Have you ever idolized a career? Ever since I was a teenager, I would invariably get delighted whenever talks of visiting a hospital were brought up. This was because I would get to catch a glimpse of my superheroes, draped in their white coats. From then on, I dreamt about myself being one of them some day. I was ambitious to accomplish my dream, so I studied arduously. During these hard times of Covid-19, the heroic act of health workers in the front line risking their lives has further bolstered my will to become a brave and a selfless doctor.
Growing up in a family of five was not easy and, my father being the only bread earner of the family made it more difficult. on top of that, being the eldest of the five always kept me on my toes. My sisters would often look up to me and I always had to keep up my A-game. My parents continually motivated me to try my best and never give up. Thus, I was able to top my class frequently. I studied hard but my twelfth grade result was not good enough to secure a full scholarship to study medicine.
I secured APEMS (Assistance for Privately Enrolled Medical Students) scholarship but this came with a huge burden for my family as my parents were required to co-fund a huge sum for this scholarship. I was very concerned about burdening my parents for bearing the expenses which were far beyond their capacity as they had to also look after my younger sisters. My father and I had dreamt this big dream together and couldn’t bear to watch it shatter in front of our eyes.
But I was extremely fortunate to get financial assistance from the Loden Foundation. It is because of joint support from Loden and the Royal Government of Bhutan’s generosity that I can pursue my dream without having to fret about financing. I promise to study hard and come back to Bhutan as a doctor.
Kinley Wangmo
MBBS Student
Kelaniya University, Sri Lanka
