Major: Chemistry| Destination: Harvard Medical School
Why do you want to be a doctor?
When we came to America as first generation immigrants 15 years ago, my family struggled a lot. This, along with observing the work my mother did as a social worker helping low-income families obtain housing for the Oakland Housing Authority, made me very aware of the ways in which one’s social position affects one’s opportunities.
At Pomona College, I was able to stay connected with these challenges of people from low income backgrounds through my volunteer work with Young Mens Club. Additionally, due to the direct relationship to the sports I had excelled at from an early age, I found studying the human body and science in general very interesting. Through research at Pomona College, I was able to deepen these scientific interests and discover how research actually leads the way for innovation within the medical field.
A career as a physician lies at the intersection of my humanistic and scientific interests and it is why I pursued medical school. My specific interests are in the practical ways research can create technological innovation within medicine.
Read more about Aseal Birir's journey to medicine in a 2020 Pomona College news article.