I AM a 6th Year MD/PhD Candidate
Let me say that again, “sigh.”
6th year of M.D./PhD
6th year of medical school

I stand before you today
As a refugee from Sierra Leone
As an immigrant from Guinea
As an American citizen
As a first-generation student
As my ancestors’ wildest dreams

As proof of
What opportunity, Freedom, Hard work
can do for a young man from Harlem
From the trenches to here today

Blessed
Fortunate
Driven
Amidst the unspeakable struggles
Amidst the constant obstacles
I embraced my path,
I chased my education,
I engaged my mentors,
I pursued and captured opportunities that
Many in my neighborhood never had
Opportunities that many can only dream of

You see, my American dream was never
about monetary worth,
It wasn’t about getting rich quickly
It wasn’t about getting famous
It wasn’t about the materials
Rather, it is about finding ways to
contribute to the empowerment and
advancement of my community
To have my community on my back
Hood hero, they would say
Indeed, we will move forward

To quote Tupac,
“Young black males could do anything
If you just give us a shot
Stop trying to beat us down…
And to my homeboys, we need to be in
control of ourselves.”

The marathon continues
The road to becoming a
physician-scientist continues