Application Essay by SMYSP Alumnus Jared Lao Mai Chang
This is Chang's application essay to a 2-year Surgical Technology Program in Fresno, California. He was accepted to the program in 2005
“Hold on, little sister, Breathe! Come back to us,” were the last words I said to her. It was July 4th, and I was swimming in the middle of the Central Valley Lake, gasping for air and all I could think about was, “where are my two sisters?” My world had suddenly changed, as my brothers and I searched frantically to find my two younger sisters. After two long minutes, we were able to find and rescue one of my sisters. As I continued diving and looked back to the rest of my family on the shore, I remember fearing the worst. When we finally pulled her body from the water, her face was blue, her hands were pale, and she was covered with dirt. Although there was no pulse, I had recently taken a CPR course at the University of San Francisco and I performed CPR until the paramedics arrived. As my sister was air-lifted to the Children’s Hospital in Fresno, she passed away within minutes. The doctor could not save her life due to the severity of injures. This tragic event had one positive outcome—it made me reconsider my life work. I was a student at the University of San Francisco with a lifelong interest in the sciences and health professions who had changed to a business major. I now realized that the medical field was where I belonged.
My lifelong interest in the medical field began with my birth. I was born pre-maturely and was hospitalized in Bangkok Hospital for five months in Thailand. To pay for my medical expenses, my parents spent all of their assets, including the money that they had saved to come to United States and the money from the necklace my grandparents had given to my mother on her wedding day. I survived through the technical expertise of the doctors and my parents told me about my near death experience over and over again during my childhood in Fresno. As my parent’s remembered my struggle for life, they also remembered the technology that saved me and reminded me about the value of life.
Being the second oldest in my family of thirteen, I had little help academically from my parents who did not speak English, but much emotional support for my educational goals. My parents’ belief in higher education helped strengthen my values and respect for the profession of medicine.
In the summer of 1996, I started volunteering at Children’s Hospital Central California, Fresno. I volunteered in the Child Life, Medical Records, and Pharmacy Departments. Through volunteering at the hospital, I found a position as a Dietetic Service Aide, where I worked for two years. This work supported by interest in science and math at school by allowing me to see the practical applications of science. I also started research into careers in the medical field. While in high school, I became involved in leadership and public service. I was involved with the Math, Engineer, Science Achievement Club (MESA) and participated in various science competitions at CSU, Fresno. When my senior year came, I was served as President of the MESA Club and was also an active member of the Hmong club, serving the community. These experiences let me see the value of science, and learn about medically underserved populations in Fresno who often lacked access to health care and often feared medical and surgical procedures.
It was during my junior year that I applied to the Stanford Medical Youth Science Program, (SMYSP) and was selected as one of the 24 participants of that program. Through the six week courses of the program, I lived at Stanford University and again my journey into the medical field was expanded and supported. While working with faculty, physicians, and Stanford medical students, I learned medical terminology and how each member of the operating room contributed to helping individual patients. I was chosen to shadow a cardiovascular surgeon in the Surgical Department at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital. While I stood by nervously but eagerly, I watched while the surgical procedures were being conducted. I assisted with the preparation of operations, and learned how the surgical technician contributed in assisting the doctor with the proper surgical instruments and equipment, as well as preparing the appropriate tools on the operation table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes. I also learned about medical protocols, standards of care, and safety features. Perhaps most interesting were the unexpected emergencies and the needed responses of the surgical team as they communicated about procedures in order to provide the best care to the patient.
After high school, I was admitted to the University of San Francisco as a pre-med major, where I took Biology and Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry courses, along with the related laboratory components to strengthen my knowledge of science. I became an active member of the Tri-Beta Honor Society, a science club, where I volunteered at UCSF. I also developed an interest in business courses, being unsure about whether my future would be in medicine or an area that some people told me might be more practical—that of business. I finished my degree in Business with a minor in Chemistry.
My sister’s death clarified my career goals and gave me strong reasons to reconsider a career in the medical field—one that has direct interactions with people and applications of my lifelong interest in science and health. I decided to finish what I had started.
Now, more than ever, I would like to realize my dream of becoming a part of a surgical team by successfully completing the Surgical Technology Program at San Joaquin Valley College in Fresno. I am familiar with your program and am mentally and physically prepared for the intense two- year program. After experiencing many family deaths, I have seen that there is often a lack of understanding in the Hmong community and other immigrant communities which often result in patients refusing medical procedures because of language barriers and lack of trust. I would like to help build that bridge of knowledge between the Hmong community and medical care providers in the Central Valley since I am bilingual in Hmong. I am committed to successfully completing the Surgical Technology Program and with my academic and personal experiences, along with a passion for science, I am confident that I will be able to contribute to the field and help close gaps between the profession and medically underserved groups. I am ready to dedicate my career as a Surgical Technician, one that will help save people’s lives, much like the career of the doctor, who so long ago in Thailand, saved my life.