Many People Don't Decide What They Want to Do with Their Lives

Many people don't decide what they want to do with their lives until they are well into college, however I've known who I am and what I'm meant for since I was nine years old. When I was seven my father was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer and two years later he passed away. This is a key component in who I am because it was through my family's struggle that I learned I'm meant to be a surgeon.

My family's encounter with cancer is what truly spurred my drive to become a surgeon. Having gone through the pain of losing a family member to an illness, I never wanted anyone to have to feel the same way I did and the best way I can do that is by devoting my career to fighting disease.

I tried to begin my journey into medicine as early as possible, so in high school I took Latin rather than a more common language, my logic being that it would help me with the vocabulary needed in a medical profession. While studying Latin I avidly read medical journals (and honestly may have watch more 'Scrubs' and 'House' than was needed) and focused on my science courses in school, which wasn't particularly hard for me because science is my favorite subject and I find it rather easy. I learned CPR, however I think that even people not interested in medicine should pick up the skill, and took multiple first aid courses. I regularly spoke with my grandpa, an endocrinologist and UNL alumni, and still do, mostly about what it's like being a doctor, what I should really study and what I can do to become successful in the field.

I still study medical journals and cases, now looking more at the scientific aspects than before. Through all of my research I've decided that I'm going to specifically be a neurosurgeon, as it interests me for more than all other branches of medicine and surgery. Knowing that the amount of schooling I will be taking on is extensive to say the least, I decided to graduate early from high school and get a head start on my career. Thankfully with this advance I'll be a certified neurosurgeon around the time I'm thirty.

My whole life after my father's death, my story and who I am are all centered on me being meant for a significant role in surgery and medicine, and being able to help those who are going through the same thing I did as a child. I know I'll be a leader in both the medical and scientific communities.

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