Personal Statement Essay: My Journey To Medicine

My journey towards medicine began when my family and I moved to the United States from Venezuela. At the age of ten, I did not recognize the opportunities made available to me. Instead, I was scared of having to live in a new culture and learn a new language. Now as I watch the news of Venezuela and learn of the political turmoil shattering the aspirations of many students, I appreciate having the opportunity to chase my dream of becoming a physician. Being inclined to study medicine was not something I envisioned at a younger age or during my undergraduate career. Initially, my goal coming out of high school was to pursue a career in chemical engineering to work in the oil and gas industry. This career path, at the time, seemed like a perfect …show more content…
From the accident, my mom suffered second-degree burns throughout her arms and chest. I remember seeing her raw, burnt skin for the first time and from that moment I took it upon myself to provide her with the best possible care. At times it was difficult having to wake up in the middle of the night to help my mom use the bathroom or having to readjust the dressings to reduce her discomfort, but seeing her lying in bed day after day in excruciating pain gave me the strength to keep going. Finally, after two months my mom’s skin healed scar free and seeing her joy gave me a great sense of fulfillment knowing that I had been able to help her through the healing process. This experience led me to the conclusion that I want to have this same impact on other people and sparked my interest in medicine. As a result, I enrolled in an introductory physiology course the following year to learn how the human body functions. From the very first session, the material presented energized me and I sought to learn more. Therefore, I chose to pursue biomedical engineering since it provided the perfect balance between technology and …show more content…
In disbelief, I drove to Austin immediately. When I walked inside his room, he recognized me and as I got closer, Julio kept calling out in anguish, “I cannot feel my legs!” Not sure what to respond, I repeatedly said, “Don’t worry! You will soon recover sensation,” as he calmed down and fell asleep. The following day, Julio’s sister, Sofia arrived and she asked me to be present to translate what the physicians were trying to communicate since she did not know English very well at the time. Explaining to Sofia her brother’s condition while keeping my emotions under control is by far the most difficult thing I have done to this point, especially when I had to translate the words, “It is very unlikely that Julio will ever walk again.” Those words struck me. At that moment, I understood first hand that medicine is not perfect and fails to provide a solution for patients like my friend Julio. This fueled a desire to use my engineering background to bring back a sense of normality into Julio’s