Once Jodie realized that, as she puts it, “the mortality rate in my urban community is determined by a mere five numbers”—in other words, her zip code—she became “socially invigorated to engage headfirst” in changing that situation.
Her eyes were opened to urban health disparities through a public health policy program. She rolled up her sleeves around the issue, helping to maintain a local community garden and park and presenting a winning mock-proposal to fund a rehabilitation program.
“Actively engaging with the community, I’ve sought to provide equitable, long-term and sustainable solutions to reduce disparaging outcomes,” Jodie wrote in her essay. She wants to use the biochemistry expertise gained in college “to meaningfully contribute to the science policy arena, advocating for transformative changes that unite and redefine urban communities.”
Those who know Jodie have no doubt that she can achieve that goal. Jodie’s guidance counselor listed some things she has already accomplished, including interning at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, gaining certification in administering opioid overdose medication, undertaking anti-violence training and facilitating workshops to raise awareness about health, educational and economic opportunities.
To know Jodie “is to know that she is going to change the world,” one of her teachers wrote. “This incredibly empathetic, intelligent and motivated young person has accomplished everything she set her mind to.”
Believe it or not, Jodie says she does have free time, when she “enjoys watching fashion, history and film analysis commentary videos—often while engaging in crafts from knitting and crocheting to sewing and painting. [I find] solace and feeling grounded by these hobbies, these rituals are essential to my wellness.”
The teacher/mentor that has made the greatest difference in my life is Mr. John Petti, my third grade teacher. I appreciated most how Mr. Petti transformed his classroom into an arcade-haven, placing an illuminating lens upon education for a younger me. I can say that under his teaching I developed a positive relationship with education which I attribute to my affinity towards the pursuit of knowledge and problem solving mastery.