My name is Joseph. I am a student at Cleveland Chiropractic College in the DC program. I am also a disabled veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and I proudly served in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
My time in the military has taught me so many valuable lessons that will help me achieve my future career goals, including leadership abilities, how to be proactive, and how to plan for the welfare of an entire community. In addition to these skills, the most important lesson that serving my country has given me is the will to persevere in adverse situations.
My wounds you cannot see. Sometimes, this is my most difficult challenge in moving forward with goals, but with the skills I have gained in the military, I know that I can attain my goal of becoming a doctor and helping those in need to live a happier, healthier and more productive life. I would like to take my skills from the military, the business world, life and school and share them with my community in the form of patient education and treatment.
I would like to give you a brief description of my passion for caring for others. I have been a natural caregiver and leader my whole life. My ultimate goal has always been to become a doctor. I have always had a strong desire to care for those in need. I grew up in a small town, with a big family, and with a limited income. I know personally what it is like to need quality care and not be able to get it. I am the oldest of 5 siblings. I helped care for my father during his battle with Parkinson’s disease and my mother who suffered with a brain tumor. As I watched my family and others suffer, I always knew that I wanted to make a positive difference.
I have progressively followed my dreams, and I am currently a Licensed Practical Nurse. I am also a Service-Connected Disabled Veteran of the United States Marine Corps, as I proudly served my country in the Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm War. I volunteer at long term care facilities, feed the homeless, and have been involved in prison ministries. I also teach health care classes, exercise classes for seniors, give lectures on healthy living, and teach CPR/First Aid courses. As I continue to reach my goals, as I make my way down the pathway of healthcare from LPN to DC, I commit to continue to give back to my community along the way.
My dream is to have a clinic where I can treat anyone regardless of ability to pay. I see clearly that what we put into our bodies and how we maintain our mental and physical health has a direct relationship to our overall health. I want to share this realization. I want to give my patients “well” care, not “sick” care. Therefore, I want to teach them proper nutrition, healthy shopping/eating habits, necessary supplements, and correct exercise techniques. In other words, I want to treat the whole person. As a nurse, disabled veteran, and chiropractor, I plan to bring this uniquely combined background to my profession to offer a multifaceted approach to healing.
I know exactly what it feels like to have an illness that you can’t see from the outside. I have walked the path of a wounded soldier with scars that are not visible to the human eye. I have been in need of care and been denied due to a broken system. I do not wish this type of pain and suffering on anyone. I want to be an advocate of erasing denial of treatment based on inability to pay or lack of insurance coverage. I also know what the healing touch of another caring human feels like. I have also felt the victory of overcoming hidden wounds and internal pain and suffering through the help of others and through a change in diet, herbs, vitamins, and exercise. The fact is that this journey to health is never completed. You never really reach your final destination. It is a journey of a lifetime, and I intend to continue it. I will continue it, but not alone. I will take others along for the ride. I plan to teach them how to heal the whole person from the inside out. When others learn that how they treat their body can change their lives in monumental ways, a transformation begins. I would love to create a movement of healing the body from the inside out that changes the world one healthy person at a time!
As stated before, I am a disabled veteran. I still have dreams that I am pursuing, and this scholarship would help me to realize these dreams and to help others along the way.
Thank you so very much for considering me for this generous scholarship.
Sincerely,
Jos
