A Light to Hold in the Dark

To anyone reading this my name is Sheeren, and I am currently a 4th-year pharmacy student. I am honoured that I was lucky enough to be deemed worthy of such a helpful scholarship, the Halad 2022 GAMSAT Scholarship.

I was asked to write a personal bio yet I am at a loss; I do not find speaking about myself to be very interesting as I simply do not know how to ‘sell’ myself so I will speak from the heart and hope it is enough to win me some brownie points and if not, well I guess I have spent this time learning a bit more about myself.

I don’t have any specific hobbies I generally enjoy being creative. That’s a very broad description I know, but it is because you will find me passionate about anything that requires me to wrack my brain and create something unique and nuanced. Such activities entail scrapbooking, juvenile paintings, oh and I almost forgot I recently created a children’s book about lactose intolerance. Although, I must say that what I am truly passionate about is helping others be it, my classmates, at university, those struggling to understand a tricky concept, or a confused customer visiting the pharmacy trying to grasp the difference between Telfast and Apo-fexofenadine for hayfever (I mean if it’s more expensive it must be better right?).

I guess you can say that I am content once I see those I have helped smile with relief. I believe that one small act of kindness can truly make a difference if not in my world, then at least in theirs.

What are your academic/career goals?

I wouldn’t say I am special in any way; I am just a girl with a dream. A dream she realised when she was 14 years old caring for her palliative grandmother in a country where healthcare is a luxury only provided to the highest bidder. ‘Beep! Beep! Low pressure!” she stood there confused unable to translate the warning. The oxygen machine already knew her grandmother was taking her last breath… Although my mind has cleared several banal childhood memories to make room for new ones, I never seem to forget this moment, the sound of the machine, the smell of alcohol, and the sight of a body hanging onto its soul to no avail.

This has become a central memory in my mind as the whole experience ignited my passion and need to be a doctor, a person who not only serves to help those in need of medical care but also to help those in need of health literacy. Albeit my journey has been a difficult one I am glad I studied pharmacy as I know the plethora of knowledge I have regarding medications and their suitability will make me a better doctor in the future.

How will this scholarship make a difference for you?

I apologise for rambling but to tell you what this scholarship means to me would be challenging to put into words because you would be giving that little girl a light to hold in the dark, hope that her journey has not ended so that she can still achieve her dream.

This will be my first time sitting the GAMSAT, and yet in my mind, I’ve managed to turn it into a rather prominent obstacle to me getting into medicine and I’ve considered quitting so many times before even starting simply because I don’t know where to start. As soon as I found Halad to Health and read the objectives of this charity I knew immediately it was something that I wanted to be involved in. I can see that they genuinely want to help other students achieve their goals and the fact that all the money is donated to improve health literacy is admirable, to say the least. Living in Australia we are so privileged, that we automatically assume others have the same basic understanding of how to care for their body.

What do you want to be known for?

As a result of my own experiences overseas, my goal has always been to help in a similar way once I became a doctor. I simply find the importance of human connection and empathy to be the foundations for which I would like to be known for as a doctor. I want to be the first doctor a patient thinks of when they just need to talk to someone who won’t judge them or consider their questions juvenile.

I know I have written a bit too much maybe not enough, but I am ever so glad that Halad to Health has made such a munificent offer to help more students like me become great doctors.

Thank you Halad to Health.

If you have any questions regarding Halad To Health, please reach out to Karlene at karlene@haladtohealth.org