In 500 words or less, please describe how you plan to help fulfill the needs of your community after you've completed your education.
I don't know about other communities, but when I listen to the Vietnamese-Americans in my city, I'm saddened by how far they have managed to distance themselves from their heritage. All of my Vietnamese friends speak Vietnamese with an American accent and joke about the bad quality of Vietnamese music (which I personally think is quite good at times). As someone who identifies herself more as Vietnamese than American, I hope to use my education to help not only Vietnamese living in America, but those living in Vietnam as well.
Being a Vietnamese teacher, I'm fully aware of the difference between the first and second generation's Vietnamese capabilities, and I'm afraid that future generations will eventually be unable to communicate with their elders. How do we help the weak and poor if we can't understand a single word they say? By becoming a bilingual family doctor, I hope to act as a link between the old and new generations, someone who can easily help both sides. While family doctors aren't the ones who are recognized for saving people from incurable diseases, they are able to help more people surpass everyday sicknesses. As a family doctor, I would be able to help relieve the pains of people of all ages, whether they speak Vietnamese or American.
Vietnam is undoubtedly a poor country. While large cities such as Saigon may seem crowded by mopeds and other examples of modern technology, the country lacks the hygiene, medical abilities, and money of other countries. Whenever I walk into a Vietnamese supermarket, there are always boxes next to the cashiers pleading for donations for the orphans and lepers in Vietnam. The country is constantly subject to devastating floods, and malnutrition is still a serious problem in rural areas. My grandmother used to visit leper camps in Vietnam to help feed and provide friendship to those who are normally shunned by the community, while my mom always donated money whenever she heard there was a flood in Vietnam. Seeing as how both have been my lifelong role models, it's not surprising that I also want to help my homeland. As a doctor, I could provide more than just kindness and money; I could give those people another chance to live.
I've been lucky enough to have my parents' full support on my education, still have a foot attached to my heritage, and have an opportunity to pursue higher education, something which the majority of Vietnam can only imagine. I hope I can use my education to help Vietnamese people wherever I go.
I don't know about other communities, but when I listen to the Vietnamese-Americans in my city, I'm saddened by how far they have managed to distance themselves from their heritage. All of my Vietnamese friends speak Vietnamese with an American accent and joke about the bad quality of Vietnamese music (which I personally think is quite good at times). As someone who identifies herself more as Vietnamese than American, I hope to use my education to help not only Vietnamese living in America, but those living in Vietnam as well.
Being a Vietnamese teacher, I'm fully aware of the difference between the first and second generation's Vietnamese capabilities, and I'm afraid that future generations will eventually be unable to communicate with their elders. How do we help the weak and poor if we can't understand a single word they say? By becoming a bilingual family doctor, I hope to act as a link between the old and new generations, someone who can easily help both sides. While family doctors aren't the ones who are recognized for saving people from incurable diseases, they are able to help more people surpass everyday sicknesses. As a family doctor, I would be able to help relieve the pains of people of all ages, whether they speak Vietnamese or American.
Vietnam is undoubtedly a poor country. While large cities such as Saigon may seem crowded by mopeds and other examples of modern technology, the country lacks the hygiene, medical abilities, and money of other countries. Whenever I walk into a Vietnamese supermarket, there are always boxes next to the cashiers pleading for donations for the orphans and lepers in Vietnam. The country is constantly subject to devastating floods, and malnutrition is still a serious problem in rural areas. My grandmother used to visit leper camps in Vietnam to help feed and provide friendship to those who are normally shunned by the community, while my mom always donated money whenever she heard there was a flood in Vietnam. Seeing as how both have been my lifelong role models, it's not surprising that I also want to help my homeland. As a doctor, I could provide more than just kindness and money; I could give those people another chance to live.
I've been lucky enough to have my parents' full support on my education, still have a foot attached to my heritage, and have an opportunity to pursue higher education, something which the majority of Vietnam can only imagine. I hope I can use my education to help Vietnamese people wherever I go.