How Past Experiences Impact Our Future by Lauryn

How Past Experiences Impact Our Future by Lauryn - November 2023 Scholarship Essay

In my early childhood, I was energetic, outgoing, and believed the world to be a perfect playground for achieving all my dreams. At the age of four, I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. This diagnosis led to many challenges and obstacles that I had to overcome. As age and persistence developed, I learned these obstacles were the perfect pathway to learn, grow inward, and become an inspiration to others. Most importantly, it encouraged me to value life and the importance of serving above self. My experience helped to shape my perspective and realize life is an opportunity to fulfill a purpose and make an impact in a positive manner.

To overcome the setbacks caused from cancer treatment, dance became my physical therapy to buildup muscles and protect my weakened bone structure. Once I gained enough knowledge, I became a volunteer assistant at my local studio. After years of training, I became an elite, award-winning, competitive dancer and eventually captain of my high school pom team. I’m now able to provide free instruction to those seeking to develop and improve their skills in dance or pom. I do this through my community service initiative coined Gracefully Given.

As I go through life, I seek opportunities to leverage my personal experiences to make a positive impact on others. Much of who I am and what I stand for involves helping and serving others, but sometimes the obvious isn’t an option. For example, I received lifesaving blood several times during my treatment but am unable to be a donor due to surviving a blood cancer. Because I know the importance of donating blood, I served as a spokesperson to promote local and state blood drives through the Oklahoma Blood Institute.
The magnitude of cancer affects victims differently, but what we do as survivors can change the future for those who will face any form of this dreaded disease.

Currently, I’m an intern in the oncology department at Mercy Hospital in Ada, Oklahoma. While it’s very difficult to witness patients dealing with a catastrophic illness, I’m able to sympathize and bring an essence of hope to their situation. Living through childhood cancer has provided me with an insight that most people lack when caring for patients in this field. I know firsthand what a truly caring heart and words of encouragement can do when someone is living in their darkest hour. Serving as an intern has further enlightened me to the importance of mental health and the power of a positive mind when faced with a life-threatening illness.

Because of my experience, I intend to pursue a degree in the biological sciences at the University of Oklahoma to help me prepare for a career in the medical field. My dream of becoming a physician has no doubt been influenced by the doctors, nurses and staff who once cared for me during my time of need. In addition, the opportunity to serve as an intern has provided me with knowledge and information that will prove useful as I pursue my career goals and objectives.

To conclude, I hope to extend my heart to serve and use my experience to be the best version of myself to passionately help to heal others. I strive each day to attain success in all that I do to support this purpose. I’m a high achiever and earn academic excellence in the classroom and beyond. I am a 4.0 student, leader in school focus groups and clubs, and give back to my community through community service. By being a recipient of this scholarship, it will financially assist me in furthering my education at the University of Oklahoma and contribute to my pursuit of becoming a physician.