Tommy
Hello, I am Tommy, and I attend The Preuss School UC San Diego. I am an eighth grader who is focused on becoming a well-rounded individual. In my free time, I like to express my creativity through scrapbooking, Legos, and Origami. I also like to do activities out of my comfort zone. During 6th grade, I went to a free summer music and arts camp. Attending this camp, I learned the basics of playing trombone and local art styles around San Diego. In addition, I recently went to the annual Rotary LEAD conference in mid-October. Each year a LEAD conference is held in Cuyamaca for 8th graders all around San Diego who have shown leadership at their school. At my school, I was selected to be the male representative to go to this conference.
As a first-generation student and a child from a low-income family, I have experienced challenges that made me more resilient. My grandpa, for example, is an elderly man who came to the United States in 2017. Then, just two years later, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Every time I went with my mom on errands, we would have to go to the CVS pharmacy for my grandpa’s medicine. When I was younger, like in elementary school, I didn’t think much about the medicine he took. As I grew older, I realized the amount of medicine my grandpa has to take just to stay alive. It was frightening, yet fascinating to look at the medicine that filled the cabinets to help my grandpa. The reason why he has colorectal cancer is his habit of drinking and smoking from Vietnam. He still does smoke and drink. It made me notice how habits can slowly be a part of you, even if it's a matter of life or death.
Another family immigrant is my mom. She had to leave everything and everyone she knew in Vietnam and come to the United States to live the American dream with my dad. She soon became a single mother. While my mom was working day and night to support the both of us, she worked even harder when more of my family immigrated. She provided the stability that we desperately needed. I was still too young to be able to do anything to help my mom. My mom had to do all this during the pandemic by herself. As a fourth grader, I wanted to help, but how? How could I help make money as such a young person during the pandemic? There was nothing I could do. That’s why when I grow up I want to repay everything my mom has done for me. I want to successfully achieve the American dream which was a dream that passed from my mom to me.
My main goal and motivation in life is to have a high purpose in society and give back to my mom. My grandpa’s weekly medicine trips made me admire pharmacists. Seeing how pharmacists change people's lives, like my grandpa, makes becoming a pharmacist my dream job. When I am committed to something I do extensive research about the topic. I’ve already planned on how to become a pharmacist. The summer after I graduate high school, I will start to get a pharmacy technician license. I will go to university at UCSD or Yale with a part-time job as a pharmacy technician. Then, I’ll go to pharmacy school, and get my pharmacy license. Next, I’ll complete one year of residency. The part-time job as a pharmacy technician and the one year of residency shows how committed I am to becoming a pharmacist. I plan to use my sponsorship money on a reliable laptop. This laptop will last me until the end of college at least.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
If your are interested in sponsoring this student, please email Grace today at GJO@ABRIDGEFORKIDS.ORG