Hello this is an essay i am writing for the summer medical and dental program. this is their prompt on what i should write: SMDEP seeks individuals who will advance the goals of diversity in the medical and dental profession, reduce health-care disparities, and/or improve health care to underserved populations. Please share your experiences in one or all of these areas.
This is my essay:
I always considered myself one of the lucky ones. Coming from Sudan (what is now called North Sudan), I had been born in a big house with a family living in the upper crust of Sudanese society. Living in the U.S. for most of my life, I never realized how bad the situation was back in my homeland, because I was usually sheltered from it. I was due to for a wake-up call when I had come back to visit.
I was about fourteen at the time when I had gone back to Sudan for the first. I realized the state wasn't in a pleasant state, but what I had seen there haunts me to this very day. Sudan has had a long history of war, economic instability, and social chaos. Every "president" appointed since the early 1900's had staged a military coup and led the nation by brute force. I had gone to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, and a such I inithially arrived there thinking of all places in the country this city would be the most sheltered, but the fact is it one of the most negatively impacted cities in the country. The economic disparity between the upper class and the lower class is absolutely jaw-dropping.
I remember that one day I was being taken to visit the home of the governor of Khartoum. On my way there, I was driven past the major roads of the busy city, and the state of the locals was abysmal. I remember seeing one elderly man hobbling on the sidewalk with one broken and useless leg wrapped around a large wooden cane. At a bus stop, a couple of small children dressed in dirty shorts and t-shirts that couldn't have been past the age twelve, both gathered around the front of the car and, with rags that were clearly former components of their clothing, began wiping the windshield in an attempt to coerce any form of generosity. The driver of the car promptly shooed them off. I couldn't believe how indifferent the locals were to these suffering and disadvantaged souls but this all just speaks to the extreme circumstances of the country if the natives are this desensitized to such forms of anguish and pain.
When I arrived at the Governor's house, I noticed that the neighborhood of residence was completely fenced off with 24 hour guards, and the streets were clean and well-paved and decorated with exotic foliage. The Governor's house was incredibly large and extremely luxurious. It was four stories tall, fully staffed, had at least three HD Televisions, a Tennis court, and a basketball court. All three of his children owned top of the line laptops and go to college overseas in England. It was also brought up that he has a doctorate in medicine presented to him by the government, despite the fact that he did not properly train in the field.
To experience both of these scenarios in one day really speaks on the economic difference between the upper and lower class. This family was living at the pinnacle of luxury while the grand majority of the country lived in poverty. It seemed tremendously unfair that these people with so much power, influence, and wealth don't find it imperative to create a more stable situation for these needy people, especially when considering the fact that they are government officials.
I might not be able to solve the rampant social and economic disparity that exists in Sudan, but I am definitely determined to try. Post-residency I expect myself to work with such organizations as the World Health Organization or Doctors without Borders and provide medical aid that have been damaged by such corrupt regimes and violence.
I feel as if it is the responsibility of those who have the greatest opportunities and abilities to aid those who lack these traits. To promote cohesion and support in a society there should be a sense of common interest and well-being to ones fellow man, especially when one is more fortunate than the other. This is what I feel I owe to those people in Sudan. I was lucky enough to be born into a family, that was able to start a life in the U.S. and now I have the opportunity to learn from some of the most brilliant minds in the world. I consider it my duty and responsibility to give back, and to this end I will definitely not falter.
This is my essay:
I always considered myself one of the lucky ones. Coming from Sudan (what is now called North Sudan), I had been born in a big house with a family living in the upper crust of Sudanese society. Living in the U.S. for most of my life, I never realized how bad the situation was back in my homeland, because I was usually sheltered from it. I was due to for a wake-up call when I had come back to visit.
I was about fourteen at the time when I had gone back to Sudan for the first. I realized the state wasn't in a pleasant state, but what I had seen there haunts me to this very day. Sudan has had a long history of war, economic instability, and social chaos. Every "president" appointed since the early 1900's had staged a military coup and led the nation by brute force. I had gone to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, and a such I inithially arrived there thinking of all places in the country this city would be the most sheltered, but the fact is it one of the most negatively impacted cities in the country. The economic disparity between the upper class and the lower class is absolutely jaw-dropping.
I remember that one day I was being taken to visit the home of the governor of Khartoum. On my way there, I was driven past the major roads of the busy city, and the state of the locals was abysmal. I remember seeing one elderly man hobbling on the sidewalk with one broken and useless leg wrapped around a large wooden cane. At a bus stop, a couple of small children dressed in dirty shorts and t-shirts that couldn't have been past the age twelve, both gathered around the front of the car and, with rags that were clearly former components of their clothing, began wiping the windshield in an attempt to coerce any form of generosity. The driver of the car promptly shooed them off. I couldn't believe how indifferent the locals were to these suffering and disadvantaged souls but this all just speaks to the extreme circumstances of the country if the natives are this desensitized to such forms of anguish and pain.
When I arrived at the Governor's house, I noticed that the neighborhood of residence was completely fenced off with 24 hour guards, and the streets were clean and well-paved and decorated with exotic foliage. The Governor's house was incredibly large and extremely luxurious. It was four stories tall, fully staffed, had at least three HD Televisions, a Tennis court, and a basketball court. All three of his children owned top of the line laptops and go to college overseas in England. It was also brought up that he has a doctorate in medicine presented to him by the government, despite the fact that he did not properly train in the field.
To experience both of these scenarios in one day really speaks on the economic difference between the upper and lower class. This family was living at the pinnacle of luxury while the grand majority of the country lived in poverty. It seemed tremendously unfair that these people with so much power, influence, and wealth don't find it imperative to create a more stable situation for these needy people, especially when considering the fact that they are government officials.
I might not be able to solve the rampant social and economic disparity that exists in Sudan, but I am definitely determined to try. Post-residency I expect myself to work with such organizations as the World Health Organization or Doctors without Borders and provide medical aid that have been damaged by such corrupt regimes and violence.
I feel as if it is the responsibility of those who have the greatest opportunities and abilities to aid those who lack these traits. To promote cohesion and support in a society there should be a sense of common interest and well-being to ones fellow man, especially when one is more fortunate than the other. This is what I feel I owe to those people in Sudan. I was lucky enough to be born into a family, that was able to start a life in the U.S. and now I have the opportunity to learn from some of the most brilliant minds in the world. I consider it my duty and responsibility to give back, and to this end I will definitely not falter.
