Growing up, Deka Ismail says she let labels define what she could be. “I was a black girl, from a refugee (难民) family,” Deka said. “It was as if I was only allowed to explore in this predetermined box.”

After a high school chemistry class inspired her to think about a career in science and gave her confidence in the field, Deka learned to live outside labels and began making big plans for her future. Now she is about to begin her freshman year at the University of California, planning to become a professor.

Born and raised in San Diego’s City Heights neighbourhood, Deka is the daughter of a Somali refugee couple. While some might say Delta’s success happened in spite of her background, she would say differently, that her experiences shaped her and inspired her to be the driven, young scientist that she is today.

When Deka was eight years old, her mother got a job by studying hard back in school in order to support the whole family. That made Deka realize that education could make a difference to one’s life. She spent a lot of time in the library reading books, and didn’t do many of the things her peers did, like partying or having romantic relationships.

“I always felt like I had to be the perfect girl for my family,” Deka said. “You have to not even do your best but two times better than everyone else. I felt like the whole world was waiting for me to mess up.”

Delta’s efforts paid off. The summer before her senior year of high school, she was accepted to the American Chemical Society Project SEED Programme. “She brought both enthusiasm and focus,” Botham, a researcher at this research institute, recalled. “She arrived every day ready to work, ready to learn and ready to tackle new challenges regardless of whether or not she had done anything similar.”

When asked what advice she would give to others like her, Deka warned them not to underestimate themselves. “Don’t tell yourself that the scholarship is too big or this programme is too competitive or I'll never get into this school,” she said. “I was not sure whether I could make it until I started seeing the acceptance letters rolling in.”

Medicine is a degree that consists of an endless number of exams, and recently I received my first year results. Waiting for those results was one of the most anxiety-generating experiences.

    35     Failure brings judgement from others, a topic of discussion for people and the right for others to say you are not capable. The stress associated with failure is created by others around you, rather than by the event itself.

I have recently been reading The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel, which clarifies that failure has a strong presence among those who have achieved success. People will always focus on Warren Buffett’s success as an investor.     36    

The process of achieving success has often involved setbacks and “failures” along the way. I was rejected by medical schools which I’d spent time and effort applying to and preparing for. And I once received a “pass” grade on an important research paper during my master’s, which put my final grade in a dangerous situation.     37     I also began pursuing my doctoral degree last year.

    38     But you should know that with each failure you are closer to success, building further layers to the foundations you started. Behind every successful person are more obstacles and setbacks, but these are not as interesting to focus on or as enviable.

The noise around you, whether it is from coworkers, friends or parents, should not shake your belief in your abilities.     39     Learn what you need and correct your approach until you have success.