Hi everyone. My name is July Paw. I am a first-generation college student and refugee from Myanmar (Burma) attending Occidental College. I'm studying Biology as a third-year student, aspiring to become a physician assistant in the future. This summer will be my first time leaving the country since I arrived in the U.S. to study abroad in Europe for pre-medical shadowing in hospitals. Here is my story:

My family and I are from the Karen ethnic minority group in Myanmar, a community of loving, strong, and kind people who have been in a civil war with the Burmese military for over 70 years since the late 1940s. The persecution of my community, along with various other ethnic minorities, led to our displacement from our homeland. I was born in Mae La (Beh Klaw) refugee camp in Thailand and lived there with my family for over 2 years before immigrating to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2007.

My upbringing in a poor neighborhood as a low-income refugee shaped my identity as an individual. I am passionate about supporting underrepresented communities (low-income, low-English literacy, and low-education) specifically in the healthcare setting. My family and I rely on Medicaid, Medicare, and government assistance such as Food Stamps to sustain our living to this day.

I recently graduated and received my certification from STEPFUL as a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant. However, due to my extremely busy schedule as a full-time university student and the inaccessibility of the externship sites, I had to opt out of a valuable 80-hour shadowing externship. In order to compensate for this lost opportunity, I have decided to enroll in the opportunity of a lifetime!

I'm so excited to announce that this summer I will be completing 80 hours of shadowing in a 4-week program in Madrid, Spain (1 week) and Thessaloniki, Greece (3 weeks). My destinations are: Hospital General de Villalba in Madrid, Spain, and Papanikolaou General Hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece from July 26 to August 22. The overall cost of the program is $9,023 (not including airfare and meals). The need-based scholarship I've applied for only covers $1,300, so I'm currently actively fundraising (clothing fundraisers on campus and GoFundMe) in order to meet my goal. My total expenses, not including airfare and meals, come out to $7,723.

I'm asking for your support today as I prepare for my bright future ahead as a health professional. I am an avid language learner with the goal of becoming a polyglot. My time in Greece will allow me to study Greek, which is an important language for understanding other related languages (Spanish, Italian, French, etc). I am currently self-learning Spanish and aim to grow my abilities to a proficient level where I can utilize them in the healthcare setting. I believe that language learning and understanding the culture and background of patients allows for more meaningful relationships and more positive, compassionate patient care. I plan to immerse myself in the Spanish culture during my time in Madrid and to improve upon my language abilities.

Your gift is immensely appreciated. It's through the support of generous and kind individuals like yourself that make an impact on the lives of strivers like myself. For more information on my program, click here. For more information about myself, consider viewing my LinkedIn page.

With love and gratitude,

July Paw