I personally aspire to become an orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital of Special Surgery in New York City. My mom mentions to me that other people think that she has forced me to become that, because of the classic Asian stereotype. However, that is false. I am emotionally and physically invested, for I believe it is my purpose, more so, to assist others while doing something I love.
In the month of February, year 2016, my life shifted. With a vast history of cardiovascular issues, in addition to a plethora of other health problems, my grandfather passed away. This might sound cliche, with a relative’s death being a source of inspiration for a future endeavor, but this truly hit me at the heart and my desires. My grandfather was my best friend, my “person” in time of need. We related to each other, and for the most part, it was a bond that couldn’t be broken. I couldn’t accept the fact that I felt like this, and a myriad of other people losing their loved ones to the number one cause of death in America. I was going to help people, and overcome this despair that people have because of bodily issues. It is not because it is what my grandfather would have wanted me to do, but because I know it is something that I could gratefully put my best effort at.
Fast forward a few years later, I was met with a life changing experience. The patient was anesthetized. The physician, with keen sight and precise movement, operated on the patient’s head with ease, creating an incision with masterful beauty, like a painter with his strokes. Cell cultures and microscopes teemed the desk. I was a shadow that day, but that experience dictated my dreams to become a physician. That is where I belong.
With tremendous amounts of research done, I have come to the conclusion that the field of medicine requires experience. Although much of it has to do with knowledge of a certain type of material, hands on experience will be more of a factor in being the best in medicine and more importantly, saving lives. This is what I feel the Health Sciences Pre-College Exposure Academy will do for me. With various types of subjects potentially being exposed to me, I could have the most experience about my definitive future endeavors at an early age.
Being a part of this program would allow me to be closer to something I enjoy learning more about and doing, while in turn, could yield great chances of achieving the role I want to be. Other than shadowing physicians, this opportunity will exponentially build up my passion and ignite a feeling that I have never felt before for science.
