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[QueenEmile]

I was lucky if I only had to take control of the wheel once, to avoid her swerving off the road. It was as if her mind began to disconnect from her body, but my mom would just glance at me and smile as if each episode were only an accident. At the time, I was just a child being raised in single parent household, tagging along with my mother to an assortment of blue-collar jobs and sitting through many of her college classes. I began to unceasingly catch her bracing herself on walls and waking many mornings to the sound of her coffee mug slipping through her fingers and crashing to the floor. I blinded myself from each incident, but what I was making invisible, would soon become a profound chapter in my future career. 

 

One unforgettable day of my freshmen year, I stepped into my mother's bedroom to the sight of her walking towards me with a cane in her hand. "They think I have Multiple Sclerosis", she said. I can vividly recall that night and the way I endlessly researched about MS. I began to question the world. We were finally at a time without homeless shelters and trips to the food stamp office. The MS scare continued for years but my mother stopped at nothing. Today, at 53 years old, she is completing her doctorate degree and running 26-mile marathons. The ample afflictions that consumed our family over the years and the courage my mother had to beat the suffrage resonates in my compassion for life. The valiant vanquish over her illness and destitution has spiked my admiration for medicine and willed me to succor to others.  

 

I was inspired to excel in my studies, and after weighing out the divergent positions in healthcare, I began the track to PA school. However, my enthusiasm dulled as I was handed the envelope of despair enclosing my first tuition bill. But, I loved that bill. That bill cost a few homeless nights and a growling stomach, but it gave me a gift of determination. I supported myself by working full-time throughout the completion of my degree. After becoming a CNA during my first year of college, I was hired at a physician's office and relentlessly dived into medicine. I worked my way up from a receptionist to a medical assistant where I was taken on as a mentee by the father/son team of primary care physicians at the practice- Dr. Rahim Gul and Dr. Afaq Gul. 

 

The team also employed another MD, two PA-C's, and a NP-C, all of whom I was able to work alongside. As I expressed my interest to them in becoming a PA, they began to notice my talent and encouraged me to do my best as a student and employee. The providers questioned and lectured me about each medical scenario that stepped into the office. I became part of a team, which I love and thrive off of. Our office is comprised of a diverse group consisting of five different languages and cultures. Due to the diversity of our staff, we have patients come in from all over the world, new to the U.S. and turning to us for help. About 80% of the patients at the clinic are insured through Medicaid and have few health care resources available. 

 

Several nights I can recall driving to class from work, with tears welling in my eyes, thinking about how many of our patients migrated to the U. S. with the desire for the American dream but struggling to receive quality healthcare because of language barriers, income, and prejudice. The intrinsic reward I receive from helping these patients was often the perfect push I needed to get through many overwhelming days of work and school. After a full shift and two swollen feet, I often had to propel through long nights of studying for big exams, assignments, or both. It could become overwhelming and may have kept me shy of a 4.0, but I knew it was the best way to achieve my goal of becoming a PA, put food in my stomach, and a roof over my head. Regardless of the late nights at work to finish my actual job duties, my gratitude for the knowledge I was acquiring each day always seemed to mask my yawns and dark circles.

  

The hands-on experience I have gained made it possible for me to grasp the feel of being a PA while working alongside a physician. I was able to encounter the patient-to-provider relationship and learn many aspects of practicing medicine; from the first step into the patient's room, to the last sentence written in the progress note. This exposure has given me endless inspiration and driven me to work toward becoming a PA where I can practice and work with my own team. Being a PA can fulfill my aspiration to treat patients in all medical specialties and consult with providers of all aspects. I am adept at letting my passion for medicine shine while remaining fearless to treat patients without the letters "MD" on my white coat. Despite my toleration of growing up poor with a sick parent, I managed to surmount the privation to complete college, and in return, I was motivated and molded into an educated and dedicated team player, impassioned to treat the underserved as a future PA.