Born and raised in Southern California to Indian parents, my family and social context have instilled a great love for reading. I have always excelled in school, receiving honors every quarter since the ninth grade. I have a record of academic excellence born from motivation and discipline, as a student and a concerned citizen. The ideal of public service has been instilled in me by my family. I am a good fit for medicine, and I look forward to giving my life to the practice of medicine with particular attention paid to the underserved as a matter of professional principle.
I understand Urdu and Hindi and look forward to serving as a doctor on call in these languages in addition to English. since we have many immigrants and visitors not only from India but also Pakistan. My parents have taken me back to India to visit family while still a child and I was able to observe first-hand the great misery that results from a lack of medical care. I was shocked, scandalized, and indignant when my father explained to me that many people die on the street in India because they have no money for care or for a dignified place to pass the last of their days. I hope to attend an especially demanding program because I crave rigor and intensity.
I have been taking higher-level classes since Middle School, and I am accustomed to elevated levels of achievement. After becoming a doctor, entirely dedicated to lifelong education, I intend to pursue further education and research in Cardiology. I also have long cultivated a particular interest in Takayasu's Arteritis since, when I was 15 years old, my mother was diagnosed with this disease. I look forward to treating her and helping her to deal with this disease as she continues to age. This was another factor in my decision to give my all to the study of medicine. I also have close relatives who are healthcare professionals who have encouraged me to fulfill my dreams and become a doctor.
I want to make the best use of my life possible, at the service of others, and I see the practice of medicine as the best way to do this and to make my finest contribution to both my local community as well as society. I am the eldest son of my family, and it has been my dream since childhood to become a doctor. I am always helping my siblings and neighbors, and I volunteer every Sunday at my local church to help with the food drive, assisting the elderly and other needy people through our hunger relief program.
As a doctor, I especially look forward to the experience of serving in rural areas, particularly the poorest residents of these rural areas who have little-to-no-other access to health care. I am sensitive to health care disparities and determined to help provide medical treatments to those in need who cannot afford medical care or do not have health insurance, such as undocumented workers here in California.
I am a very honest and sincere person with exceptional social and communication skills. I like helping people and caring for them, especially the elderly and children; and the homeless. Next year, during my final year of high school, I will be completing an internship at my local hospital. I intend to pay not only special attention to our patients with heart disease but also those with cancer since I especially look forward to learning all that I can about innovative treatments for this dreadful disease. All last summer, June through September of 2016, I spent long hours working as a volunteer in our local library, shelving and organizing library materials and helping patrons with the use of the library catalog, also helping with self-check-out and organizing special programs for children. I have helped several organizations to feed the homeless, including ICNA Relief in Dallas, TX where I not only prepared food for our shelter residents but also helped the elderly clean their yards.
I hope to inspire my patients to good health and practice preventive medicine not only as a doctor but also as someone who excels at athletics. Winning the Most Valuable Player Award last year for our Football Conference was an extraordinary honor.
Thank you for considering my Medical School Personal Statement.