“Howdy, partner. What’s in that iron skillet, ma’?”

Those phrases from opposite worlds represent my diverse cultural life growing up with a Greek mother and a father from North Dakota. From my mother I learned to enjoy more than just gyros by adopting some of the Greek language. From my father’s side of the family I developed a love for nature, hard work, and even hunting. I’ve attended a Greek Orthodox Church my entire life and have been very active and committed in that community and in charity work ever since I was young, witnessing how unfortunate some people have been. I have baked Greek foods for fundraisers, cleaned up the church, cooked for the homeless, and sent gifts and food to those lacking the ability to do so themselves for almost six years now.

The most influential charity I experience is an annual gift/food drive for families where I then personally delivering the gift baskets with food to the underprivileged families. The first year I helped out, I was shocked to see how some people have to live. Some were surrounded by filth and sickness appearing to have little chance of getting medical coverage. After witnessing that in fifth grade I developed the greatest desire to lend my hand and try and help them get better. I wished that I could have taken their illness away from them, but at that age there was nothing I could do.

Every Christmas since then I have traveled to many underprivileged homes, witness the sick, and my desire to help them heal increases every time. Entering the medical field would be great because I could help heal others. Not only did I enjoy helping the unfortunate, but also I welcomed the new outlook on life. Instead of taking things for granted I learned to cherish them more, and when I saw someone in a bad situation I no longer had the cynical outlook that they are lazy and should get a job to help themselves rather than getting everything free – some people try and fail, and simply need more assistance.

Seeing the unfortunate for myself helped me become better and more open to helping others in every way and in pursuing my dream of entering the medical field to make a difference on the body and the soul of a human being.