Please share your reasons for wanting to study the language you have chosen.

As a high school student in 2016, I traveled to Ecuador on a mission trip with a group of
students from my school. While I have studied Spanish in some form or other since I was five
years old, this was the first experience in which I truly understood the depth of joy one could
experience from simply communicating successfully despite language and cultural barriers.

To me, speaking Spanish is the height of practicing my intellect and the most direct, immediate
application of education I have ever experienced. Furthermore, it is pleasurable to share in the
joy of successful communication with people of a culture different from my own. This aspect
has been consistent throughout my experiences with Hispanic people: their kind guidance and
sincere appreciation of my attempts to understand and speak their language. This was the
source of my motivation to continue my Spanish education at the collegiate academic level.
The passion I felt for the Spanish language and Hispanic culture only grew through my
experiences as an undergraduate student, which I have previously described.

As a pre-medical student studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Spanish, I have a
unique perspective on the fundamental link between medicine and Latino culture. In particular
—through my university courses, at the Good Samaritan Clinic, and in my epidemiology
research—I have identified a lack of Latino cultural competency education for future healthcare
providers. The United States population is composed of many diverse cultural groups, each
with distinct backgrounds which can and will influence their approach to clinical encounters
and medicine in general. In order to provide effective treatment to Hispanic patients and to
establish a trusting doctor-patient relationship, it is essential to have an understanding of
cultural health practices, key Latino cultural values, and the nature of paternalistic health
systems to which many Latino patients are accustomed.

During my time as an undergraduate student, I have sought to further my understanding of

Hispanic culture in each of the above aspects. I believe revolutionizing my skills with the
Spanish language is the next step to achieving my goal of becoming an effective, culturally
competent healthcare provider for the Latino population, which is projected to represent 30.2%
of the United States population by July of 2050.

After completing my Master's degree in Spain, I intend to apply to medical school. I will utilize
the education I gain from my Master’s degree to communicate directly with my future Latino
patients and provide culturally competent healthcare. Nilda Chong MD PhD MPH describes in
her book on The Latino Patient: A Cultural Guide for Health Care Providers that feeling
understood, culturally respected, and that a provider is invested personally in their wellbeing
increases the likelihood that a Latino patient will adhere to treatment plans, submit to
diagnostic tests and procedures, and therefore will improve the efficacy of a clinical encounter.
My ability to communicate with Latino patients in Spanish will contribute to demonstrating my
cultural respect and personal investment in their wellbeing.

While it is probably evident given the simple fact that you are currently reading my application, I
feel compelled to include that I am motivated simply because I love Spanish. The most
rewarding moments of my years as an undergraduate student have all been intertwined in
some way with the Spanish language, including the people with whom I otherwise would not
have been able to communicate and the world of music and literature which have been
unlocked for me by my Spanish proficiency.