Being Raised By A Single Mother

Were there any circumstances which you feel might have adversely affected your academic performance during college?

Being raised by a single mother, I worked three jobs to support myself and contribute to my family while overcoming significant challenges. My father being absent due to alcoholism, I was shocked to learn that my only brother became involved with prescription drugs and then heroin during my junior year of high school. After unsuccessful rides to rehabilitation centers, he turned to crime to support his addiction that led to him being sentenced to 6-15 years in prison. While this was difficult, I became empathetic towards other’s needs and learned how to help others in difficult situations.

Please tell us about a passion (professional or personal) you have had thus far in your life.

My teaching and learning experiences enrich my lifelong passion for education, both as a teacher and student. As the first class of a pre-medicine focused middle college, I matured through understanding the rewarding nature of teaching as a writing fellow, tutor, and supplemental instructor. I became a more organized thinker, writer, and student, driving me to better myself as an educator. Developing analogies and providing examples led students to discover information themselves, while it also deepened my understanding of the course material. In addition to learning more, I became better at quickly mastering any subject. For example, I learned to develop my interpersonal and intercultural communication skills to have more meaningful interactions with my mentors, patients and friends. I love learning vicariously from those around me to help me make the right choices to develop as a well-rounded and empathetic person. By integrating teachi...

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...ntinue to challenge me and encourage me to work collaborative with colleagues to create projects to improve our community’s health. Hoping to expand my earlier work, I desire to lead translational endocannabinoid studies under the acclaimed researchers that are currently leading the field. With the opportunity to disagree with those researchers during my research, I am ecstatic to hypothesize my own ideas to progress our understanding of the endocannabinoid system. Considering myself a polymath, I would be limited by only focusing on cannabinoids; thus, I desire to explore multiple areas of research at Mount Sinai, including cancer biology, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering. With the resources and mentors needed to develop each of my research interests, Mount Sinai is the best school for me to develop as a physician, scientist, and leader in healthcare.