Cancer By Chance by Alexa

Cancer By Chance by Alexa - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

Serving in my community has influenced me and my life for the better. Through the National Charity League, I’ve had many service opportunities that have strengthened my passion for helping others. The most influential service opportunity that I’ve participated in is the Meals on Wheels Sunshine Bag delivery. As a volunteer, I deliver snacks every Monday to the elderly who live alone or cannot leave their house. This program is more than just delivering a snack, it provides an opportunity for new relationships to be formed. Every time I deliver the snacks I make sure to converse with the recipients for as long as possible. I’ve learned that these friendships are what they truly desire. I feel that I benefit from this service just as much as the recipients. Seeing their eyes light up as they invite me into their home to chat has shown me that I’m truly making a difference in their lives. My time volunteering has led me to decide that I want to use my career to make a difference. I have big goals for my future that I hope will make lives better all around the world.

According to the World Health Organization, about one in six deaths is caused by cancer; it is something that affects everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or any other identifying factor; it even enters the lives of people who live both healthy and unhealthy lives. I want to use my life to aid in the battle against this concern. My ultimate goal is to work in a lab to aid in the cure of cancer. In order to achieve these goals, I plan to attend a university and receive a bachelor's degree in biology. I will then continue my education in graduate school. Along the way, I hope to partake in undergraduate research. Conducting hands-on undergraduate research will introduce me to cutting-edge procedures and methodologies and allow me to work closely with leading professors in the field through real-world applications. Participating in this undergraduate research would take what I am learning in the classroom and put it into a global perspective.

This idea of cancer by chance is an international problem that I am very concerned about. It is not fair that anyone should have to go through cancer, or watch a loved one go through it. I feel that we need to focus more on the treatment of cancer rather than the prevention. While prevention is a necessary step in the process of stopping cancer, there are so many different things that can cause cancer that by the time a prevention method is found for one cause, another cause will make an appearance.

An important part of understanding the treatment of cancer is knowing about how resources can be used and spread throughout communities. I feel that understanding how individuals in a community receive aid and the resources they need plays hand in hand with the distribution of medicine. Exploring this topic would help make me more aware of specific communities' needs and how different communities require various resource management techniques. This would help me to one day make cancer resources available and affordable for everyone.

In order to achieve these goals, I plan to attend a university and receive a bachelor's degree in biology. I will then continue my education in graduate school. Along the way, I hope to partake in undergraduate research. Conducting hands-on undergraduate research will introduce me to cutting-edge procedures and methodologies and allow me to work closely with leading professors in the field through real-world applications. Participating in this undergraduate research would take what I am learning in the classroom and put it into a global perspective.

As someone with big goals, I am hoping to make the most out of my college education. There are many opportunities in college that will help me thrive as a college student and prepare me for graduate school and my career in medical research, and I hope to be able to make the most of these opportunities.