Vaginas used to scare me.  They were a taboo thing that men never stopped talking about, and women never started talking about.  Thus, when I first decided I wanted to be a doctor, I was open to any specialty but OB/GYN.  It was not until many years later, while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer, that one of my colleagues planted the seed, or fertilized the egg, if you will.  One night she looked at me and said “you should really consider becoming an OB/GYN.”  I looked at her and laughed.  She explained that many times when women go to the OB/GYN, it is an unpleasant experience. There is not much that can be done about the paper clothes, scooting for what seems like 9 miles to the edge of the table, the cold metal speculum and so forth, but having a doctor that makes you feel comfortable makes the difference.  My colleague told me that I have a gift; people feel comfortable with me, they open up to me, and they feel like they can tell me anything.

Later, I was reading the book Half the Sky Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn.  The book is filled with horrific stories of the mistreatment of women worldwide, but one particular story broke my heart.  A young Ethiopian girl, Mahabouba, was sold and married off to an older man.  She endured beatings and rapes, became pregnant, suffered through an obstructed labor, and developed a rectovaginal and vesicovaginal fistula following the loss of her baby.  Her husband left her to die on the outskirts of the village, but through some miracle, she made her way to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital. She was partially repaired, left with a colostomy, and is working as a nurse’s aide. As I read this young girl’s story my jaw clenched, my heart pounded, and my hands shook.  I was infuriated that she was treated so inhumanely because of her gender, but I was inspired by Mahabouba’s strength and perseverance; with all the odds stacked against her she was able to not only survive, but thrive.  As I finished the story, I knew being an OB/GYN and a women’s health advocate was what I wanted to do, what I needed to do, and what I was meant to do when I grew up.   

Ever since I was a little girl, I have done everything in my power to achieve my goals.  When I was five, my first life goal was to rock red cowboy boots (and I did). Luckily, as I grew, my goals also matured.  I worked diligently to gain acceptance into my dream college, the University of Notre Dame, I fought several rejections before I was accepted to serve as a rural health Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay, and I am on my way to achieving my lifelong dream of becoming a doctor.  My passion within the medical field is women’s health.  While serving in Paraguay, many of my projects revolved around women’s empowerment in a male dominated society and sexual health education.  After my experiences in the Peace Corps, I was positive I wanted to be an OB/GYN.  During my first year of medical school, I was the president of the Women’s Health Club.  We hosted guest speakers who taught us about careers in OB/GYN and did a variety of activities including a production of the Vagina Monologues.  We donated the proceeds to a local women’s shelter.  Once third year rotations started, I anxiously awaited my OB/GYN rotation.  Colleagues advised me to keep an open mind during rotations so I humored them, but I knew what I wanted to do.  I caught three babies, scrubbed in on my first C-section, observed a D&C following a miscarriage, and assisted on an exploratory pelvic laparoscopy on the first day of my OB/GYN rotation.  I left the hospital energized and excited after a 14 hour shift knowing, without a doubt, that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

 I love the rapid pace and diversity of the field, and I am motivated to pursue a career as an OB/GYN.  I am willing and eager to learn.  I am fearless and adaptable; throw me into any situation and I will calmly figure out how to succeed.  I work well with others; I have traveled and worked in five countries, where cultural interactions and language barriers were never a (major) problem.  My passion, drive, and strengths make me an excellent candidate for your residency program.