Angelyiah Lim
Hello! I am wrapping up my third year of undergrad in the College Honors Program, and I can’t believe it’s gone by so fast! After witnessing health disparities firsthand while volunteering at Swedish Hospital in my first year, I switched from biology into Public Health – Global Health (PH-GH) and I have never looked back. My hope was that this major would broaden my view of health beyond the biomedical lens and help me provide holistic patient-centered care in the future. I think it is safe to say it has prepared me for much more by challenging me to discover my own biases and privileges as a Chinese American, revealing the flaws of the healthcare system I aim to join, and encouraging me to think critically about how to dismantle medical racism and champion social justice. I no longer put the American medical system on a pedestal, and I intend to use my influence and position in medicine to advocate for health as a fundamental human right, rather than a commodity.
This summer, I will be studying in London to gain firsthand experience of Britain’s National Health Service, compare it with U.S. safety-net hospitals, and critically evaluate its impact on public health. When I envision my future, I find the idea of serving in hospitals like Harborview Medical Center, which provides healthcare to those often neglected by society such as uninsured and underinsured patients, victims of sexual assault, individuals living homeless, and many others, to be the most rewarding. This scholarship will help fund my last year of studies, bringing me a step closer to achieving this goal.
Beyond my Public Health coursework, I am the incoming director of the Residential Programming Board of UW’s Housing and Food Services, a student advocacy group that promotes an inclusive residential community through approximately 100 large-scale events annually. I am also a research assistant in UW’s PEARL Lab, where I investigate peer support interventions for caregivers in critical care settings, and the lead vocalist and songwriter for a local band, Raccoon Energy! My current personal project involves implementing suicide prevention trainings for students and faculty, in collaboration with Forefront Suicide Prevention and my professors.
Goals
During my summer study abroad program, my goal is to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a universal healthcare system and use that to inform my future advocacy efforts as a physician. After college, I plan to join Public Health Americorps for my gap year and serve marginalized populations in the United States. Once I finish medical school, I want to work at a safety-net hospital that provides care to underserved communities.
Tips
Be genuine, concise, and believe that your hard work will pay off! I know it can be tiring to apply to so many scholarships and receive rejection letters but know that you deserve to and will be recognized for your accomplishments. Keep going, you got this!
