"Reaching Back to Move Forward"

This past Saturday I attended a SNMA Region 9 conference that was held in Albany Medical School with some medical program called MSI AHEC. During this conference, I, as well as around 75 other students(high school, undergraduate, graduate, and medical students) were able to participate in a day full of workshops, tours and lectures. The workshops that were set up for us were very distinct. There were some workshops that gave a lesson on how to suture, and other workshops which focused primarily on an high school audience and gave helpful tips on filling out FAFSA.

We also received a tour on Albany Medical school. During this tour we were able to see one of the many lecture halls which houses 125 students per class. The thought of so many students in one class was overwhelming to me. Later during the tour, the kind tour guide showed us the “hangout room” for all of the medical students. It seemed pretty cozy and comforting. The tour guide began to tell us about how much time she devotes to studying for her classes. She said that on average she spends from 8am to 8pm studying because the test in her class are every two weeks. She warned us that she does not have a social life ever since she’s enrolled to medical school. This immediately started a riot in my brain. Would I be able to handle such a studious life these upcoming 8 years of my life? On top of that, all those long years of schooling only to end up in a heap of debt. At that moment I felt like all my plans prior to that day had been crushed. I no longer felt as if I would be able to make it.

During the conclusion of our trip, we all headed to one of the Lecture halls to receive a lecture from a very inspirational man named Doctor Adam Aponte. Dr. Aponte stood in front of a projection that read “ Reaching back to move forward”. During his lecture he explained to us his life story and his journey into becoming a Pediatrician. He grew up in East Harlem with his Puerto Rican family. Ever since he was younger, he would always tell his parents he wanted to become a doctor. However, many doubted him and did not believe an underprivileged kid from East Harlem would be able to become a doctor. He told us that there will always be people trying to divert you from your dream career but you have to prove them wrong. He then said that after we become successful, we must never forget where we came from. Being able to inspire and advise your community is one way of making a change. This ultimately touched me. I never really noticed how important it is to actually remember where you come from. Being able to give even the slightest advice or help to someone in need can really change their life around.

After such a horrible day that had appeared to crush my whole vision, Dr. Aponte’s speech brought peace to my mind again. So what if I have to spend the next 10yrs under a rock. So what if I might not have a social life. All that matters is that I will be fulfilling a field that I am most passionate about and that’s helping others.

ID

Last Thursday in Participation in Government, I presented to the entire class my assigned Supreme Court case, which was Good News Club v. Milford Central School. I actually enjoyed researching this case.
The case was primarily about a dispute between whether or not a private religious program should be allowed to use Milford Central school’s facilities after school. Milford Central school denied the Club from using its facilities because they feared that by allowing the Club to use it’s facilities they were violating the Establishment Clause. The school also believed that the Club was clearly trying to convert younger kids into Christianity.
The Club believed that the school was simply violating their 1st and 4th amendment, which protected their freedom of speech and their equal protection under the law. They also argued that the Club’s purpose is not to convert children into Christianity but to guide and teach the kids into good morals.
Ultimately, after the very long process that moved up to the Supreme Court, the final verdict was for Good News Club. This case set a precedent that now allows religious programs to use school facilities without discrimination.
As I read more about the Good News Club, I realized how similar this organization is to Yogi Bear, which is also a program that promotes Christianity typically in project areas. This reminded me of when I used to attend this “event” of some sorts every Friday, right downstairs from the projects I live in. They would always award the children with some type of candy or item that would serve as an incentive to praise a god, that these younger kids were not able to make sense of yet. After making the connection between Good News Club and Yogi Bear,the purpose of these groups seemed so wrong to me. It’s as if our children are the indigenous people of America and these religious groups are the colonist; imperializing and stripping our youth from making sense of the world on their own.