"During my senior year of high school, I was educated on the equity problems in healthcare. One of my STEM teachers introduced the equity problem that had been going on in our healthcare systems for so long. It bothered me so much that people were being treated differently based on their ethnicities and races, a factor that simply cannot be controlled. From there, I was interested in doing my own research. I soon learned about the disproportionate statistics in treatment and care found in minority groups. Even diagnosing darker skin patients with diseases, such as skin cancer, go undetected since darker skin tones aren't found in medical books. I realized that diversity is seen as an impediment for proper treatment in the healthcare world. At the end of my high school STEM course, we were given a project to create an innovative medical device. I decided to make a presentation showing how poorly minorities are treatment in healthcare along with the innovate medical device of a healthcare book that shows diseases and illness on a vast range of skin tones. The project helped me realized that there are so many underrepresented people whose needs aren't met because they aren't being seen nor heard. To combat this problem, we need more representation. Our communities need to take a dive deeper into healthcare and play their parts to see a change. It has become so important for me to pursue a career in the medical field to lead as representation for the minority communities. As a Ghanaian-American myself, I know that I don't typically see many Ghanaian healthcare workers.
After spending my first year of college heavily involved in the African American Cultural Resource Center I decided to steer into a direction where I can focus on healthcare. I applied for the CVIP position after hearing about it from my peers. I was soo accepted and excelled from there. As a CVIP, I love the interaction that I am able to receive from patients. I also love being able to volunteer for an underserved community because it's the small steps like these that help grow our communities. Every conversation I have with a patient, every joyful response I hear, and every health center that I call has been refreshing. I love being able to help others. It's also so beautiful to see the love that each Crossroads employee has for one another. They're always so sweet and helpful. Crossroads Health Center is a wonderful place where diversity is promoted and accepted. It's a place where each minority is treated with care and respected, a place where values are upheld, and everyone is welcomed."
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