Really Real

Reality tv, a place where good looks and poor moral judgement are rewarded. This dreamy world is usually filled with screaming matches, drama, love triangles, baby mama drama, cat fights, and more drama. Okay breath, I know that's a whole lot of drama. Everything everyone claims to hate but everything I proudly love in reality tv! Would people take me seriously if I said one of my biggest inspirations is a reality tv star? I started watching her at the age of 16. I know what most are thinking, bad influence on a developing teenager brain. My parents didn’t mind me watching it but they weren’t her biggest fan either. A lot of eye rolling, head shaking and teeth kissing from them when the program would come on. It wasn’t just my parents, most people didn’t approve of her demeanor, “How can you watch someone so brutal and rude?” they would ask, but that wouldn’t deter me from tuning in every night, “She’s so judgmental” they would add, “Yeah judging is what she’s supposed to do”, I’d reply in defense of the woman who taught me that “umm” is not an answer. The no-nonsense queen, Judge Judith Sheindlein is one of my biggest inspirations.

I love the diversity that is found in living things. People alone are crafted so different from one another. Judge Judy for example, a woman like no other, standing at 5 foot 3 inches with a fierceness as tall as Lebron James! She is a woman who does not see any challenges as being too big for her. As a young stay at home mom, Judge Judy decided to go to law school, she practiced as a prosecutor before being appointed the Family court judge in Manhattan, New York. As I watch back tapes of her presiding in Family court, I notice that she has always been tough, direct, and witty. She demands respect without a choice, and no one is smarter than her, at least in her courtroom. I admire that she has stayed true to her principles and always seems to rule with precise morality despite her enormous success today.

I was crafted as a bit of an introvert. Okay, as a lot of an introvert. So much that my nickname in high school was, "the quiet one", and because of that I believe most people had trouble understanding me, I was often left behind or perceived to be mad or mean because I wouldn't engage in conversations. I would have just labelled me 'shy' but high school kids have different brains. Watching Judge Judy allowed me to observe someone who was confident and defiant in every situation. The reason why I love reality tv, is because it shows me exactly how not to act. On Judge Judy on the other hand, you speak when it's your turn, there is no time for baby mama drama, and if you have a fit the solution is simple, the door. Order is at the core of her show. I’ve cultivated an appreciation for intellect and it’s simple phrases like “spend your time getting smarter” that Judge Judy says that motivate me day in and day out to work towards my goals. I see opportunities to learn in any activity I do whether it be leisure or academic. Over the years of watching her I have taken on multiple leadership roles, starting in late high school when I co-created a club called, “The Safe School Committee” to ensure the well being of students and staff; addressing conflicts such as discrimination and bullying. In university I was an executive member in several student clubs. Now, in medical school I served as president of a club called “Kid Companions” offering companionship to orphans in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. A tv program unlike other reality tv shows, Judge Judy started out as entertainment, as I enjoyed watching her eat morons for breakfast, turned into educational screenings. I learned how to be out spoken when needed, stand up for people who are in vulnerable positions, and be a voice to those who are still getting a hang of it. This has given me a chance to make the most humbling human connections with all sorts of people. Although harsh, there is truth in what she says and it is justified for, after all, honesty is what she cherishes most in her courtroom.

This Libra lady showed me how to be in control, demand respect, and above all make smart decisions. Her reality tv show has shaped me into becoming a highly driven and ambitious young woman pursuing my dreams of becoming a doctor to offer medical care in places that most tend to forget; native reserves, undeserved communities, or countries at war. What others might want to turn a blind eye to, I want to see, where others don't want to step foot in, I want to go. I want to one day establish a set of clinics throughout Africa and work with the populations to offer them a hybrid of modern and African holistic medicine to give care to those who cannot afford to travel to see a doctor. I believe that good health like water is everyone's right to have. I am firm and fearless in front of adversity and most certainly confident that I can and will achieve everything I want to because I put every ounce of effort and energy in my goals. Today, Judge Judy is 77 years old, I hope that one day I can inspire others with the principles that Judge Judith Scheindlin instilled in me so that I too can say that my value is not in my beauty but in my intellect because beauty fades but dumb is forever, and that’s the beauty of it all.