During my first semester at Missouri State University - Springfield, I enrolled in a medical sociology course. It was because of this course that I grew deeply curious about the disparities plaguing our nation and how they impact patient care. We learned about health care shortages in the United States. I was shocked to learn that numerous counties in Missouri are considered to be health professional shortage areas, including the one I was born and raised in. Thousands of Missourians feel the effects of these shortages on a daily basis. In my hometown, many people must travel upwards of an hour to be seen outside of primary care. My curiosity led me to complete a research paper on the topic. I found that these shortages have the potential to increase the rate of patient mortality, injury, and morbidity. This was incredibly disheartening to hear, but it ignited a passion inside me. I am deeply passionate about providing care to those most in need. As a future healthcare professional, I hope to provide the highest quality of care in medically underserved areas. My goal is to help increase access to care to those in these communities. I currently work as a dermatology assistant at the only dermatology clinic in my hometown and the surrounding area. A large quantity of our patients are seen for skin cancer, precancerous growths, and suspicious lesions. In rural Missouri, many people grew up working on farms in the blistering sun for hours and hours a day. Many of these people grew up in times where most people were unaware of the dangers of too much sun exposure. Before our department opened a few years ago, many patients had to travel over an hour in either direction to be seen by a dermatologist. I was unaware of the impact our clinic had on our local community until we nearly closed down a few months ago. Many patients informed us they would be unable to travel to Springfield or Mountain Home, AR. They were terrified of what this meant for them. During my time at the clinic, I've held the hands of anxious, elderly patients during their first biopsy. I've comforted patients before they underwent Mohs surgery on the lesion they were previously too scared to have examined. I've informed patients that the lesion we biopsied came back as skin cancer, but I was fortunate to tell them we could treat them in the clinic. In all honesty, before starting this job, I had no idea the obstacles (physical or mental) people faced to receive treatment. My experience as a dermatology assistant flamed my desire to work with medically underserved populations. That is at the forefront of my career goals for when I practice medicine.

As a child, I was always interested in science. I was especially curious about how the human body functioned. I took many science classes in high school and even took anatomy and physiology as an elective my senior year. One day, our class took a trip to Saint Louis University’s cadaver lab where medical students gave us a tour and demonstration of their lab. I was in awe of their knowledge and skills. In addition to this experience, my aunt took a job as a nurse assistant when I was a child. She would often recount her stories of her favorite patients with a smile on her face. I truly loved hearing her stories. As a child, I remember thinking that I wanted to have a job like hers on day. One that left me feeling fulfilled and happy no matter how exhausted I was at the end of the day. One that would allow me to make a great impact on the lives of others. Unfortunately, my aunt had a birth defect that went undiagnosed her whole life. The trauma she endured throughout her time on Earth only put more and more stress on her heart. She passed away in her sleep one night, and this came as a total shock to our whole family. Nobody saw it coming. This happened right before I entered college. I couldn’t help but think that if her condition was diagnosed, perhaps she would have been able to receive treatment earlier or had the knowledge to take better care of herself. I spent a lot of time in college trying to figure out which career path was right for me. I went through many changes, but two things stayed constant: my interest in human biology and my desire to care for others as my aunt did. I am currently working as a dermatology assistant while taking prerequisites for PA school. In our clinic, we focus on medical dermatology and see a lot of patients with skin cancer and other medical conditions. We diagnose countless cases of skin cancer, and we make it our goals to inform patients and treat the cancer as early as possible. Patient education is at the forefront of our goals. I know for certain I want to pursue a career in medicine. My ultimate goal is to practice preventive care. I want to diagnose abnormal conditions as early as possible to give people best opportunity to care for themselves. I will become a physician assistant to bring preventive care to every specialty I find myself in. One of the specialties I am most excited for is women’s health. I want to play a role in preventing disease in women as early as possible. I want to be like the providers I work for and be patient, a good listener, and educator so women can feel comfortable and safe in my care. I want to be an advocate for my patients and encourage them to advocate for themselves as well.

