If there's one person who has shaped who I am today, it's my mom. She's the first strong woman I ever knew, and she's the reason I keep going, even when I feel like giving up. Growing up as the oldest daughter in a Haitian household, I've always felt like the second mom. Helping raise my younger sisters, cooking dinner, and stepping in whenever something needed to get done. Some days it felt like too much for one person, especially when I was balancing school and trying to be a kid myself. But my mom always found a way to remind me why it was worth it. She didn't always say it in big speeches or fancy words, sometimes it was just a look, a hand on my back while I finished homework at midnight, or a quiet "I'm proud of you" when she knew I needed it most. She taught me that strength doesn't have to be loud. Sometimes it's quiet, patient, and steady like her. When I struggled in school, she was there telling me that one test didn't define me. When I felt overwhelmed by everything I had to juggle at home, she was the first to tell me to breathe, rest and remember that I was doing enough. She's the reason I learned how to stand up for myself and others, even when my voice shook. She's the reason I want to go into medicine, to take care of kids and families the way she took care of us, no matter how tired she was. One thing I admire most is how my mom treats everyone with respect. She's never too busy to help a neighbor or give advice to someone who needs it. Watching her taught me how important it is to lift others up, especially other woman and girls who feel like no one sees them. Because of her, I know I want to be the person younger girls look to for encouragement. I want to be the mentor who says, "I see you. You're doing your best. Keep going.". Whether it's as a future pediatric anesthesiologist comforting a scared child and their family, or as a big sister figure in my community, I want to pass on what my mom gave me: hope, strength, and a reminder that we're never alone. One day, I want to build programs for girls from underrepresented backgrounds who dream of healthcare careers but don't know where to start. I want to show them that they belong in those rooms, no matter what people say. I want to remind them that being kind, patient, and hardworking are just as powerful as being loud or bold, that you can be soft and strong at the same time. In everything I do, I carry my mom's lessons with me: lead with love, show up for others, and never underestimate the power of a quiet, steady hand on someone's back saying, " You've got this". That's who she was for me, and who I hope to be for someone else.