I wake up early, head to the gym, and then to work. I am a pediatric physician assistant working in an underserved community. While checking my schedule for the day, I think back to the first time I was in an office like this. When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to work in the medical field, but I did not know which career. I shadowed two PAs, learning from their teamwork, answers to my many questions, and observing their passion. I knew that I wanted to be a Physician Assistant. It’s time for my first patient: a little boy who never stops smiling. He reminds me of Riley. Riley was a little boy whom I taught the summer following my junior year while working as a paraprofessional at a preschool for special needs students. Riley and I would practice writing our letters on the easel. Every day at pick-up, I would tell his dad what we did and that he should be extremely proud of Riley. It made Riley and his dad smile and excited to come to preschool. I make some little jokes with my patient and his nervous mother, making them comfortable in my office. I learned to do this through volunteering at the Broson Rehabilitation Unit in my hometown as a volunteer in high school. Every week, I would go into patient’s rooms with my Comfort Cart, filled with activities and personal care items. I’d offer items and my company. I remember playing Poker with Richard and giving Seth a tour on his first day admitted. I was really good at making patients comfortable, and I still use these skills as a PA. During my lunch break, I think about how much I love my work-life balance, even while working. I’ll meet with a patient, chart, meet with another patient, chart, and repeat. While charting, my social battery can recharge, making me ready and attentive for every patient. I remember watching Maria and Bryan do this while I shadowed them. While meeting with a patient, I can not figure out the diagnosis. I go up to my attending physician and ask her what I should do. She works with me, kindly listening to the history of this patient. She presents a few different ideas, leading to the probable diagnosis. It makes me think back to high school when I would rely on teamwork to plan incredible events. As student council president, I needed my team to successfully create inclusive events. At the end of the day, I pack up, ready to go home. I love my flexible schedule, where I work three 12-hour shifts a week. It gives me plenty of time to spend with my kids and pet rabbits. Similarly, I have the flexibility to change my specialty. I was thinking about changing to surgery, as it has always fascinated me. I know that I have options and time. I know that I have influenced and helped so many people and assisted in combating the medical practitioner shortage, successfully expanding access to healthcare. I am happy.

I wake up early, head to the gym, and then to work. I am a pediatric physician assistant working in an underserved community. While checking my schedule for the day, I think back to the first time I was in an office like this. When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to work in the medical field, but I did not know which career. I shadowed two PAs, learning from their teamwork, answers to my many questions, and observing their passion. I knew that I wanted to be a Physician Assistant. It’s time for my first patient: a little boy who never stops smiling. He reminds me of Riley. Riley was a little boy whom I taught the summer following my junior year while working as a paraprofessional at a preschool for special needs students. Riley and I would practice writing our letters on the easel. Every day at pick-up, I would tell his dad what we did and that he should be extremely proud of Riley. It made Riley and his dad smile and excited to come to preschool. I make some little jokes with my patient and his nervous mother, making them comfortable in my office. I learned to do this through volunteering at the Broson Rehabilitation Unit in my hometown as a volunteer in high school. Every week, I would go into patient’s rooms with my Comfort Cart, filled with activities and personal care items. I’d offer items and my company. I remember playing Poker with Richard and giving Seth a tour on his first day admitted. I was really good at making patients comfortable, and I still use these skills as a PA. During my lunch break, I think about how much I love my work-life balance, even while working. I’ll meet with a patient, chart, meet with another patient, chart, and repeat. While charting, my social battery can recharge, making me ready and attentive for every patient. I remember watching Maria and Bryan do this while I shadowed them. While meeting with a patient, I can not figure out the diagnosis. I go up to my attending physician and ask her what I should do. She works with me, kindly listening to the history of this patient. She presents a few different ideas, leading to the probable diagnosis. It makes me think back to high school when I would rely on teamwork to plan incredible events. As student council president, I needed my team to successfully create inclusive events. At the end of the day, I pack up, ready to go home. I love my flexible schedule, where I work three 12-hour shifts a week. It gives me plenty of time to spend with my kids and pet rabbits. Similarly, I have the flexibility to change my specialty. I was thinking about changing to surgery, as it has always fascinated me. I know that I have options and time. I know that I have influenced and helped so many people and assisted in combating the medical practitioner shortage, successfully expanding access to healthcare. I am happy.

LOGZ- Lily, Ola, Gabbi, Zuzanna- this was my family. And now, we have OZ. We lost Lily due to an overdose. Four years later, we lost Gabbi to suicide. My family was torn apart. I was torn apart. As a mere 8th grader, I had lost two of the most important people in my life. I didn't understand grief, and sometimes, I think I still don't. Reality struck when I was a junior in high school- the same year Lily was when she passed. As I walked through the hallways, the same hallways they walked, the only thing I could do was think of Gabbi and Lily. I could only think about how they would've been laughing down these hallways, chatting with friends, rolling their eyes through boring classes, and participating in normal school activities. I would pass by Lily's locker, an adjustment counselor's room that Gabbi would spend hours in, and the photography room where both of their pictures hang in memory. At times, walking through the halls became nearly impossible, as grief would hit me like a ton of bricks. One day, I went to talk with Gabbi's adjustment counselor. She showed me a folder she kept in her desk about Gabbi. It was a questionnaire asking: "Who are the most important people in your life?" Gabbi answered, "Zuzanna and Ola- they are my happiness." When we were kids, we made a YouTube account called LOGZ Key to Happiness. We made parody videos and skits. Our goal was to bring happiness to others. Looking back though, I think the goal was to bring happiness to Gabbi and Lily. At this moment, everything came full circle. And this is how I persevered. I had to remember, through everything that had happened, I was their key to happiness. I brought this mentality with me through my education and beyond- I was going to be everyone's key to happiness. Though this was, and still is, a challenging task. To persevere through this and to focus on my education, I had to surround myself with good people who understood my struggles. I created routines and strictly followed them. I started therapy. I actively put my energy into my academics. I started working out. I joined Student Council, later becoming president, in hopes of creating impactful events that made people happy. I did everything I could to make my high school experience valuable and meaningful for myself and others. As I pursue my career as a physician assistant, I will have a heightened level of compassion and understanding for patients struggling with mental health challenges or loss. I will carry this compassion with me everyday. LOGZ is always in my heart and will continue to be forever. Thank you for your consideration.

