It was the morning of January 15th, 2011, an ordinary Saturday until I got the call, the call that would change my world forever. The call that would shake the very foundation of my upbringing and leave me numb beyond belief. It was my mother, and before I even said hello, she said to me: “He’s no longer a part of this world!” “Who?” I yelled, “Who?” “John is no longer a part of this world” she repeated. The phone dropped out of my hand and I fell to my knees. I sat there waiting for my brain to process what I had just heard. It wasn’t until moments later that I realized the person who changed my diapers when I was a baby, the person that cried at my graduation, was gone. My oldest brother was gone.
I have unfortunately seen too much adversity in the past decade. It all began with my parents’ decision to separate after giving life to five boys. It all went downhill from there. One of my brothers is now in prison due to drug abuse. The quicksand that represents the poverty stricken house that we live in pulled him in too deep. Another moved to San Francisco to escape family hardships.Despite being constantly haunted by the dark shadows of my past, I still wake up for that 8:00am organic chemistry lecture. I still go to Jordan High School in Watts to help those who may share the same history as me. I do all this because I was given the chance to. I saw opportunity and grabbed it by the horns. My brother had one wish for me. He wanted me to succeed at UCLA, to prevail over the overwhelming odds put against me and come back to Stockton one day with a stethoscope around my neck. he gave me the courage and confidence I now posses, the characteristics I will use to aid my journey towards becoming a doctor. It is with the aid of the AAP scholarship that I can pursue my lifelong aspiration of making him proud. As he roams the heavens looking down upon me, I will be sure to put a smile on his face when I return home one day, stethoscope and all.
I do what I do because I want to prove that a rose can grow out of concrete!
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