Resiliency and Service by Ian

Resiliency and Service by Ian - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

Resiliency has proven essential in many areas of my life. I am a military dependent. What does that mean? It means growing up with a sense of duty to serve others. The experience of being a “military kid” has shaped who I am. Both of my parents had long careers in the Navy, including deployments to the Middle East. Their careers were the source of both tremendous pride and unique challenges. My father finished his military career just prior to the pandemic, and his frequent deployments meant that I often had more responsibilities at home. Oftentimes, one parent would be gone for weeks or even months. This experience taught me the importance of coming together as a family for the greater good, and revealed the necessity and reward of making sacrifices for others in order to serve the needs of society as a whole. The military culture has also fostered a strong sense of responsibility to my community. I seek ways to be useful to both individuals and the larger community whenever there is a need. The duty to serve also resulted in my drive to seek opportunities to serve others while we stayed home during the pandemic. For communities to thrive, we must have a sense of duty and be mindful of and responsive to the needs of others. I am thankful for these values, instilled in me as a military dependent and instrumental to the man I hope to be, and the world I hope to influence, long into the future.

The past two years demanded resiliency from everyone, but my experience was uncommon. Both of my parents are also front line healthcare workers. I watched them risk their lives for our community, often not seeing them for days when they quarantined after caring for ill patients. The precautions we had to take as a family to protect our home and elderly grandparents were extensive. I was constantly worried, but I knew I had to persevere by focusing on my remote learning and helping my family despite my own feelings of isolation and uncertainty. I also wanted to do more. Since fall 2020, I have been a volunteer study participant for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine trial. When I enrolled I hoped to help prevent the spread of COVID so our world could get back to normal, but I experienced so much more than expected. My participation included numerous blood draws, examinations, and maintenance of a weekly symptom log, but it also opened my eyes to the painstaking efforts involved in managing a clinical trial. I learned firsthand the importance of ensuring a racially and socioeconomically diverse subject population (something historically ignored in other large studies) as I watched the impact of COVID on disadvantaged populations already experiencing health inequities.

Because it was a double-blind study, I didn’t initially know whether I had received the vaccine or placebo, so I remained vigilant in my interactions with others until vaccinated. I eventually learned that I had received the placebo; this meant that I had to wait longer than others my age to receive the vaccine given my commitment to the study protocol. Based on the experience and knowledge I gained as a study participant, I was able to speak with friends and peers about the safety of the vaccine. It meant a lot to me to convince others to get vaccinated sooner than they’d otherwise planned. Even though I played a small part in the study, I believe my efforts were important to the health and safety of our community and the world at large, and I’m thankful to have participated.