My Quest For Knowledge: My Personal Statement

At 17 years old, I had the grueling task of deciding how I wanted to spend 40 plus years of my life. I always aspired to land a career in the medical field, so I majored in biology like most pre-med hopefuls, but during my junior year, I no longer desired to become a physician. The medical field was calling out to me, but the specialty of focus was incorrect. After graduation, I went back to the basics and put my nursing assistant certification to use.

I realized that growing up with a brother who suffers from an unknown neurological issue has been influential in my decision to study neuroscience, but my inherent love for science and people were what made neuroscience my passion. After this epiphany, I made a choice to take matters into my own hands. From taking the most rigorous AP courses to taking summer chemistry classes to further understand what I may have not in previous years, I have dedicated my education to be one that will enable me to help families like my own, and people like my brother. However, my learning does not stop once I leave the classroom, but rather spreads throughout my entire life. From first-hand experiences in shadowing neurosurgeons in my community, to working alongside scientists at the Van Andel Research Institute in researching the effects of Parkinson’s Disease, I try to get my hands on as many opportunities to learn as I can find. I know that the road to becoming a contributor to the field of neuroscience will be long and hard, but what keeps me going is the dream that maybe one day, I will know how to stop Diego’s

In order to begin my journey towards my post-secondary education, I must first finish the goal at hand which is to graduate high school. Currently, I am on course to reach my goal of graduation with a perfect unweighted 4.0 GPA. In addition, I am enrolled in my high school nursing assistant program which I will earn a certification for in June. Upon completion, I will be attending Lenoir-Rhyne University to take part in their Physician Assistant program in order to obtain my goal of becoming a Physician Assistant. I have always dreamed of having a career that will require a life-long pursuit of knowledge; medicine is constantly evolving and diseases are constantly changing, making it the perfect type of career. Due to my passion for medicine

My first attempt at a career was in the military, which ended with a medical discharge after a knee injury. After a few different jobs, I felt I finally had a career when I found employment as an assembler with Oshkosh Truck. Unfortunately, in June 2014, I was laid off. It was at this time, I decided to return to college. I have always enjoyed technology and science, so I enrolled at a technical college in Fall ’14; completing general coursework, while figuring out which program would be the best fit for me. Then in March ’15 I realized that I wanted some focus in healthcare during a service-learning experience in Jamaica. I will now be starting the Medical Laboratory Technician program in Fall ’16. After all these turns, I hope to finally

I was raised by two hard working parents who instilled in me the value of higher education. My parents didn’t have the opportunity to pursue education. My mother finished high school in Mexico; but soon after graduating she began to work. On the other hand, my father wasn’t as lucky. In Guatemala education isn’t encouraged among families because the necessity of money is too great due to poverty. In my father’s case he began working when he was 7 years old causing him to only attend up to the second grade. All my father learned was that hard labor is necessary to provide for his family. My parents wish they had been given the opportunity to continue learning which is why they always emphasized the importance of education to my five

I admit that I haven't always been interested in entering the medical field. It seemed like a “blood and guts” job to me, and thats not exactly something that Ive always felt comfortable with. I must have changed my mind what seemed like a million times about my future. I went from wanting to be a marine biologist, to wanting to be an art teacher and then later not having even the slightest idea what I wanted to be at all. It wasn’t until my senior year in high school, that an unexpected accident led to my final decision to pursue a health related career.

I have known since the age of thirteen that I wanted to have a career in the health field. The decision came when a very close family friend was diagnosed with cancer. During his battle he suffered from bad radiation burns and loss of mobility in his right arm. I was there to assist in the daily cleaning of the arm, and also to help guide him through his exercises that the physical therapist had given him. My first thought was to pursue nursing, but after volunteering and spending time talking with and observing nurses and physical therapist, I ultimately chose physical therapy. I am confident and committed to this choice. The realization came during my senior year of high school as a new visions student. I was able to earn college credit

Dr. Allan Ropper and Brian Burrell take the reader behind the scenes at Harvard Medical School's neurology unit to show how a seasoned diagnostician faces down bizarre, life-altering afflictions.

