Rajvi Dave

When I was child my mother gave me two options for toys: a Barbie doll or a toy stethoscope. I, being the stubborn and strong willed young lady I was raised to be, chose both. I turned my Malibu Barbie into my patient, and with the stethoscope in my ears, I began to listen to the murmur her imaginary heartbeat. Most people have no idea of what they want to achieve as they approach adulthood, but at the tender age of two, I was determined to be a physician. This determination has driven me throughout my childhood.

After moving to the United States at the age of four, I had to overcome several obstacles: a language barrier and a speech impediment being a few. I quickly discovered that learning would require a little extra effort on my part. English is definitely not the easiest or simplest language to learn; especially when it is a third language. However, I am proud to say that, after countless hours of spelling, reading, and speech classes, I am trilingual. I speak Hindi, Gujarati, and English. It was through these major hindrances that I learned one of life’s biggest lessons; never give up.

I believe that dreaming is one of the main steps in achieving a goal. My parents once dreamt of coming to the United States of America; this dream came true on October 15th, 2000 when we took our first steps in the “Land of Opportunities”. I was always told that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step of faith. My dream is to become a radiation oncologist. I took my first step of faith when I set foot at the University of Georgia. As a biological science major, I know I am attaining my undergraduate education from one of the best colleges in the nation. GO DAWGS!