I started my first year of college with my life prearranged. I had a ridiculous notion that everything was going to be a piece of cake. I was going to join different clubs, do lots of research, make the dean’s list, make my parents proud and attend as many parties as I could. However, now when I look back, I realized that I was too comfortable in my life. I thought I was ready to overcome every obstacle that was thrust upon me but | was sadly mistaken. College was a culture shock. I concluded that college is an entirely different universe, then high school.
My GPA dropped for the first time in my life from a 3. 7 in high school to a 2. 8. The decline in my GPA made me realize that my journey to becoming a doctor is not always going to be easy. It made me hunger to go to medical school even more, to overcome the academic and emotional hurdles, and has made every little accomplishment even sweeter. In elementary school, I desired to become a teacher and a pastor, in sixth grade I needed to become a painter like Picasso, but when seventh grade came along all that changed. I watched CSI Miami for the first time in middle school and I fell in love.
I knew that I wanted to assist people in any way that I could and to ease their suffering. I was infatuated with Alexx Woods’s character as a medical examiner and my 12th year old brain wanted to become this character, I wanted to save lives and to become as cool and compassionate as Alexx Woods. I truly had no idea what she did, and the steps that she took to become a doctor, but I knew that I wanted to save those corpses, I wanted to be their ears and eyes and I wanted to use her skills to catch criminals and to avenge those that were no longer in this world.
I wanted to bring closure to the bereaved families. I knew in my heart that I wanted to become her, sympathized with her as she sympathized with those corpses, I wanted to do what she did, I wanted to help find and catch the monsters that were brave enough to kill a human being. My mind was made up and I could not wait to tell my friends and teachers what I decided to do for the rest of my life. I remember going to my dad and asking him, what a person is called if they work with dead bodies and found out what killed them.
The expression on his face was that of contemplation tion, he did not discourage me, but gave me an answer and told me to research everything I can about what I wanted, how many years will I be in school and what would be required. I did my research and decided that I wanted to become a Forensic Pathologist and so I did all the necessary steps. Like a stalker, I researched Forensic Pathologists online, I found a Pathologist online, and told him about my desire to become a Forensic Pathologist and asked him for guidance in my journey.
He sent me a pdf file of a list of things I needed to know about the different kinds of pathology, the level of education and the importance of a Pathologist. His document also mentioned that most Pathologist are older Caucasian men because of the many years it takes, most women decides to do something else. This statement motivated me more and I made up my mind that medicine was not a choice but a must. I not only wanted to help the dead victims, to be their ears, eyes and mouth and to save lives, but I wanted to encourage other females to never give up on their dreams.
I decided to attend a high school that focused on the sciences; I applied to my district high school’s biomedical program and was accepted into the program. My years of high school were composed of science topics and classes that was out of my comfort zone. Imagine coming from a middle school that focus solely on environmental science and being placed into chemistry, physics, biotechnology, and microbiology and AP biology. There were many times in high school that I questioned my decision as to whether I wanted to do medicine.
Nonetheless, I also ask, if I could see myself doing anything other than medicine and still be happy? The answer is always no. Once I realized that medicine is my passion my journey has become a little easier and I have gotten a hang of what I am going to be experiencing in the next years. At my high school, I had the opportunity volunteer at hospitals of my choice. I have learned throughout my 19 years on earth that medicine is never set in stone; it is always changing and evolving.
Medicine gives people hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I want to be a part of that light. I know that it is going to be a hard and difficult road but, I will overcome those obstacles like others before me did. Nobody said it was going to be easy anyway. I am going to be a doctor that helps others in life, even if I could just help one family and bring some closure my journey would not be in vain. In this life, I have learned that sometimes it is better to have a taste of defeat than to have never experienced those feelings of incompetence.
Acknowledging defeat and doing everything I can to overcome is one of the most important lesson I have learned. I managed to obtain a 3. 4 GPA for this semester bringing my cumulative up to a 3. 0. I am proud of my achievements. Even though it took me being defeated multiple times to understand that medicine is no joke for me. Having the ability and knowledge to cure diseases, treat illnesses, and to make people happy is what I truly want in life.
