My future, long-term career goal is to serve as a physician that targets health inequality and inaccessibility through patient advocacy. I hope to see everyone through kindness and humanity and build relationships where patients can trust their providers in their most destitute and vulnerable conditions.
I plan to connect my BSP experience with my professional development because it has exposed me to pockets of communities that always need a helping hand. Missionaries of Charity: Gift of Love provides free hospice for those who are low income, have no insurance, have no family or immediate caretakers, and/or people with previous homelessness or substance abuse. My DukeEngage Gateway and BSP projects in the setting of hospice has strengthened my interest in palliative care. I would also love to eventually gain more experience in street medicine. Furthermore, I am committed to serving the poorest of the poor in my future career, those who come from a multitude of backgrounds.
At Duke, Brodhead Service Program and DukeEngage Gateway have been essential for extending my hand beyond the Duke bubble. I want to truly understand the context of the communities of which I call home. DukeEngage Gateway and BSP have taught me the value of intentionality, and how we can do little things with great love. I found that building a long term relationship of trust with the hospice patients and street people builds on knowing the little things: who likes to take naps in the afternoon, who likes to walk around the garden, who prefers to eat in the dining room or outside or in their bed, and what condiments they enjoy with their food. In my future career, I am determined to carry my talent for noticing the small details that make a large difference.
