Who's dat Girl?

Meet the future doctor of America!

Dr. Rachel Redfield.

Go ahead.

Meet her!

If you're lucky you already have.
If you haven't, don't worry.
She's the type to come up to you first.

Shes my role model.
My guidance.
The one I cry to
and laugh hardest with.
The one who isn't afraid to tell it to me straight.
She gets me and loves me better than anyone else.
She is my best friend.
And I'm so dang lucky to call her my sister.

There was such a time (^as in the time above) she bossed me around.
She wouldn't let me be in her made-up plays or dances in the living room.
And when she did...
my role was to be a standing lamp in the corner.

She took the best beanie babies and barbies.

And hogged the computer game Oregon Trail 
while I had to sit by her side and watch.

We wrote in diaries together
and she forced me to tell her what I wrote,
yet never told me what she did.

At an early age, 

Rachel spoke an entirely made-up language before learning English.
It was weird. 
(we have home footage)

She sang.

She was sassy.
And there is no denying she stole the show

Today she continued to take spotlight on stage
for her induction into Medical School.
University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio, that is.
BIG DEAL.

(Her "White Coat Ceremony^) 

Until you witness the journey 

of a student trying to get into Medical School,

 you just do NOT realize how hard it is.

After standing by my sister's side through the process...

I would like to compare her journey's mental struggle 
to the physical struggle of climbing Mt. Everest.
The last & coldest mile would be the MCAT.

But she did it.

And I'm not naming grades BUT
she finished strong might I add. 

So there's no denying she's hardworking. 

You just cannot get into Medical School and not be.

But "hardworking" is only half the character requirement to be a good doctor.

Rachel has the heart,
the compassion
and strong faith in The Lord.

All great qualities wrapped up into one,

Rachel is the most caring person I know.

Prestige and paychecks have never been her reason for choosing the medical route.

She finds her life in investing into the lives of others,

she specializes in her compassion for them.

Saving lives is her calling.

It didn't even take her bachelors degree or M.D to start saving lives.
She's been on countless mission trips,
volunteered an entire summer in Costa Rica,
and has made dreams to start a clinic in this place.

During the rockiest points of my own life,

Rachel was always by my side.

Maybe she couldn't prescribe me medicine.

But she gave me the support,

the advice

& slap in the face (figuratively) I always needed.

Most of all, she helped me find my way back to God

and taught me that He is bigger than the problems I face.

And I owe her so much for that.

Rachel and I share special/weird bonds.

We can be SO anti-social...when we are together.

We are attracted to the nerdier guys.

We enjoy an oddly large spectrum of the exact same music.
Oh, and if we like a song...we will wear that sucker out fast.

We are ALWAYS that girl with the camera.

Digestion is our favorite topic of conversation.

We would choose to be the weirdest girl over the hottest girl in a room...any day.

Especially Halloween.

As she once said in a letter to me before I left for college,

Rachel...you have the power to CHANGE THE WORLD...and you will :)

The story that God has written for you

is more beautiful than you could ever have written for yourself.

I will always have you, Rachel,

And I couldn't love you more than I already do!

Yet...

perhaps my love for you grew a little more today 

now that you have become an official, fellow Longhorn.

Going forward,

the simplest advice I can give to you, Rachel...

Don't strive to be perfect,

remember to still be silly,

and never forget that God is with you always!

& I am only an hour away :)

And from a man we both admire,

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others"

-Mahatma Ghandi

I love you, Rachel.

I've never been more proud 

than that moment they put the white coat on you.

And most of all...

Go Longhorns!