Ohio by Jacob

Ohio by Jacob - December 2015 Scholarship Essay

10 years from now I see myself on the path to curing retinitis pigmentosa. Retinitis Pigmentosa, RP for short, is a disease which impacts nearly 1.5 million people worldwide. This disease effectively causes blindness over an extended period of time by the deterioration of light receptors in the eye. At an early age my Grandmother, Margaret Laviano, was diagnosed with this disease and has been losing eye sight ever since. However she does not let this slow her down. She goes about her life and has adapted to be able to do things, even better, than you or I. A problem I would like to solve is find a cure for the currently untreatable Retinitis Pigmentosa. I believe her and the millions of others like her should not be robbed of the sense so many of us take for granted every single day.
I am not able to speak for many of the people affected, but I feel as though I can represent my grandmother. I see the way she has adapted to everyday life. I watch her cook in the kitchen. She cuts vegetables and spices dishes and it puzzles and amazes me every time, all at the same time. It has inspired me by showing how you should never let something bring you down. No matter the magnitude. If there's a will to bounce back, there's always a way.
It has been a long term goal of mine to become an ophthalmologist. Personally I have been in and out of doctor's offices in cause of my eyes so I am fairly familiar with them. I feel comfortable and feel as though this would be a nice fit for me. My ultimate goal however is to find a cure for Retinitis Pigmentosa. I would like to use my knowledge and skill set I receive through this field to solve that problem.
To become an eye doctor I plan to attain a degree in biomedical engineering and then apply and attend Medical. I feel very strongly about the problem of the incurable eye disease because it affects me so closely. I want my Grandmother to be able to see her grandchildren grow. I want her to be able to see the wonderful people her children have become and what they have done with their lives. I want her to be able to see the beach she takes us to on vacation every year and enjoy it that way with us. This is what makes it so significant to me. This is what gives me a drive to achieve it and this is why I want to do, what I want to do, with my life.