Diary Entry
Healing Beyond Borders: My Journey as a Changemaker
One App,
Many Uses
My journey has never been a straight line. It feels more like a river, sometimes rushing forward with force, sometimes slowing into stillness, but always carving its path with persistence. I was born in Pakistan, a country full of challenges but also extraordinary resilience. From an early age, I witnessed not only how illness weakens the body but also how the absence of resources, access, and awareness weighs heavily on people’s hopes. Those early experiences planted within me a purpose: to dedicate my life to healing.
Studying medicine was my first step toward that purpose. I immersed myself in anatomy, physiology, and the sciences that explain life. Each lesson fascinated me, but over time, I began to realize that healing extends beyond textbooks and clinics. It is not only about biology, but also about the stories, fears, and emotions people carry. A true healer must care not only for the body, but also for the heart and spirit.
This realization carried me beyond the classroom walls. I joined health awareness campaigns, conducted sessions on preventive care, and spoke openly about mental health, an often stigmatized subject in my community. These experiences taught me that knowledge becomes meaningful only when it is shared, and that service is most powerful when it reaches those who need it most.
Becoming a UPG Sustainability Leader was a milestone in this journey. It gave me a global platform to connect my personal mission with the broader framework of SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being. Through this role, I understood more deeply that health is not just a medical issue; it is a human right, one that restores dignity and offers hope. It also reaffirmed my belief that leadership in health must extend beyond treating illness to preventing it, empowering communities, and nurturing resilience.
The path, however, has not been easy. Balancing the demands of medical education with community service often felt overwhelming. There were nights I stayed awake preparing both for an exam and for a health awareness session the next morning. There were moments when I questioned whether my small actions made any difference in the face of such enormous challenges. Yet, every time someone said, “Your words gave me courage,” or a child’s eyes lit up while learning about basic hygiene, I was reminded that change often begins with the smallest sparks.
Over time, I have come to see myself as both a healer and a storyteller. Medicine equips me to care for bodies, while words allow me to reach hearts. In every patient, every student, and every community member, I encounter a story that deserves to be heard and honored. Storytelling, for me, is not separate from healing, it is an extension of it. It gives people voice, dignity, and a sense of being seen.
For me, changemaking is not about being a hero. It is about being human, present, and committed. It is about showing up consistently, even in small ways, with the belief that service matters. My dream is to contribute to a future where healthcare is not a privilege reserved for the few but a promise extended to all; a future where compassion and science walk hand in hand; and a future where young people are encouraged to step forward with courage, creativity, and conviction.
This diary is not the story of a perfect journey. It is the story of one still unfolding, a path guided by resilience, service, and faith. Just like a river, my journey continues to shape and be shaped by the world around it. And with each turn, I carry forward the same belief that inspired me at the beginning: healing is not only about curing illness, but about restoring hope, dignity, and humanity.
Razi Ullah