Antigua Personal Statement

Rikhil Kochhar
Personal Statement
American University of Antigua

Throughout our lives there are countless experiences that shape our goals and aspirations. Some events are planned, while others are stumbled upon. At some point or another, each individual discovers which career path he or she wants to follow and more often than not, will perform the necessary steps in order to realize his or her aspirations. In most cases, these steps are a result of the ‘planned’ events in life. I, however, have been lucky enough to realize that my heart lies in a medical career by way of a culmination of both the intended and the inadvertent experiences of my life.
I enrolled in the Pennoni Honors College of Drexel University in 2005, eager to begin my pre-medicine journey. Along with the regiment of science courses, I registered for a course called ‘Honors 201: The Culture of Respect’, where I serendipitously met Professor Philip Poczik, who would later become my mentor and friend. He provided a unique classroom setting, where the students served as the textbooks, providing first hand experiences of socio-economic, health, gender, race, and sexual orientation struggles. Growing up privileged and unaware of the

Velmahos, an infectious disease specialist. As I began working for him as a medical assistant, he allowed me to accompany him on his rounds. There were times when patients lacking health insurance came to the office seeking treatment and Dr. Velmahos graciously made time to tend to them and provide them with the same quality of treatment that he provides for all of his patients. Despite the overachieving effort of doctors like Dr. Velmahos, it remains difficult to help everyone who is in need of care. These types of frustrating situations place a great deal of strain on him and other doctors alike, yet they persevere around the clock because of their love for providing people with the best care they