Written By: Sam Abraham
Meet Sujith Abraham, an inspiring journey of a doctor who is originally from India. At the age of 5, he moved to America. After attending New York Institute of Technology for premed, he pursued his dream of becoming a doctor by studying abroad in Antigua. Today, Sujith Abraham, is a resident doctor at Kings County Hospital and will be a full time doctor this coming July. His journey is a testament to his hard work and determination.
Sujith Abraham shares his story of becoming the man he is today. He first begins by explaining his upbringing. He was born in Kerala, India in May, 1990. He spent 3 years of his life in India. He emigrated to America but did not stay long. He went back to India at the age of 5 for another 2 years and came back when he was 7 because his parents were not able to take care of him as a child due to work and babysitting problems. Even though he was away from his parents, he was very grateful for his time in India. He states “My time in India made me the man I am today. My grandparents, aunts and uncles who took care of me taught me discipline and hard work.”. After moving back to America, he became interested in Medicine and decided to go to NYIT for premed. He graduated a semester early from college and decided to attend St George University in Grenada. Sujith spent a year and a half at Grenada before failing out of his third semester. He was unsure of what his future would become. He states that this is the one moment he’s ever had a doubt about his future. His goal in life was to become a doctor and seeing that go down the drain was tough for him mentally. However, his mother was confident and persistent that he would still be able to become a doctor. He states “I was crying and told my mom what am I going to do with my life now? My mom still believed and had confidence in me. She pushed me to go to Antigua and not give up and it’s because of her inspiration and motivation that I was able to become a doctor”.
He then says that he has a passion for helping others. He worked as a Medical Scribe and Nurse’s Aide and his time in these jobs allowed him to solidify his decision in pursuit of becoming a doctor. He saw first-hand the impact that medical professionals have on their patients and realized that the medical profession is associated with a sense of purpose and the opportunity to make a difference on a significant scale. He then states that his decisions in both his professional and personal life come from his faith and prayer in Jesus Christ. He states “I pray before every decision I make and say if it’s not in your will father, don’t let it happen”. He believes that his passion for helping others stems from the love of God. He explains that the teachings of Jesus emphasize compassion and love for others and his time on earth was always about helping people. He states that his motivation and growth also stem from his belief in God. Ever since he gave his life to Jesus, he says he’s inspired to be more like Jesus by praying and being faithful everyday.
Furthermore, he explains how he balances his work life and personal life. He sets priorities in his work and personal life and focuses on what truly matters and allocates time and energy to it. He also sets boundaries and doesn’t allow his work life to interfere with his personal life. He states “Time management is a very important skill to possess and by effectively managing your time you can maximize productivity which then creates more time for activities involving my personal life.”. He also states that exercise, eating healthy and doing activities that you love, like basketball, can help with stress and can also rejuvenate you. He said that he played basketball at least 3 times a week during medical school which helped reduce stress and enhanced overall well-being.
Sujith then begins to talk about all the lessons he has learned on the way. In failing out of St. George University, he learned that you must get back up no matter how many times you fall. He stated that life is a lot ups and downs but you have to continue to ride that rollercoaster, “don’t ever give up’, says Sujith. He stated that Derrick Rose, a professional basketball player, is as an inspiration and motivation to him when he failed out of Medical School. He states that Derrick Rose has torn his ACL and Meniscus so many times but he never gave up. Any other player would have given up and retired after the amount of stress his knees have been through but he didn’t and Sujith gained inspiration from his story. He learned the importance of perseverance and said that you must learn from your mistakes and that setbacks are temporary. Another lesson he learned on the way was taking time to self-reflect and allowing others to keep him accountable. He realized that he did not put in the required work needed to be able to pass medical school. He placed in himself into multiple study groups and even stated he began tutoring other students. He said that tutoring others, is the best way for him to absorb and to learn the content.
Sujith's main goal in life has been accomplished in becoming a doctor. He also achieved another goal which was to become the director of the Emergency Department. His next goal in life is to become the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He hopes to achieve this goal between the age of 40 and 45. He is a hardworking individual that can achieve anything he puts his mind.
Comments