Omega

Hi, my name is Omega and I am a 9th-grade student at The Preuss School UC San Diego. I am Ethiopian. My parents are both immigrants from Ethiopia and I am an only child. My passions are acting, dancing, and playing squash. During my free time, I like to listen to music (specifically R&B and Rap), play squash, and travel if I can.

I go to a non-profit organization called Access Youth Academy (AYA). AYA is a great athletic and academic program for students in grades 5th - 12th. Access Youth Academy focuses on the sport of squash which is a sport mostly known in urban communities such as New York, and isn’t known widely in the U.S. Squash is a racket ball sport played by two or four players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow, rubber ball. It also gives great academic services like mentoring and tutoring. There are multiple tournaments across the country and locally that students can be a part of to expand their skills in squash.

During the pandemic, I found myself having free time and I wanted to learn more about my career in the future that I would like to pursue. As a little kid, I would go to the doctor's office for a yearly checkup, and every year, I would always ask my pediatrician about how he liked the job and his schedule and I loved every bit of it. Ever since childhood, that's all I wanted to do in the future and my mind hasn't changed since. That being said, I would love to be a pediatrician.

Med school has always been one of my passions as well. I would love to go into medical school because I find happiness in the field of medicine, especially knowing that I might be able to help someone in a way that could mean a lot to them, no matter how big or small the issue may be. I think that working with kids would be such a great experience and I also just love being around kids since they are so lighthearted. Some of my passion for being a pediatrician stems from that sole reason alone. I have also been curious about having a career as a registered nurse or an advanced practice

registered nurse. What made me curious about nursing was when I saw people with the same background as me become registered nurses. My mom’s best friend is currently studying to be a registered nurse. Hearing about her hardships studying for nursing and her perseverance drove and motivated me to be like her.

My top universities are UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, and UC San Diego. I started doing my research about what I can do to become a pediatrician starting in high school. I found out that it would be a long school ride, starting from getting a bachelor's degree to going to medical school, and that A Bridge for Kids would be a great support for me along with Access Youth Academy.

Also, I love acting. Although I have only acted in one play I would like to continue my passion in the future. I also like doing mini-skits to myself. When I was younger, my mom’s friend wanted me and her daughter to try out for a play for the Malcolm X Public Library here in San Diego. Both I and her daughter got in, and we would go to rehearse with all of the other kids there. That’s what made me want to act more than anything. Going to an art school is one of my desires.

If I become selected to be a part of A Bridge for Kids, it would allow me to continue my journey to become a pediatrician as easily as possible. With the potential 1,000 dollars, I would use it to buy a MacBook to easily study at school without having to use one laptop from school. The laptop that is provided by my school doesn’t work as well as a MacBook would, it is slow, and many times I have to use my phone to finish schoolwork. I would also use it to buy my squash gear like a racket, goggles, shoes, and some athleticwear. This sponsorship would deeply impact my future in ways I can’t imagine. I thank you so much for taking the time to tell you a bit about myself and I hope to be chosen to be a part of A Bridge for Kids. Thank you once again.