Sloshing through the mud to the feed trough, digging fence post holes in the beating sun, and breaking the ice on the pond in the dead of winter isn’t where you would expect one to develop an intrinsic motivation to pursue something great. Growing up on a 400 acres farm in rural Clark County, KY and spending every day after school, and all my weekends, summer, winter, and spring breaks for 8 years molded me to have discipline and maturity. My grandfather, brother, and I ran 200 steers every year and worked around the clock to make them into the most prized cattle at auction every year. I learned the value and reward of dedicated, hard work. Working on the farm has also taught me appreciation for God’s creation as I could see the circle of life …show more content…
In contrast to many of my friends, I supported myself 100% in this new city; tuition, housing, car payments, phone, and grocery bills were all paid for by the money made from cattle sales. The discipline, time, and money management skills translated well to help me excel in my new environment. I chose to pursue biomedical engineering with interest in growing artificial organs. My mother, who has lived in Florida since I was little, suffers from alcoholism and extremely high blood pressure. I envisioned a career in tissue engineering to help grow her a new liver, kidney, or heart, if needed. After my first semester in engineering, I realized that research was not the career path in which I could help her and improve the lives of many other people suffering from similar …show more content…
I was wonderfully amazed at the complexity and inner workings of the body. Diving into my physiology studies, I knew that a medical career was for me. I envisioned interacting with the patients like those who came to the pharmacy but in a more personal and in-depth manner. I was also intrigued how we would apply the physiology to real-world examples, applying insights and critical thinking of an engineer to solve problems that physicians face. To test my desire to pursue a career in medicine, I began to shadow a physician at an urgent care clinic twice a week. During this time, I followed him into exam rooms and stood in the corner and listened. I loved listening to the questions that the physician asked and how seeing how he interacted with the patients. While he thought the cases weren’t “very interesting”, they were all fascinating to me. I was captivated by his thought process. How did he choose and sequence the questions he asked? What tests/exams did he chose to preform and
A question I have been asked more often than not, “What would you rather be if not a doctor?” Well, my journey as a doctor has seen a share of crests and troughs, but I will not have it any other way. I am a book lover, and every good read is time saved; I have trekked mountains, and every step brought forth a sense of achievement; I have been recognized for my English debating skills many a time. Every cup held was precious, but none of it so fulfilling and rewarding as another human being trusting you with his breath. This texture of human relationships is unique to this profession, and is probably what makes it sublime to the eyes of a common man.
For as long as she could remember, Sara had was set on being a teacher. Following those childhood aspirations, she went into college to become a teacher. Unfortunately, Sara had to acknowledge the fact that a teacher’s salary may not support her and her big plans. Growing up just south of Detroit meant that Sara was able to see all of the struggles that would be difficult to overcome. A teacher just would not cut it. So, Sara buckled down and signed up for a nursing program. Sara has since completed the required education but plans on furthering her knowledge. Currently, the young nurse is pursuing certification in wound care. Some days, Sara thinks of going after the occupation of a nurse practitioner or CRNA. “I don’t think that I will,” Sara mentioned with a sigh, “Maybe after Clayton graduates. I just can’t afford to make school my top priority when I have him. I enjoy the work I do
On one of my parents’ first dates together, my father described cattle they drove past as “amazing creatures” telling my mother someday he would like to have land and livestock of his own. That wish to transition from the big city to the country led him to buy a house in the middle of nowhere Indiana, soon raising his own amazing livestock. Growing up, I often complained about the amount of work living on a farm entailed, from cleaning pens to taking care of my 4-H animals. But my dad never complained because such duties were his reward for starting an idea from scratch. Following his footsteps in pursuit of a dream of my own, I chose to attend a large university where I studied abroad to contrast and challenge my rural perspective. Through that transition, I began to respect the difficulties my father experienced following his goal. And while the responsibilities he undertakes are stressful and uncertain, I now
As physicians, we are foundations for our patients. We become sources of strength and emotional security for them, in trying times. We do more than fix others back to health (spotting signs of illness, giving diagnoses, drugs or treatment). We must understand the concerns of those we help and be there for our patients—through pain and sorrow. ================
Many years ago there was a small boy who was woken by a loud scream. Terrified, he ran from his room to find his mother unconscious on the floor. His little sister was screaming as he pulled his mom onto her back in desperation. In reality, he didn’t know what to do to save her and his helplessness was due to his lack of knowledge. She passed away that night. That boy was me. Our past defines us no matter how we protest; it can either pull you down into failure or lift you up towards success. From then on, I was drawn to medical sciences and used that helplessness to motivate my education.
