When
my parents were battling a bitter divorce, I sought refuge and escape in the “Harry
Potter” series written by J. K. Rowling. In these books, I extracted deep
virtues while being entertained by the superficial, fantastic details. Although
the cinematic imagery, mythical beasts, and magic were certainly a draw to the
series, what won me over was the lead character, Harry Potter, known in that
universe as “The Boy Who Lived.” The significance of this character is that
this underrepresented boy, who knew nothing about magic and did not
particularly excel in school, was able to learn the greatest lessons of life.
He
was underrepresented in the sense that his actual blood family mistreated him
and locked him in a closet under their stairs for most of his childhood. Because
his parents died protecting him, he was left to live in a challenging family
situation. It was at this point that I immediately connected with Harry.
Although my parents are still alive, I have gone through quite a few
challenging situations. Growing up, I was the intermediary between two warring
armies: my mom and my dad. I had to bridge the gap of communication in a bitter
divorce. My introduction to healthcare came at an early age, just a little after
my tenth birthday, when my dad had two hemorrhages and a heart attack. Between
his physical therapy sessions, I helped him relearn how to drive, navigate the
grocery aisles, and cook spaghetti. This brought me to personal realization of
what a huge responsibility healthcare is and how it can mean so much to a
patient. My inspiration for healthcare was born out of this unfortunate
situation because of the health professionals that were able to progress my dad
from IVs, heart monitors, and hospitals to a high functioning disabled patient
who is now able to drive by himself and visit me at college.
I
also put myself at risk in my sophomore year of college, when I traveled cross
country from Pennsylvania to Texas to help my mom move out of her abusive,
alcoholic boyfriend’s house. It was just in time. After we left, he was driven
to anger and depression, which caused him to take his own life. However, just
like Harry, I do not want people’s sympathy or attention from these
difficulties; only my closest friends know these details. Despite my father
being permanently disabled, I have continued to work at
least one job so that I am able to afford my pursuit of a higher education. I am
only sharing this because I want to make it clear that l have lived in an
overwhelming, disappointing, and hopeless environment, yet I never let it
hinder my passion for healthcare.
Harry
arrived at Hogwarts in awe of what little he knew about magic. He had very
little experience with what real magic was, since he was locked up in a closet
for most his life. I experienced the same awe coming to Southeastern
University. Although I had taken science classes in high school, only my honors
chemistry class was anything like a real college science course. My transcript bears
the evidence of my struggles of trying to balance work, social responsibilities,
and ever-increasingly difficult academics. In my tenure at Southeastern
University, I have lead (and am leading) a medical mission’s trip to Mexico, coordinating
health fairs with licensed practitioners to aide them in performing procedures
and increase public health awareness. I am the president of Student Christian
Medical and Dental Association, a member of the honor’s society Pre-Health
Service Organization, and the representing senator of all academic clubs at
Southeastern. In my free time, I often enjoy volunteering my time at clinics
for the underserved, while also working as a teacher’s assistant for the
science department. My hope is that you are not looking for just an academic,
but a well-rounded medical professional who has a heart for people and a
willingness to care and serve.
From
Harry, I learned many valuable life lessons. For example, love conquers all and
is the greatest force in the universe. Those who act as your enemy, often have
a sad or trying story behind them (i.e. Draco Malfoy and Voldemort). Whatever
hand a person is dealt in life, their attitude and choices in those difficult
situations determine their character (i.e. Severus Snape). In addition to the
lessons I have learned through Harry’s life, I have also come up with my own
life lesson through my experiences: Temperance is one of the greatest virtues.
In temperance, a person finds balance in all things, whether to refrain from an
alcoholic beverage before taking the car keys or valuing my body’s health as
much as I value learning about health.
I
really want to be granted the opportunity to be a part of a research internship
program. In my opinion, the best learning is not in the lectures of a
four-walled classroom, but in hands-on field studies and the laboratory.
Textbooks, although informative and aimed to incorporate real-life
applications, are nothing like real research. I have always excelled in lab
more than lecture, even to the point where I remember conditions for organic
synthesis reactions because of it. I look forward to volunteering at the clinic
and learning what no textbook ever teaches, like how to handle a patient who is
afraid of the dentist or how to translate the knowledge that I have learned in textbooks
to simple statements that an average person will understand. So far, all of my
personality tests have concluded that I have the “dynamic thinker” personality
that highlights my pleasure in figuring out solutions to complex problems, confidence,
independence, and radiating enthusiasm.
When I am accepted into a research program, I will gain the hands-on experience I so
desperately need and learn from well qualified leaders in the scientific
community at a state-of-the-art-facility that my university certainly does not
have. The program will gain a student who is eager to learn, who is not afraid of a
challenge, and thoroughly enjoys problem solving. In the future, I want to
increase public health awareness in the United States and provide free services
to the underserved in poor underdeveloped countries. I hope that I communicated
that I have made the most out of the opportunities I have been a part of thus
far, and with the addition of the incredible experience of the internship
program, I will become much closer to my dream of being a medical missionary
dentist. Give me the chance and I can be a Harry Potter, “a [girl] who lived,”
giving people smiles in a world that has so many reasons to frown.
