I am an admirer of peace-advocating personalities (it is not just Gandhi I am referring to), and I strongly believe in the varying definitions of peace. Peace in the most popular definition is simply the absence of war or military conflicts. However, I think that one more subtle manifestation of peace is if a great majority in the world is able to benefit from medical attention. Thus, I have come to the conclusion that pursuing a course in medicine would be my own contribution to this kind of “peace”.
I was raised in a middle class family at Connecticut, and I cannot say I was spared from seeing the socio-economic difficulties. It is a good thing that my parents were educated, but it is a better thing that they instilled in me the need to excel in my studies and to be openminded in many things.
For quite a long time, I did some travelling to a couple of Third World countries. I was exposed to poverty in all of its myriad forms. In these travels, I came to realize how fortunate and blessed I have been. A question then burned into my consciousness and has stayed there ever since: “If I have these extra advantages, why shouldn’t I help the less-fortunate? What harm could it do to me?”
At the age of 15, I did a set of volunteer jobs. First of them was a clerical position at a local nursing center. I will no longer mention all of them, but I also worked at a community clinic offering dermatological treatments.
For the past seven months, I’ve been interning at the ___________________ College of Medicine. I helped conduct research in pediatrics. These particular studies included some cutting-edge developments in this field, and gave the helpful opportunities to work under the tutelage of some of the movers and shakers in this particular sphere of medicine. Under the tutelage of these respected doctors, I learned one crucial lesson: that political/financial backing for projects could not be earned just from expertise per se. Intrigued by foreign cultures, I grabbed every opportunity to further understand health care mindsets and standards from other parts of the world. Indeed, to be able to do a certain (foreign) medical contribution, I have to be cognizant of the varying solutions/demands of other countries.
The sports awards (chess in the main) and my test scores speak volumes yes, but I refuse to see them as the representation of my entire being. Still, I take pride on the fact that I’ve been able to put into action the virtues of hard work, commitment and perserverance, among others. I firmly believe that if I maintain these attributes, my aspirations will get actualized in the distant future- and I could solidify my “Peace Offering” to the world.
Thank you very much for your time and Godspeed.
Photo Credit : jon_a_ross
