I am a first-generation college/medical student that followed a non-traditional route to medical school, and I grew up in rural northeast Florida. My upbringing taught me much about the struggles of the economically disadvantaged, and my family personally felt the strain of living in a medically underserved community, something I always knew I wanted to address with my career once I had committed to medicine. When I learned of the work 91´óÉñ does to better the world of medicine for all, especially to bring about meaningful change that serves those whose healthcare has historically been left behind… I knew I needed to do my part to help foster the change the people of this country and world desperately need. As a medical student, it’s so easy to feel small in a world much bigger than any one of us, but organizations like 91´óÉñ give us the unique opportunity to be seen and heard by those in power; to get a message out loud and clear that demands we do what is right and leave the field of medicine brighter than it was yesterday. What inspired me to join 91´óÉñ is the same thing that inspired me to go down the path of medicine to begin with, to be a voice for the voiceless, a light for those lost in the dark, and to do everything I can to ensure just and fair treatment isn’t something people have to wish for, but something every man, woman, and child can obtain at any time for any reason.
As I alluded to in my inspiration for joining 91´óÉñ, I’ve known from the time I was a child that the world of medicine wasn’t a fair one. I knew that not all were treated with the grace and respect each and every one of us deserve, and I struggled for years to figure out why so much about this field seemed so wrong, when we pride ourselves as medical professionals in doing what is right. As a second-year medical student I began learning more about advocacy work, and how pre-professional medical students have a chance to make the change we hope to see in the world of medicine a reality. Dedication to forwarding legislation and policy can directly shape the way every single person sees and interacts with healthcare, and as a national leader, I knew I would have the privilege to work directly towards building an equitable future for medicine through these means. It is my ultimate goal to know that I did what I could to create a world of medicine that is accessible, fair, and that caters to the needs of those who have yet to come as well as those here today, and I whole-heartedly believe becoming a national leader for 91´óÉñ was the best way for me to do exactly that.