When I was a little girl, I arrived at my elementary school career day outfitted as a

Veterinarian. I dreamed about caring for animals, solving challenging cases, and helping them
feel their best once again. After a watersports accident, I came to the realization that I couldn’t
be a veterinarian who only worked with puppies. I became focused on working with people
who had experienced accidents like my own. Specifically, I was interested in Radiology.
However, after talking to many radiologists imagining myself working in this specialty, I could
no longer see myself sitting in a dark room, often by myself, looking at patient scans day in and
day out with little, if any, interaction with patients. After this realization, I took a step back to
gain some clarity and take a deeper look at my hobbies and joys to see if I could turn this into a
job. For the last fifteen summers, I have attended and worked at YMCA Camp Seafarer for girls,
and credit this place with helping me become the person I am today. It was here that I learned I
don’t want to just care for people, I want to care for kids.

Attending the MedEx Academy would be an honor that would give me one of the most
important aspects of the pre-medical process, experience. As I have learned, experience helps
me identify what I need to work on, what I have already mastered, and will help me make
better decisions about a healthcare career. Through this opportunity, I hope to learn new and
unique test-taking strategies to help me be successful on the MCAT. Also, I hope to gain a
better understanding of the expectations of professional schools as I approach the transition
from undergraduate to graduate studies. Lastly, I hope to gain a broader view of the different
opportunities within a healthcare career. Until this point, I have focused my clinical experience
on pediatrics and obstetrics; however, I am eager to explore other fields of study to see if they
would be of interest to me.

If accepted into the MedEx Academy, I would be able to demonstrate my driven and
hard-working personality in everything we do. As a student pursuing a career in healthcare, I
find myself consistently stretching to go above and beyond both inside and outside of the
classroom. Whether it be seeking extra help from a professor or reaching out to members of
my community for volunteer opportunities. This drive has given me an intense desire to learn
whether it be working in the hospital, or at camp problem-solving with co-counselors. YMCA
Camp Seafarer has allowed me to work with women, as well as men from our brother camp,
who come from all walks of life. This will allow me to be an active member within any group or
conversation while attending the MedEx Academy. In addition, my camp experiences have
tasked me with having to be a leader among my peers, and challenged me to step back and
support my peers in their endeavors, a skill which will serve me well at the MedEx Academy.
Lastly, YMCA Camp Seafarer is a rank-driven camp, so I often find myself having to both teach
and learn from members of my camp community. My ability to both receive and give
constructive criticism will make for a smooth transition into MedEx Academy. Altogether, my
driven personality, my ability to work well with others, and how I handle constructive criticism
make me a great candidate for the MedEx Academy.