Beyond the cell membrane...
As you can already probably guess, I have a huge passion for genetics. Something I can attribute to one of my earliest mentors in biology, who taught me how to "speak" genetics and instilled this passion and excitement in me for genetics research and cancer genetics. She was one of my earliest research advisers, and one of the people who encouraged and inspired me to pursue a career in STEM.
However, once in college, I discovered an entirely different passion of mine, one that I didn't find in my science courses, but in the myriad of courses I took as part of my university's Honors Program. There I was exposed to a true liberal arts education, where I was exposed to schools of thought that I was not familiar with, ones that challenged my beliefs, and most importantly prompted me to think critically about everything. There I found myself growing as a global citizen, one that was aware of socioeconomic disparities, racial and ethnic diversity (and discrimination), and had found a new goal of living in a way that fought for the social justice and equality of all marginalized groups, in hopes of being a part of a generation that will form a more ethical world.
As I learn more about genetic counseling, and grow as a student, I find that my passion to be an advocate for social justice and equality calls me to take action and be a part of the movement that shifts the landscape towards a world in which all people are given equal and fair opportunities socially, economically, and politically. While I realize that I can't change the entire landscape, I know that I can at least be part of positive socio-economic, cultural, and political change in health care and other STEM careers.
Over the past year I made it a point to spend a good amount of time reading genetic counseling articles, learning about what kind of research was being done, and more importantly, what kind of research needed to be done going forward, because my goals as a genetic counselor would be to fill those needs. As I read more and more articles, and did more research on the field of genetic counseling, and specifically the demographics of genetic counseling, I began to construct a clear idea of what kind of research I wanted to do as a genetic counselor, and more important how I wanted to change the field of genetic counseling. I noticed that there was a significant push, not only in genetic counseling but in all areas of health care, for diversity in health care providers. Diversity, not only racially (Black, Native American, and Latinx individuals being the least likely to pursue a career in health care fields), but in other areas as well. For example, I noticed that there were very few articles written about how the deaf and hard of hearing communities respond to genetic counseling, despite there being a genetic and inherited component to some causes of deafness, only to learn that the majority (if not the entirety) of genetic counselors are hearing. And as I learned more about these gaps in accessibility, whether it be for students to pursue a career in health care, or for individuals to have access to simply receive competent and comprehensive health care, I found myself driven to initiate some kind of change to fill these gaps.
While I still have research interests in cancer genetics (and a budding interest in rare disease research), I know that once I am a genetic counselor my research will go far beyond the cell membrane. Once I am a genetic counselor I want to engage in programs that promote careers in STEM or health care for students of color and ones that create opportunities for students of color to find mentors and internships that will help them to pursue careers in health care. I want to become proficient in ASL and learn more about the deaf community, so that I am able to provide competent care to individuals who may be deaf/hard of hearing and may be deterred from receiving genetic counseling because of a lack of cultural competence about the deaf/hard of hearing community. Overall, I want to impact the field of genetic counseling by being part of a movement that enacts real and positive change towards the diversity and equality of health care.
What are you passions or goals? Let me know in the comments!
However, once in college, I discovered an entirely different passion of mine, one that I didn't find in my science courses, but in the myriad of courses I took as part of my university's Honors Program. There I was exposed to a true liberal arts education, where I was exposed to schools of thought that I was not familiar with, ones that challenged my beliefs, and most importantly prompted me to think critically about everything. There I found myself growing as a global citizen, one that was aware of socioeconomic disparities, racial and ethnic diversity (and discrimination), and had found a new goal of living in a way that fought for the social justice and equality of all marginalized groups, in hopes of being a part of a generation that will form a more ethical world.
As I learn more about genetic counseling, and grow as a student, I find that my passion to be an advocate for social justice and equality calls me to take action and be a part of the movement that shifts the landscape towards a world in which all people are given equal and fair opportunities socially, economically, and politically. While I realize that I can't change the entire landscape, I know that I can at least be part of positive socio-economic, cultural, and political change in health care and other STEM careers.
Over the past year I made it a point to spend a good amount of time reading genetic counseling articles, learning about what kind of research was being done, and more importantly, what kind of research needed to be done going forward, because my goals as a genetic counselor would be to fill those needs. As I read more and more articles, and did more research on the field of genetic counseling, and specifically the demographics of genetic counseling, I began to construct a clear idea of what kind of research I wanted to do as a genetic counselor, and more important how I wanted to change the field of genetic counseling. I noticed that there was a significant push, not only in genetic counseling but in all areas of health care, for diversity in health care providers. Diversity, not only racially (Black, Native American, and Latinx individuals being the least likely to pursue a career in health care fields), but in other areas as well. For example, I noticed that there were very few articles written about how the deaf and hard of hearing communities respond to genetic counseling, despite there being a genetic and inherited component to some causes of deafness, only to learn that the majority (if not the entirety) of genetic counselors are hearing. And as I learned more about these gaps in accessibility, whether it be for students to pursue a career in health care, or for individuals to have access to simply receive competent and comprehensive health care, I found myself driven to initiate some kind of change to fill these gaps.
While I still have research interests in cancer genetics (and a budding interest in rare disease research), I know that once I am a genetic counselor my research will go far beyond the cell membrane. Once I am a genetic counselor I want to engage in programs that promote careers in STEM or health care for students of color and ones that create opportunities for students of color to find mentors and internships that will help them to pursue careers in health care. I want to become proficient in ASL and learn more about the deaf community, so that I am able to provide competent care to individuals who may be deaf/hard of hearing and may be deterred from receiving genetic counseling because of a lack of cultural competence about the deaf/hard of hearing community. Overall, I want to impact the field of genetic counseling by being part of a movement that enacts real and positive change towards the diversity and equality of health care.
What are you passions or goals? Let me know in the comments!
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