Yohanna’s National Youth Leadership Medical Forum

Hello, I am Rikkia, a single mom living in CT. I am raising funds for my talented and highly ambitious daughter. She is a 9th grader and has been nominated to represent her city at a National Youth Leadership Forum in Medicine. By attending this program, she will join other motivated students from around the country for an experiential career exploration program. Attending this program will allow her to further her interest in the medical field and reach her career goals of becoming a cardiovascular surgeon and medical engineer.

Imagine if you had been given this opportunity for a life-changing experience when you were in school and could not participate for lack of funds. Her participation in this program depends on whether she can raise 4,639 in sponsorship. The funds will cover tuition, room and board, visits to medical institutions, lectures, simulations, and curriculum materials for faculty and staff. She can even earn college credits!

She will learn about the medical school application process and career skills needed to succeed in the medical and allied health fields. She will attend medical simulations as well as watch surgeries being performed.

Yohanna is motivated to become a doctor and biomedical engineer because individuals within her family are affected by cardiovascular disease. Many of her family members suffer from long-term and degenerative ailments such as rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes, and many have knee or leg issues. She has envisioned ways to develop equipment that can make lives affected by these illnesses easier by creating medical devices.

She has had this passion from a young age. Everything from this fund will go towards this opportunity.