AMCAS - Disadvantaged Statement

I grew up in a single family home where I was required to care for my younger brother while my mother worked an evening shift during the week. We received government aid on a few occasions, but my mother was proud and stubborn and would have rather worked hard every night than receive government aid for our family. My mother's dedication provided my work ethic. I began working and contributing to my family's income days after my 16th birthday, and I have never stopped.I never knew if the area where I resided was medically underserved. We did not have health insurance, and I knew that going to the doctor was just another expense we could not afford. When you were ill, you stayed at home with some medicine from the drug store. Luckily, we were seldom ill other than chicken pox or strep throat, but on these few occasions when I did go to the doctor, I was enamored with what a magical place it seemed to be.

Our financial situation remained unimproved by the time I began to attend college. I worked at least 30 hours per week while living at home and driving over 140 miles to college every day. It has taken an immense amount of fortitude to continue to make this drive, work, study, do outside research, and participate in extracurricular activities for the past 5 years, while maintaining a high GPA.