Help Fund KataDaki's Medical Career

KataDaki’s Medical Journey

My name is KataDaki Mbowe and it's been my dream to become a cardiothoracic surgeon since I was twelve years old. I was born and raised in Tanzania in a financially challenged household, by a now-deceased single mother of three but I have persisted in my pursuit of a medical education. I am now about to start my clinical rotations as a second-year medical student at Stony Brook University in New York state. As a low-income international student, I have limited access to financial aid. I am writing to humbly request your aid in the form of a donation, no matter how small. This is my story about my journey to medicine.

When I envision my future, I see myself expanding upon my work with underserved populations in rural communities around the globe. Despite my humble beginnings, I graduated with a Chemical Engineering degree from NYU Abu Dhabi and investigated the use of stem cells in heart disorders for my Master's in Biology at NYU New York. I remain steadfast in my career goals because I am driven by community and the desire to give back.

Before medical school, I volunteered with a congestive heart failure literacy program at Brooklyn Presbyterian. I was motivated to expand on my duties as a physician leader after I witnessed the toll of COVID-19 on Black communities. Since entering medical school, I have been working with the faculty to reconstruct their presentation of race in the curriculum. My goal is to improve access to healthcare not only in underserved communities in America but also globally.

As an international student, I’m ineligible for institutional scholarships or financial aid. I must resort to loans from private creditors and acquire a U.S. citizen cosigner to finance my education. For my first year (2021-2022), I was able to secure two individual co-signers who helped me from the kindness of their hearts. The cost of tuition and living expenses per semester is over $50,000, totaling to $110,978.00 per year. There are also a multitude of hidden costs that increase the cost such as travel expenses to clinical sites. I have remained on the lookout for scholarships and grants from international programs but international students have limited opportunities.

Sadly, I was unenrolled from Spring 2023 due to an outstanding Fall 2022 balance of $37,000. I decided to launch this GoFundMe campaign as a last resort - because I cannot continue my medical education until I pay this balance. I’ve delayed the start of my clinical rotations by 6 weeks to fundraise for my outstanding Fall 2022 balance and Spring 2023 costs. I hope this campaign will be successful enough to allow re-enrollment in the next six weeks, as I hope to start my clinical rotations by 02/27/2023. Alternatively, I am seeking an eligible cosigner for a medical school loan that covers the cost so that I can secure a loan under my name.

My hope is that people reading this campaign understand that I am one of 2% of international students accepted into U.S. medical schools. While diversity is lauded as the mainstay of medical institutions, this is not a reality. In face of my financial hardships, I’ve received very limited support from my institution. I’ve realised that the system is only built for the few elites and not for underrepresented minorities like myself. Therefore, as a future physician-leader, I hope to increase scholarship opportunities for pre-medical professionals from backgrounds similar to mine.

I hope that my story resonates with you all. I would love to discuss this with you if you have any questions. Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon!