Support Ashley Bautista's Medical School Journey

Hello everyone! I, Ashley Karen Bautista, have a conditional acceptance to Howard University College of Medicine. I am currently working hard to succeed in the preliminary academic reinforcement program for matriculation. Medical school is extremely expensive (about $200k) and I am still unaware about financial aid.

As I transition into medical school, I would please ask for any contributions to help pay for beginning tuition, apartment monthly rent, and school resources. I am now unemployed to focus strictly on academics. Being employed during medical school is a difficult choice to commit to as it can bring more academic disadvantages. Throughout my academic years, my success in education was through hard work, resilience, and perseverance. I can tell the gap with students who were easily more intelligent than me. Therefore, I made it this far to get into medical school myself with the support of my friends and family. My only other financial option are private loans (since government loans will just not suffice) so any help is greatly appreciated and remembered. I’ll continue to apply for scholarships but they are so competitive and rare for doctorate students and have restrictions (like I must be in my 2nd year to apply).

Short summary of my medical values and background:

Through my experiences from working as an emergency department medical scribe to general surgery and breast surgery medical assistant and lastly to infectious disease research assistant, I have realized the type of medical doctor I strive to be. A doctor with emotional intelligence, cultural competence, and respect for patients' needs and decisions taking into account of psychosocial factors. There needs to be better doctors that aren't in it for the money, status, or even practice but truly for the patients.