Abstract
Hard work, resilience and patience are attributes that are cardinal to one achieving their dreams. Despite the fact that I was born in a humble family, I dreamed that one day I would be a PA. What I did not know is that I had to join the army for me to fulfill my dreams. I lived and attended school in Phoenix and Springfield Massachusetts. After school, I did manual and clerical jobs to make ends meet. I have my fair share of social struggles. My parents were divorced when I was still young and I had to run away from a lover who blamed me for making her pregnant. However, after joining the army and undertaking several courses the future looks bright.
Ronald Duke's Path
Health and happiness form the two most significant life attributes that I have sought my entire life. Tomorrow is my future, but the present is my life which makes me to celebrate each day of my life. I have always dreamed about becoming a Physician Assistant (PA) and I hope that my dream will come to pass one day. I have lived a fruitful life. I believe that we should be agents of change that we want in the world. I have worked towards the happiness of humanity, changing the world one case at a time to the best of my abilities and capacities. Indeed, as I open to the world the pages of my life, I can look back and smile. All the joy, sorrow and happiness that I have encountered have made me who I am. Indeed, I believe that life is full of experiments. The more experiments I have had as an individual, in a group or with my family continue to make me a better person.
The story of how I got to where I am now begins on the 7th of August 1981 in Phoenix. This day one more soul was introduced in this earth. I am the firstborn in a family of 4 children. I have 2 older sisters, Melissa and Michelle, and one younger brother, Brian. We moved from Phoenix to Springfield Massachusetts where my grandparents lived. I was about 5 and my father had just lost his job as a Jet Pilot. I do not recall much of my early childhood. However, parents have told me a lived a happy and playful life. I began school in Springfield. Since Kindergarten I have always been an above average student. Other than the constant reminder to work harder next semester, my report books were always impressive. However, this did not last long. Peer pressure to hang out and play sports affected my grades. I totally lost interest in my studies and my grades had to pay the price.
Mt parents’ divorce did not hit me by surprise despite the fact that I was barely 8. I did not care much about it and never though it could affect me. However, as I recall the sequence of how events unfolding, I think I always blamed myself for their divorce. My mother remarried. My new step-father was a nightmare. He was a hands-on dad who demanded accountability from his son at all times. This made life harder then. Nonetheless, I am forever grateful to him. He taught me how to be disciplined and how to be a man.
I did not go back to Phoenix again until my freshman year in high school. I was 15 and leaving all friends and life behind was overwhelming. I did not like my new school. I was withdrawn and didn’t even have a desire to play on any sports teams. I graduated from high school in the spring of 1999 and had no idea what I was going to do with my life. My only thoughts at the time were that I was relieved to be finished with high school. I got a full-time job after graduation. I was happy at that time. A jumped at the opportunity of working in a machine shop, since my job at the time was sweeping floors and cleaning toilets. I progressively trained myself and worked harder each day. During the holiday season of 2001 the company that I worked for was bought out by another company. The company I worked for had moved to California. My future was bleak and my present uncertain. I was hopeless and desolate. The reality of my future hit me hard. I realized I was not sure of my future and what I wanted to do.
The events of September 11, 2001 helped me see things from a different perspective. I remember I was home watching TV when the ugly events brought the nation to a standstill. My philosophy to always be the change you want in people made me realize that in order to make the world safe I would enlist myself. In early 2002 when I started to seriously consider joining the military. Other factors at home made this option much more plausible. One was my job instability and the other was more complicated. Women, love and relationships have always been close to my heart. However, the woman I loved soon became totally different after she became pregnant, allegedly with my child. She gave me a hard time and I was not ready to continue living my life in such circumstances.
When I enlisted in the Army I still had not figured what I wanted to do for sure. I thought at the time that I would like to get into law enforcement and use the military as a stepping stone to get into the field. My recruiter advised me that I did not have to become a military policeman in order to get into law enforcement as a civilian after my service. So I decided that it was a good idea to choose an Army occupation in the medical field as a fall back. I chose to become a Medical Laboratory Specialist. Furthermore, it has always been my childhood dream to become a Physician Assistance. I saw this as an ideal opportunity to fulfill that dream. In fact, it was even better that I did this in the military. In practice, I would be giving my service to the two most significant things in life, health and security. By serving the army, I had taken a vow to protect the motherland from external aggressors and as a medical officer I had taken a vow to give all my best in serving the sick in the society. This was one of the most fulfilling moments in my life. I felt alive and in a position to make all my dreams come true. The heavy burdens of life and the state of hopelessness that had engulfed me at home was replaced by a new vision and satisfaction. The thrill of seeing the next day and excitement of seeing an ailing soldier get better was fulfilling and overwhelming at the same time. It was also motivating when I realized I would get a degree in Medical Laboratory while serving in the army. This was part of the package that a lab technician required to have to be competent enough.
After I completed my initial training I was sent to Fort Drum, New York for my first permanent duty station. I thought it would be a daunting assignment for me because I was under the impression that I would be posted immediately as a laboratory technician. However, when I arrived to Fort Drum they did not even have a hospital on base. I quickly realized that I was in a field unit and would not be doing the job. It was a bit depressing and disappointing for some time. However, it was fun living in that base. I was able to socialize and make a few friends. Sooner rather than later, I was positioned in field category. I also realized that I was going to be deployed to Afghanistan in support of the war on terror and that when that time came I would finally be able to do my job as a laboratory technician, an army officer and make the world a safer place.
My next duty assignment was in Fort Sill, Oklahoma working at Reynolds Army Community Hospital. I was assigned to the microbiology department and served as the non-commissioned officer. I started taking online college classes while I was there. I had a stable schedule for the first time since joining the Army. After working in the microbiology department for a couple years, I decided that I wanted to further my education. I had to reenlist again if I wanted to be sponsored by the Army. I decided that it was well worth it and soon after I applied, my application was accepted and I was reenlisted for 4 more years. I was soon sent to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to study cytology. This was an extremely significant year in my life and career. My hard work and dedication paid off as I was able to graduate with honors upon completion. While I was studying cytology, I ran into an old friend at the academy. He told me that he was there for a PA school. He gave me useful information about how to apply and the benefits the course offers. After that meeting, I was convinced that it was finally time for me to embrace my future and the PA course part of that future. My application to the school was accepted and I was to be admitted within 10 months. I felt as if the journey to success and a bright future had just begun.
I feel that I am blessed to have the opportunity to ameliorate myself and my career by becoming a PA. I look forward to doing the absolute best that I can in the school. I will then leave the school having acquired the knowledge, expertise and skills to provide quality healthcare to soldiers and their families. I have no desire of getting out of the Army anytime soon. In fact I am planning on furthering my education to another level. In the future I may apply for specialty training when I meet the qualifications.
References
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Peale, N. V. (2007). The Amazing Results of Positive Thinking. New York: Simon and Schuster.