I have always been fortunate to have a big family. The summers of my childhood were often spent playing outside at my grandparents’ house with my brother and two cousins. We would go fishing in the little pond, play hide and seek in the dark with our uncles, and explore the forest that bordered the property. Barbecues and trips to our local river were frequent. We all lived together in a little house, but it never felt too small. It was me, my mother and brother, cousins, aunt, and grandparents. However, my cousins began to feel more like my siblings and my aunt like my second mother. When my mom worked overnights, my aunt would help watch us during the day and get us ready for school. She made sure we were fed and taken care of before sending us off to school. My aunt spent her mornings doing my hair and spraying her signature perfume on me, allowing me to wear her earrings. She treated me just like she did her daughter. I grew to love these mornings, but I never knew how much I would cherish and miss them as an adult. Although my childhood was filled with countless happy memories, there were many things behind the scene that were far from pleasant. Thankfully, the adults of my family did everything they could to shield us children from the reality of our living situation. We struggled financially, but our family did the best they could to provide for us. My aunt began working in a nursing home as a nursing assistant, which coincided with her passion for caregiving and helping those who truly need it. She came home and told us the stories of the residents who made her day. She was often very tired, but she always had a smile on her face when she talked about her favorite residents. I loved listening to her stories, and I felt inspired to find myself pursing a similar career. Unfortunately, our finances were the least of our problems. Legal issues seemed to plague our family, including my aunt. Witnessing these encounters with the law as a child made me a bit resentful, and I’ve grown to realize this resentment was targeted towards the wrong people. I so desperately wanted my aunt to receive help for her problems, but the more they occurred, the less hopeful I became. Sadly, I grew to become somewhat bitter towards my aunt because I felt abandoned by her. That is something I truly regret with all my heart. It was a rainy Sunday in March 2018. I was a junior in high school preparing for school the following day. The rain seemed as if it would never stop. Most of my family was in the living room, but my mom and grandmother were in their rooms. A police car pulled into our driveway, and anxiety hit me like a truck. The officers took her to their car to speak due to the heavy rain. She came back in tears and woke my mother up. My aunt had passed away in her sleep while in their custody. My aunt was born with a heart defect that went undiagnosed. The trauma she experienced throughout her life only put more and more stress on her heart until it gave up on her. I was in total disbelief for a long time. I felt so much guilt, and I was truly ashamed of the bitterness I had previously felt when she was incarcerated. All I wanted was my aunt back. With the help of my family, I grew to accept the past. My aunt would always say, “Tomorrow is never promised,” but I never realized how true this was. I think about this phrase often. Whenever anger or bitterness begins to creep in, I remember my aunt’s words. Education was always important to my aunt. She made sure us kids were in the best condition to go to school. We had breakfast every morning, an early bedtime, our homework was done the night before, and so much more. I am continuing my pursuit of higher education not just for myself but also in honor of the sacrifices my aunt and family made for me. If it weren’t for their dedication to me, I would not be in the position I am today. I am pursuing a career in medicine to care for others the way my aunt cared for her residents. Also, I want to be a part of the change that ensures deaths like hers no longer occur. I want to work in preventive medicine. This year I am finishing up my prerequisites to apply to physician assistant programs in 2025. I know my aunt would be more than proud of me, just as she’s always been.

A little girl with big dreams. That's how many of my family members would describe me as a child. I was the eight-year-old who somehow decided she was going to attend a prestigious institution and become a physician before I finished elementary school. I did not know much about the reality of becoming a medical professional or the structure of the healthcare system, but I dreamed of caring for others in their times of need. Because of this aspiration, education became greatly important to me. In high school, I took anatomy and physiology as an elective and got the chance to visit the Saint Louis University anatomy lab with my class. There we attended a presentation of the lab given by medical students, and my passion grew exponentially. My journey as an undergraduate student has been quite interesting. As a first-generation high school graduate and college student, there were many times when I felt lost. The greatest thing about the healthcare field is all the different routes you can take. However, it can also feel a bit overwhelming to someone new to this whole world. Learning about all the different paths to medicine left me worried I might take the wrong path. I ultimately decided to major in Sociology and complete a minor in Biomedical Science, so I could take time to figure out which path was for me. It was this decision that sparked my interest in the sociological aspect of medicine. I learned so much about disparities in medicine and medical education as a sociology major. Working towards increasing healthcare equity for marginalized people is at the forefront of my career goals. My biggest passions are helping reduce racial health disparities for people of color and increasing the number of people of color in healthcare. Less than 6 percent of practicing physicians in the United States identify as Black or African American. Black mothers are 2.6 times more likely to pass away during childbirth than White mothers. I believe one way we can reduce such health disparities is by increasing the number of experienced people of color in medicine and teaching them to advocate for their patients and themselves. Last year, I began working as a pharmacy technician to gain experience in the healthcare field. It was during this time that truly solidified my decision to work directly with patients to provide them with medical care. I learned so much firsthand about the American healthcare system behind the scenes. However, I still yearned for direct patient care. Before becoming a physician, I want to cultivate my bedside manner and learn as much as possible about direct patient care. I truly believe becoming a registered nurse will grant me the opportunity to accomplish both of those goals. I am currently a pre-nursing student at Missouri State University, starting my nursing coursework in the Fall 2024 semester. Once I graduate, I wish to start a nursing residency at a local hospital in the OB-GYN field. I want to gain as much experience as a nurse as possible before applying to medical school so I feel adequately prepared to care for our most vulnerable. When I first entered college, I was so afraid of choosing the "wrong" path. I was completely new to everything related to higher education and healthcare. Now, I believe there is no such thing as a wrong path to medicine. Every step we take towards accomplishing our goals - even steps that seem to take us backward - are truly steps in the right direction. It is passion and perseverance that keeps us on track!

