Random Family Personal Statement

Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, the author of Random Family, depicts a diverse perspective of unpleasant life experiences people suffer from within ghetto communities. Although Random Family was not my choice to read, I am privileged to have read this remarkable book as it conveys distinctive similarities that accurately represent the male populace who live in underprivileged urban communities. To expand on the earlier mentioned, young men who cohabitate in ghetto communities often have relatives who actively influence their participation in gangs, drug sells, and incarceration. As I read the book, I became conscious of the chapter headings as it correlates with the endeavors that young males face of a lower socioeconomic status. For example, chapter titles such as The Street I, Lock Down II, Upstate III, House-to-House IV and Breaking Out V represent the struggles young men face at a micro-level (Strong & Cohen, 2014, p. 51). Random Family conveys the message that men in ghetto communities is unable to overcome the adversities associated with the street life; however, this message is untrue as there are men who have prevailed over the life they inherited becoming successful individuals and not allowing themselves to become victims of their environment.

In vulnerable communities like the South Bronx, where economic opportunities are limited, populations are at high risk for various adverse outcomes that are impediments to community growth and well-being. Two statistics from the 2015 Community Health Profiles for the Mott Haven & Melrose neighborhoods in the South Bronx are particularly revealing when compared to the fifty-eight other New York City (NYC) communities that were assessed: 1) Mott Haven & Melrose ranks fourth for incarcerations. Its 305 incarcerations per 100,000 adults is nearly twice the Bronx rate and three times the NYC rate, and 2) Mott Haven & Melrose ranks seventh for elementary school absenteeism. Its 31 percent absenteeism rate is over 1.5 times that of the NYC rate (NYC DOHMH, 2015). Given that 59 percent of incarcerated individuals in New York State are parents of children under the age of 18, it is clear that the imprisonment of these criminal offenders does not happen in a vacuum (NYS DOCCS, 2013).

I was raised in a third world country where only few people living in major cities had access to health care, whereas the majority residing in suburbs and rural areas struggled to find a doctor. I believe that health care should be accessible to everyone regardless of his or her place of residence. I chose Morehouse College of Medicine because its mission resonates with my goals of serving the underserved populations and improving the well-beings of disadvantaged communities. Morehouse is a leading medical school in the nation in community engagement and public service. Its mission and vision intersects with the core values that I have been striving to implement and achieve since the moment I decided to become a doctor. Serving the community through education, volunteering, and community involvement are things I have been working on throughout my

My end goal is to one day contribute to the health of underserved communities and provide access to those who otherwise would not have the means to see a physician, the same communities where I was raised. My experience living among the underserved has given me the desire to one-day

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and analyze the book "Random *****: Love, Drugs, Trouble and Coming of Age in the Bronx." by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc. Specifically it will contain a book report on the *****, focusing on three problem areas the book discusses. The book follows ten years in ***** lives ***** two ***** girls, Jessica and Coco, and illustrates the *****s and social inequ*****ies of growing up in poverty with little hope for escape. This book describes so many problems facing these two young women as they mature in the Bronx that it is difficult to choose only three, but *****me of ***** most pervasive ***** facing ***** ***** and others are drugs, poverty, ***** lack ***** education.

Behind every family lies a complex web of diversities and inequalities. In Leblanc’s Random Family the reader is introduced to the true lives of Jessica and Coco. These young women both become teen mothers and are forced to learn how to survive in their poverty stricken neighborhood. They utilize government subsidies but also take advantage of strong and weak ties in order to get what they want and need. Random family is an example of the power of a family as a social institution. The extensions of this family’s web include love & relationships, parenting in the family and poverty.

I have been given many opportunities to help others and make an impact in Johnson City through organizations like the Family Medicine Interest Group at ETSU, serving as the coordinator for student involvement in free clinics. I have also been able to make an impact through medicine in Cleveland, TN by way of the Good Samaritan Clinic. This is a free clinic in downtown Cleveland that I have been volunteering at for the past seven years. I have also been directly involved in the start-up of the Just Care clinic in Mountain City, TN, a medical student ran free clinic in rural Appalachia. I was also been able to spend time in rural Guatemala with a medical team from my undergraduate university helping diagnose, treat, and care for patients whom receive little to no regular healthcare. From my own first hand experiences in both Guatemala and my time spent in the Just Care and Good Samaritan Clinics, I have seen the impact that an inadequate health care system can have on a population. I hope to use my medical and public health training in areas that do not have adequate access to health

