There are many reasons as to why I applied to the HACU national internship program. First, I have been inspired by my parents to never waste an opportunity that is presented to me, because they did not have that many opportunities in Mexico. As a DACA student, I am grateful for my work permit because without my work permit, I would have never advanced professionally throughout college. Additionally, the presidential election took a drastic turn, but I am ready to work harder than ever to pursue my dreams of becoming a researcher/scientist and demonstrate that “illegals” are trying to make this country into a better place. With the HACU National Internship Program, I hope to continue growing and learning professionally so I can help out those in need in the future. …show more content…
I want to obtain a PhD in Mental Health at Johns Hopkins or a PhD in neuroscience because I am interested in brain abnormalities, drug/alcohol addiction, mental illness, and the many mysteries that we yet have to uncover about the brain.
In the United States, mental health has become an increasingly popular topic because the stigma is fading away, but there are still not enough resources to help a large range of people. I want to give a voice to those whose needs (e.g., therapy) have been ignored. In regard to pursuing a neuroscience career, I want to add to the research for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease especially because there are numerous baby boomers who have retired or will be retiring soon, and will most likely seek medical services. In more general terms, I also hope to inspire others to pursue the unthinkable. The science world does not have much diversity and I want to encourage other minorities and women to pursue a career in the sciences; there are endless possibilities in the
field. Before any of my goals can happen, I hope to utilize my determination, strong work ethic, and previous skills in whatever internship I pursue. I am fluent in two languages, English and Spanish, and I developed great interpersonal skills from working at the bank, at a medical office, and a laboratory. Furthermore, I have volunteered in places serving different populations of people (e.g., the elderly, the mentally ill) and so, I can work and interact with various types of people. I can also work independently. Besides people, I also have done plenty of research with mice and laboratory equipment; I can read scientific articles and comprehend their content too. Throughout my internship, I would like to focus on my research skills because whichever path I pursue will require strong research skills. Specifically, I would like to focus on brain-related research (e.g., mental health, Alzheimer’s).
Many years ago there was a small boy who was woken by a loud scream. Terrified, he ran from his room to find his mother unconscious on the floor. His little sister was screaming as he pulled his mom onto her back in desperation. In reality, he didn’t know what to do to save her and his helplessness was due to his lack of knowledge. She passed away that night. That boy was me. Our past defines us no matter how we protest; it can either pull you down into failure or lift you up towards success. From then on, I was drawn to medical sciences and used that helplessness to motivate my education.
There are a lot of reasons why I chose to pursue pharmacy as my career and they all point to the most important reason: pharmacy is a great fit for my life and is something I have become increasingly passionate about. It started when I was researching careers with my parents and my dad suggested pharmacy and, simply put, it sparked my interest because at the time it was one of the few things I thought I would not hate doing. A healthcare career has always been where I put myself in the future, mainly because most of my family members are in the healthcare field. However, I have never been one that could directly help the wounded or deal with anything gory, but am very intrigued by the growing science of pharmacy. As I continue exploring pharmacy, the more I enjoy learning about it and feel like I could excel in this career.
Insel, T. (2013), Mental disorders as brain disorders, TEDx talk at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, 23 April.
I grew up in a household where education was seen as a form of self-improvement and empowerment. Being raised in rural Central California by two Filipino immigrants who had nothing more than a high school education, my family did not have an educated or intellectual history I could look up to. That is, until my mother decided to get a college education at the age of 45. I must have been in middle school at the time, before which the word “college” was never really spoken or talked about and I could honestly say I only had a vague idea of what it even was. Rather than having the traditional sit down talk with my parents about higher education, my mom clearly spoke to me through example. I distinctly remember times where I would be her study buddy, and while doing so, I found myself leisurely enjoying the pages of her science textbooks. Instead of asking her questions related to her upcoming text, I inquisitively asked juvenile questions like, “How do the genes make us?” Today I know that this is a very big and complex question that we are still trying to answer. Yet at that moment, I wanted an answer, but mother did not have the solution, nor did the textbook. That was the birth of my pursuit of scientific career.