In order to determine whether or not clinical medicine was the right career for me, I started shadowing Dr. Richard Turner in the ER. Through my experiences with him, I learned that medicine is a problem solving process. As I watched, he would take a patient's history and try to piece together the correct diagnosis by deciding which scenarios were more likely than others. I was attracted by the dynamic nature of each patient's diagnosis and the necessity for an open mind. My hobby of flying has taught me to look at everything in life with a new perspective and to assess the situation from as many angles as possible. Watching Dr. Turner has confirmed my perception of a medical career and the nature of the work involved. Since I love puzzles and problems, the problem solving aspect also increased my desire to become a physician.
Unlike most people, I was not inspired to pursue a major in business by a family member or celebrity; my interest derives from an aptitude test I filled out impulsively during my sophomore year of high school. Despite this, I am passionate about my goals, and I would love the opportunity to enroll in the Howard University School of Business. My initial plan, formed in early elementary school, was to become a world-renowned doctor, offering aid across the globe and having the opportunity to meet people of a multitude of demographics. Upon reaching high school, I realized that I am incredibly squeamish and the idea of having to touch dozens of people per day is repulsive me. This discovery left me without a plan for my future.
As a current biomedical engineer student, my interests are drawn towards tissue engineering, as well as orthopedics and oncology. There is a certain degree of emotional attachment to these areas. I was born with one kidney and needed immediate surgery to remove kidney stones last year. I had two bars and twenty-one screws placed in my spine to correct scoliosis at a young age. Finally, my grandmother had colon cancer, which spread like wildfire and killed her within six months.
I want to pursue my studies at a higher level and integrate the Master in Biomedical Engineering. That is why I would like to apply to the University of Bern. I began my professional career by choosing a mechanical apprenticeship. However, after the apprenticeship, I did a technical course of sanitation and environment, profession on which I did my first internship. Throughout this experience, I discovered an enormous curiosity about electronics and a while after studying at home, I was sure that I should study electronics at university.
At fifteen, I began attending the University of Michigan’s Women In Science and Engineering (WISE) presentations on Saturdays, to learn more about opportunities for women in STEM fields. The speakers’ passion for their fields was evident and it made me want to be like them. I loved how they could take something as complex as filtering blood with nanotubes and explain it to middle schoolers and high schoolers. My interest in biomedical engineering was piqued while spending seven intense days at a college’s engineering camp this summer.
My current interests include an intense passion for biomedical engineering. After attending an introductory program at Columbia University a few years ago, I was immediately enthralled with the realization that biomedical engineering could afford unparalleled improvements to the quality of health for today’s society. This past summer, I performed research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical School in viral gene therapy that included viral design and genetic transformations. These experiences further confirmed my initial interest in bioengineering; furthermore, this field requires someone to be simultaneously a well-versed scientist, researcher, and engineer, for which I know I have the potential. From tissue engineering, to computational biology and imaging to instrumentation, I believe Hopkins will challenge me as well as provide me the opportunity to thrive in this field.
My inspiration to study biomedical sciences as bachelor degree came from my responsibilities that I placed on my shoulders toward my father, who was diabetic for more than 20 years. I still recall when my father used to call me and tell me "Elham bring me the sugar medicine and oh don't forget to break half of it, I like to take half only". Although the doctor prescribes the right regimens, he insisted on taking the medication on his way. He was always defensive toward his health when it comes to his medication. After a while he started having problems with his teeth, which kept falling on after the other.
I have always been good at biology and mathematics. This is one reason why one of my many goals is to major in biomedical engineering. I am very excited to start studying biomedical sciences, and hope to use my newly learned skills in the medical field. Achieving a college education in such field will pave the road for my future career, by teaching and instilling knowledge that would not have been learned otherwise.
In the winter of 2009, I was introduced to engineering for the first time. Two female chemical engineering students from MIT came to speak to us girls about what chemical engineering is and why women should pursue the STEM field. At that time, I was already interested in becoming a chemist when I grew up, so the shift between chemistry and chemical engineering wasn’t much of a change when I changed my career plans that day. I planned on designing new types of nail polish, having a high salary, and eventually becoming a chemical engineering professor. However, since then, my aspirations as a chemical engineer have changed. In the spring of 2012, my great-grandmother passed away from Alzheimer’s disease. Her death was the first death that truly
I idealistically considered what I could do that would have the greatest impact on medicine. I decided that getting a Ph.D in microbiology and developing treatments and medicine seemed like the best option to fulfill that goal. I started to do microbiology research and realized that it was going to be a frustrating, but also revealing and valuable experience in my life. I was frustrated because I spent a large amount of time on a project, but when the dust settled I was left with more questions than answers. I was disheartened, and while I realize that research is important to the medical community, I felt that I needed a more human aspect to the work I was doing. I decided to set up a job shadow of a DO from my hometown, Dr. Wilson. She treated her patients like human beings rather than cases and went the extra mile to make them as comfortable as possible. I knew that that patient contact was the human aspect I was seeking in my search for the right medical field. I decided then that I wanted to be a DO and emulate that same regard for the patient as a person rather than a case that I had observed from Dr.