Luanda Billups Having a strong passion to improve health care in rural communities through research in infectious diseases, viral infections, and immunology is a vital career goal for me today. Growing up in Chicago, Illinois as a child, I was hospitalized on several occasions with severe asthma. Not being able to breathe was a terrifying experience for me. Several times, I wanted to give up due to my family financial issues. The care that I received while being hospitalized, was like no other. It made me cry to see how much some of the physicians cared for not only me but my family as well. The medical professionals made me realize that their profession was what I wanted to become a part of someday. Seeing the true meaning of being an …show more content…
As a laboratory prep, I was able to set up labs for freshmen and sophomore biology classes. Also, I made visits to my professor’s labs to observe the procedures graduate students used for their experiments and I loved it. After completion of my freshman year, I participated in the “Maternal Child Health Pipeline Training Program” that following summer. I conducted field research that focused on the public health of mothers and children in rural communities. The fall semester of sophomore year, I shadowed graduate students studying breast cancer cells. Later that same year, I began my own research with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Upon my junior year, I was accepted into the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medical Program in Auburn, Alabama. At the same time, I was accepted into the Tropical and Infectious Diseases Association in Iquitos, Peru. I was able to study abroad and work in a lab focusing on the negative gram bacteria that was in the water of the poor community of Iquitos, Peru. All of the opportunities I was able to be a part of from my freshman year till this present day has reconfirmed my passion and contributed to my specific area of research and the population I want to
I aspire to exceed expectations in this field and work with doctors to access possible conditions. As a student who has always been passionate about science and excelled in these areas, I have had the opportunity to share my knowledge while assisting a physics instructor in the laboratory with experiments he plans to introduce in future classes and while tutoring struggling students in Chemistry, A&P, and Statistics. This has been a rewarding experience for me as I desire to see others succeed. This has also allowed me to stay sharp in these areas and has helped me learn to communicate more effectively; both of which will be beneficial to my program. This year, I’ve had the honor of instructing a science club at a private school where I led a group of students through hands-on learning projects and experimentations. Although I demonstrate a strong background in Science, I knew it would be important to gain some medical experience. I was fortunate to be able to volunteer at a local women’s health clinic with the head sonographer beginning August 2017 and continuing for 1 year until classes begin in the
I will contribute to the mission of the Nurse Corps Scholarship program by continuing to provide care to individuals in underserved communities. Medically underserved communities involve racial minorities, offenders and ex-offenders, crime or abuse victims, LGBTQ citizens, people with AIDS, and those that are economically disadvantaged. I was born in the small town of Monroeville, AL. It is a great town but it does not have the best resources when it comes to health care. Most members of this town, including my family, would bypass the hospital there and go to the one in the next town simply because they feel
When going to work in a rural area there are many things that need to be considered. One job that a starting social worker may take would be in the area of activism in the community. Community activists are present in many organizations and even work in many rural environments. One good example of a rural area that has community activists is Jay County. In order to transition to a new job in a rural setting it is important to look at all areas of life. Some of the areas that should be looked at are the setting, job and community, geographic and physical environment, the challenges and rewards that are involved in rural setting and steps to prepare so that the transition can be accomplished more smoothly.
Furthermore, as I wanted to advance in my career, my family and I came to the United States for a better future. Though I had several obstacles such as language barriers and financial problems, I got accepted to Florida International University with the FIU Academic Achievement scholarship and joined Alpha Epsilon Iota Academic Honor Society, where I gained experience that strengthened my desire to study medicine. Feeling so grateful for the opportunity given to me, I begun to volunteer at Miami Children’s Hospital in the Pediatric Oncology Unit. Working w...
My small and humble town did not afford me the opportunities to investigate the many questions I had. It was when I had received acceptance into UCLA, I knew I held a golden key. I saw my first laboratory here at UCLA and it was not long before I applied for the Biomedical Research Minor in an effort to dive headfirst and start working in one. Last year, I worked under Professor Utpal Banerjee in the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology studying and elucidating a novel immunity independent inflammatory...
