Castaneda- Cardoza, Fabiola 1

Fabiola Castaneda- Cardoza

Ms.Jody Snyder, Ms Holl

Senior Capstone - Final Draft

May 13, 2022

This is Me.

Being an indecisive person who holds themselves to crazy high standards has been

something that always came back and slapped me in the face. To top it off, I'm a crazy

procrastinator. However, I can say I always get my work done. This scares me though. I know

college will be different from high school, and this routine I’ve picked up might not work for me

in college, so I will have to change some things. One thing about me is I can adapt to change. It

might take me a little while but I can adjust to many different environments.

I was born in Grand Rapids, MI, in the early 2000s. May 27th, 2004 to be exact.

Spectrum Health hospital is where my mother gave birth to me, and I came into this world.

What’s strange is that the hospital is my employer now. Both my parents were born in Escuintla,

Guatemala and I’ve had the opportunity to visit both their homes in Guatemala. I have three

siblings. My sister is 21, my half-brother is three, and my step-brother is eight. My parents

separated in 2011, and it was one of the most challenging moments in my childhood. I was too

young to understand, I was far too young and very baffled, but in those moments, I was glad to

have my sister by my side. Although we were both kids, she did as much as possible to try and

distract me from what was going on at home, but we couldn't avoid noticing my dad's clothes or

shoes not being there anymore. I am glad to say that the whole situation made my sister and I

become so much closer at the time and those are some of the memories I'll forever cherish. In

2019, my dad got married and had my little brother, Angel. I could not have asked for a better
 Castaneda- Cardoza, Fabiola 2

wife for him. I don’t think I could ever see her as my stepmom though. She’s an amazing mother

to both my youngest siblings and I'm forever grateful, but I think I'm just too old to see her as

that type of role model. I come from a massive family and I love it. My mom is the youngest out

of her 12 siblings. My dad, he's one of the middle children out of his 11 siblings.

I have lots of goals I want to accomplish in college. My overall goal is to become a NICU

(Newborn Intensive Care Unit) physician assistant, but I have a long road ahead. I plan to get

certified as either an NT (Nurse Technician) or EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) this

summer. I know I need lots of hands-on clinical hours for PA school, so I want to start getting

some as soon as possible. When I start school in the fall, I plan to major in public health and start

completing some of the prerequisites needed for PA school. Right now, I plan to attend the

University of Michigan and major in public health. Although U of M doesn’t necessarily have a

PA program, they do have lots of the prerequisites you need to apply to PA school. So when I

obtain my degree, I will need to complete an additional two years of PA school and I'll officially

be a physician assistant.

Many people don’t tend to understand the role of a physician assistant. We’re not nurses

but we aren’t doctors either. We’re right in between. What’s nice about us though is the

flexibility we have. As I said earlier, I’m such an indecisive person. My current plan as of now

though is to specialize in the NICU. According to Learn.org, “As a physician assistant in

neonatology, you'll care for infants under the direction of a physician. Your job duties will

include assessing patients, performing physical exams, ordering diagnostic tests, making

diagnoses, prescribing treatments, and following up with patients.” (Physician's Assistant

(Neonatology).
 Castaneda- Cardoza, Fabiola 3

We have the okay to do things a nurse would not be allowed to do but under the

supervision of a physician. However, we don’t necessarily need to go to our physician to ask if

it’s okay to prescribe medication to a patient. You are expected to have enough knowledge that a

physician would trust you enough to make your own medical decision. You tend to have lots of

the same roles as a physician for lower pay, but it’s way less school and debt. Also, it is way

better work/life balance. "Typically, the PA lifestyle – it's a little less stressful because there's a

little less responsibility involved, less schooling obviously," (Johnson as cited in U.S.News).

This is one of the main reasons I believe this career is a good fit for me. I want a big family and I

want to spend time with them so this career has lots of advantages in my case.

Overall, every career has a different journey. I know my journey will not be easy and I

have a long way to go, but I have the determination and that’s what makes me confident. I will

attend the University of Michigan and major in public health. After my bachelor's degree, I will

continue to apply to PA school and complete my 27 months of training. I am grateful for all the

experiences and lessons I've learned over the years here at Lee High School and beyond excited

to see what I achieve.

 Castaneda- Cardoza, Fabiola 4

Works Cited

“Physician's Assistant (Neonatology): Education and Career Profile.” Learn.org,

https://learn.org/articles/Physicians_Assistant_For_Neonatology_Job_Duties_Career_Out

look_and_Education_Prerequisites.html.

Smith-Barrow, Delece, and Ilana Kowarski. “How a Physician Assistant Career Compares to a

Job as a ...” US.News, 13 May 2019,

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/2014/08/25/weigh-bec

oming-a-physician-assistant-instead-of-a-medical-doctor.