37 Personal Statements

Emily Forde Personal Statement

Motor vehicle safety, especially regarding children, is incredibly close to my heart due to the loss of my uncle as a teenager to drunk driving. In 1980 in Flint, Michigan my Uncle Billy and his two friends went to a bar and  drank too much. Billy decided he was too impaired to drive and asked  his best friend Ronnie to drive. The third friend went home with someone else. My Uncle Billy yelled at Ronnie to slow down due to an animal in the road. Upon trying to avoid hitting the animal, Ronnie swerved towards the sidewalk and hit signs and a telephone pole. Billy was brain dead on the scene and needed the jaws of life to get out. He remained at the hospital for several days before the decision was made to take him off life support and donate organs. My dad was 18 and was woken up in the middle of the night to go to the hospital and say goodbye to his brother. Ronnie walked away from the accident without a scratch even though he was the reason for the crash given his poor decision making from a high BAC.

I believe the most important thing that can be done to prevent drunk driving, especially in teenagers, is to be educated on the risks and how dangerous it really is. In the age of Uber and Lyft, there is really no excuse to drive under the influence, but many people who do drive impaired are repeat offenders because they do not get caught. Harsher penalties need to be put in place for drunk driving because the majority of people get off with a ticket/fine and a night in jail. Installing nystagmus tracking sensors in cars like the HALT Act suggests would be a great way to deter drunk driving before it happens and prevent deaths like my Uncle Billy’s. I never got to meet my uncle because of impaired driving and many families have the same experience when it is 100% avoidable.

In Iowa, drunk driving is more normalized which is something I was shocked about when I moved here. It is never okay to drive when you’ve been drinking and paying for a 20 dollar Uber is worth not losing your life. I plan to spread awareness about this issue on campus because of UIowa’s heavy drinking culture. Far too many times have I seen college students getting pulled over and completing Field Sobriety Tests because they chose to drive drunk. I want to spread awareness about free University services such as Night Ride which can help students get home safe for no cost. Most importantly, I will never make the decision to drink and drive as it would be putting myself and more importantly other unsuspecting people at risk.

Movie on 5-1-24 at 10.35 AM : A video guide showing how easy it is to get a free Nite Ride 

Tha Ciang Personal reflections statement

Preventing childhood injuries and gaining knowledge about ways to keep kids safe has long been a passion of mine, ever since a devastating tragedy struck my own family. In 2022, my baby cousin, just 2 months old, tragically suffocated and lost her precious young life. It was a senseless accident that never should have happened – her parents simply lacked proper education on the severe risks posed by loose toys, blankets, and other objects in an infant’s sleeping area. They were unaware of how quickly such harmless items could become potential hazards and block a baby from oxygen. The guilt and anguish my family have endured over this preventable loss is indescribable. If only they had received training on safe sleep practices and environment for newborns, this unimaginable heartbreak could have been avoided. Their world shattered in an instant due to a lack of basic knowledge. In the aftermath of this profound tragedy, I felt an overwhelming drive to help spread awareness and ensure no other families must bury their children due to such senseless accidents. By empowering parents and caregivers with vital information on injury risks and proven prevention methods, many young lives could be spared from danger.

 The loss of my cousin,  2-month-old baby due to suffocation could have been entirely prevented if the parents had been properly educated on creating a safe sleep environment. There are several critical steps they should have taken, primarily, the baby’s crib should have been kept completely clear of any loose objects like toys, blankets, pillows, or bumper pads. Even seemingly soft items pose a suffocation hazard for infants. Experts unanimously recommend having only a tight, fitted sheet on the crib mattress and nothing else. Secondly, the baby should always have been placed on their back to sleep, never on their stomach or side. The back sleeping position significantly reduces the risk of accidental suffocation and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Additionally, the crib mattress itself should be firm and flat, with no areas that could entrap the baby. Using only approved, safety-tested cribs is crucial.Proper sleeping clothing that avoids potential entanglement is also advised – no loose blankets or pillows near the baby’s face. Instead, sleeping sacks or wearable blankets are recommended. Removing any hazards from the sleep area like window blind cords and ensuring a smoke-free environment are important safeguards. With comprehensive education on established safe sleep guidelines from healthcare providers, this unimaginable tragedy potentially could have been prevented. Because of this tragic incident, learning about injury prevention has always been important to me.