Prompt 1: What Inspiration Means to You

Complete this sentence: “Inspiration is…”

A stimulation of thought and motivation to innovate sparked by the style, art, obstacles, and lived human experiences of others or oneself.

Describe one specific moment when you inspired, supported, or uplifted another person. Include where you were, who was involved, and what happened.

I have lived only six years as a unique individual. When my sister was born, I promptly lost all individuality. She had my face, music taste, clothes, and a desire to be more like her older sister. Unsurprisingly, my sister also found refuge in my hobbies. As a writer, I loved to communicate emotion and bring awareness to societal issues through short stories and poetry. After seeing me write, she decided she would too. While most older siblings hated their younger siblings mimicking them, I found pride in it. I continued to encourage my sister to utilize her talents and experiences as an African girl to make space for herself in places she wasn’t welcomed. Now, in our shared bedroom, my sister and I have developed our writing together. I help her grow into her pieces as a young writer while also evolving my role as her older sister.

What did you specifically do or say in that moment, and why did you choose that approach?

The moment I noticed my sister’s creative writing interest, I scoured my collection of books, articles, and short stories that served as my own writing inspiration. Writing is not governed by rules, so I wanted to show her the many ways she could express her thinking instead of forcing formulaic writing procedures. From haikus to vignettes, my sister expanded her inspiration beyond the writing of her older sister, and developed her own style of writing by emulating unique elements of the writing she loved. I chose this approach so she could find her own voice through the voice of others.

What was the outcome and what did it teach you?

I may be the older sibling, but I admit that I now look up to my little sister for inspiration. My sister not only has written poetry and conceptualized short stories, but has now entered local youth competitions to share her voice with others. Through this experience, I have learned imitation is the sincerest form of inspiration–by taking inspiration and imitating components from others, you can learn how to craft your own voice.

Name one specific audience you want to serve in your healthcare career, one method you would use to uplift them, and one way you would know your efforts are making a difference.

In recent UN global health estimates, Nigeria constitutes more than a quarter (28%) of global maternal deaths. Limited skilled health providers, out-of-reach maternal wards, and poverty contribute to 75,000 annual maternal deaths. To uplift these mothers, we must empower local midwives and expand telemedicine programs by deploying remote-monitoring models that reduce critical hospital admissions and missed pregnancy complications. Through the TeleSynergy Hospital-to-Home pilot I’m working with OHSL, we can use mobile technology in Borno, Jigawa, and Kebbi State to link patients with life-saving holistic care. Once Nigeria doesn’t create one-fourth of maternal deaths, I’ll know my efforts paid off.

Prompt 2: Your Intentional Action

Describe one specific action you are currently taking to inspire or uplift people around you.

I serve as a Service Deputy in the Montgomery-County Regional SGA, representing 50K MCPS high school students. My department hosts service initiatives ranging from winter clothing drives and creating cards for pediatric patients to support the underserved in Montgomery County. Most notably, we host the Save A Student Summit, educating over 300 middle and high school students annually on Narcan administration and overdose recognition to fight against the opioid epidemic among youth in our county.

How often do you do this? How long have you been doing it?

Since my sophomore year, I have spent twenty weeks–at least two hours each week–dedicating my time to planning service initiatives for Montgomery County.

Describe one small moment, interaction, or detail from doing this action that has stayed with you. What makes it memorable?

It’s common to see middle and high schoolers laugh off assemblies where recovering drug addicts share their story to discourage drug use. In a culture where drugs are normalized, it’s easy to dismiss the harms of addiction. Yet seeing more than 600 parents, students, and organizations unite to discuss and combat the addiction and overdoses affecting friends and family–learning how to administer narcan to save lives–showed me the importance of speaking out despite perceived mockery. Even assemblies that may appear ineffective can reach students, inspire meaningful conversations, and change perspectives in ways that are not always immediately visible.

What have you seen change as a direct result of what you are doing?

Through the education and reinforcement of narcan administration, there has been a decrease in opioid overdoses among youth in MCPS. In 2022, MCPS saw a severe spike of a 77-120% increase in youth overdoses due to illegally manufactured, fentanyl-laced pills. After bringing awareness through student advocacy, MCPS ensured medication kits were available at schools. Through the Save A Student Summit, students can now be confident in saving a friend or family member’s life.

Prompt 3: Who You Are When No One Is Watching

Describe one meaningful thing you do regularly that most people around you never see or recognize. Be specific about what it is, who is involved, how often you do it, and how long you have been doing it.

My family squeezes into our SUV as we drive downtown to the park busy with children at play, parents in deep discussion, and the occasional kung-fu fusion class. Walking past them, I haul bags overflowing with non-perishable food items to a modest box. Every week, my family and I restock the Bethesda Basket, a little free pantry I created to provide accessible, nutritious groceries to community members struggling with food insecurity. Beginning in my sophomore year, this pantry follows the mantra “Take what you need, leave what you can,” a reflection of how neighbors unite to support friends in need.

Why do you keep doing this, even without recognition or reward? What drives you to show up for it consistently?

Being low-income in an “affluent” area meant I was invisible. It was hard to find resources that supported families like mine who depended on assistance programs like subsidized housing and free lunch when no one thought you existed. Everyone in Bethesda was supposed to be rich. Yet, I saw those who were invisible: the “rich” families struggling amidst job layoffs and SNAP cuts, the homeless taking naps in the public library, my immobilized neighbor. Through the Bethesda Basket, I give those people visibility. Watching the pantry instantly empty is testimony to that overlooked need in my community.

Based on what you just described, what has doing this taught you about the healthcare professional you want to become?  Point to one specific moment or realization that brought that lesson into focus.

Similar to those overlooked in my city, many are overlooked in healthcare. Seeing how easily people can be left behind when they are treated as invisible has inspired me to become a healthcare professional and raises awareness on overlooked and normalized issues. Disparities in kidney transplants re-emphasizes my future role. Historically, Black patients were severely delayed from joining kidney transplant waiting lists due to the biased race-based eGFR calculation that artificially boosted kidney function scores of black patients, thus leading to exigent Black patients being erased. As a future doctor and advocate, I will bring awareness to these invisible patients.