Hometown:  San Sebastián, Puerto Rico

Undergraduate School: Public, University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez Campus

Major: Industrial Microbiology

GPA: 3.9 out of 4.0

MCAT: 508. CP: 126, CARS: 128, BB: 128, PS: 126.

Medical personal statement tips

A soothing warmth on my chest and a pervading smell of menthol—the memory that imposes itself on my thoughts whenever I recall the experiences that sparked my passion for medicine. Vicks VapoRub or “vi vaporú,” as my grandmother Silvia calls it, was her first line of defense whenever I would catch a cold. Although in the end I always had to resort to more elaborate remedies to treat my maladies, it was not the complex mechanism of action of a pill, but my grandmother’s earnest resolve to heal me that made me feel better, made me feel safe. This is just a simple anecdote, yet it was the seed that, along with my love of solving problems, impelled me into the path of becoming a physician.

Setting off from that childhood memory, I focused my undergraduate experience on breaking the mold that my ethnic and socioeconomic realities made me believe I had to conform to, all of this while my country dealt with crippling financial crises. I persisted even as my state-funded college education was placed in peril innumerable times by the threat of higher tuition costs and less infrastructure. I even pursued applying to medical school in my senior year and though my potential was recognized and I was invited to interview to several schools, in the end I was rejected. Through it all, I persisted and learned to see my failures and hardships as opportunities to pursue even further growth. I continued my personal and academic development by joining the Master of Medical Sciences in Immunology program at Harvard Medical School.

On September 20, 2017, exactly one month after I had left Puerto Rico, Hurricane María, a high-end category 4 storm, destroyed the island. The storm was the worst natural disaster on record for the island and caused the lengthiest blackout in American history. The aftermath of the hurricane continues to be more disastrous than its passing. As the hurricane unfolded, I had to witness in isolation as my homeland was leveled to the ground. Communication lines were obliterated, making contacting family members near impossible. When I finally received what little information I could, it was only to learn that my aunt had a stroke, suffering from paralysis on the left side of her body from the neck down. Given that she lives in a medically underserved area, a week and a half passed before she was seen by a physician. She was lucky enough to survive and recover movement, but many thousand others were not. In the immediate aftermath, people continued dying in silence from chronic disease complications or even simple injuries that could have been easily prevented with the appropriate care. As this occurred, I developed an even stronger spirit to fervently pursue my passions towards higher education and training in the field of medicine, hoping to serve my people when I am well-equipped.

While the passing of the hurricane raised awareness in me about the dearth of resources in Puerto Rico, it also made me more conscious about the needs of the underserved population in Boston.

Decidedly so, I became involved in various initiatives in and outside of Harvard. I joined Escalera, a mentoring program focused on underserved youth. Here I had the opportunity to mentor Juan, a 14-year-old high school student displaced by Hurricane María. I was a teaching assistant at HMS MEDscience and its lab-based counterpart HMS MEDscience Lab, with both programs’ goals being to introduce students, who came particularly from underrepresented groups, to STEM fields through simulated medical cases. I also had the opportunity to participate in Reflection in Action: Building Healthy Communities, where I offered a workshop to middle-school students from urban areas about mental health and how their social determinants can affect it. Lastly, I along with other Puerto Rican students realized our yearning to contribute to the island and founded the Harvard Puerto Rican Student Association, dedicated to utilizing our diverse trainings and experiences to implement preventive measures for any future disasters. Through all of these initiatives, I have been privileged with the opportunity to better appreciate the importance of a physician’s role as a natural attorney for the underprivileged, a role I will take on when I recite my oath.

Here I strive to illustrate what has led me to where I am today: choices. At various moments, I have been faced with choices which ultimately determined the road taken. What I have narrated here are only some of the stories that have gifted me with the grit and resilience I need to achieve my goal of becoming a physician. My passion for the field of medicine originated from the desire to impart in others the sense of reassurance that I felt in my grandmother’s care. Through my education, my love of tackling complex challenges, and the choices I made at critical points of my career, I can now honor her impact in me. I strive for a future in which I can influence the systems that enable unnecessary suffering like that which we saw in the wake of catastrophes such as Hurricane María. This will be no easy task; there are many more choices to make. But through it all I will always hold to the memory of that one feeling that began it all: a soothing warmth on my chest and a pervading smell of menthol.

Analysis

Throughout his essay, it is evident that Sergio’s Puerto Rican up bringing and identity have played central roles in developing and fueling his passion for medicine and for providing empathetic care to the underprivileged. He writes with nostalgia and emotion as he recalls how his grandmother’s care for him when he was a child motivated his desire to become a physician despite the educational obstacles he has had to face. He continues by describing the impact Hurricane Maria and other socioeconomic challenges have had on his understanding of the structural issues that prevent the underprivileged from receiving proper medical care. Through these experiences, he demonstrates clearly that he is driven and dedicated to a career in medicine that will also allow him to give back to his community in Puerto Rico.

Sergio effectively concludes his essay by tying all of the aforementioned stories together under a single theme: choices. He explains how his choices have enabled his experiences and have led him to be the passionate, devoted, and resilient person he is today. In his final sentence, he brings his essay full circle, utilizing the same imagery that he uses to begin his essay. In doing so, Sergio reminds readers that his initial commitment towards providing empathetic care has been and will continue to be fundamental to his aspirations.

From 50 Successful Harvard Medical School Essays edited by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson. Copyright (c) 2020 by the authors and reprinted by permission of St. Martin's Publishing Group