Psychology sophomore Faizan Majid was one of 10 winners announced Feb. 24 by the Association of American Medical Colleges’ national video contest.
‘I really wanted to win, and I made sure I wasn’t going to do the same thing that everyone else was doing by just talking in front of the camera; I think I did my best to do something different,’ Majid said.
With a combination of graphic design and video production skills, Majid created a video for AspiringDocs.org showcasing his inspiration.
‘(I’ve) been raised to be religious by my parents and to follow God’s command,’ Majid said. ‘(I try my) best. No one’s perfect, but…my inspiration (is) from the Quran where it says saving one life is like saving humanity; what more could you want?’
Majid said the medical profession is like none other because it involves saving lives and the creation of the human body.
‘One of my teachers once told me the nobility of the science depends on the nobility of the object being studied,’ Majid said, ‘and what’s more noble than the human body, it’s created in such a perfect fashion?’
Majid said growing up in a family of seven where both parents were physicians deterred his initial thoughts toward practicing medicine.
‘Before my senior year in high school, I was very much against becoming a doctor because I felt the pressure because both of my parents are doctors. I explored other career paths like engineering and graphic design,’ Majid said. ‘But senior year in high school I took a health science class and that was my turning point in becoming a doctor.’
AAMC launched its annual campaign in 2006 as a result of a nationwide physician shortage of minority students pursuing medicine, and to create awareness of the need for diversity in the medical field.
The video contest launched as a part of the AspringDocs.org campaign in November. Students had one month to submit a video on YouTube.com that was two minutes or shorter.
‘We wanted to find inspiring stories from college students about why they were interested in pursuing careers in medicine and how they can make contributions,’ chief diversity officer Charles Terrell said.
The contest received more than 100 video entries judged by a 20-member selection committee, which included AAMC staff, medical students and physicians, AAMC spokesperson Nicole Buckley said.
‘We were looking at the quality of the video, the inspiration of the stories, how well the stories might encourage others, and we were looking at the purpose and the body of the work in and of itself,’ said Terrell, who also served as a selection committee judge.
In addition to diversity, the AspiringDocs.org campaign also provides tangible benefits to students across the nation.’
‘We wanted to generate a sense of online community and certainly broaden exposure but also provide financial assistance for what we know is a major barrier,’ Terrell said.’
Winners of the contest will receive $1,000 in credit for any AAMC services such as registration fees for the Medical College Admissions Test or medical school application fees.’
The next video contest will be launched toward the end of this year and Majid hopes to win again in order to reach his dreams of becoming a physician.
‘I want to be able to help other people by helping them make their bodies better through medicine. I know that’s just my calling,’ Majid said.’
