During family gatherings, and holidays especially, my family would always ask me, “What are you deciding on doing in the future?” or “How is school going?” This was always super overwhelming to me because sometimes I question myself because I sometimes don’t really know what I want to do. I’ve always been someone who overthinks everything, so when I would respond by saying “I want to be a PA” I would even question that and just spiral from there.

I’ve worked at a nursing home as a health aide since my freshman year. This job has really opened my eyes to the importance of assisting others and showing compassion. It feels good to help others because you leave with this amazing feeling and a smile on your face. It is a very rewarding experience. While I have been at the nursing home, I’ve noticed the importance of saying things such as “How has your day been?” or “Goodnight!” and how it can really have an impact on the patients' lives. I always treat them the best I can because I know that one day that will be me or my parents and I would want to be treated respectfully. My grandpa was in a nursing home and he would always get visitors from our big family, but that's not the case for everyone. He started to get sick very quickly and had to be admitted to a nursing home. When he was admitted, I think that's when I realized that I wanted to for sure do something in healthcare.

Seeing the nurses help him really made me want to do the same in a sense. The idea of helping people really made me happy, and that’s what I loved about it. I remember when I was younger, my teachers would give us papers saying on the top, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I’d always draw a doctor. I remember always wanting to be a dermatologist because the science behind it fascinates me. Skin is the biggest organ of our body and there is just so much to it. I have always been into skincare and loved what a dermatologist would do and how they could specifically help others. I later realized that I wanted to be a Physician Assistant instead, working in a private practice consisting of skin and cosmetics. It was less school and seemed like the best fit for me. I just want to make a difference in an individual’s quality of life and love the freedom I have to explore different specialties of medicine that becoming a PA gives me. I will still be able to diagnose, treat, and examine patients, just under the supervision of a physician. I like this. I still have a lot of flexibility with the job and it's still just as rewarding.

I now know that I for sure want to become a Physician Assistant and no longer question myself. I hope my passion for helping others helps me on my college journey so I can eventually become a PA and fulfill my dreams of always being able to assist others.