I had known for years that I wanted to work in the health care field, but I always believed it would be as a doctor. I watched for the first few years of my brother’s life as he struggled with different health challenges such as being born premature, having croup and breathing difficulty, and speech impairment. Watching my brother struggle and then being able to overcome these difficulties, as well as seeing other children around him who were not as fortunate, really pushed me even at a young age to make a difference. My family, both immediate and extended, were very supportive, and I felt a real positive push towards working hard to achieve that goal of working in health care. In high school, I was fortunate enough to do a cooperative placement at the Peterborough Regional Health Center’s Intensive Care Unit. Through observing rounds and being in the medical setting, I truly knew this is where I wanted to
I knew I wanted to pursue science, but I wanted to help people as well. I wanted to help people who couldn’t help themselves. I wanted to help those less who didn’t have my luck in the world. During my senior year in high school I helped at the Vannie Cook Hematology Center, seeing those kids made me realize that I could help them. I was aware that I could grow up to change their life. There I realized- I knew I wanted to make a difference for those people, and people who suffer similar faiths. My junior year I changed my cluster to Health Sciences. I never changed it again. In fact, on the next 10 years, I hope to attend Medical
... tutoring, advising, and volunteer opportunities, I have developed a strong sense of leadership, confidence, and responsibility. A career in medicine will not only strengthen such attributes, but provide me with an ongoing opportunity to learn, not just from books, but also from patients; and to educate and serve those individuals as well. Though my journey began under dismal circumstances, I believe those experiences will specifically enable me to better understand quality of life issues in the under-served populations of my geographic region.
In addition to fulfilling my prerequisites for the nursing program I have been part of the healthcare field as a certified medical assistant for over four years in preparation for my career in nursing. More recently I have been given the opportunity to start working closely with the Clinical Director of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Stanford. Working with these patients is a whole new and exciting world to me. I truly enjoy being part of their health care team because it allows me to be able to enhance the lives of many who are in great
My passion and admiration for the healthcare field began during my teenage years, when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis—a chronic, autoimmune disease affecting various joints throughout my body. As I went through years of treatment, my physician and other medical professionals were instrumental in helping me to maintain a positive attitude after my diagnosis. Their care was the impetus for my future goals, as I saw the genuine goodness that they felt from helping others. As a result of all the medical help and emotional support that I received from these medical providers throughout my youth, I have chosen to pursue a career in the service of others through the public health field.
My passion for a career in Clinical laboratory science stems from a key experience with a li-censed Clinical laboratory scientist. On one day in the church , I was in dire need of help finding a job that can help me study medical in the future. For the first time I encountered professional-ism, knowledge, and humanity all at once. And this wasn’t a one-off experience. Each time I re-turned to the church, the exact same thing occurred: The Clinical laboratory scientist never seized to take the opportunity to encourage and help me knows better about the great work of Clinical laboratory scientists. From that moment, I decided to do my master in that field.
Listening often allows me to help others sort through their problems. Combining this trait with my love for working with children, I began mentoring children who had HIV/AIDs on a weekly basis beginning my freshman year. Whether I helped them with their homework or just listened to see how their day went, I tried my best to connect with my pupils. Thus, as a student in SPRINGH, I would be very happy to conduct HIV/AIDS research or anything related to pediatrics since I already interact with many of them on a long term basis. It would be interesting to be able to gain a social and an academic perspective so that I can have a more holistic view. Experiences such as these will shape the kind of educational and personal experiences I want out of the two and a half years I have left. I am certain that the Summer Program for Research in Global Health program is the next step in my journey here at Washington University in St.
From a young age, I was drawn to the healthcare field, not because the amount of money doctors, nurses and other health professionals made, but because of the dedication and contentment I saw on their faces helping someone in need. Growing up everyone wanted to become a doctor or a nurse and as a little child being a doctor or a nurse was a profession many parents wanted their child to pursue as a career. Needless to say, I fell into that category because I had high hopes that one day I will become a nurse. However, that dream came to a halt.
I was visiting my brother in Massachusetts when I got sick on the airplane. I went to the emergency room and I was immediately admitted into the hospital. The doctor recognized my symptoms and immediately took action to medically treat my condition. I enjoyed my week stay in the hospital because the nurses and I became so close and the nurses were there for me when I needed them. The nurses kept me inform, comfort me by making me feel everything was going to be alright. The nurses that took care of me genuinely cared and guided me each step to recovery. This life changing experience gave me inspiration to continue my dream of becoming a
The field experience was very effective in progressing myself professionally. My next steps will be to further my research training. I plan to enter a Ph.D. program in a biomedical science as my next academic step. I will likely begin study at John A. Burns School of Medicine in cell and molecular biology in August 2016.