<p>Hi! I’m struggling to strongly finish this personal statement. Comments, observations, suggestions-general help? Thank you!</p>
<pre><code> There have always been six of us- the Smileys. Regardless of where we are in the world, there is an uninterrupted bond forged by shared experiences and difficulties. My American parents raised us in Izmir, Turkey. Growing up in the Turkish culture meant I was exposed to the extreme importance of family. Every night at dinner we would share our highs and lows, as my mother would call it: daily episodes at the public Turkish school, scraping a knee while playing basketball with friends, or having a fun impromptu çay, (Turkish tea) party with the upstairs neighbor. There was firm familial support forming a strong family backbone; if it was a simple move across town, or an unexpected cross-global relocation, we were prepared for almost anything that came our way.
Almost anything. Then came the emergency trip to America, the beginning of a family journey that would alternate between fear and hope. Following my family into the hospital room where the patient was my 14-year-old brother will forever remain the most unpleasant memory. He had just been diagnosed with potentially terminal, and life-threatening osteosarcoma. We instinctively surrounded the hospital bed of my pale brother some of us climbing in next to him, some of us holding a hand, all of us connecting with him in some way. Every days new fears and incessant worries shaped our dinner table topics. In times that called for celebration, like a clean CT scan, there was a calming and renewal of hope. We found new methods of coping with the pain through humor, good food and music. Lots of music. My familys dependence on each other paved a pathway for my personal maturation. Although innately a very independent individual, as a result of being a Smiley I understand the crucial need for a supportive community, the importance of processing grief, and the development that can come from pain.
I am strong and confident because my family has modeled what it means to successfully endure and grow from hardships. Having been blessed with such a supportive family, I have been convicted to ultimately be that support to others. Because of my early introduction to the hospital atmosphere I fell in love with the ample hope presented by doctors and nurses. At the bedside of my sick brother and inspired by not only my immediate family but also my hospital family, in fifth grade I decided my future lied in the medical field providing others with the same encouragement and hope that was presented to me.
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