Thread by @c_ngaruiya

Beyond thrilled to have been awarded a *renewal* for my @NIH_LRP award!!!!!! Story time (on #privilege and #perseverance)

#medtwitter #academictwitter #blackinSTEM 1/

As a first-generation #Kenyan American, raised in #Kenya and very much an #African child (if you know you know), a #doctor is very much what I was going to be from the time I was born. 😋 (thankfully, also a marrying of my love of science and taking care of people!) 2/

So it was to my parents’ incredible delight when I got accepted to #medicalschool, never having... basically... known someone who had done so, in the US anyway. #firstgen #firstgeneration (yes, this story has a comical peak, wait for it...) 3/

Somewhere around a couple months prior to starting classes came a letter going over my bill (that of course would be covered my financial aid), which as a young graduate (I was 19 when I started #medschool), I shared with my father who then asked 4/

if I still wanted to go to med school b/c it was too much money (Have you seen the last 4 yrs of my life 🤣🤣, the MCAT & other hurdles I crossed to get here?). He had never seen such a bill. And he went on to ask a/b how we could get a discount (#African #ifyouknowyouknow) 5/

Thankfully, I had a full ride for undergrad and did go on to get partial scholarship for med school. So while I am well below the average #educational #debt level that is inflicted upon (somewhat unknowing) medical school trainees, I still have my FAIR SHARE of loan burden ‼️6/

To get an @NIH_LRP award means THE world. Being #firstgen, it alleviates the burden that I have in helping to advance my own #science but also (maybe even more importantly) those around me... and those coming after me. And needless to say, my dad is pretty happy about it too. 7/

And on #perseverance? Well, I didn’t get my 1st renewal app funded ;). I read back my application to myself. And frankly. I wouldn’t have funded me either 😅 (see #impostersyndrome & not giving oneself enough credit). I passionately rewrote that bad boy... & here we are today 8/

Thank you to @ncats_nih_gov (via @NIH_LRP) for supporting me, my science and contributing (very directly) to advance #equity in #STEM. Onward! #blackinSTEM #blackinmedicine #womeninscience #WomenInSTEM #BlackintheIvory #BlackTwitter #firstgen #firstgeneration #Kenyan #African 8/

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