in seeking higher education due to the cost. Therefore, I am in dire need of all the scholarships I can receive, as I alone am paying for college and have pulled large loans, and am indebted to family friends. To this day, I still help with family finances and manage academics and family leadership. Overcoming this adversity was exceedingly difficult, but I knew I had to be strong not only for my mother but also for myself. This event in my life showed the resilience and determination I had to complete my studies and to be the rock my family needed. In my heart, I truly believe that those who endure the most pain, become the most successful individuals in the world and that God has much planned for them. I intend to pursue medical school after my undergraduate studies, to become the doctor my father needed.