Why Is Tameka Makeda Vyphuis?

“Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farmworkers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.-Nelson Mandela This quote I believe is one of the most powerful quotes that anyone can be exposed to. I was never a lover of quotes growing up, minus the ones that spoke about my teenage ‘bloopy’ dilemmas. However, while researching on a topic for a debate I was preparing I stumbled upon this jewel and ever since it has been cemented in my heart. It is through education that one
With the admission into the St. George’s University- School of Medicine, that is a sure guarantee especially with USMLE pass rates of 97%. I enjoy learning new things about the body and so most of my spear time at my job is spent reading any biology book I can find in the laboratories. Just recently I learned about the different stages of cell injury in humans. I have a little secret to tell you though; despite how easy it is for me right now, learning in school wasn’t always an easy task. I often found myself being swivelled by my peers or misunderstood by my father. My life practically had more downs than ups and this reflected heavily on my grades at one point. I went from acing every test to almost failing all of my core subjects such as chemistry. I can still remember the first time I got back my chemistry paper and saw the big red 47% staring at me. I just wanted to crawl in a hole and go frolic with ‘Big Foot’. To make matters worse, I was written off by my teacher who only focused on a certain group of girls in her class. Whenever my father saw my grades it was always a scolding “You want to be a doctor!? Not with these grades!” To be fair, he was (still is) a single parent trying to make ends meet with his three girls and so many times he was distant because he simply didn’t know what to do or say. He often resorted to scolding when all that was
Initially I had opted for the position of Vice President but did not achieve the maximum of the votes. Nevertheless, this did not deter me from serving on the council, soon enough I realized the title was just a mere title and despite it, my role on the council surpassed it. As an avid member of the Nevis Youth Council I was able to become exposed to the many issues that my federation and even the Caribbean faced. My position also made me realize that as a youth our voices are important, after all we are the future. This was illustrated when I was given the opportunity to represent Nevis in the 2015 Model Organization of the American States (MOAS) general assembly. It was here that I partook in drafting resolutions on issues concerning the Caribbean after tackling them at all angles with other representatives from the different member states. These resolutions were then submitted to the actual members of the general assembly for the Organization of the American States whom would look at them and if feasible, incorporate them into their own discussions for consideration. When I first signed up I just thought my job was to dress up in my ‘Sunday’s best’, sit down and take pictures for the internet. However, as I participated in the training sessions I realized just how important my job was, the dressing up was just