Confidence Ezemba

There is a story I have always loved about a little fish who dreamed of being more than just a fish. It wanted to soar like a bird, run as fast as a cheetah, and climb trees like a chimpanzee. It did not see the water as a limitation; it saw the sky, the land, the trees, and thought, “Why not me?”

When I wrote my NYU Abu Dhabi supplemental essay back in 2021, I felt like that little fish. I wanted to try everything I loved, to leap beyond what felt familiar, to live a life full of stories I could tell. NYUAD became that place, the ocean wide enough for me to believe I could fly, run, and climb in ways I had never imagined. It is where my passion for becoming a doctor grew roots and branches. 

Through classes that challenged me, labs that sparked curiosity, and mentors who believed in me even when I doubted myself, I discovered that medicine was not just a dream but a calling. It is where I found my community on the track, where every race felt like chasing something more than a finish line. The early mornings, the breathless sprints, the quiet moments after a win or a loss, they taught me resilience, discipline, and the comfort of belonging. And it is where my novel, Don’t You Forget, was born, not just as words on paper but as a part of me. NYUAD gave me the space to tell stories, to shape them, and to believe they mattered. Like that little fish, I learned that I did not have to choose just one dream. This was a place where I could be anything I wanted. And I was.