Food For Thought (FFT), an organization founded in 2016, is one of my most prideful activities of completion. FFT is a local food pantry that is run by National Honor Society (NHS) members. Members pack food that feeds over twenty students and families each week. After I was elected Vice-President of NHS, I was offered the presidential position alongside another colleague to run the pantry. Working within the pantry allowed me to care for my community, gain morality and change the world. The world will change when individuals take action and I was honored to do just that through FFT.

Hello everyone, I am Tiffani Coker, currently a second semester senior here at Southeastern. My anticipated graduation is set for December 2015. This is just four short months away, which allows me to finally be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel! I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology and a minor in Biology. I did not begin my college journey in Psychology, it all began with dreams of becoming a nurse. In the spring of 2014, I was accepted into the ECU/SOSU Nursing Program. During that semester of nursing courses, I quickly realized I was not mentally or psychically prepared for such demanding courses. After much thought, this is when I decided to go the Psychology route. Psychology and Nursing

Currently, I am responsible for managing the science instructional programs and personnel in a chartered middle school. As a supervisor for the department, I develop/source curriculum materials for teachers and collaborate with them to plan and implement instructional lessons daily. I manage the financial resources for the department and constantly monitor the teaching practices that will impact our organizational goal and vision.

Life is replete with opportunities to fail and to succeed. When I was eight years old, my mother suffered her first epileptic seizure. We were seated in an I-Hop with a family friend and watching her blue eyes close and her body begin to tremble was, in retrospect, both horrifying and fascinating. This moment changed the trajectory of my life and I became determined that I would become a neurosurgeon. I strived for success and held myself to exacting standards in order to achieve my goals – to become an exemplar Pre-med student and research neurological disorders like my mothers. The brief time in the I-Hop was the beginning of a change in life style for my mother, and a driving force for myself. I learned the meaning of dedication. I earned exemplary grades in high school in an effort to receive a college acceptance from colleges that could help me ultimately achieve my goals – to become a doctor. Being a big fish, in a relatively small high school pond I never expected to hit any obstacles in my education. However, naivety hide the reality of college rigor from me and I can honestly admit that these obstacles have taught me more about dedication and passion than I could ever have expected in moments of tears and stress.

I possess these abilities, albeit in embryonic stages; and I believe that a career in neurology is for me. My clinical experiences and volunteer work back home, and my exposure to the US health system has prepared me for the challenges that lie ahead in neurology. In addition to my medical knowledge and US clinical experience, as a resident I will also contribute to the program my commitment, enthusiasm, vigor, and reliance. I look forward to joining a program that will provide me with ample opportunities to excel in academic and clinical neurology. Residency at your esteemed program would provide me with an essential medium in achieving my personal and professional

My goal was to become a biomedical engineer in drug development so I could help children with rare blood disorders like my brother. I had earned a full scholarship and was able maintain higher than a 4.0 GPA in high school so I was confident I could do the same in the College of Engineering. Going through my first and second year I quickly realized the STEM courses were very challenging and realized that their was a huge gab in education that I received from the public schools I attended. It was also very challenging being the only minority in many of my classes and having to work while in school. Even though these things were true, so what. I had to continue to let my strong work ethic and grit shine through and find balance and community (diverstiy). I spent countless hours at the Think Tank Tutoring Center, and in my professors office hours. I was determined to perform better and thing eventually started to improve. I participated in Student Medical and Dental Enrichment Program (SMDEP), performed research, earned two publications, and I even found community through various clubs. As things began to get better, my father had a heart attacked and needed to have to triple bypass surgery immediately. I decided to help assist him in his recovery process. This period in my life was valuable because I was forced to learn how to balance different things in my life; as a physician I understand

Halfway through the fall semester of my junior year in college, I realized the career path I wanted to take. Through my studies at Penn State, specifically PSYCH 491, Introduction to Clinical Psychology, I found my passion for studying neuropsychology. As a freshman, I entered my collegiate career under the impression that I would go to medical school and become a neurosurgeon. I always had a thirst for learning about the brain, it’s biological processes, and how that related to behaviors. However, as I began to delve deeper into my psychology course work, and shift further away from the pre-med classes, I really started to foster my love neuropsychology.