Ever since I was a child, medicine and science has always been a passion of mine. I remember spending hours at my grandma’s house reading a medical encyclopedia from the 1970s, learning about all types of diseases and ailments. The words were a bit complex and outdated for nine-year-old me, but I was captivated by all the conditions that could affect the human body. I told everyone that I was going to be a doctor one day. I would constantly beg and beg my mom to let me do science experiments in the house. For example, I wanted to mix baking soda and vinegar to see what would happen, but then the reaction would ignite a spark of curiosity within me. I needed to know why these things happen. Science classes were always my favorite in school, especially biology and human anatomy. I got to do all the science experiments my little heart could take. The best part was always when my teachers would explain the “why.” I took any advanced science class I could, but I realized I was the only Black girl in these electives. I went to a primarily white high school, so at the time I did not think much about it. After graduating high school, I started taking classes at a community college an hour away from home to study biology. Once again, I was the only Black girl in my science classes. Here, I expected more diversity, but my classes were anything but diverse. Honestly, I felt a little out of place, but it did not completely discourage me from pursuing STEM. One of my biggest inspirations for continuing to study biology was my biomedical science professor. She is a Puerto Rican woman and has a strong passion for science just as I do, but she also spent time educating our class on disparities in medicine and healthcare. We learned about how people of color in the United States are more likely to die from skin cancer than white patients, Black women have the highest rates of maternal mortality in the country, and how the affordability of healthcare negatively affects low-income households. Her class will always be one of the main catalysts for my journey through the medical field. She inspired me as a woman of color in STEM, and she sparked new passions of mine: ending racial disparities in healthcare and making healthcare affordable. What makes me passionate about science is being able to use my knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others. I have the potential to save lives. I can help someone deliver a baby into this world and ensure they both survive. I can diagnose and treat someone with a curable disease and prevent an unnecessary death. I can advocate for my patients and those who cannot afford health insurance to make sure they are getting needed medical treatments. I can use my knowledge of science to create new treatments, procedures, and more to help people live their healthiest lives. That is my biggest passion in life. What started as a young girl with an undying curiosity for learning how the world works has blossomed into a woman with an unyielding drive towards improving the lives of others no matter their background. STEM will help me accomplish my dreams of creating a better future for people like me.

