Personal Essay: On the Path to Studying Medicine

I was in the middle of traffic. It was 7:24 a.m. and I had to be in class in six minutes. After studying a significant amount of time, nerves were eating me alive because this exam would mark a stage in my life. My mind kept running, going over and over everything I had studied, thinking about physics, biology, and my worst nightmare; organic chemistry. Five minutes had gone by and I was almost at the location where my future would be defined. My vehicle was parked and my anxiety would not go away. Breathe in, breath out, I begun to ponder; what am I doing here?

It took me on a trip down memory lane, and I started reflecting on the incidents that brought me to this point. There he was, Jesus, my little five year-old cousin who unfortunately had an uncommon disease, Adrenoleukodystrophy, where insulation over the axons breaks down causing a progressive degenerative myelin disorder, leaving infants completely disabled in a range of six months and dying some time after. This was my first introduction to medicine, seeing him weakened daily woke something in me exposing my mind to what my future was going to be like, a mix of empathy, compassion, assistance and desire to know more.

Furthermore, as I wanted to advance in my career, my family and I came to the United States for a better future. Though I had several obstacles such as language barriers and financial problems, I got accepted to Florida International University with the FIU Academic Achievement scholarship and joined Alpha Epsilon Iota Academic Honor Society, where I gained experience that strengthened my desire to study medicine. Feeling so grateful for the opportunity given to me, I begun to volunteer at Miami Children’s Hospital in the Pediatric Oncology Unit. Working w...

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...d and will be published in JSciMed Central, one of the International peer reviewed dermatologic journals.

A few seconds after coming back to reality, I knew the exact answer to my question. I’m here because I want to pursue my passion, practice medicine beyond any obstacle and into the community of the needed and address it through education and research. I want to be a person who will save someone’s life, a professional that with ideas and strategies can improve life quality for the community. I’m enriched by every circumstance I went through. Each experience that I encountered taught me the importance of healthcare, communication, and compassion. Though medicine requires sacrifice, it also provides the rewards I seek. I am aware of the commitment that I will be making. But overall, the challenge, the abilities, and the dedication required are what fascinate me.