UC Personal Insight Question #2
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UC Personal Insight Question #5 |
During my sophomore year I realized that I had fallen in love. With running that is. Not the average high school love story you'd expect to hear. Running is the first sport I've ever done since I never had an interest in sports before. I had no idea I would gain such a love for the sport. My friends convinced me to join the Cross Country team, I was never the fastest, but I enjoyed it. It wasn't the soreness and tiredness the next morning that motivated me to keep at it, but rather what I gained.
When I run, it is a place where my mind can be free from the stresses and pressures of the day. Before I started running I would come home to a noisy house; just one of the side effects of living in a large family. So it was almost impossible to have any free time to just focus on an issue, without being distracted by a screaming sibling. Jogging is my way to release any stress that I have. To think about a difficult decision or even to just relax from a long day. Not to mention it is also good exercise. In order to stay focused in school and make sure I'm not stressed, I go for a short jog whenever I feel overwhelmed from the stresses of life, and just relax. As I jog I think about my problems and how to solve them, putting together my thoughts by the time I finish. Running has helped me become a better person by having my mind clear from any distractions I stumble upon in my life. So I run, not to run away from my problems, but to face them and deal with them. UC Personal Insight Question #6Ever since I could remember I was always taking things apart and trying to figure out how they worked. This usually resulted in a lot of broken toys. I had so many questions, but received few answers. I remember I was in my sixth grade class looking at onion cells under a microscope. I was amazed at how complex living organisms were. I wanted to know how all living organisms functioned, at the smallest scale. Over time, I learned that the main concept of science was all about asking questions. Science was the subject that had the answers to my questions. The more questions I had, the more I became obsessed with science. Specifically biology, the study of all living organisms.
Throughout my days, science is always on my mind. I'm always wondering why things happen in living things. An example is diseases that affect us, and other organisms. More specifically diseases that affect our health, and how our body fights against them. Science has influenced me to seek a major in biology, to seek answers to my questions. I want to be able to conduct my own research to help cure diseases that affect us. The main research I want to focus on is for cancer and other diseases in order to further science and medical research. My passion for science has influenced me towards a career in the medical field. I wish to pursue a career as a cardiothoracic surgeon in hopes of aiding people to improve the lives of many. The summer before my senior year I underwent lung surgery and was hospitalized for a week. I had this condition that caused my lungs to spontaneously collapse at random. At the time, the doctors didn't know what the actual cause for my condition was; there wasn't enough information for my condition. I see myself doing research for things like this, to have answers, and help further medicine. Medicine is constantly advancing and I aim to be part of it.
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It was during my 13th year of life, usually the time puberty starts for most, that one of my biggest challenges began. It was the start of my anxiety, insecurities, and depression but little did I know those were the least of my worries. Pectus Carinatum, also called pigeon chest, the deformity of the chest characterized by a protrusion of the sternum and ribs. This was my condition. Onset by the growth spurt during puberty, causing abnormal growth of bones and cartilage in my chest.
It was during middle school that I started to notice that my chest protruded outwards. I didn't think twice of it at first, but then I slowly started to become aware that my chest was growing outwards. I was scared and afraid of what was happening to my body. I was constantly attacking myself on the inside, it hurt, thinking and feeling that I was different. My condition really got bad when I started high school, it started to become more noticeable. I had and still do have insecurities about it being noticeable to other people. I started to become depressed during my sophomore year. I hated my body, I felt uncomfortable just being seen by other people. So I was never really able to focus in school because I was always anxious. I felt as if people were watching and judging me constantly, when they weren't. This was happening every day, up to my junior year, when I had a nervous breakdown when I went over to my best friend's house. My friend knew about my chest, but not the rest. So my friends helped me see that I was normal, that there was nothing wrong with me. Talking about my condition really helped me, it wasn't instant, but I eventually got better. Talking about my condition with people who understand helps me cope. My condition changed the way I view life, we're all equal, no matter how we look. One should be treated based on their character rather than their looks. I'm able to focus on school now, without having that dreadful feeling. UC Personal Insight Question #8I believe the way I think is what sets me apart from other candidates; I have empathy for people. We all start off the same in the world, as infants. Yet we all end up becoming very different from one another. Our minds are hardwired to think alike, but we all have different views of life. Everyone has a different view of how they perceive life, on what it means to be intelligent or good looking. I believe that we're all equal, in a sense that we start the same way and have the same basic functions. We shouldn't treat someone as if they're less than a person because they're not more intelligent or better looking. This one of my core beliefs on life, it's what makes us human.
During my senior year I job shadowed a family and sports medicine doctor in my hometown of Lindsay. I followed him throughout his workday, asked him questions about his career and what influenced him to become a doctor. His responses were really, what opened my eyes to a new world I didn't think of until that day. Now I know everyone has their own battle to fight. He wasn't the best student or the most intelligent. This brought me to think that we're given opportunities in life and we all have choices to make in life. I believe life is what you choose to do with given opportunities. I'm very passionate about pursuing a career in the medical field. Knowing that everyone is equal will allow get along with other people and make connections. Being able to make connections with people might provide me with opportunities in my life. Such as becoming friends with new people and forming a study group to stay on track in classes. Meeting someone that is pursuing the same career I am, might led to volunteer work or an internship. Opportunities like these are what will make a major difference in my life, affecting every aspect of it. |