Scholarship Essay

1) What is your purpose? (25 words or less.) If you had to describe your calling in life, what would you say? What are you here to do? What gift is yours to give to the world?

I will be a force in the reform of the American medical system, striving to return medicine to humanitarianism and consequently, facilitating greater social justice.

2) What do you love, and how do (or will) your actions demonstrate this? (250 words or less.) We at Gaia believe that following your heart is the best way to help the whole planet. What do you care about, and what do you most enjoy doing?

I love to challenge myself and to bring joy and peace to the lives of others.  I feel best about myself when I utilize my power to bring about positive change and treat another person with a caring and kindness that startles them.  As a professional, a student, and a human being, I seek each day to improve the world in some small way, because I truly believe that positive energy has the potential to change the world through a domino effect of good deeds.  Whether it is giving some attention an elderly person starving for companionship at the restaurant where I work, or going out of my way to help a client at the law firm where I intern, I always attempt to exceed the expectations of those I interact with, bringing smiles to their faces and challenging their notions of how people should conduct themselves. 

I once heard that the true measure of a human being is how he or she will treat someone who offers them no profit. This dynamic between America and her impoverished reflects a questionable ethos.  I have found a passion converging my interests in social justice, law and medicine and am challenging myself through a graduate degree in Bioethics and Health Policy, and on to law school.  I project a future of helping those who are unable to help themselves, so that when I measure my own life, I can deem myself a respectable human being.

3) Write your ideal job description. (250 words or less.) Forget about job titles like 'doctor' or 'artist' or 'lawyer.' If you could get paid just to live, how would you spend your time? What would you devote your life to? What would your days be like?

          
Without the confines of societal institutions and financial responsibilities, my ideal career would simply be student and doer of good deeds.  I would spend my days quenching my thirst for knowledge and seeking enlightenment, and then using that knowledge to improve the lives of others.  Following the example of Baba Amte, a great social reformer who devoted his life to the lepers of India, I would attempt to see problems in need of love and attention and then act as the source of those resources.  This simple dream is not only an ideal, but also an integral part of the design of my life.