While growing up I had many ideas of what professional career I wanted to obtain, although until recent years, occupational therapy was not even a thought. It was not until my grandmother had a stroke that I even knew what occupational therapy was or entailed. I watched my grandmother participate in therapy leading her to learn how to tie her shoes again, and the things I thought were so simple as to dress herself again. It was during that time as high school graduation was approaching that I realized I wanted to be apart of that. I wanted to have a role helping others learn and exceed as she did because I seen how much joy it brought her. This experience opened my eye to the things we so often take for granted, that some people lose the ability of doing or lack the ability of doing. Throughout her journey of facing and overcoming these problems, it led me to a yearning to pursue this
Please discuss the following items in the order given. Briefly respond to all areas listed.
Whoosh!A bed whizzed by, surrounded by about 6 medical personnel. “What’s going on?” I thought immediately with apprehension. I knew whatever was happening it was not ideal. Ensuring I was not in the way, I stood on my toes to see what demanded so much attention. To my astonishment, I saw a coin sized hot-pink little girl. She could not have been bigger than two quarters lying side by side.She was struggling! Even with all the procedures the doctors were executing to save her life, she was performing the most work.
In high school, I was among those students who always indicated that I will be going college. However, unlike most people I seem to meet these days I did not know that I wanted to be a doctor. When it was time to head off to college, I was still unsure of what I wanted to pursue. As most college freshmen, I did not know what major best suits my personality. I desired a career that would define who I am and a career that is self-gratifying. However, the path that I should follow was unclear to me. Because of my uncertainty I failed to see that my parents dream became my reality. As I began my college experience as a nursing student, I felt somewhat out of place. I realized that my reason for majoring in nursing was my parents' influence on me. They wanted me to believe that nursing is right for me. I always knew I wanted to go into the medical field, but I felt that I needed to know how to choose a medical specialty that I feel is right for me. My first step was to change my major. I chose to change my major to biology. My love for science led me to this decision. I began to explore the opportunities open to biology students.
Since the beginning of my academic endeavors, I have long cherished a dream to be a member of the social science research community, which gives our society progressive insights into human ecology. I began my undergraduate studies at Ramapo College of New Jersey with a passion for ecological justice and with the intention of majoring in environmental studies. Ramapo College’s progressive liberal arts foundation provided me with ample room to explore the multifarious array of social science courses. As I took more social science courses, however, my understanding of human social groups underwent a metamorphosis. As a result, I decided to pursue a degree in Social Science, with minors in the two fields I felt most passionately interested in, Women’s Studies and African American Studies.
The science world, as a whole, knows very little about the brain and nervous system and how the one organ and its companion system can make up a person. They also do not fully understand the diseases that genetically alter how the brain works. The neuroscience researchers are faced with a new puzzle every day. They are the pioneers of the neuroscience field. These are the people that I want to be considered part of. I have, as a result of wanting this future, explored the career environment and why it is the best choice for me.
Perceptions of mental health have changed dramatically since the 1800s and will continue to advance as more is learned about the human mind. Significant advancements have been made in this field, but there is still much room for progress to be made as more is learned. From barbaric assumptions about the mentally ill in the 1800s, to what is now known about mental illness and the human brain, these accomplishments can definitely be described as “one giant leap for mankind.”
Becoming a successful clinical physician who can be a great help to people’s life and healthhas been my great ambition that I have been pursuing since I was a high school student.
As I watched my mother rush to get the pot to boil some water with tears in
The brain is the most unchartered organ in the human body, so it is not surprising that many of the psychological illnesses have been misdiagnosed. Dementia is a biological disease, not a mental disease and right now there are up to 5.3 million citizens with Alzheimer’s (Hebert). This creates a growing demand for treatment in a mental health facility, for issues that are not even mentally related. There is a copious amount of false placement because disorders like Dementia, ADHD, and many others are not mental, but biological. What the United States has is a fractured system that has made convenient treatment nearly unattainable for sick people in need. People of all ages suffer from mental illnesses but because of the misconceptions of what is a mental illness, social and legal pressures thwart victims from seeking help. Mental illness is not the “result of weak will or misguided parenting” as once thought, but it has been discovered that “most ‘mental’ illnesses are biologically based, just like physical illnesses are” (Carter). Because...