Helllllooo! Welcome to my first blog post! In case you don’t know me, my name’s Kimberly (Leo sun, Pisces moon) and I’m really excited to give y’all a glimpse into my life. The fact that I’m even writing this is a testament to how much confidence I’ve gained in the past couple of years. I just received my 6th medical school acceptance (wut?!), I’m finally ready to share my story with y’all! I could give you the simple answer of how I got here. I went to Emory University for undergrad, got a Masters in Medical Science at Loyola University Chicago, stayed focused, applied myself, blah blah blah. But that wouldn’t be juicy lol I don’t really know where to start soo I guess I’ll start at the beginning-- with a truth that I’ve never told anyone. When I was about four or five years old my oldest brother got arrested. I was devastated and confused. Hysterical, I asked my parents why they were taking him away. They replied, “Punkin, he’s just sick”. I contemplated over and over again how prison could possibly be a place for the sick. I wrote to him every Friday for 6 years (using all of my spelling words) trying to keep his spirits high. The words “Punkin, he’s just sick” rang in my ears and I vowed to become a doctor-- to help those with addiction, personality, and other mental disorders become the best versions of themselves. But like... how did I get HERE?! Education isn’t exactly a big thing in my family. But once I knew I wanted to be a doctor my family moved closer and closer to the suburbs to give me the best opportunities. Going to Emory University for undergrad was one of my best decisions. Academically it was rough, but the personal development was worth ittt. I met my first Black friends, joined the THE FIRST AND FINEST sorority, had my first love (and heartbreak lmao), and a whole bunch of anxiety, but somehow (GOD!!), I landed on my feet. After Emory I was definitely reminded of my purpose. I knew exactly who I was and what I wanted to do. The only problem? Deez grades…! I decided to pursue a Masters in Medical Science at Loyola University Chicago to focus on the core sciences before submitting my application to medical school. I literally applied at the first possible second. I remember sitting on my bed SHAKING waiting for the submission button to appear. It’s crazy because I had ZERO confidence that I would get in. The thing about the med school application process is that it literally exposes ALL of your weaknesses. You're asked to unveil everything about whether it’s academic, personal, financial, whatever. As a Black woman with my socioeconomic background the odds were stacked against me and every single statistic proved it. Again, how did I get here? I honestly just kept reminding myself of my brother. As this country grows exceedingly unjust, I knew that I just needed one yes to put me on the path to tackle these health disparities head on and advocate for my community. On October 15th, 2019 I got that yes. SO yeah, that’s my intro. I’m not really sure what direction I’ll take with this blog but I want to remind y’all that you can be anythinggggg. All it takes is one yes, one acceptance, one person to hear your story and validate how remarkable you are. Thanks for readinggg! Keep following to hear about how I make my medical school decision (especially with Step 1 now being P/F)!! Also, this is my first blog & I love feedback! Leave a comment and let me know what y’all would like to hear (: