Christina Cordero 

Writing for the sciences 

Ms. Zayas 

Intro Letter

Feb. 5, 2025 

The World According To Christina 

This is a little introduction to “The World According to Christina.” I like to think I have my own little world where I decide what dictates my life. In other words, I make my own decisions, and I will never let anyone’s negativity control what I choose to do. As a young adult, I believe it’s best to be given the freedom to make my own choices because I am constantly growing. Mistakes are a vital part of that growth they teach valuable lessons. I’ll be the first to admit that I have made a lot of mistakes in my life so far, but those experiences have helped me learn and grow. They have also taught me not to waste my time on people who don’t deserve it. If I hadn’t been allowed to make mistakes, I would have never learned certain life values that I now carry with me into college. I am a freshman, and I have already learned so much from my first semester that I need to apply moving forward. I was a bit lazy in my first semester, which held me back in one of my classes, and now I have to retake it. Because of that, I realize that college is not a game it’s not a time to fool around. Just two weeks into this semester, I already feel like I am getting on top of my work, and I know that this experience has been a valuable life lesson.

As you know, my major is biomedical sciences. Throughout high school, I was always obsessed with science, the human body, and how the brain works. That passion led me to pursue a major in science. When I think about science, the first thing that comes to mind is all living things. From a very young age, I was fascinated by the subject, and that curiosity guided me toward my dream of becoming a neonatal surgeon. I will admit that one of my all-time favorite shows is Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, which definitely influenced my decision to pursue a career in surgery. I know it sounds cliché, but out of all the career choices I’ve ever considered, I have always known that I just want to help people. As long as I’m able to do that, I know I’m in the right profession.

The reason I chose neonatal surgery specifically is because I see babies as the purest form of life on this planet. The thought of losing a patient is heartbreaking no matter what, but when I think about losing an elderly person, I acknowledge that they have lived a full life. With babies, it feels different. I know there will be times when a baby doesn’t make it, but to me, that just means it wasn’t the right time or place for them to be born. Some people call me crazy for my reasoning, but no one ever asks me what excites me about being a surgeon. The truth is, I am fascinated by the human body, and I can confidently say that I am excited to learn and perform surgeries. In fact, I was so eager to start learning that I bought myself a suture kit and taught myself every type of suture I could find. Some people think it’s a waste of time, but to me, it’s not it’s my calling. I truly believe I was meant to be a surgeon, no matter what initially sparked that passion.

One of my biggest inspirations for pursuing this path is my little sister. A few years ago, she was diagnosed with leukemia. At the time, I was young myself and didn’t fully understand the disease or what was happening to her. My brain couldn’t comprehend why my little sister had to go through such a terrible illness why she lost all her hair, had to be homeschooled, and suffered so much. It didn’t seem fair. Because of her diagnosis, I pushed myself to be the best at everything in school, making sure I knew every possible fact about cancer. There wasn’t a single piece of knowledge I didn’t want to learn. But at the same time, I left her with my parents, afraid to touch her or even talk to her. Instead, I buried myself in medical books, desperately trying to understand her illness. The more I read, the more inadequate I felt. No matter how many hours I spent studying medical terminology, nothing I learned could actually help her. It was the first time in my life that books failed me.

I know this is supposed to be an introduction about me, but to understand me, you have to understand my sister and what she went through. For a long time, she was all I cared about. There were so many times I wanted to quit medicine altogether, but her diagnosis kept pushing me forward. She is the reason I could never give up. I have to become a surgeon—not just for myself, but for her. I want to show her that hospitals and doctors aren’t something to fear; they saved her life. I titled this “The World According to Christina,” but the truth is, there wouldn’t be a world according to Christina if my little sister didn’t exist.