Growing up, I had a lot of different interests; sports, Pokémon, film, standup, etc. In high school, though, was when I really started thinking about what I wanted to do. Being a doctor had always sparked my interest, but when I was focused on planning for college is when it came to the forefront of my mind.
I was fortunate to have a very supportive family in making this decision and extra lucky that I have a close relative in the field -my uncle. He is an anesthesiologist practicing chronic pain management. My uncle is my biggest mentor when it comes to medicine as he really introduced me to the field when I was a junior in high school. Since then, I've shadowed him every summer. During those summers I was able to shadow biopsies, injections, and minimally invasive procedures. Thanks to my experience there, I've learned proper etiquette for interacting with patients, as well as how to listen to patient needs. Looking back, this is definitely when I began to really like the idea of going into the medical field. In fact, this experience and my uncle are what pushed me to apply to IUPUI's pre-med program.
After my acceptance and the summer off, my first year of college proved to be tough, as it is for most freshmen. The most challenging part of the that semester was the work load and the fact that COVID-19 took it's toll towards the end. The pandemic was definitely a learning curve -and no doubt a learning curve I could live without- but I try to stay positive and work hard despite the challenges thrown my way.
In a way, I think I'm lucky to have lived through such a historic time. It's given me the ability to look at the bigger picture, practice good mental health coping mechanisms, allowed me to branch out and find new hobbies, and, most importantly, reminded me the reasons I wanted to go into the medical field in the first place.
Now, I'm an undergraduate sophomore still majoring in biology at IUPUI. My plan to graduate in the spring of 2023 is working out, as well. I'm still glad and excited to continue on the pre-med path because it's essential, exciting, and the field continues to grow.