Page 7 - Morehouse School of Medicine Scholarship - IMPACT
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Scholarship IMPACT
Making Student Dreams A Reality
Have you had any
Kyunti James-Thorpe difficult challenges in your the shortage because of the
racial and health dispari-
Brooklyn, NY medical/healthcare school ties that black people face.
3rd-year M.D. student journey? I think the most Young Black Americans
What was your home life like difficult challenge that I need us as role models.
when you were a child? My home continue to face during Black patients need us
life was crowded. During the my journey is staying for quality and cultural-
majority of my childhood, I lived focused on my goal while ly competent care. The
with two cousins and an aunt in a 2 also being aware of the ra- nation needs us to bring
bedroom Brooklyn apartment. My cial and health disparities diversity and something
dad was a blue-collar worker who that black people face everyday in different to the conversation.
worked long hours and lived sepa- the U.S. As a black woman, I desire
rately from me. My mother worked change in my field and in the world, What do you hope to accom-
for a telephone company and lived but that desire can be challenging plish in your career after gradua-
in a different state than me. in itself. tion/residency? Morehouse School
of Medicine is the best medical
Was the institution’s mission Has the financial burden of school to not only make you a great
important to you, when you were medical school been particularly physician but to also make you well
choosing a medical school? More- difficult for you? Yes. If it were not rounded, culturally competent and
house School of Medicine was for graduate plus loans, I would not patient centered. I hope to provide
unique among the schools I applied be able to afford medical school. I the best healthcare to a diverse
to. They believe in health equity, in- still have undergraduate debt that population. I hope to give back and
creasing diversity in healthcare, and is deferred until after graduation. mentor to those who are aspiring to
addressing the primary care doctor Also, the fact that interest will be be on this journey. I hope to vol-
shortage. I felt like their mission added to all of my loans making unteer or work in areas where I am
correlated with my own values and them higher than what I borrowed, needed most.
goals. gives me anxiety.
If you could say or do one thing
Can you tell me a story about What is your take on the na- to thank your scholarship donors
something that has happened tionwide shortage of Black doc- what would it be? Thank you for
during medical school that would tors? I think racial disparities are supporting me with this schol-
illustrate what the MSM experience the main reason of a black doctor arship, which will help ease my
is really like? During the first block shortage in the U.S. There are only medical school debt. You are truly
of my first year, biochemistry was four historically black medical making a life-changing impact in
difficult for me. But I remember schools. In other medical schools, my career and life.
classmates posting helpful videos black students make up a small per-
and flow sheets to make the met- centage. It is important to address
abolic pathways easier to under-
stand. The people who just finished Thank you for supporting me with
their post-bacs had the advantage
and made sure to share their re- this scholarship, which will help ease
sources and help others who were “ my medical school debt. You are truly
struggling. making a life-changing impact in my
career and life.
