Aspirations and Motivations of a Future Pediatrician by Kalkidane

Aspirations and Motivations of a Future Pediatrician by Kalkidane - August 2025 Scholarship Essay

I am a varied individual. I am proficient in tennis and advanced in video editing using VideoStar, and I participate in the church choir. Although these skills are unrelated and unrealistic for my degree, they do have an impact on my desired profession, as a pediatrician. Tennis allowed me to be optimistic and outgoing with my team members and coach during competitions. Editing on Video Star introduced the idea of creativity and tolerance towards a project. The church environment allowed me to be communicative and confident during performances. I have spent my life surrounded by children; my cousins are babies and toddlers, and my family friends are young. These experiences shaped my passion to work in a medical field that involves children. As a low-income, second-year Biology student on the Pre-Med track at George Washington University, I've faced academic challenges to excel in my biology, chemistry, and health science classes to prepare myself for medical school. As I take these science classes, I look for opportunities related to STEM research and clinical rotations to familiarize myself with the medical workforce, essentially in pediatrics medicine.

Additionally, I intend to leverage the communication, creativity, and resilience skills I've developed through extracurricular activities to foster stable relationships with my future patients. My motivation empowers me to fuel my passion for working with children and ensuring they receive proper treatment. I have spent my life surrounded by children, working in a preschool environment, caring for relatives who are babies and toddlers, and mentoring children from K-5. These experiences shaped my passion to work in a medical field that involves children. Despite financial constraints, my parents cannot afford my GWU's tuition due to my mother's overdue credit card debt and my father's slow-operating grocery business. I remained determined to continue pursuing my aspirations. This scholarship will alleviate the financial burden of costly education. Based on the Pre-Med track, I plan to advance to medical school, where I can become engaged with medicine and treat patients in hospitals and clinics throughout my residency. I am confident in my adaptability and ability to handle the challenges of a medical career. I am committed to delivering even better and high-performance care to children than before, ensuring their well-being. This scholarship will make a difference and change reality for future generations, enabling me to fulfill the possibilities of being a pediatrician who treats patients and improves medical skills and society. Patients rely on and trust me to do my job professionally and accurately. The principles serve as a visual lens, enabling me to reflect on my career path and the choices I've made to achieve my dream job as a pediatrician. This scholarship will also help me understand the role of my job and highlight the professionalization I obtain, ensuring that I live up to my boundaries as a physician.