This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

It is astounding to think that places in the world exist in which young girls are shot on a school bus or kidnapped from their families to prevent them access to a right that I exercise every day in the United States — the right to an education regardless of my gender.

As an aspiring physician, it has always been my dream to change other people's lives through personal interactions and medical science. My education is an opportunity that has and will continue to be the enabler of my dream to improve the lives of others. Unfortunately, young women ­— and even young men — across the globe do not have this opportunity.

Knowing that societies become more self-sustaining, developed, and safer overall when their children are educated, we are still denying more than 50 million children the right to attend school. The Global Partnership for Education has embarked on a mission to grant all children this basic right, an initiative that the United States should continue to support by pledging $250 million toward the initiative for the next two fiscal years.

When I start medical school in August, I will be furthering my education in a way that will help me realize my dream of becoming a doctor. I hope to see children around the world similarly empowered by education, working toward dreams of their own.

Kimberly Uchida

Salt Lake City