Personal Statement

*This is the personal statement I wrote for my residency application

I have a vivid memory of my father sitting in our living room with the lights off, listening to his vinyl records at the end of each week. Although I am unsure of what he was thinking, I always imagined he found a sense of peace and relaxation. It was his time to reflect as Spanish ballads filled the house. He had a deep appreciation for music that he imparted onto my brothers and me. My older brother became a popular disc jockey, my younger brother learned the saxophone, and I joined the school’s orchestra playing the flute. My father instilled in me the idea that if you love something, you should nurture that passion with a lifetime of learning and practice, even if that path is difficult.

When I was ten years old, my school orchestra had one opening so I jumped at the opportunity. I had been teaching myself the guitar at the time, but I longed for formal training. The instrument available was the flute which I enthusiastically embraced. The orchestra was divided into three bands: A, B, and C. A-band was for the most advanced players, and C-band for the beginners. At the end of each semester, all three bands along with the choir performed in a concert. Since I was in C-band, I was required to attend practice on Friday mornings at seven am and in the afternoon. The musical professor informed me that with enough work I could join B-band after the first winter concert.

I practiced vigorously at home and fell in love with learning how to read sheet music and translating that into musical sound. My father noticed my dedication and was very supportive, sitting in my room to listen to me instead of his vinyl records. It was incredible to eventually play full songs instead of only notes, but I wanted to play more than the simple selections in C-band. I began to attend the morning and afternoon practices of all three bands, even though I struggled with B-band and could only observe A-band. When the winter concert finally arrived a few months later, I was practicing with the A-band, and performed with both B- and C-band. My entire family came to watch the performance including my father, who would rarely take off from work.

The first concert my father missed was a winter concert two years later. My mother said he was not feeling well. A few days later, after he returned from grocery shopping, I watched as my father fell to his knees and began crying in my arms. I was confused and scared because I knew that this was more than just not feeling well. I learned my father had recurrent colon cancer and was given six months to live. As he became progressively weaker, he would wheel himself into my room to hear me practice. Once he was bed-ridden, I would play music in his room. My father passed away the night before my thirteenth birthday. While that incident eventually drove me towards medicine, I still associate him with music. When I began college, my refund check allowed me to purchase my own flute. I finally was able to continue to nurture my passion for music and keep alive that connection I had with the instrument and my father.

As for the school orchestra, I advanced to A-band after my first concert and quickly became the student our music professor asked to sample new selections to see if they were appropriate for the rest of the group. After four years of practices, concerts and parades, I was able to play first chair in an opening performance at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. It was unnerving to play in front of such a large audience of adults and musical enthusiasts, especially when I had a microphone in front of me, knowing it could amplify any mistake that I made. I had worked hard for the moment, so I turned away from the blinding lights and intimidating crowd and simply played music.