MY UAB GIVING

My mom remembers the day I brought home my dissected frog from school. She wasn’t pleased, but as an inquisitive kid, I was fascinated. That same curiosity eventually led me to the UAB Honors College and its Personalized Path program.

While originally from the Midwest, I was drawn to UAB for its Honors College. The unique promise to build my professional future while offering social and cultural opportunities was something I couldn’t pass up. Not only did the New Student Retreat provide access to invested faculty and classmates who inevitably will become lifelong friends, but I was also afforded access to organizations like an Indian Bollywood dance team.

The Honors College provides small classes that facilitate close student-professor relationships. Additionally, our professional development opportunities mean we are early field leaders. And the ability to intertwine our coursework with volunteering takes our classroom out into communities where we can benefit others while gaining real-world experience.

The Personalized Path program gives students like me the ability to develop academic interests and work toward combined bachelor’s/master’s degrees while having early access to hands-on research opportunities. My freshman honors seminar on the brain unlocked my passion for neuroscience, and I now spend my days with Dr. Goldberg as Blazers work to find a cure for Parkinson’s.

Academic experiences like these, coupled with community building and creating a diverse family of intellectually curious scholars, allow students like me to thrive.

Your support is making my educational dream a reality, and for that, I am truly grateful. Thank you.

My father served his country in the military. My mother served her students in the classroom. My sister served her patients in a global pandemic. Amid their sacrifices, I saw the determination and compassion with which they graciously served. Their examples inspired me to pursue a career of service.

As a pediatrician, I will have the privilege of cultivating the foundation of my patients’ health as they begin their life’s journey. I will also advocate for my patients by discussing the specific ailments that debilitate our communities and advocate for effective solutions.

The fact UAB is one of the Top 12 NIH-funded public medical schools enables me to continue in my pursuit of public health research, community engagement, and service. However, what inspires me even more is the fervor with which UAB administration pursues inclusion, equity, and diversity.

This desire for inclusion encourages me to share my family’s story. My grandfather had to stop school in the 4th grade to help take care of his sick mother and sharecrop the land. My parents both served in the U.S. Army and were one of the first in their family to attend college.

When I consider the various obstacles my family overcame, I am reminded of the strength from which I came. This lights a passion within me to continue my own pursuits, not for my own benefit, but for that of others. I am proud to purposefully dedicate myself to the same highly regarded principles of those before me.

Your support fuels the motivation that comes from the memory of those who came before me, and the desire to pave an even better way for those that will come after me. Thank you.