"Why do you want to be an osteopathic doctor" is the main question. I'd add as sub-topics: What experience(s) convinced you that you'd make a great DO (and will convince the reader of the same conclus

Explain your motivation to seek a career in medicine. Be sure to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician. (5000 characters)

I had always been confident that I wanted to be a teacher. Growing up as a foreigner (a minority within a minority) in the Middle East, the only female role models with whom I could identify, were my teachers, thus I aspired to become one. I didn’t know what I wanted to teach or whom I wanted to teach, but my parents had a blackboard installed in the balcony next to the kitchen, the only spot where I could get some fresh air. I would invite the kids in my villa to write on the blackboard and help them with their homework. My mother was never home; she worked tirelessly in her white scrubs to meet ends but never saw a penny of what she earned. My father was an unemployed, unstable alcoholic who controlled the finances and was the primary adult I saw. Although my mother worked as a nurse, she made way less than the locals in Alain, hence the four of us lived in a one-bedroom apartment in a villa offered by my mother’s employer. One day, I was asked to walk to the clinic where my mother worked to bring her some food; I walked there with my brother, and we both sat on the waiting chairs, swinging our feet, not touching the sanitized white floors until I saw my mother through the crack of the open door. I leaned in with interest as I watched her gently remove the bandages of her patient to dress his wounds. I watched her carefully; she was so calm, so compassionate, and to my surprise, she had even managed to learn Arabic to comfort the patient in his language and the patient relaxed and trusted her. In this moment, I realized that I wanted to be like my mother; a woman who was strong enough to selflessly empathize with the emotional and physical distress of another and provide service to them with compassion and care.

After moving to the U.S, I found myself surrounded with opportunities I had never had before as a young female, who had been taught to believe that following patriarchy was pride. My journey to pursue medicine first started while I was in community college, when my faith drove me to join the Ministry of Medical Missions Divine Mercy Chaplet at my church. Every year, the medical missionaries fly to Grana de Oro, a small village mostly populated by indigenous Cabecars in Costa Rica, to set up a medical, vision and dental clinic providing free services to the villagers. The patients that came to clinic travelled for hours through the dense forest on horses, motorbikes and sometimes even on foot, just to receive some sort of medical service for which they would otherwise have to travel to cities. Although I had no patients of my own and my sole purpose for this medical mission trip was to serve while reigniting my passion for medicine, there was more to my experience than just shadowing the physicians. I took rounds with the physicians on my team, enjoyed my breaks attempting to learn Spanish by interacting with the children while painting their faces. Many of these patients lacked basic necessities, such as clean drinking water, food and shelter, which made me realize that the one-bedroom apartment I grew up in, even if it had been small, untidy and congested, was nothing short of a blessing. The sacrifices these villages and patients made to receive medical services from us made me realize that medicine is not just about curing the sick, but is an embodiment of human compassion, empathy and hope.

Following my graduation, I continued my journey to become a medical assistant at Houston Spine and Joint Paint consultant. I assisted Dr. Tariq in several pain procedures, most notably the Radiofrequency Ablation, where I learned that sending an electric current to burn a small area of the nerve will prevent it from sending pain signals, thus relieving the patient from pain. It was fascinating to learn that a small pinch of a nerve can leave lasting pain on the human body, but that medical cures can be achieved with the use of technology and science.

Initially, the pandemic deprived me of opportunities to drive my passion. However, I found a family that needed my help as a patient caretaker. As I visited the patient’s family, I found out that the patient, 38 years old, had been paralyzed since a motorcycle accident three years ago. He has been under his mother’s care, who requested my service only on Saturdays as she wanted some help while she went to church. Her perseverance to pray daily and trust in the medical procedures her son endured, made me realize the trust and hope each patient places in the hands of a physician. Furthermore, it wasn’t a single experience or course that kept driving me towards medicine, it was a series of events, and I will continue to believe that just like the hope the mother has for her son, sacrifices learned from the Cabecars and the compassion I witnessed from my mother, I have found in medicine a way to serve.

Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics (background, talents, skills, etc.) or experiences that would add to the educational experience of others. (2500 characters)

I barely knew anything about U.S.A. other than the glamour I had seen in the media before I moved here. I was only sixteen, struggling to find my place in this growing vibrant culture. Born in India and raised in the Middle East, I was exposed to many different cultures at once. However, the culture shock and the language barrier affected my family and me in different ways. Although I couldn’t explore much in high school, college gave me the opportunity to visit beyond those boundaries. The summer of my Sophomore year in college, I met a student from Myanmar in my Organic Chemistry II class; she was 26 years old and had moved to the U.S. with her only sister to escape the persecution and discrimination women faced in their country. As we shared a class together, we soon developed a tutor-student relationship as we helped each other out in our areas of weakness and strength; she had difficulty communicating in English, however she was good at chemistry. Her joy at finally being able to pronounce the words correctly gave me a sort of satisfaction that made all the struggles up to then worth it. As a friend and a tutor, I learned the importance of communication, clarity, and adaptability through my experiences.

After transferring to a four-year university, I found myself overwhelmingly lost at the huge campus. Building a new social group and maintaining it was also a struggle. During one of our college events, I had the opportunity to meet transfer students who were also struggling to find a group to belong to, which made me recognize the lack of opportunities to create social connectedness, academic growth, and leadership skills for most of these students. To tackle this insufficiency, I decided to start a club that encouraged the continuous exchange of ideas, promoted student welfare and instilled a feeling of belonging. During my time as the president, the small club saw over 35 students join, and hosted several events and activities to enhance the campus-life experience for transfer students. Building this club in a place that I barely knew was a challenge; however, my perseverance to improve student life developed leadership skills that I need to become a physician. Being open-minded and respectful of other backgrounds, with a sense of cultural awareness are traits a practitioner must also have in order to provide quality care to patients.

Briefly state any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application. This is not an area to continue your essay or reiterate what you have previously stated - this area is provided to address any issues which have not previously been addressed. (2500 characters)

My father had long struggled with alcoholism and anger management issues. My father cherished me; however, I watched him self-destruct every single day of my life. His addiction not only put financial strains on my family but also left many emotional scars. One notable event is how my father was incarcerated from his workplace two days before my MCAT exam. This caused so much distress for me and with nobody to help my mother out, I had to take the responsibility. My father expressed his love by cooking for my brother and me, and he ensured our safety even when he was under the influence. However, I lived with anxiety throughout my life that at every event or occasion, something would go wrong. Due to the abuse my brother endured, my father and he were never on good terms, hence I always played the mediator.

Moving out of my dysfunctional household for college finally gave me the peace I longed for. My coursework in college helped me understand my father’s issues better, and I was further able to use the experiences in my household to help me understand the struggles of others. Whenever I had to meet a difficult patient while shadowing, I could understand beyond the short story they told the physician during their appointment. Having someone within my family who was constantly battling with addiction and meeting his responsibilities, made me aware of the fragile reality of life. Following my grandfather’s death, I learned that my father had had an abusive childhood which led to him reenacting the only way of parenting he knew. It was extremely difficult for me to come to emotional terms with that, but I believe that if my dad had sought help sooner, he could have probably prevented at least half of the problems he caused or encountered. Similarly, I also believe it is important to address weaknesses as a physician, sooner rather than later, as physicians are basically accountable for their patients’ lives.