Growing up, my tongue was my worst enemy. To make normal sounds meant contorting it into seemingly foreign shapes, the effort of which often made my tongue weary. My R’s become W’s, my S’s slurred; when I became excited and spoke fast, I might as well have been speaking in another language. I loathed the incomprehensible sounds that came out of my mouth, but, looking back, it was not the words that flowed through my lips that...

HOSA-Future Health Professionals remains and will continue to be most meaningful to me. Since establishing my school’s chapter sophomore year, I have watched it grow to more than 100 official members, and in conjecture to that growth, I have also seen the passion and hopes of students flourish as they realize the potential they possess. This organization has also helped me to realize where my passions lie when I came across the HOSA event titled Transcultural Healthcare, the perfect intersection...

Why did the chicken cross the road? In biology my freshman year, I learned how proteins made in the nucleus of a cell eventually ended up integrated in the cellular membrane, and I thought this was the answer to the infamous question. To get to the membrane — but, wait; how did a protein even get to the membrane in the first place? How did the chicken manage to accomplish as arduous a task as crossing an assumingly busy road? In...

Dear roommate, Sorry for getting up so early; I went on a morning run to clear my mind and I didn’t want to wake you. I’d be overjoyed if you want to join me in the future, but be warned: even after four years of competitive running, I am still yet to master the art of running while talking, so I’ll have to be the listening ear during our break-of-dawn jogs. While on the topic of running:...

“Hey Mom, where are you?” Midnight had come and gone, and the absence of the familiar rumble of the garage door opening beneath me heightened my worry. Her tired voice conveyed an affirmation of safety, but it wasn’t until the garage creaked open that my uneasiness dissipated. When I went down to greet her, however, she embraced me tightly; I had called just as exhaustion was about to overwhelm her while she was behind the wheel, and my short...