Summer Program Entry Essay

The event that grounded me into the path of a physician and truly inspired me was a speech given by a pediatric oncologist in middle school. It amazed me to no end how humble she remained when explaining a few of her interactions with children and their families. After that particular experience, I learned that I want to lead my professional career as a physician in a way that involves continuous servitude towards bettering the lives of those not privileged, fighting for every individual’s right towards health equity, and reflecting on and improving myself throughout my journey. I made it my goal to become a pediatric surgeon who is able to grow as a physician that can evaluate and continue to better themselves through their experiences. While

Three of the many programs offered that piqued my interest are the Vaccine Center, AHA-SURE, and the Summer Diabetes Research Program. I am currently a research assistant at the University of South Carolina’s C.H.A.R.M. Lab which is a research lab that focuses on how close others (family, friends, etc..) can influence the use of alcohol and other substances. While I gain invaluable information and experience through this lab, I believe that this summer program will provide me with knowledge on how wet labs operate, help identify a few similarities and differences between the two labs, and will also give me an introduction to various areas in the biomedical science research field. It will also add to my overall knowledge of the research field which will aid me in my path of an MD/PhD

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic health condition, and these past few years, the main concern switched from type 1 to type 2 diabetes due to the increase in type 2 diabetes cases in the past few years. My paternal grandfather, who was in a good health condition for most of his life, developed type 2 diabetes in his late 40s. Due to this, my father and I have done extensive research and learned that there is a strong link between family history and lineage. This pushed me to start improving my lifestyle choices by eating healthier, regularly working out, and trying to reach and maintain a healthy weight. I was able to and still am working towards accomplishing these goals through personal motivation and the support from my family and friends. However, there are individuals that do not have the opportunity to get educated on this health condition and/or have proper resources to make the needed changes to their lifestyle. The lack of health equity relating to diabetes is a big reason as to why I came to develop an interest in diabetes