My career goal is to go to attend medical school and specialize in neurology or psychiatry. Being the first in my family to attend college, this journey has been one I could not have expected, but I am loving every second of it. To accomplish my career goals, I realized I must first map out the path that people take to pursue a career in neurology or psychiatry, which is not all that easy to do without knowing any medical professionals personally from which to draw life-experience and advice. However, I have been fortunate enough to meet people along the way that have guided me, mentored me and pushed me forward.
One of my mentors, Dr. Katja Voeller at the Western Institute for Neurodevelopmental Studies and Interventions has given me invaluable
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Until I can find an opportunity I qualify for, I have been working as a medical scribe at the Mental Health Center of Denver about 20hr/wk since June and have recently been promoted to become a bilingual scribe trainer. This experience has only helped fuel my passion for medical school and has given me the ability to socialize with other pre-med students as well as giving me access to develop personal relationships with physicians and psychiatrists. Working as a scribe has also shown me that I am at the precipice of going to medical school, which can be a bit dizzying. Honestly, though this has been my dream my whole life, I never really thought I would be where I am right now getting ready to apply. It seems so surreal to …show more content…
Though I will be unable to qualify to financial aid when applying, I have gathered a list of medical schools I will be applying to, taking into consideration their culture, their acceptance of undocumented students and whether they would be able to help me fund my education though private loans or otherwise. Because I am undocumented and do not qualify for any federal financial aid, I will be applying to mostly private medical schools. One particularly shining beacon of hope is the Stritch School of Medicine at Layola University in Chicago, which is one of the only medical schools in the country with a admissions policy specifically for undocumented students. They would be able to set me up with private student loans in order for me to pay for my education. I have also been in contact with various immigrant groups around the country, which have pointed me to resources and institutions such as Layola