International student's dream of becoming a doctor

It all started with a dream, a dream to help others, a dream to be of service to the less fortunate. My name is Haridja, I am a Congolese student studying medicine in the United States of America. I always had the heart to help people around me and early on in life, I knew that medicine was a path for me. I was always amazed by the generosity and love that my parents had for their patients and how they had always helped people around them, fortunate or not. My father is a doctor in Congo and his passion for helping others fell unto me and inspired me to help others through medicine. Each year that has passed grown my love for science and medicine and I found my own path, my own passion for medicine.

Since 2011, my parents have generously supported me in my dream to become a doctor. They have sacrificed everything to help me study in the best condition in the United States. They have supported me through my undergrad and master's year with everything that they got. And after 11 years of struggles, sacrifices, tears and hard work, I was finally accepted into medical school. In August 2022, I was finally starting my medical journey. 4 more years until I could become a doctor and in turn help my parents in Congo that have done everything for me.

But my dream came at a high cost. Since the 2020 Covid pandemic, the situation in Congo has deteriorated tremendously. My parents that were once able to help me with my tuition with the help of undergraduate scholarships have not been able to help me this time due to many issues in Congo and the expensive cost of medical school. In the United States, the average medical school has a tuition of 60 000$/ year; this does not include books, housing, and different mandatory tests to be certified as a physician. The average medical student comes out of medical school with 250 000$. Compared to my undergraduate education which was costing 12 000$ in tuition with different scholarships that I had, the difference was enormous.

Since this was my dream, I was fully prepared to get a loan and relieve my parents from this burden and repay my loan while working like every medical student. Little did I know that my struggle was just starting. You see I’m not just a regular medical student, but I’m an international student. As an international student, a lot of the opportunities given to my classmates are not applying to me. I do not have the ability to apply for federal financial aid and worst I do not have the ability to apply for my own loan unless I get an American or permanent resident cosigner. The problem with these options is that I have no family here, no one that fits these criteria and no one that can help me. There is little to no scholarship available for regular medical students and it is even worse for international students.

I have run through every possible avenue but I found myself in front of a wall that further distances me from my dream and all the sacrifices that I have made to get here. I had finally been accepted into medical school but I could not afford medical school. I have pleaded for my school to give me time to find funds for my education which they have graciously accepted but my time is running out. That is why I am pleading to your generosity to help me pay for 1 year of my tuition. Help me realize my dream, help me keep my hope alive.

Any amount would help me. I want to assure you that all the funds given through this fundraiser will go toward my medical education. I personally thank you for your generosity and please share it with your friends, your coworkers, your families and any generous soul. Again, thank you for taking the time to read the small part of the story of my life.