From my earliest memories in life, I have been a huge fan of sports.

Since I was a

child, I have been playing all sorts of sports: basketball, baseball, tennis, volleyball

and track and field. Unfortunately, following my passion for sports did not go as

smoothly as I expected it. All my sports dreams came to a halt when I was 11: I

injured myself because I was simultaneously training in two different sports

excessively. I still remember the day that I woke up and fell down because I could

not walk. I had a horrible pain in my left knee. When my mom took me to the

physiatrist, he immediately realized that I was too young to be there with that type

of injury. After a lot of therapy and a lot of patience, I was able to walk and play

sports again but now with a heightened sense of caution. That was a terrible

experience for a young boy full of sports dreams. Nevertheless, it changed my life

for the better: meeting with that doctor, seeing how concerned with my well-being

he was and seeing how he helped me to get better ignited my interest to go to

Medicine School.
 When I become a doctor, I want to focus on helping other people be better

physically and mentally, just like that doctor did when I was 11. Very early on, I

learned that you needed to take care of your body to succeed in your sport dreams.

Not only did I almost ruin my chances at playing sports, but I also witnessed many

of my friends and teammates, who had the potential to do amazing things in their

careers, get their dreams crushed because of career-ending injuries. All it would

have taken to avoid this would have been a better education on the effects of sports

in young bodies and a caring person who could have guided them and taken care of

them. I want to be that person. I want to be that doctor that makes the difference in

Sports Medicine. My priority would be to minimize injury probabilities. I want to

help them realize their potential while taking care of their bodies. I want to do this

not only to open more opportunities to everyone who is interested in sports but also

for them to lead a better wholesome life without suffering agonizing pain.

My purpose in becoming a doctor is to grow as a mentor to those athletes

who burn themselves out too early in their lives because of lack of knowledge. I

want to maintain their physical performance and health at their best. I want to
develop and to teach techniques that take care of their muscles, ligaments, joints

and tendons. Maintenance of adequate physical performance in athletes and people

in general is critical in order to have a successful career in sports, but it is also

fundamental in order to have a good quality of life in the later years, when they are

ready to retire from sports. We should keep our body to last way past our glory

days to enjoy our lives to the fullest. That is mainly achieved through the power of

medicine. Educating the youth on preserving the talents they possess and putting

them into practice when it counts the most is the keystone for extended success in

sports.

Additionally, I would like to be a volunteer in the national teams of my

country to serve my people through my desired profession so that we can ensure

the best representation out of our little island. Athletes who wear our flag have a

great impact in our society. They make us swell with pride, they unite us, they

highlight our people’s unlimited talents and they make our little island known

throughout the world in international competitions. I cannot wait to be a part of

that experience as a Doctor in Medicine.

 Becoming a Doctor to focus on Sports Medicine has been my life-long goal

and recent events have shown me that no setback will take that dream away. My

journey has not been without adversities. Last year, I took the Medical College

Admission Test for the first time and I did not perform as well as I expected. I’ve

always been a proficient student, but I could not demonstrate my abilities in this

standardized test. The score I earned was one that left a lot to be desired. This

shook me to the core and even made me question my capabilities. Is going to

Medicine School not for me? Through weeks of reflection and consults with my

mentors, I decided that giving up is not a mentality that a future doctor should

have. Thus, I registered for the test for a second time. With a more comprehensive

plan to ace it, which involved a lot of patience, labor and investment of time, I

succeeded. My score improved because my hard work paid off. Not just that, it

made me evolve into a more mature as well as prepared person for future obstacles

I will encounter in the next chapter of my life. I have always dreamt to become a

doctor, now I know that I will become a doctor, as I know hard word, patience and

time will set my course straight. With those skills and the knowledge I will
cultivate in your School, I will help my patients have a more productive and longer

career, just like that doctor helped that crazy-for -sports eleven year old.