Soad Mackawi

My name is Soad Mackawi and I am from Denver, Colorado. I am thinking of majoring in Public Policy and double-minoring in Chemistry and Arabic. In high school, I participated in several volunteering projects that highlighted the health disparities present in my community. Before COVID-19 struck, I planned a community outreach project that would provide the residents of Denver and Aurora with proper health education and testing opportunities, through funding by the Bezos Scholars Program. I was also involved in the MC² program, an opportunity to volunteer and shadow medical professionals at Denver Health Medical Center and Children’s Hospital Colorado. I would like to major in Public Policy because I believe that structural racism plays a significant role in our institutions and the present health disparities in communities of color today. The best way to reform such constructions is from within; I want to contribute to place-based initiatives that support the reinvestment of medical resources in communities that have been sidelined for decades. I later want to specialize in Pediatrics, in hopes of breaking the stigma of visiting the hospital when in need, which oftentimes starts as a fear at a young age. By forming healthy and meaningful relationships with younger children and their parents, I would be making an effort to debunk this stigma and redefine the importance of patient care and well-being. The healthcare system has been flawed for far too long, and I strongly believe that the upcoming generation of medical professionals will plant the seeds of change.