To date, my third year at the University was the most difficult to adjust to. The year marked a lot of personal change, and the experiences of the year helped better define my personal goals going forward professionally.
Personally, the largest change this past year was moving back home. After two years living almost entirely on my own, a housing plan fell through and I found myself moving home for the year. This had significant trickledown affects into other areas of my life. First, moving back home meant I was once again sharing a room with my younger sibling. In the same way distance makes the heart grow fonder, living in the same room led to constant bickering. Things as trivial as borrowing a pair a shorts without asking led to fight.
Beyond learning to live with my family again, moving home meant that I became a commuter student making the 30 minute drive to school each day. This was probably the most difficult aspect of moving home. Socially, I was unable to meet with friends as frequently and felt disconnected from the student organizations I was apart of. Not everything about moving home was problematic, and I was grateful my parents let me move home. However, I am still very excited about moving back up to Campus in the fall.
Despite the negatives, the most impactful experience I had last year was the opportunity to return to Africa. Through a family friend, I had the opportunity to travel to Kakamega, Kenya and spend time shadowing at a rural clinic and playing with children in an orphanage run through a mission organization. The experience was incredible and helped me not only view life differently, but also define my professional goals going forward.
While spending time with the orphans, their enthusiasm and outlook on life was incredible. Every child had high achieving goals, never seemed to let the hardship or poverty that pervaded their life discourage them, and were some of the most authentic and caring people I had ever met. The single trivial thing that stuck out to me was that fact that clothing was communal. A tee-shirt worn by one boy on Monday, could be worn by another child Wednesday without any issues. A constant source of fighting between myself and my brothers was a fact of life here, and no one was even remotely negatively affected. In only ten days, the time I spent with the children left lasting lessons on how to approach obstacles, appreciate each day, and truly value the gifts and opportunities I have been given.
Professionally, the time spent in the clinic in Africa gave me complete confidence in my professional aspirations. Although I had always considered medical school, I had never been sure I wanted to make the time and monetary commitment. While shadowing, I was able to compare my passion for the work I was observing directly to the work I had been doing while on Co-op. This comparison reaffirmed my passion for medicine and public health, and the enthusiasm I experienced while shadowing had been a motivating force going forward as I look to achieve these goals.
Following my experience in Kakamega, I brought home several life lessons, and a conviction and determination to succeed in earning an acceptance to medical school. This new found motivation resulted in several professional goals for 2018 including successfully preparing and taking the MCAT and seeking out additional clinical shadowing hours to continue to learn about the vast field. 2017 was defined by my trip to Kakamega, Kenya. While I await for a chance to return to Africa, I intend for 2018 to be defined by the goals and lessons I took away from the village and people who lived there.
Personally, the largest change this past year was moving back home. After two years living almost entirely on my own, a housing plan fell through and I found myself moving home for the year. This had significant trickledown affects into other areas of my life. First, moving back home meant I was once again sharing a room with my younger sibling. In the same way distance makes the heart grow fonder, living in the same room led to constant bickering. Things as trivial as borrowing a pair a shorts without asking led to fight.
Beyond learning to live with my family again, moving home meant that I became a commuter student making the 30 minute drive to school each day. This was probably the most difficult aspect of moving home. Socially, I was unable to meet with friends as frequently and felt disconnected from the student organizations I was apart of. Not everything about moving home was problematic, and I was grateful my parents let me move home. However, I am still very excited about moving back up to Campus in the fall.
Despite the negatives, the most impactful experience I had last year was the opportunity to return to Africa. Through a family friend, I had the opportunity to travel to Kakamega, Kenya and spend time shadowing at a rural clinic and playing with children in an orphanage run through a mission organization. The experience was incredible and helped me not only view life differently, but also define my professional goals going forward.
While spending time with the orphans, their enthusiasm and outlook on life was incredible. Every child had high achieving goals, never seemed to let the hardship or poverty that pervaded their life discourage them, and were some of the most authentic and caring people I had ever met. The single trivial thing that stuck out to me was that fact that clothing was communal. A tee-shirt worn by one boy on Monday, could be worn by another child Wednesday without any issues. A constant source of fighting between myself and my brothers was a fact of life here, and no one was even remotely negatively affected. In only ten days, the time I spent with the children left lasting lessons on how to approach obstacles, appreciate each day, and truly value the gifts and opportunities I have been given.
Professionally, the time spent in the clinic in Africa gave me complete confidence in my professional aspirations. Although I had always considered medical school, I had never been sure I wanted to make the time and monetary commitment. While shadowing, I was able to compare my passion for the work I was observing directly to the work I had been doing while on Co-op. This comparison reaffirmed my passion for medicine and public health, and the enthusiasm I experienced while shadowing had been a motivating force going forward as I look to achieve these goals.
Following my experience in Kakamega, I brought home several life lessons, and a conviction and determination to succeed in earning an acceptance to medical school. This new found motivation resulted in several professional goals for 2018 including successfully preparing and taking the MCAT and seeking out additional clinical shadowing hours to continue to learn about the vast field. 2017 was defined by my trip to Kakamega, Kenya. While I await for a chance to return to Africa, I intend for 2018 to be defined by the goals and lessons I took away from the village and people who lived there.