Hello, my name is Martin! I am from Bowie, Maryland, and I have four siblings (two brothers and two sisters). I initially gained interest in becoming a physician through my mother, a Licensed Practitioner Nurse (LPN). When I was in high school, I sometimes followed my mom to her workplace. At her workplace, I met her client who had brain damage and gastroesophageal reflux disease.. While watching my mother, I was amazed by the care and compassion she showed her client. She would talk to him in a calm and playful tone, which always made him laugh. Further, she made sure to administer his gastrostomy tube (G-tube) feeding regularly and gave him his medications in a timely manner. From this experience, I understood the importance of being a genuine and competent healthcare worker.
I also ran track in high school. My events were the 100m, 200m, and 400m dash. My teammates and I qualified for the New Balance National (4x200m relay) my junior year, which was a very exciting experience. I attended undergrad at the University of Maryland, College Park, where I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Neurobiology and Physiology. As an undergrad, I participated in various community service activities and spent more than 100 hours shadowing physicians. Through shadowing, I gained memorable experiences that confirmed my interest in becoming a physician. For instance, when I shadowed an oncologist, I witnessed the joy a patient felt toward the doctor for helping her with her battle against cancer. Hearing the patient’s heartfelt words made me experience the non-tangible reward that physicians get through service. After graduating college, I decided to attend the University of Virginia School of Medicine because of their robust Primary Care Program and the Generalist Scholars Program (GSP), which emphasizes leadership and community service. I like the sense of community and camaraderie that the GSP program offers between faculty and students. In addition, I have learned how to advocate for public health issues and public policy of interest to me via GSP. After my post-graduate training, I envision myself occasionally working in underserved communities to ensure everyone has access to quality care. During my spare time, I like exercising and watching basketball.