Opportunities that Await Us by Preethy

Opportunities that Await Us by Preethy - September 2018 Scholarship Essay

The future holds many things, some we aspire for while others are unexpectedly thrust at us. We can only achieve our dreams by putting in hard work and working towards our goals. It is through both our successes and our mistakes that we can expand and learn more. Our past and present experiences, enable us to continue learning, even in the future, and allows us to become well-rounded and open-minded. While I may not know what unexpected challenges I face in the future, I aspire to learn through my professional experiences, community involvement, and personal interests.
One of the first milestones in our journey is choosing what career path we want to pursue. With my experiences of volunteering in a hospital, rehabilitation center, and veterans home, I see myself returning to the hospital as a physician assistant aiding patients. I want to use my deep love of science and the human body to provide care to patients and them understand their own illnesses.
In a hospital, I hope to be exposed to relevant conditions that patients are being inflicted by so that I can stay up to date with clinical practice which I believe can make me a better physician assistant. In addition to learning from everyday clinical practice, I aspire to become involved in my local and national physician assistant organizations. Attending national conferences will be an opportunity to receive updates on new protocols and procedures on the horizon. These conventions will also allow me to network with other professionals who are passionate about the field. While I hope to meet other professionals, who share my interest in PA, I also believe that each individual will have their own perspective that I can learn from. On a community level, getting involved in community health initiatives or even serving as a preceptor for future PAs would allow me to give back to my community.
I believe our personal interests can be woven into our professional aspirations as well. I have always had a passion for the Spanish language and culture. Throughout high school I took four years of Spanish and it is an area that I hope to continue learning. I think travelling to a Spanish-speaking country would be a wonderful experience to immerse myself in their culture. I want to understand all aspects of their culture such as food, music, and holidays. I think by having the appreciation for foreign cultures helps us to understand the different communities around us. I grew up in an area that has a great diversity of cultures and I think my dedication to learn more about the culture and language will be valuable when I give back to the community.
In high school, what we learn is only the tip of the iceberg. As we continue to grow and gain different experiences, we identify the aspects of life that are important to us. I believe by being actively involved, I can find opportunities to nurture my interests in the medical field, foreign cultures, and give back to the community.