Since I was a child, I was known for being soft-hearted. There was no way you could have ever made me hurt another living creature (emotionally or physically) on purpose. I just could not bring myself to do it. I was the child who watched Animal Planet for hours on end, but you would find me crying when the ASPCA commercials would come on. I would beg my mother to allow me to donate my money to these organizations because I could not bare seeing any living thing suffer. Watching people and animals go through some of the most unimaginable and heinous circumstances in life always made me feel very emotional. I wanted nothing more than to reach through the television screen or to the person or animal in front of me and show them genuine love and kindness. Despite the struggles I have faced in life, my compassion and empathy for others is the quality I most value in myself. The fact that I was able to care for others even when my world was far from average is something I admire. One year, as a child, we had a severe flash flood that caused water to leak inside my bedroom. I then remember going outside and recruiting my cousins and brother to help me save fish that were displaced after their pond had overfilled. We ran around frantically scooping up water with a kiddie pool and buckets before finding as many fish we could that were still living. I wasn’t worried about the damage that might have been caused to our house. I was solely focused on saving as many lives as possible. Being someone who places such a high value on compassion and helping others will help me in my life journey in the long run. I receive so much happiness from knowing that I could make a difference in someone else’s life no matter how big or small that may be. I plan on working in the medical field either as a physician or a physician assistant. Helping people is a huge part of these careers, but I believe those who are most successful in them are those who act with compassion and a genuine interest in bettering other’s lives. My main goal is to work towards ending racial disparities in medicine. I want to help lower the rate in which black mothers unfortunately die during childbirth or the rate in which black people with skin cancer are more likely to die than those who are white. In order to do so, I will advocate for those who feel as though their voices are left unheard. I want to spark change within the medical system in general. I want to encourage more African-Americans and people of color to join the medical field and help with my mission. I want to create organizations and projects to help uplift voices of those who are underrepresented in medicine. People of color should not be dying because their concerns go unnoticed. People of color should not be dying because medical professionals were not taught how to diagnose skin diseases in non-white skin. People of color should not be dying because the medical system teaches students misinformation about health issues in non-white patients. I want to be a part of the movement to end medical mistreatment of people of color because I cannot stand to see my community suffer any longer.

1. My name is Tiarra Davis, and I will be a junior at Stephens College in January. My major is Integrative Human Biology, and I have received an associate’s degree in general studies at Missouri State University - West Plains. I have always had a huge passion for education, science, and medicine since I was a child. I can remember being in third or fourth grade telling my family and friends that I was going to be a doctor. Then, I was going to be a veterinarian. Later, I wanted to be a scientist. My ambitions have always motivated me to pursue higher education and a career that would allow me to make a difference in this world. I know now that medicine is my true passion. I want to work towards ending racial disparities in the medical field and make healthcare more affordable. I also have a huge passion for language learning. I am currently studying Japanese, Korean, and Spanish on my own, but I would love to be able to take in-person classes one day! I am also a first-generation student from a low-income household. I was the first person in my immediate family to graduate from high school and the first to graduate college. I will also be the first to receive a bachelor’s degree and a master’s or doctoral degree. My struggles growing up motivate me to continue my education and help other’s who were in circumstances similar to my own. If I could do anything with my life, I would love to become a mentor to young African-American girls who are interested in STEM. 2. I love how STEM is constantly evolving. Learning is a huge passion of mine, so I love that in STEM there is always something new to learn. Things we believed to be true about the world a couple of hundreds of years ago have turned out to not be as accurate as we thought. Soon, the things we believe today may be disproven. I love the idea of knowing that I could be at the forefront of something so important. Knowing that I could have the ability to influence future generations’ knowledge is mind-blowing. I could have a positive impact on the world through research and application. I could use information technology to become a more responsible digital citizen, and I could help teach others to do the same. Information technology could also be used to prepare for the future of STEM (in all fields) and express creativity that inspires the world. Information technology can also be used to assist in medical education. This can help educate professionals and patients. Doing so could help foster a sense of trust and understanding between medical professionals such as doctors and physician assistants and their patients. I believe this could also be beneficial to the African-American community, who has suffered from medical mistreatment in the past at the hands of the government. This mistreatment has led to decades of mistrust and resentment towards the medical system. Educating the community on the medical system and their options within it with the help of information technology could help African-Americans feel more in control of their medical decisions and help their doctors provide the best treatment based on informed consent. 3. Being raised in a single-parent, low-income household was genuinely the greatest challenge I had to overcome. Nobody in my family had graduated from high school or went to college. We lived pay check to pay check most of my childhood. Growing up, I made friends with people who were raised in middle-class families with both parents who had graduated high school at the very least. Some of their parents graduated college. Most had very successful careers and multiple businesses. My family only had one source of income. When it came time to apply to colleges, I noticed a lot of my friends were applying to big four-year universities in different states. My best friend tried to encourage me to apply to a prestigious college with her. Although my academic performance was great in high school, the tuition was far more than I could have ever imagined paying. Even if I received scholarships, there was no way I could afford whatever was leftover. This took a huge toll on my mental health. My school, my friends, and my family had high expectations for me, but the affordability of college was a huge determining factor in where or if I could even attend. I was devastated thinking about disappointing those who held so much faith in me. However, I did not want to give up. Not just for the sake of others but for myself as well. I found out that if I spent time tutoring children in elementary school, I could do a scholarship program that would pay for my first two years if I attended a community college. I scrambled to enroll in this program, and I began tutoring these children for nearly two hours every other day. I did this for a full year, and soon I found out I was eligible to receive the scholarship. I used that money to pay for my associate’s degree. As a result, I will be in less debt upon graduating with my bachelor’s, but I am still using the same determination and hustle that I had before in order to afford the cost of this degree. Going to a four-year institution is much more expensive than a two-year community college, but I have faith that my hard work and perseverance will allow me to make it much more affordable. If I could face this obstacle once and overcome it, I will most certainly do it again!

