To start, my honors biology lab freshman year was a course I took my first semester of college. I recall feeling nervous, as I had minimal experience in the lab compared to other students. The first day we began utilizing microscopes to picture various leaves of plants. I was unsure as to what the different parts of the microscope did, how to properly prepare a slide, and how to use a pipette. I remember glancing around me at the students who seemed to have it figured out and I felt ashamed and anxious. At that moment, I wondered if I was cut out for the pre-professional track in medicine that I’d chosen because I asked myself “It’s only day one of your freshman year and you’re already confused?”. However, I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I was there for a reason and I chose this path because healthcare is my passion. 

"The main skill that my collegiate journey fostered within me is perseverance, whether that be in academics, extracurriculars or my personal life. The skill of perseverance is what allowed me to develop my emerging expertise in leadership."

Each week I entered the lab with a smile on my face and a positive attitude, no matter how confused I felt. I began asking questions and found the value in learning from not only my professor, but other students. I realized that everyone’s learning journey looks a bit different and we work as a team to aid one another in our shortcomings. By the end of that semester, I was acing my weekly quizzes, using a pipette and microscope with ease, and began understanding how to collect/interpret data. This course sparked perseverance within me and I became dedicated to learning all that I could for the rest of my collegiate experience. I became motivated by my lack of understanding on certain topics rather than discouraged. See the picturse to the left of my first successful images taken on a microscope!

The initial perseverance this course provided helped me achieve one of my main goals when coming to college, which was to get an internship in research. This would then ultimately help me in medical school because I’d have prior hands-on experience. That dedication I developed from my first semester of college led into my sophomore year where I was applying for various internships through the Life Health Sciences Internship program. At that time, I recall doubting myself and my ability to make it past the first application process, but I did. 

My application was accepted and I interviewed for my top choice in terms of internships. I knew that I wanted to become an OB/GYN and I aspired to be an intern in women’s health research. I had the privilege of getting accepted to my top choice and now two years later I still work in women’s health research under Dr. Michelle Miller through the IU School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Each day at my internship in Riley Maternity Tower, I’m blessed to conduct qualitative interviews with moms that are in the immediate postpartum period and discuss their most recent birth experience. See the picture to the left of me walking into work on my first day!

When I started my internship, I recall that same anxiety uproaring within me from freshman year, the questions of “Am I good enough to be here?” or “Can I actually do this job?”. However, once again, I took a deep breath and reminded myself of that spark of perseverance I’d been developing since my freshman year. I took every opportunity to ask a question, learn something new, and repeat a procedure if I wasn’t confident the first time. As someone brand new to research it was overwhelming to learn new digital tools such as REDCap, Cerner, OnCore, and teams because these were all things I hadn’t utilized before. I was nervous to speak to patients that were in such a vulnerable state, after enduring a major life event such as labor/birth. I had a supervisor that helped me practice relentlessly until I felt confident conducting a consent and interview with a patient. Eventually, I had the procedure mastered, where I’d approach the patient, consent them, conduct the interview, enter their answers into teams, document their responses in REDCap, send clinical notes in Cerner, and update their treatment and study status in OnCore. 

"Each day at my internship in Riley Maternity Tower, I’m blessed to conduct qualitative interviews with moms that are in the immediate postpartum period and discuss their most recent birth experience. See the picture to the left of me walking into work!"

Now, I can confidently consent/interview patients in a trauma-informed fashion and understand how to use these previously overwhelming digital tools. By further developing that skill of perseverance, I was able to overcome my anxiety to then become a lead research assistant in the lab two years later. My supervisor, Dr. Miller,  now entrusts me with various tasks even if they pertain to different studies. I’m flexible in assisting her with emails, consents, and interviews for participants, designing surveys in REDCap, building therapy materials, entering and organizing data, as well as teaching new assistants in the lab. From this honors experience, I’ve learned that perseverance is key to all aspects of life. I endured hardships in my personal life while upholding this internship, but I never failed to be punctual, positive, and passionate for learning. See two of the therapy materials I made to the left for participants who receive free virtual therapy through one of our studies! The first document allows them to document positive and negative life events in a visual way. The second allows them to identify the types of trauma documented on the lifeline.