For the majority of my high school career, I did not like math. Now, I know this sounds weird. My mom is a math teacher, and I am pursuing a math-heavy chemistry degree at a STEM school. I should like math. However, it never made sense to me. Why are we solving the quadratic formula? Or solving 100 trigonometric identity problems? I was fed math problem after math problem, quickly and successfully solving each of them. The entire time, though, I felt like I was wasting my time. Math lived solely in textbooks, not in the real world. Well, until I took chemistry. Math began emerging and melding into the real world, and it started to become meaningful. My chemistry labs incorporated a significant amount of math, but now, I could see the math and the reasoning behind it. All of a sudden, I started to like math, in fact, I started to love it. Solving my chemistry labs brings me a great deal of satisfaction, and now, I appreciate and love the math that brings me to the discovery. Math has allowed me to study my favorite thing- chemistry. It has opened doors no other subject could. It has allowed me to pursue pharmaceutical sciences in college, setting me up to be a physician assistant. Without math, my dreams could not have come true. Thank you for your consideration!

It was Seth's second day in the hospital. He hadn't been out of his bed yet, let alone his room. He was nervous and lonely. As a hospital volunteer, who specializes in keeping people company and improving their patient experience, I offered him some company. He gratefully accepted. I sat with him for my entire shift. He was a younger man, maybe in his thirties or forties. He told me about his work, how he got hurt, his recovery goals, and his dog. I told him about my school plans, my family, and my pet bunny. After chatting for a while, I asked his nurse if we could take a stroll down the hallway. She agreed and helped Seth into his wheelchair. I gave him a tour of the unit, telling him all the little tricks I knew. I told him about how you could ask for ice cream or sodas from the on-unit kitchen area. I showed him the rehab rooms and nurses' station. He was glowing. He was so excited to have someone to talk to and to see his unit. The following week, I went to visit him again. He was walking. He was going to be discharged later that week. He was absolutely glowing with happiness and pride. I was too. He thanked me profusely for our time together, saying it was what got him through those tough first days. It was incredible to see his progression over just one week, and how much a positive attitude helped make that happen. Volunteering has taught me how to connect with people, making minute differences in their lives. I've learned about the hardships many people will face throughout their lives, especially the challenging medical ones. My core value of "everything always works out" has been reaffirmed through volunteering, by seeing how a community can come together to help someone get better, and later, thrive. I will take the lessons I have learned through volunteering through my future career as a physician assistant. In the fall, I will be attending Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, majoring in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Concurrently, I will be on a six-year pathway, where I will be guaranteed acceptance at Albany Medical College for the physician assistant program. These two schools reflected my same passion for learning, staying involved in communities, and hard work. It is a perfect fit for me. For a little about me: In my free time, I enjoy reading, going on day trips with my friends or family, and going to the beach. Just recently, my best friend and I explored the Berkshires, Mount Greylock, and Mass MoCA on a day trip. It was a great trip exploring the intricacies, beauty, and history of my amazing state. In high school, I was extremely involved in my student council and local, regional, and state science fairs. I enjoy staying involved throughout school and my community. Thank you so much for your consideration.

Senior pictures are expensive. Photographers have the right to charge fairly for their work, as it takes a large initial investment for equipment, time to administrative work and editing, and education to be a good photographer. However, in my predominantly low-middle-class town, spending a lot of money on senior pictures is a challenging expectation. There is a clear divide in the yearbook between the people who could afford pictures and the ones who could not. The ones who could not are stuck with the standard, blue backgrounded, school photo taken in our school auditorium. So, to combat this clear inequality, I hosted free, 30-minute senior picture sessions at two different locations. My initiative was promoted throughout the school, attracting many students. My portfolio encompasses 5 people who otherwise would not have been able to get senior pictures taken. I would like to introduce them to you. Wunnyuriti: He is my best friend and the first person I took free pictures for. He was patient with me, allowing me to explore my camera and try different poses. He brought his instruments and Ghanaian smock, allowing me to fully capture who he is as a person. Lucie: She is an exchange student from France. We had so much fun during the session, dancing around and enjoying the flowers. She told me all about France and how happy her parents would be to have these amazing keepsakes. Vlad: His mom made him get his senior pictures done. Even though he was a little shy in front of the camera, I hope I made his mom proud. Alexis: Throughout the entire session, her mom would not stop thanking me for this opportunity. Alexis did great in front of the camera, with her serious, but beautiful, smile. Liam: He chose to go to a garden for his pictures, which not many guys opt for. However, his pictures with flowers are some of my favorites. As I continue into my future, my goal is to become a physician assistant. However, I will never forget my passion for photography, and I hope to offer a similar program at local high schools throughout my professional career. I will never forget the value of a photo and bridging the inequality gap.