I can describe my father as if he were sitting next to me. I remember his smile, his eyes, and his dark curly hair. I also recall my father taking his medication and following the doctor's strict diet. One day I asked him, "Why do you take those pills, Daddy?" He looked into my eyes and said, "Nothing to worry about, sweetie." Not long after that my father passed away.

I was nine years old when he died. Since I was young, my mother did not explain why my father had died. Years later, my mother told me he had a heart attack caused by diabetes. I always wondered why he had left me; he was young and strong.

My life changed after my father's death. I wondered if I could do something to help people like my father. I promised that I would aid people suffering from diseases like diabetes. This is my mission, my sole purpose in life.

During the summer of 1996, I participated in the High School Health Careers Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School as a means to accomplish my mission. I spent four weeks at the Worcester State campus and travelled every morning to the University of Massachusetts Medical School. There I took three classes, biology, math, and communications. After lunch, I interned with a cardio-thoracic surgeon. I observed several bypass surgeries. Once a week I went to the cardiac clinic and talked to recovering patients. This was the most fascinating part of my internship because I saw the other side of medicine: the relationship between patient and doctor.

My four weeks at the school have been embedded in me. I met people who were in the "battle" I would soon join - against disease. I learned how some diseases can be stopped before they start, by turning off the gene that carries the information. With new

medical techniques, I hope to help those in need.

I hope when I become a doctor, I can find a cure for diabetes. When I fulfill my purpose, I will know that another child will not go through the ordeal of losing a family member to diabetes. tf