Just wrapping up his first year at UIndy, international student Henry Sam has received a $1,000 boost in his quest to become a physician and work for the betterment of his native Ghana.

A biology and chemistry double major with a pre-med concentration, Sam landed the scholarship money by placing second in a national essay contest sponsored by student insurance provider LewerMark. The theme: “How will an international education help me make a difference in the world?”

Sam’s essay notes the disparity in educational opportunities between the U.S. and his home country.

“The availability of state-of-the-art teaching equipment, improved and better teaching methods which I lacked in my juvenile education, has to a great extent given me the impetus to climb the academic ladder to the best of my ability,” he writes.

“The friendship ties and network I enjoy with like-minded students have the potential to help me in my future ambition of seeking to help reform the health sector of my country. Not only have my interactions with students sharpened my English for effective communication, but it has also helped me in dispelling the stereotypes I held previously. I now understand more profoundly, and appreciate more lovingly, the differences that come with different nationalities and cultures … .”

Sam plans to enter medical school, become a surgeon and also obtain a doctorate in genetic engineering. His contest entry was sponsored by Associate Professor Gerald Zimmerman.