"i di egwu," my mom exclaimed— a sarcastic way of calling me brave. After showing her the pictures from my kayaking trip this past summer, she shrieked and bombarded me with questions, rambling about her fear of water. Though I understood her sentiments, I couldn't relate and was stunned at the idea of being afraid of such a breathtaking experience. And besides a laugh, her ironic remarks sparked something else: a question. Why do I adore what those around me fear? Why do I always find myself fascinated by things that should frighten me the most, things that are worlds away from the life and culture in which I was born? After some thought, I realized my peculiar fascination started with my family's journey to the United States at the ripe age of four. The early stages of our acclimation were, expectedly, difficult. We were always behind on bills, sleeping on empty stomachs, or folding from the pressure of our family members in Nigeria. I couldn't do much to ease our troubles, but the importance of being open to new experiences and well-rounded in today's society engraved itself into my mind. I also discovered that hard work and an unshakable resolve are, in fact, at the core of most success stories— and that all the chances I take and obstacles I come across do not make my life less admirable but form and fashion it into something worth fighting for— something more extraordinary than four-year-old me could have imagined. For all of my life, I've lived at the intersection of many different opinions, ideas, and identities. When experiencing the world this way, society’s issues become all the more apparent, especially those regarding inequality. One of the more upsetting issues has to deal with the unequal distribution of healthcare resources. Underrepresented, minority-dense, and low-income communities are often given the short end of the stick when it comes to medical services. Members of these communities have poorer health outcomes and greater difficulty in obtaining healthcare services. As a young, low-income, immigrant woman, it is disheartening not only to know that there’s a high chance I won’t get quality treatment if I do get sick but also to see the effects of this broken system cripple my community in real-time. With an education in the business of healthcare, made possible by this scholarship, I hope to become an advocate for health equity. By addressing historic and contemporary injustices through my work, whether that be through funded research or outreach programs, I hope to help overcome economic, social, and other obstacles blocking the highest level of health for every individual. I know that a community armed with healthy civilians can foster the confident, go-getter mindset that is necessary to address and tackle the other issues that hold our society back from excellence.