I Am Not A Minor by Omara

I Am Not A Minor by Omara - July 2019 Scholarship Essay

At my high school, minority students tended to be stereotyped as lower performing students. Multiple teachers, including math and science, before knowing me, talked down to me until the end of the first grading period when it was evident I was an excellent student. While these experiences were challenging, they broadened my self-awareness and self-acceptance of who I was. I now recognize my diversity as an asset. I realize that my experiences allow me to connect, build relationships with and value people from different backgrounds. Rather than just tolerating negative stereotypes that I grew up with, I am now confident and ready to challenge them. In particular, I realize that minorities are underrepresented in the healthcare field, and part of this is due to the negative societal views of minorities and women.

There continues to be unjustified stereotyping of minorities and women in the professional environment. I consider myself a part of the movement whose goal is to shape a healthcare community that completely embraces minorities, in particular, minority women, and whose goal is to motivate those like myself, who would otherwise be discouraged to take this path. I am very interested in medicine, as I have a love for math and sciences. My hope is to be a successful African-American female physician and researcher that not only gains fulfillment in a field that I enjoy but also has a larger impact on society.

I want to normalize the acceptance of minority women in healthcare, simultaneously increasing the confidence of these individuals in their ability to pursue their goals. Although growing up was sometimes complicated and confusing because of my diversity, today I am grateful for my uniqueness and the broader perspective and sense of empowerment it has given me to influence and change society.