My new-found Inspiration, Dr. Jennifer Arnold

By Gallage Dona C. Prabodhanie

There are many people who inspire me to do more and become more. From friends to family and different professionals, they all teach me how hard work and dedication helps to achieve everything one wants to achieve in life. Yet I felt the necessity to find a role model who has shared interests and career goals as I do. And this is when I found Dr. Jennifer Arnold, while reading about the keynote speakers who will be speaking at the Phi Theta Kappa International Convention 2017.

Being a student who’s passionate about helping others, especially children, my ambition is simple enough, it is to become a Pediatrician. And as Dr. Arnold has dedicated herself to help children by becoming a neonatologist, I started considering Dr. Arnold as my role model as she is a person who I can look up to and someone who can inspire me to achieve my goals.

But the fact that she is a doctor who is dedicated to child and infant care is not the only reason why she is an inspiration to me. Another reason is that, while at a height of about 3.2 feet due to being diagnosed with a rare type of dwarfism, Dr. Arnold has proven to be a successful doctor by not only being the recipient of numerous awards, but also by being involved in many medical associations. But the list of why she makes a great role model for me does not stop from here. There are many more other reasons and one among them is that she is a John Hopkins Graduate. Ever since I wanted to pursue a medical degree, John Hopkins University was ranked number one in my list of medical colleges I would want to graduate from. The more I heard about this prestigious university, the more I wanted to be a part of it one day. And when I read that Dr. Arnold graduated from this same university, I felt a sense of encouragement which made me think that if I keep on working hard, one day, I will be able to attend this university just as Dr. Arnold did.

Despite already having a successful career, Dr. Arnold continues to inspire people like me by sharing her life story through a television show called “The little Couple”. This show is about the everyday life of Dr. Arnold along with her husband and her adopted kids who also have dwarfism. Even though some people may not seem very inspired by a doctor who is involved in a television show, in my opinion, she along with the rest of her family are an inspiration to many people who are not satisfied with what they already have in life. Being diagnosed with dwarfism did not stop them from leading a happy life and achieving their dreams. But what makes Dr. Arnold even more inspiring is the fact that she battled a type of cancer that was already at stage 3 which she allowed to show on camera. And I think it was a well-made decision that was not made to make people sympathize with her, but to show everyone who is battling cancer to stay strong and know that it could happen to anyone, anytime.

These are the thoughts that came to my mind while reading about her. And it is what makes her a great role model, by being a brave person who battles every obstacle on her way and leads a happy life helping others and inspiring others. Therefore, I am very enthusiastic about to hear Dr. Jennifer Arnold speak at the Phi Theta Kappa International Convention of 2017 and look forward to gain more motivation that could help me on my path to fulfilling my ambition and goals in life.

References

"The Little Couple." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2016. Web. 18 Feb. 2017.

Arnold, Jennifer. "About Me." Dr Jennifer Arnolds Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2017.