I am so blessed to be pursuing my dream of studying medicine at Penn State Hershey College of Medicine. My interest in global health stems from the humbling realization that things I took for granted growing up (clean water, sufficient food, and copious access to health care and educational opportunities) are simply not available for a large segment of the population.

My first real exposure to global health efforts occured in college when I had the opportunity to volunteer for 10 weeks in Mexico City, Mexico, learning how the strained public health system attempts to tackle large problems like domestic abuse, pollution, and obesity.

After graduating from college with a degree in Biology and Global Health, I was honored to teach Biology in inner-city Baltimore as a member of Teach for America. It was an uphill battle to motivate my students to care about their education in the midst of the competing influences of drugs, gangs, violence, and a frequent lack of food, housing, and parental support. However, I aimed to create a warm, welcoming environment where education was a priority. As I guided my rowdy students through dissecting a frog or creating a large-scale model of mitosis with beads, string, and candy, I like to think I made a difference by making important scientific knowledge accessible and fun to learn.

This past summer, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Peru, where I worked with a team of Penn State Scholars and local health care workers to craft a collaborative research project to gain more information about the bacterial and parasitic pathogens plaguing infants and children in the impoverished region of Belen.

I have learned so much from these educational opportunities I feel inadequate trying to describe how they have made me a better doctor and a better human being. There is something very special about helping another person in need. It is a gift that keeps on giving and something I am excited to be able to practice for the rest of my medical career. These trips would not have been possible without the generous support of my family, friends, and community, and for that I thank you greatly.