Sophia | future neurologist

My long term goal is to become a neurologist, which is a medical doctor that specializes in disorders of the nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, according to www.work.chron.com.

Sadly, my grandfather has Alzheimer's disease and it has been painful watching his personality and brain function change over the last 4 years. I would like to become a neurologist so that I could both help find a cure for this terrible disease as well as help people like my grandfather.

The training to becoming a neurologist will take many years but will be worth it. The website referenced above listed very helpful information regarding the educational requirements needed to become a neurologist.

First I would need a science based undergraduate degree, such as pre-med, which will take about 4 years. I would then need to apply to medical school, which would take another 4 years to complete, followed by a 1 year internship and then 4 more years of a residency in neurology. Various state board exams are also required as are yearly continuing education courses to stay current with the latest medical information.

The medical field is always expanding as is technology. I would like to help create special brain games that families can play on their smart phones and tablets with their family members who have brain disorders. I would like the games to change as the disease progresses and for the brain games to keep track of how the brain has changed. I would like for video of the caregivers and patients to be incorporated into the games so that someday a memorial video can be created from the data in the games.

Please help me make my dreams come true. Thank you!

Sophia's essay appears here as written, to preserve the young author’s unique voice and individual writing style. However, we have deleted personally identifiable information to protect the student’s privacy.