Ramla

I moved to New York with my family from Pakistan when I was two years old. My parents chose to relocate in the hopes of their first child receiving the best education. It was difficult for my parents to adapt in their new surroundings, especially for my mother, who had never been so far away from Pakistan. While my father had traveled to the States when he was younger, he still found moving to New York challenging. Although the transition was tough, my family always said it was worth the struggle to see their little girl be successful and independent.

Today, I am a student at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, majoring in Liberal Arts. One of my favorite courses is Sociology. I enjoy this class because I am learning about the ways in which people overcome the struggles of cultural biases. I believe that I identify with the concepts because of my first hand experiences. As someone born in Pakistan and now living in the United States, I feel that there can be a lot of skepticism geared towards people from there and the surrounding countries. Although I find the subject of sociology enlightening, my true passion and future career aspiration is medicine. Although I did not always know that I wanted to become a doctor, my experiences have led me to conclude that I can excel in this field not only scientifically, but socially.

I discovered I wanted to be a doctor during the hardest and most vulnerable part of my life. My mom became very ill when I was in high school. After many medical tests, the doctors concluded that she suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA.) My mother’s RA not only had an impact on her but also on our family. It was strenuous to function normally when the person you’ve known to be energetic can no longer walk or move without enduring excruciating pain. As the oldest child, I had to help do the things my mother once did. This had an emotional effect on me, which later began to show in my academics. I was not able to focus on my school work.

Fortunately, I maintained my drive and continued to move forward. Though this time was tough, I still managed to start college. I aspire to be someone who not only has an impact on an individual’s health but on their way of living. My career dream is to become a doctor and do non-profit work through the United Nations. Though I have not yet decided on the type of doctor that I want to be, I believe that my fellowship with New York Needs You will help me to narrow my options. I’ve already discovered the pieces of my life’s puzzle; now I seek guidance in arranging them into place.