From Doubt to Determination: My Medical Aspirations by Titus

From Doubt to Determination: My Medical Aspirations by Titus - March 2025 Scholarship Essay

“Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity.” It’s a philosophy I strive to live on from now to the day I die. When a doctor sees a broken bone, they don’t just see a broken bone; the doctor also sees an injured person who deserves all the kindness and attention in the world. A doctor doesn’t just have to memorize all of the procedures in hundreds of scenarios; a doctor needs that drive to have “love of humanity.” Why am I telling all of this, you may ask? That’s the job I strive to have and implement this philosophy for not just in the workplace but for my daily life in the next upcoming years. Many experiences and realizations made me come to this conclusion: finding my passion and having a love for helping others will take me very far in life.
Envisioning that I would like to be a part of the medicine field, more specifically becoming a physician assistant wasn’t a simple decision to make. During middle school I didn’t know what I wanted to do for the longest time; I didn't know what I wanted to do tomorrow when I was in this position. As I had this mentality, the physical aspect of my life started to change. I started gaining weight, being out of breath when doing short, physically demanding activities, and what I was eating wasn’t helping.
My mom saw that I was going through a bad time in my life and wanted to support me as much as she could. My mom started reading books on nutrition, and just like that, the things I loved eating I wasn’t eating anymore. She also wanted me to work out for one hour each day on top of the physical education class I had in school. It was a huge change for me, and slowly I felt better than ever. I was losing weight, and I could run for miles without stopping. The sudden change of lifestyle was enlightening, to say the least, and I realized that medicine isn’t just medication but eating healthy foods. The experience sparked a light that would soon shine in the next couple of years.
When I took 2 years of sports medicine class in high school, it combined two interests I loved, basketball and medical treatments. The second teacher I had in the sports medicine class was phenomenal. Mr. Gimenez was always happy but also knew when to put his foot down. When I had a bad day with the two classes I had before this one, my mood would switch from instant positivity. I was able to be myself with all of my classmates. What I saw in Mr. Gimenez was a part of me that I strived to be that I didn’t know I had. He is the representation of the quote I stated previously.
People that have inspired me and the experiences along the way fill the emptiness I was feeling when I was in middle school. My journey from weight loss sparked my interest in medicine, and Mr Gimenez, made me see the person who I wanted to be.