When I think of practicing self-care, the first things that appear in my mind are exercising, skincare, and journaling. These all became a major part of my daily routine since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Being stuck in the house all day due to the quarantine lockdowns really started to affect my mental health. I realized that I was not happy with the way my life was going, even before the pandemic started. I knew something needed to change. I began working out regularly, reflecting on the reoccurring thoughts and anxieties, and taking time to show extra love to the skin I am in. Doing so made me realize that my life is worth living. Little things like this made me so grateful to be alive, even if my current situations are not ideal. Seeing results from being consistent in my routine helped me understand that I am the author of my own life. Although I cannot control every aspect of the book of my life, I am able to choose what happens next and how I overcome it. If I recognize negative feelings and thoughts bubbling within myself, I have the power to make small actions that release them. If I am unsatisfied with how something is going in my life, I can do small things that will make a difference. I am so glad that I was able to learn how to take better care of myself. It has made me a more resilient person who is excited for the future now!

Growth. Forgiveness. Kindness. Empathy. Trust. Love. These are the things that make a friendship so valuable. Friends are those that you can rely on when things get tough. That’s not to say that they are there solely to fight your battles for you. It means that when you hit a rough patch in your life or you are stuck in a situation feeling hopeless, your friends will be there to uplift you through moral and emotional support. They are their to celebrate your victories and push you to overcome your failures. They help you leap over obstacles that stand in your way on your path to success, and you do the same for them. Together, you work on your individual goals and interests, but you help one another whenever it is needed. Friends are built on understanding and forgiving one another when mistakes are made. The closest friends I have are the ones who knew me while I was struggling to find myself. They are the ones who helped me escape from the things that tormented me in my daily life. They are the ones who confided into me and allowed me to do the same to them. They are the ones that I have grown to have a profound, platonic love for. I trust that we have each other’s best interests in mind, even if we live hundreds of miles apart and do not get to talk as often as we would like. Friendship, to me, means being able to share parts of your life (the struggles and the triumphs) with another person and allowing them to do the same.

Self reflection is the easiest way to ensure that you maintain a growth mindset. Doing so will allow you to see which areas of your life you wish to improve and how you may be able to do so. For instance, I enjoy journaling. I journal whenever I feel the urge to. This can be whenever I am experiencing a positive moment in life or it could be when I am feeling stuck or hopeless. I will whip out my journal and just start writing out how I am feeling at that moment. I do not limit myself or censor how I am feeling. Then, I will close the journal and go about my day as normal. However, I always make sure to revisit the journal entry the next day, especially if I was writing during a negative period in my life. I then write to express how my feelings might have changed compared to the precious entry. Being able to see where my mind was at outside of those intense emotions has allowed me to recognize patterns within myself that I may need to change or continue doing. They have helped me from reacting out of pure emotions, which can be devastating to the life I built for myself or relationships with others. Journaling these feelings, though, is cathartic. I am able to release any emotion that was building up for a long time, then I can revisit it when I am more comfortable. From then on, I have the power to make positive, healthy changes in day-to-day life. I have regained control and a positive outlook on life.

Patience has taught me that the best things in life genuinely do take time to manifest and make their way towards you. It is one of the most important virtues to have. However, it can be a hard one to obtain and maintain at times. Patience is the driving force for my daily life. We are currently in a time where we are able to receive things instantly. Social media allows us to make connections with others in an instant, but time and patience are what cultivates a friendship that lasts a lifetime. We are able to receive information in a matter of seconds through Internet browsers, but taking the necessary time to learn the information yourself makes you feel accomplished and proud of yourself. We can do anything online, and within seconds we have whatever it is we were looking for at our fingertips. However, instant gratification has left us yearning for more and more. That is why patience is important to me. It has helped me in social relationships. I had to learn how to be patient in friendships and with my family, but this skill has strengthened our bond. It taught me to be kinder to others and myself. It taught me to enjoy the small moments that lead to the bigger ones. It helped me become more grateful for little accomplishments on the road to success. It taught me to see the importance of growth and self-improvement. It allowed me to see the effort that others put forth when it came to bettering themselves and maintaining a close connection with me. It gave me a reason to persevere in situations where I felt hopeless. Patience has made me grateful for what I have no matter how long it takes me to receive it.