Growing up in Nepal, I had to face the adversity of being a female in a community where women are expected to get an arranged marriage at the age of 19, surrender any dreams of education and dedicate their lives to bearing children, preferably boys. However, my family was progressive and fostered in me that scholastic pursuits should always be a priority. So, I immigrated to America by myself with a profound tenacity, in hopes to achieve a college degree in public health. Overcoming all financial hurdles, I was finally able to pursue a college degree successfully. I aspire to be that healthcare professional who yearns to live in the service of others, which for me would be a public health dentist. I am now on my path to achieving a master’s

Since coming to college, I have grown a desire to help create policies and programs to alleviate the disparities that exist in the US and globally. The understanding I have gained from sociology and ethics classes I have taken at UT has broadened my interest in health care and my volunteer experiences have solidified this classroom knowledge. As a student in the Health Science Scholars Honors Program, I have the opportunity to complete a senior capstone thesis project. This interest has had a major role in directing my research and I believe will effect the direction that I take in my career.

Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, the author of Random Family, depicts a diverse perspective of unpleasant life experiences people suffer from within ghetto communities. Although Random Family was not my choice to read, I am privileged to have read this remarkable book as it conveys distinctive similarities that accurately represent the male populace who live in underprivileged urban communities. To expand on the earlier mentioned, young men who cohabitate in ghetto communities often have relatives who actively influence their participation in gangs, drug sells, and incarceration. As I read the book, I became conscious of the chapter headings as it correlates with the endeavors that young males face of a lower socioeconomic status; such as The Street, Lock Down, Upstate, House to House and Breaking Out; hence, micro-level (Strong & Cohen, 2014). Random Family conveys the message that men in ghetto communities are unable to overcome the adversities associated with the street life; however, this message is untrue as there are men who have prevailed over the life they inherited becoming successful individuals.

I was nine years old when my family made the stannous decision to come to America; with only a few clothes and barely any money, the pursuit of the American dream seemed more like a fantasy than anything else. Ever since I was young, I was drawn to the medical field. Looking back, it all appears as a nightmare now: a cold room, no electricity, and my parents imploring for the nurses help. Yet this nightmare was my firsthand experience at the detrimental effects of a limited healthcare. Growing up in a poor town of Albania, I faced minor health concerns, but it wasn’t until I got sick with a common cold that my life almost ended. The unsanitary hospital condition and the lack of medications were part of the sad reality I could not escape from. Thus today, it is my goal to make a significant contribution to the health of the future generations. My passion for the medical field combined with my determination on building and perpetuating an outstanding healthcare service, has lead me to pursue a master’s degree in Health Administration

One of the toughest problems facing New York City is poverty; sources have revealed that more than 45% percent of the population living in this city is struggling to make ends meet (Durkin, 2017). This problem has plunged the city into a dilemma as the nation struggles to wipe out poverty. Since the recession in 2008, most of the adults in New York City are working on a full-time basis to meet basic needs. The city has been strained with increasing price of rent, high standards of living, and low wages. Even though employment has been rising, the number of individuals living in poverty is startling. Income inequality has contributed to the poverty situation in New York City. Poverty has transformed many neighborhoods into crime and drug dens. This problem has become an uphill task to

My family used to be economically disadvantaged early on in my life, and I can empathize with the economic hardships others face. I additionally became aware of the lack of adequate healthcare that people without financial resources can face when my grandmother once had an allergic reaction to aspirin and was limited in her choice of hospitals because of her lack of insurance. As a physician, I want to take a leading role to provide affordable quality healthcare for impoverished communities as a practitioner and innovator of healthcare

Pursing a career as a medical doctor is an opportunity for me to mentor youth in underserved populations. As a child, I was raised in the low income, urban community of Roxbury, MA. Although not as notorious today, the neighborhood had garnered negative attention for its high crime rates. My mother emigrated from Haiti and raised me as a single parent. Due to our financial circumstance, Roxbury became our permanent residence. I have always felt there was something lacking in Roxbury in comparison to other towns I visited. My teenage years were largely spent in the suburban town of Stoneham where I attended high school. There was a literal difference in air quality and a psychology contrast in future prospects. While native students of

The world was soft and warm. There were sweet voices and bright colors that surrounded me, begging for comfort. I lay with my small body swaddled in a blanket, resting on a soft green sofa. My head propped up on a plump pillow facing the fireplace. The sound of the sweet voice in my ears and the smooth blanket eased my aching. My brain pulsed behind my eyelids with every movement. My bones were stiff and sharp, but still gave me the urge to move them awake again. I arch my back and widened my arms, my fingers outstretched to the room. My hand falls on something wet and cold. I grasp it and am met with a hot slimey tongue over my fingers; a greeting. I turn to meet the wide brown eyes of my companion, the one who refused to leave my side from the beginning of my harsh fever. He whined and laid his jaw on my belly, still not taking his big eyes off me.