My Journey into Medicine By: Dua Hussain
I smiled brightly beside a poster titled “When I grow up, I want to be a pediatrician,” posing for a photo.
A parent, in a long white coat, laughed when he saw my poster and I smiled brighter. “You know what a pediatrician is?”
I nodded so fast my head spun. “A kids doctor!”
I eventually realized I didn’t want to be a pediatrician—but I never stopped wanting to be a doctor.
I grew up in a family where no one had gone to college, so I had little idea how to turn that dream into a plan. My parents encouraged me and I began researching colleges in high school. Johns Hopkins had been my dream school since I was 8 years old; it was where my dad had taken my grandmother for ALS treatment and the school my dad once hoped to attend himself. In my research I discovered that it was highly ranked for pre-medicine but also had some of the strongest programs in creative writing and the social sciences. I knew I had to attend.
But I didn’t know how.
“Have you heard of TeenSHARP?” Mrs. Weldin—my guidance counselor—smiled from behind her desk.
I applied during my junior year and started in the summer before senior year.
TeenSHARP helped me understand the college process, from building a school list that fit my academic and financial needs to preparing applications and reaching out to people for guidance. I learned skills that I hadn’t even known I needed, like how to network. TeenSHARP also introduced me to peers who quickly became close friends, like Andrew and Prabh. I rooted for them to get into University of Pennsylvania—their dream school—as they rooted for me to get into mine. Those friendships became an important part of my journey.
On December 10, 2021, I found out I had been admitted to Johns Hopkins. I carried what TeenSHARP taught me into college: going to office hours, emailing professors for help when I needed it, and building professional relationships that supported my dreams. I became close with professors that later wrote recommendations for my medical school applications, and I still casually text many of them!
At Hopkins, I pursued research, became involved in the Baltimore community, forged life-long friendships, and lived out dreams that I had not even imagined possible when I was in high school. I once traveled to a conference at University of Pennsylvania, where I spent the entire time with Prabh! Both she and Andrew attended University of Pennsylvania as undergraduates.
Later, I graduated from Johns Hopkins with the first bachelor’s degree in my family—in two disciplines—and with no student loans. I was admitted to multiple medical schools and ultimately chose Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, which had also provided a generous financial aid package. As soon as I moved to Philadelphia, I met up with Prabh. Then I discovered that Andrew was in my medical school class! It meant a lot to find the connections I had made in high school were still a part of my life as I began a new chapter.
I still rely on the skills TeenSHARP taught me, especially the confidence to reach out and build relationships. I often email speakers after workshops and events as Mrs. Tatiana—one of TeenSHARP’s founders—had taught me, building lasting mentorships.
Being first-generation can feel like driving without a map. TeenSHARP provided me guidance, skills, and a community that helped me find my way into medicine—and that community is still by my side.
