After surviving a life threatening illness in my early twenties, I was searching for confirmation that medicine was right for me. I looked for experiences to guide my decision, and found plenty to cement my decision in not just osteopathic medicine, but more specifically underserved medicine.
My path to medicine has been rather non-traditional. However, my arrival to the field comes with reason and purpose. It is my observation of the disparities that exist in underserved regions, my thirst for continued learning, and the puzzles that present themselves in these areas that keeps me interested. As I went through my undergraduate education, I discovered that my high school was an underperforming school, leaving me with a disadvantaged start. This made college all the more challenging. However, I believe this has made me better and do not wish for a different set of circumstances. Overcoming my college preparation has made me a stronger and a more empathetic person, always looking for the opportunity to help struggling peers. This is demonstrated by my current position as a tutor at a local high school I graduated from. The program focuses on math and science for children below the poverty line.…show more content… Transferring to the University of California Santa Barbara was the start of my interest in underserved medicine. Attending the college highlighted the social, educational, and medical disparities that exist in my community. Volunteering for organizations and hospitals that focus on underserved areas or are located in them has further illuminated the disparities. Different volunteer experiences at Santa Barbara and Oxnard have cemented my interest in underserved medicine as well as demonstrating to me my efficiency operating in