My goals as a medical professional are to provide care in medically underserved areas and to fight towards ending racial disparities in healthcare. Many who live in poverty leave curable disease and ailments untreated due to the overwhelming cost of medical care in the United States. People are dying from or spreading diseases that could easily be treated if only they had enough money. This is unacceptable. One of the issues I feel the strongest about is the black maternal morality rate. While the national maternal mortality rate in the United States is around 17 per 100,000 live births, the rate at which black women die during childbirth is around 2.5 times higher. 43 per 100,000 live births result in the death of a black mother. Numerous accounts of black women state that they often felt unheard by their doctors. They believed their concerns were not taken seriously. As a medical professional, I intend to take the concerns and demands of my patients seriously. I intend to advocate for those who feel as though their voices are not being heard. I want to raise awareness to the growing cries of black women and encourage other medical professionals to do the same. This is why it is important to increase racial diversity of healthcare. Many African-Americans state that they are distrusting of the healthcare system in the United States. Part of this stems from the fact that the government has been known to purposely mislead and experiment on African-Americans while medical professionals have been known to ignore their concerns. The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male conducted by the United States’ government is just one example of a time in which African-Americans were abused by the medical system. This experiment has left a large impact on the African-American community. It has reached the point where African-Americans have refused a potential life-saving vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic. African-Americans may choose to research and select physicians, physician assistant, nurse practitioners, midwives, and more who share a similar ethnic background as them to ensure they will be treated properly. The problem is that black medical professionals are seriously underrepresented in healthcare. We need more medical professionals who understand the cruel history of the medical system and people of color and its impact on their distrust towards it. Increasing the amount of medical professionals of color may help foster a sense of trust between the medical system and African-Americans and others who were affected by medical mistreatment. However, we cannot stop there. These medical professionals must also advocate for their patients and teach their white colleagues how to address the concerns and distrust of their patients of color. We have to become dedicated to ending the spread of misinformation such as the notion that black patients are less likely to feel pain or that their skin is thicker than white patients. We have to dismantle hidden biases in medicine and replace them with the truth: African-Americans and other people of color deserve the same medical treatment as white patients.

Frida Kahlo can be described as a woman who persisted and remained resilient in the face of adversity. As a child, Frida was born with spina bifida and was later paralyzed after contracting polio at age 6. As she was planning to enter medical school, she was involved in a life-altering bus accident, which led her to rediscover her childhood interest in art. Her artwork showcases the themes of pain, passion, death, and identity with bold, vivid colors; they inspire others, such as myself, to find beauty in the trials we face and to not let them define who we become.

As someone who loves social interaction, connecting with friends and making new connections with others makes me the happiest. Whether we’re playing exciting games or just relaxing together in silence, I enjoy being able to spend time with those I care about. I have become close friends with people across the country, and I love that I can have genuine, personal connections despite the large gap between us. We all come together every now and then to chat about our lives, joke with one another, and play online games. Some of the best friends I have ever had I met online. It makes me so happy when I connect with them. It also makes me happy whenever I can make new friendships. In school, I’ve made friends with people who had diverse interests. Some had similar career and academic goals as me. Some enjoyed K-Pop and other music genres that I also enjoy. Some watch anime, medical dramas, and reality television. Part of the reason why I love being able to connect with strangers is that I am able to see how diverse and interesting we are. None of us are identical, which allows for us to have interesting, complex friendships. I will forever be grateful for having the opportunity to make personal connections with my friends.

One of the happiest moments of my life happened after my high school graduation. Even though I did not have a fancy graduation party, I was so grateful and happy to know that so many of my family attended to celebrate this accomplishment with me. I had family from across the country come to my small-town graduation in the Midwest. Afterwards, we had a dinner together full of laughter and excitement. Before I went to bed that night, I cried a few tears of joy knowing that my family supported me throughout every moment that led me there.