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Career Paper

Ashley Ibarra-Montes

Health Science II

Mr. Tah

Nov 9, 2023
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As a child, my parents always told me that I could achieve any goal as long as I put a ton

of effort into it. I have always taken this seriously, and I believe in this mentality. Right now my

goal is to become a trauma surgeon and a good one. The medical field specifically surgery has

always been a big passion of mine, it may be a heavy job but in the end, it is enriching. I want to

be able to do something for people who are near death, there is always something we can do for

these people. I want to be hands-on in these scenarios. I want to be someone who can make a

change in someone's life through work that I can enjoy and be proud of. The work necessary to

achieve this goal is one that I started the minute I entered high school and learned about the

opportunities I have.

So what is a trauma surgeon? Trauma surgeons are surgeons who specialize in blunt-force

trauma injuries and emergency surgeries that deal with all body parts. According to

NCcareers.org, emergency surgeries can mean any surgery that deals with things such as bullet

wounds, car crashes, and unexpected scenarios. The path and requirements to become a trauma

surgeon are pretty heavy. Some of the requirements vaguely include up to 8 years or more of

schooling, and being able to handle great deals of stress. To expand on the schooling, future

surgeons usually major in biology and then enter more schooling to receive their bachelor's

degree and then get their Ph.D. They then have to go to medical school to get their medical

license and this is usually the step in their plan in which they go into being interns in the specific

program they want to become specialized in. As for the stress aspect of the requirements, being

able to handle stress is a big thing because the emergencies that come in are very fear-based, they

are a great rush of adrenaline as they are life-threatening. The long unexpected hours and

slow-growing jobs are also a big added stress. Although this all may seem like a lot and maybe

mentally taxing, in the end, the job of being a trauma surgeon is very rewarding. An example is
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the pay which averages around $430,000. However, the main enriching part of this job is the fact

that you get to save people's lives. As I mentioned before this is the number one reason as to why

I want to pursue this career.

I mentioned before that I have started the process of preparing to achieve the goal of

having this career already. A few examples of this are my participation in clubs, volunteering,

hard work in classes, and plans for further education. One club that I am invested in is HOSA.

This club has allowed me to show many skills that will help me in the future. I get to exhibit my

leadership skills as I am a HOSA officer, my public speaking skills through debate competitions,

teamwork skills, and most importantly my quick thinking skills. HOSA and another club I was

involved with called Queen Cobras allowed me to volunteer and learn more about taking action

to help people. I have done a variety of volunteer work such as catering at Duke football games,

working with kittens at the animal shelter, and making necessity kits for women in women's

shelters. As for my hard work in school, I am dual enrolled. Being dual-enrolled at Durham Tech

Community College allows me to gain college credits and better my chances of being advanced

in college once I am admitted into one. I take these classes pretty seriously, mainly because I am

trying to gain my Associate in Science Degree. As for my future, I plan on taking real CTE

classes in my senior year. I would like to take both FON and EMT, these classes will serve me as

a real practice in a healthcare setting which will be very valuable to me in my future career. I am

also trying to apply myself to more organizations such as the SEED project, possibly the

governor's school, and any science-related internships offered by my school. Projects such as

these are beneficial to me both personally and professionally. Personally on the level that I will

be more immersed in the sciences that I am interested in and professionally on the level that I

will gain more knowledge and experience for my future career. Overall, I do think I have done a
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pretty good job of applying myself and pushing myself to be prepared to achieve my goal.

However, there is more I can do for myself and I will continue to push my boundaries.

There are many colleges that I would like to apply to because they offer the major I want

to major in and they have great programs that I am interested in. The main school that I am really

interested in is UCLA not only because of the academic programs but because of the diversty. In

order to get into UCLA you would have to have an ACT score of 29-32, a SAT score of 1510,

3.4 GPA, great essay, and recommendation. For Duke you need a 35 ACT score, 1570 ACT

score, 4.13 GPA, a good entry essay, good recommendation, and heavy extracurriculars. Another

school that I am interested in is UNC-Chapel Hill. This college requires a 28-33 ACT score,

1350-1510 SAT score, 3.83 GPA, good recommendation letters, and strong extracurricularurs.

My plan to get good scores on these required tests is to study hard and take crash courses, I will

also take advantage of the SAT prep my high school offers. As for extracurriculers, I am off to a

good start with that. As I mentioned above, I am invested in clubs at school and look forward to

continue being well intertwined with organizations that will help me take a step further in

achieving my goals. When it comes to recommendations, I am trying to build a bond with

teachers that will be willing to help me advance myself. Not only do I need to have a good bond

with these individuals, but I also need to give them something to work with. I will continue to

extend my resume and pack it with great subjects that will help my teachers give me rich

recommendations. These recommendations should show both my hard work in school and what

makes me a good candidate for whatever college I am applying to.

Once I am in college in order to continue my work towards my goal I will need to a few

things. Firstly I will need to continue on my academics. I will take classes that are necessary to

fufill my degree, and if a class is too hard I will the resources I have around me. For example, if
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necessary I will take on extra studying or even tutoring, I will do anything to make sure I am

putting my best effort into my education. Another big thing I have to keep up with is joining

extracurriculars and being well involved with them. Being in extracurriculars in college will

continue to help me broaden my horizons. I will gain more experience in working with others

and being more professional. I will also continue my volunteer work, not only does it help me

career wise but it is something that is very important to me personally.

After some research, I learned that about some clubs that I could join. The two clubs I

found are specific to UNC Chapel Hill. The first one is Women in Healthcare Leadership, this

organization is one that focuses on women and brings light to women in healthcare and holds

opportunities for UNC women alumni (UNC Chapel-Hill website). This organization is one that

interest me because not only is it STEM related but it also is focused around women. I love the

idea of being involved in something that uplifts women and is surrounded and dedicated to

uplifting women. The second organization that I found was Carolina Health Samaratin Society.

This organization is also healthcare based, and allows for great opportunities for students. I

would love to join this organization as it makes me see just how much other people want to help

give leverage to students to reach their goals. No matter what college I end up going to I will still

do my research and find organizations that I can joining that benefit me and will make me want

to continue working towards my goal.

As for my goals after college, I plan on continuing my education in order to become a

trauma surgeon. As I mentioned before, schooling can take up to eight years in order to become a

trauma surgeon. Besides furthering my education I will continue to give back to my community

through volunteer work. Not only will this help me but it will help those around me and as

someone who works in healthcare, this is my main goal.

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In conclusion, I have learned that I do have a good start to fuillng my goal but I do need

to continue pushing myself and nothing should stop me from continuing in my path. As much as

I can get help from others, ultimately the work falls on my shoulders and the final result of being

a trauma surgeon and the need to make my parents proud will continue to motivate me.