Personal Statement

While I have served in poverty reduction for many years, it is only within the past year that I have started to make connections between poverty and health. While completing my Bonner Summer of Service at J.O.Y Ministries Crisis Resource Center this summer, I gained the opportunity to immerse myself in day-to-day operations, including distributing food and clothing while interacting with clients. I began to fully grasp the issue of food insecurity and poverty, and the role that health plays. I saw firsthand the cycle of how poor health could lead to unemployment and poverty, and poverty could lead to poor health. I changed my career choice from veterinarian to physician, as my service experiences fueled the realization that I wanted to connect my service with and be an advocate for people in need. The root causes of poverty, poor health, and a lack of health education are all connected, building a system that is difficult for most to escape. In order to combat this issue, I plan on performing community-based research to gather data that reveals the underlying causes of systemic poverty. I hope to do my part in creating a healthier community, both physically and financially.