A quick glance...
teachers expected little of me
little [effort, work, etc. is suggested by this sentence] from me, but it seems you want to say they don't think you'll make something of yourself. Thus, "of me."
If I were to continue to participate
I was elevating myself to a new level of understanding - "fancy" nonsense, especially in that context. Just tell it how it is. You were learning to fix that ("how little I knew about the medical field").
Take out the last sentence. It adds to the bitterness and negativity (even with the "celebrate" bit, there are hints of bitterness throughout). You might want to spin the whole response to be a little more hopeful.