Page 51 - 2022 May Report

Resilience
Thank you notes
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The Johnson Scholarship Foundation Bursary c/o Office of the VP Advancement
Dalhousie University
Halifax, NS
B3H 4R2
Dear Trustees:
It is with tremendous gratitude that I accept the Johnson Scholarship Foundation Bursary. I want to personally thank all of you endlessly for your contribution to my medical education. As you know, financing medical school is an enormous burden, and as such, it is with immense appreciation that I thank you for your selection as the 2021- 2022 recipient of the Johnson Pathway Scholarship Foundation Bursary.
My path to medicine has certainly not been a linear nor traditional route by any means, but I am elated to have finally arrived at my destination in medicine. Each and every day, I find something new to love in this program and the field of medicine. I'm not quite certain the type of medicine I will pursue when medical school concludes, as I'm presently interested in many fields, including, but not limited to dermatology, urology, oncology, general surgery, family medicine, and ophthalmology. There is, however, one certainty in my future medical career, and that is that I will begin and end my career as a physician here in Nova Scotia. Remaining in my home province to pursue and practice medicine is a cardinal component of my desire to practice medicine and my career plan. I was born and raised in Mulgrave Park and I’m profoundly committed to being able to serve my community and the larger Black community of Nova Scotia as a whole. Over the next four years, as part of my medical school research project, I will be pursuing my research in the field of urology and exploring outcomes, experiences, late diagnosis, and stigma as it pertains to Black men and prostate cancer. An area of research that is very near and dear to me on a deeply personal level.
The Johnson Pathway Scholarship Foundation Bursary is especially impactful for me, as an African-Nova Scotian male, hailing from a low-income family and a subsidized housing community with little to no financial assistance available to me. It is precisely, scholarships like this, that make it possible for folks like me to overcome financial adversity and the enormous financial barriers to receiving an education of this calibre. It is not uncommon for people from my demographic to struggle with feelings of not belonging but it's scholarships like this that serve as a stark reminder that there are people out there who not only perceive my value at the table but are willing to invest in my education.
Thank you again to all of the donors and the selection committee for your investment in my education and my future as a medical practitioner in Nova Scotia.
Yours truly,
Tyler Upshaw
MD candidate Class of 2025