I want to leave my mark and impact our world. I want to change something.

Everywhere
I look, I see human strife and suffering. Some sort of change must occur, and I aim to be, at the
very least, a proponent for this change. My whole life, my parents have raised me in a culture
that encourages benevolence. They have always pushed me to do good deeds, help others, and
place the needs of others before my own interests, values that they inherited from their arduous
childhoods in the Philippines. From my point of view, there is no better way for me to act on my
inherited values than to pursue an education as a Doctor of medicine. As an immigrant from a
third world country like the Philippines, I have witnessed harsh facts of life outside of first world
pleasantness. Yet, as an American Citizen, I have access to first rate education and opportunity. I
see it as my personal responsibility to use the resources available to me for the improvement of
life. In fact, not helping others would be an exorbitant waste of what I have available to me.
For as long as I can remember, my parents have reinforced a strict set of ideals into my
head. They continuously repeat to me the phrase Kailangan mong magbigay, Cecil, which
roughly translates into English as, You need to give, Cecil. Give to whom exactly? Eventually
I came to the realization that I wasnt meant to give to a specific person, but to the human race
as a whole. They raised me with the culture of loyalty and sacrifice that they brought from
overseas to America, and I am very thankful that they did so. From an early age, I saw realities
that most of my peers could not. War. Disease. Poverty. Although my understanding was limited,
my general worldview broadened and continually developed throughout my childhood. Whereas
many children were shielded from our worlds harsh realities, my parents exposed me to these
truths early. As a result, I matured from an early age, and my experiences hardened my resolve to
pursue my vision for my future.

My familys history has played an enormous role in shaping my base character-who I

really am underneath my layers of humanity. Case and point, a specific experience I had during
my freshman year in high school. One day, as I walked with people between two of my midday
classes, the individual to my immediate left turned around, looked behind himself, smiled, and
said, Dude that Abby girl is such a slut. This remark was so obviously aimed at the Abby girl
walking immediately behind us. I turned around and saw a deep sadness shadow her face as the
vulgar insults piled up, so I followed my first instinct-empathy. I stopped walking, joined her,
and walked through the middle of the disgusting group of people with her. As we walked, I
didnt feel any need to speak, because they knew they had lost both my respect and my
friendship. My parents, despite sacrificing their comfortable lives to seek a better one in a
country that has not always treated them fairly, have provided me with this moral compass that
drives me to help others. This largely contributes to who I am today. As I take my first steps into
the next phase of my life, I want to act on the lessons they have passed to me and ultimately heal
others who need healing. This, in my mind, would make the most significant impact on the world
around me.