Zachary S.

My little sister, Abby, was born in 2004. Three months later, she was diagnosed with intractable epilepsy. She is blind as well as wheelchair - and g - tube - dependent. Cognitively, Abby never developed beyond the stage of an infant and requires constant care. Despite this, Abby has defied the odds. She is twenty years old and continues to smile in the face of her many challenges. She attends the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, which educates children with both blindness and severe disabilities. My parents and I continue to love and care for her at home, and we will do so for as long as we are lucky to have her.

Being Abby’s brother shaped my life in many ways. By kindergarten, I had mastered opening doors and locating egresses. By middle school, I could be counted on to reposition her, run her feedings, and draw up medications. I also took a more active role in advocacy and fundraising to support children and adults with epilepsy, raising funds for the Epilepsy Association of Western & Central Pennsylvania to provide support programs for families with epilepsy.

I entered young adulthood committed to serving this population. I assisted with aquatherapy for a group of disabled children. I volunteered as an aide at my sister’s school. I tutored a boy on the autism spectrum. Simultaneously, my interest in science grew. Doctors never identified what caused Abby’s seizures, so I was always curious about the brain. I gravitated to chemistry, and ultimately studied it as an undergraduate using the funds from the UCB Family Epilepsy Scholarship.

Chemistry explained biological processes — as small as DNA replication and as large as neuron firing — and I explored this connection in my coursework. My time in college deepened my understanding and appreciation of biology and chemistry, but when I graduated, I was unsure of what path to pursue. After two years in the workforce, I ultimately realized that my true goal was to apply the science I have learned as a physician.

During this time, I have been working full - time as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, helping care for my sister, and applying for medical school. I know I am ready to pursue a career in medicine because it is a natural next step in my journey. I hope to become a neurologist, channeling my love of science towards helping the individuals like my sister, who have shaped my life in myriad ways.

Six years after receiving the UCB Scholarship, I am in the middle of the medical school application cycle and hope to begin in the summer of 2025. As a physician, I hope to channel my love of science to treat children and adults with epilepsy. This is the best way for me to continue to serve this population to whom I have been connected for 20 years. This, I hope, will be a way for me to repay the gift given to me by UCB.