Long Road to Success
As a child, I did not have a favorite subject or anything that interested me. I would each evening ask my mother how she gets money, but she insisted on me concentrating on my homework. During my early primary education I believed that I would either become a police officer or a soldier to protect my family from any harm. However, my biggest worry was deciding the best one since I was determined to serve my community. I have for years known in my heart that life is about doing what you love and giving your best in everything regardless of the uncertainties and the risks encountered. As the only child in the family, my parents were dedicated to providing me with the best life one could ever provide to their sibling with lots of love and dedication. Like other individuals in a third world country, we endured different challenges that redefined how we lived and our association with both friends and family members.
I was born in Eritrea, a country that was full of rich resources and appreciated culture. As a child, I developed interest in community service and would accompany my mother every weekend to the local children’s home and also helped different church community programs. At the age of 6, my mother succumbed to malaria. Later, with the increase of the effect of the war, we moved to a refugee camp located near the Ethiopian border. Life there was not smooth as before as we experienced different challenges including lack of necessities such as food and water.
Losing my mother to malaria and the various health challenges affecting refugees as well as other less fortunate members of the society inspired me to become a doctor. In Eritrea, many doctors will not attend to patients unless consultation fee is paid. Since most of the individuals in that country could not afford paying the fees, a significant number opted to use traditional medicines that are not effective. I was moved by some of the physicians in the camp who walked around to attend to ill individuals ensured that everyone maintained the clean environment that helps in reducing any chances of infection. I hoped to change such situations, but with the state of my family and the financial problems we encountered, it was hard to set proper goals.
Although some of my friends described my ambition to become a doctor as a stereotypical child’s dream, I see it as something that will not only help in shaping my life and those of my family members but also entire community. From the different experiences encountered both in my mother country and in the camp, I have realized that service the community will help me impact both directly and indirectly on the next generation. Moreover, this intuitive notion solidified with the increase in global health concerns such as the increase in the rate of HIV/AIDS, cancer and research programs that aim at finding the cure to these diseases. Understandably, this will help me contribute to solving global challenges and making the world a better place to live. Achieving my dreams requires the understanding of the general requirements of my career including getting the best education from a good school and working hard to get excellent grades.
In august 2014, my father and I moved to the United States, and I promised myself to achieve the best and ensure I pursue my career as a doctor. Although we had difficult times settling down and getting good school, I am now convinced that nothing is impossible having joined GVSU. To ensure I achieve my dreams, I have set numerous goals that I become a doctor regardless of the challenges. Some of the objectives include having a GPA greater than 3.9, to have an average of 500 hours of internship and community service related to the medical field, to receive a degree in biomedical science, and to achieve high MCAT score. Basically, the four goals will act as a roadmap in reaching greater heights. I believe that the first step in achieving these objectives is joining the grand valley state university which is one of the best performing institutions around the globe.
I have also engaged in different community service programs that are aimed at ensuring the wellbeing of the less fortunate in the society including refugees and the poor. Engaging in such initiatives has proved to be the right choice for me in various ways as it has shown me that as long as I continue believing in my abilities, I will always land in my feet as well as changing the life of another individual. Community service inspires me in different ways, and I am grateful to take the risk. Additionally, it inspires me to be a role model to the next generation. Although I have been volunteering in different community services, my experience at the Bethany Christian Services has enabled my days to have more meaning. At first, my duties were not defined due to the high level of services they offer.
Occasionally, I would interact with people from different age groups and to help them in learning Basic English words. The main reason I joined the foundation is that I am related to program which seeks to help refugees in settling in the United States and coping up with the new way of life. Additionally, I engaged in different activities including collection of various types of donation including shoes, clothes, and food and subsequently distributing them to the new refugees. Although the work physically and emotionally draining and often a person may not get credit for their performance, I have experienced the tremendous first-hand impact that it has on the lives of various individuals who have a hard time settling in the US. Essentially, by spending more time with refugees, I understand the different dynamics regarding culture and interest that will help me develop my social skills and to relate to patients.
Getting a scholarship at GVSU will not only change various aspect of my life but will also help me live my dream of helping to be part of the solution to different global health problems. Currently, my family is undergoing numerous challenges that make it difficult for me to concentrate on my studies. My father moved to another state to look for a better paying job and this has affected my financial sustainability and emotional concentration. At the end of the year, I won’t have necessities such as shelter and food. Understandably, the Grand Valley State University has over the years provided quality education to different people and is also listed as one of the best institutions in the United States. The institution will be able to provide me with the best skills to start my career in medicine. Notably, it has been my dream to be part of an institution that provides equal opportunities for all regardless of their diversity and spearheads for change across the globe.
Throughout my travels and the various experiences, I have observed the effects of not having effective and quality health care. While many people may take good health for granted, the inability to access proper care has emotional and financial torture experienced on those unable to access it (York, Charles, and Susan 17). During my experience at the Bethany Christian Services, I gained profound insights in creating and healing relationships between people of different ages. On delivering of the various donations, the faces of the refugees that appeared to be withdrawn and somber begin to glow. At first, I thought that the response was due to the services I offered, but I later learned that most of them preferred the company I was providing.
Our continuous interaction acted as a powerful medicine that not only helped in transforming their lives but also giving them hope of a brighter tomorrow. Getting a scholarship in GVSU will enable me to study for my dream career as a doctor and to serve the community in different ways. It will enable me to have adequate exposure in both medical and research fields of medicine which are essential in solving global issues as well as preventing the spread of dangerous viruses such as HIV/ AIDS. Additionally, it will enable me to fulfil the promises I made to my family that I will be a living example of success despite the numerous challenges endured over the years.
Work cited
York, Travis T., Charles Gibson, and Susan Rankin. “Defining and Measuring Academic Success.” Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation 20 (2015).