F.O.D (First Only Different)
you're here, black and pre-med, you did the damn thing! but wait, here goes the annoying stares when you answer/ask a question in class or the stupid side comments when you walk into a space that you not only earned, but deserve to be in. not only do you have to worry about multiple exams piling up, but also sudden feelings of imposter syndrome may begin to arise within. I'm saying this because I have gone through it everyday since I started undergrad and I dont think it’ll ever stop. science is tough, being a black science student is tougher. we have to work twice as hard to be just as good as the rest, any slip ups and its like “game over”. you know?
constantly questioning my abilities, tuns of self-doubt, its a repeated cycle that gets tiring over time. I had to realize that I belong here and in any other space that is typically unknown for my kind being present. although I occasionally struggle to accept that I am capable of being in this field, I know deep down inside that I am intelligent enough to surpass all the negativity that may be surrounding me in these spaces.
if you have these same feelings and you aren't pre-med then I am acknowledging you as well! being a black college student is often deemed as an accomplishment in our community, knowing the history of our people and the restrictions that were held against us. I salute all of my young black college students who are taking it day by day, and beating the odds. we all deserve to infiltrate into the spaces that our ancestors could've only dreamed of being in. we are the future of this world, and the future will know that black people are capable of doing great things and that we will continue to do so despite the systemic issues that we face.
