My definition of a Global Citizen Scholar is someone who is dedicated to making a positive impact in their community. Now, a community can be on any scale, from helping someone you know personally or one of your neighbors to a higher level, such as your country or globally.
       I came to this definition from my initial take on the phrase. At first, I tried to dissect the term itself, thinking that “Global” meant on a widespread level, “Citizen” represented dutiful, and “Scholar” meant, well, smart. However, as the weeks progressed, I examined the word from a perspective building on values, purposes, and characters, and was able to further the definition of a Global Citizen Scholar. Instead of taking the phrase word-for-word, I focused on expanding each word’s meaning. “Global” isn’t just a widespread level, it’s any level. Making a difference, regardless of how many it affects, is the main focus. “Citizen” kept its definition from the start, I believe that being dutiful and being a model person in society is essential to being a model citizen. Finally, “Scholar” isn’t just about smartness, it’s about being aware of one’s surroundings and realizing that a change has to be made. 
       An experience that strengthened my definition as a GCS scholar was being a part of the Biomedical RaMP Program. While I have prior experience in research, my involvement was more clinical and data-based rather than being in the wet-lab setting. However, science is wide and deep, and there are many fields I could explore within research, which the program allowed me to do. I conducted a deep dive into pain management and anesthesia, where I worked with mice to discover how different neuromuscular pathways affected pain after a specific type of injury. This connects back to the definition of a GCS as it exposed me to multiple ways of being a Scholar. I was surrounded by brilliant, bright researchers who share a common goal of bettering science and pain management among patients. Even my four months dedicated to the project would, hopefully, lead to advancements in controlling pain administration within the body.
       This experience has not only strengthened my academically, but professionally as well. I have learned new techniques within the lab, conducted calculations to establish ratios in creating chemical liquids, and gained knowledge of concepts that we were covering in classes. Professionally, I was able to experience research with a team, in a wet lab environment. I attended meetings, talked with other researchers, and was able to establish a passion for research. Had I not tried this experience, I would not have developed a love for research, which is inspiring me to consider the MD/PhD path.