Lashawn Peña
I am a young man who transcended his circumstances, though I can't say it was all by design. I wish I could tell you that my path was carefully planned, but as I look back, I see how three pivotal moments in my life connected to guide me toward a future I never imagined possible.
Lashawn Peña
When I was 10, I faced a significant setback when I was expelled from school for behavioral issues stemming from the chaos in my life. To make matters worse, no other school in New York City would accept me, leaving me without an educational environment. This forced me to be sent to the Dominican Republic, where I struggled with adjusting to extreme poverty, environmental challenges, frequent electricity outages, and other hardships typical of a developing country. Despite these challenges, this experience became a pivotal moment in my life. It allowed me to see the value of my opportunities in the US and planted the seed for understanding that education could be a powerful tool to transcend my circumstances.
At 15, I returned to New York with hopes of rebuilding my life and finding stability. Yet, I found myself in the same environment of drugs, violence, and poverty that had defined my earlier years. My mother, who had dropped out of school in the seventh grade, struggled to make ends meet due to limited options and opportunities. Her lack of formal education and the barriers she faced contributed to the hardships we endured. My older brothers, who had dropped out of high school and became enmeshed in the street life, continued to offer little in the way of positive role models. Witnessing them cycle through prison deepened the sense of hopelessness that surrounded our family.
The second pivotal moment came soon after my return to New York. One evening when I was walking home from visiting my grandmother, I found myself caught in the crossfire of gang violence. The sounds of gunshots were as startling and disorienting as the fireworks I had heard during Christmas in the Dominican Republic, but this time, they were a harsh reality. I was left shaken and vulnerable, almost becoming a victim of the pervasive violence that was all too common in inner-city environments. The fear I felt in those moments highlighted how precarious my situation had become and illuminated the harsh reality that such violence was a frequent part of life in impoverished neighborhoods.
However, it was the third pivotal moment, my time in juvenile detention, that truly changed the course of my life. Not too long after the shooting incident, I found myself in juvenile detention due to other circumstances, grappling with the consequences of my choices and the influence of my environment. This period of confinement was a stark wake-up call, confronting me with the reality that my life could easily spiral into a cycle of incarceration or worse if I continued down this path. It was here that I experienced a profound shift. I rediscovered a long-lost passion for reading. I recalled the joy of visiting the Hamilton Fish Park Library as a child, where I fell in love with books like the Goosebumps and Captain Underpants series and reading about how rocks were formed. Reading, once an escape, now became a profound source of inspiration. This newfound perspective reinforced the seed planted during my time in the Dominican Republic—that education could be a powerful tool to transcend my circumstances. With a renewed sense of purpose, I resolved to break free from the cycle of adversity and commit myself to a path of transformation and achievement.
As I embarked on my academic journey, I saw a parallel between the transformative power of education and the impact medicine could have on individuals and communities. My experiences underscored the critical need for healthcare professionals who can address the needs of underserved and impoverished populations. The realization that medicine could offer solutions to the challenges I had experienced growing up fueled my commitment to becoming a physician, leading me to become the first in my family to graduate high school and college and pursue an MD at SUNY Downstate.
Guided by this understanding, I have channeled my experiences into efforts that supported and empowered others. As a Youth Development Specialist with the NYC Administration for Children’s Services, I drew from my journey to mentor youth detained at the Horizon Juvenile Detention Center, advocating for their often-overlooked healthcare needs. My efforts were recognized with the ACS Distinguished Service Award, honoring my dedication to supporting youth in crisis. Additionally, as Project Manager for Stop the Bleed St. Louis, I applied my knowledge and experiences to deliver crucial trauma first aid training in communities impacted by gun violence, equipping individuals with the skills to make a difference in their lives and communities. Through these initiatives, I aimed to address healthcare disparities and contribute to the well-being of those who faced similar challenges to the ones I once confronted.
Building on my experiences, I am now focused on my goals for the future. As I continue my medical education, I aim to specialize in emergency medicine, where I can directly impact patients facing acute health crises, particularly in underserved urban settings. My background has instilled in me a profound understanding of the challenges these communities experience, and I am determined to leverage my medical training to provide compassionate, equitable care.
Once established, I plan to launch the Pursuing Excellence Initiative (PEI), a nonprofit organization inspired by my experiences as an at-risk teen. PEI will address gun violence and promote higher education through mentorship programs, with a key component being Stop the Bleed training classes. This initiative reflects my belief in the power of education and mentorship to transform lives, just as they transformed mine. Beyond clinical practice, I aspire to enter academia and become a dean of a medical school. In this role, I intend to initiate educational outreach programs targeting middle school students, fostering early interest in healthcare careers, and providing the mentorship, resources, and opportunities necessary for success in medicine.
Looking back, I see how these three pivotal moments—being sent to the Dominican Republic, experiencing gang violence upon returning to New York, and my time in juvenile detention—were not merely obstacles but crucial junctures that planted and nurtured the idea that education could elevate me beyond my circumstances. These experiences, marked by both hardship and revelation, have shaped my commitment to becoming a physician who will address the issues that marked my past.
Becoming a 2024 White Coat Investor Medical School Scholarship recipient would acknowledge my journey and empower me to ultimately accomplish my goal of combining clinical practice with community outreach and mentorship.