Oh Kay

Week 1 - Medicine: Why did you decide to pursue medicine? What has motivated you to continue? What keeps you calm? For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a doctor. My mom used to tell stories about the tiny human version of myself telling people that I wanted to be a "brain doctor" and not a "heart doctor" because if I messed up someone's brain, at least they wouldn't totally die. Yes, I know -- completely backward and  morbid  logic for a child. But regardless, it had always just been a matter of fact that I was going to one day become a doctor. When trying to write my personal statement for medical school and practicing interview questions, I reflected hard on this question repeatedly. And let me tell you -- trying to put into words the  reason  behind my biggest dream since a child was extremely difficult for me. I had no tragedy. No one in my family was a physician. I hadn't watched anyone I loved endure some tough medical illness...

For an incredibly long five years, I loved him. I loved him hard and almost blindly. And not necessarily in a bad way, but in a way that allowed me to do so blissfully. Blissfully ignorant to the months worth of signs that he plastered around our home disguised as weekends away with the boys. When he finally decided to leave, he did more than just break me. I shattered. But I did more than just survive. I picked up every last shard of myself off of the ground and put them back together into some sort of mosaic that reflected just enough light to attract you -- drawing you in to the same exact warmth that had forced him to run away in the first place. Instead, you tightly embraced me until you were engulfed in my flames. So suddenly and so easily we became fire. What we had was fire. One that warmed the deepest parts of our souls, shining brightly on the darkest parts of ourselves so that for once we could feel as if we were finally seen, proving to us that the cold that s...

Art Credit Clark Reflection Series Prompt: Write about a rich sensory experience- a time where you experienced touch, sound, smell, sight, taste.... in a particularly vivid, striking way. Response:  The concrete was cool, But the air was not. And the air between us was most definitely not. I don't remember why, but I scooted closer to you. And I don't remember how but in one swift movement You pulled me up onto your lap. I had never felt so light. Light maybe because your strength made me Feel so physically small, But more likely because of the life you breathed into me. When we kissed for that first time, It was the feeling of your lips. They were different. The feeling of your lips On my teeth Because for some silly reason I just couldn't stop smiling. With just one inhale, I breathed all of you in. Your soul running through my entire body, Every inch of me, touching you, Now tingling with air and with life.

Alongside a group of my peers, I did something brave today. We did something brave today. Background Information: As many of you know, I have the honor and privilege of serving as UIWSOM's SGA President. As part of this role, I also serve on the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP) and as a Student Delegate for the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association (TOMA). I spent this past week in Chigaco, Illinois at the Summer COSGP Conference and at the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) House of Delegates (HOD). At our COSGP Conferences, we work on professional/leadership development and collaborate with presidents and representatives from every other osteopathic medical school in the nation to develop ideas and solve problems to collectively improve each and every one of each other's schools. This was my third conference with COSGP, and it was just as energizing and inspiring as before. We developed ideas and initiatives to bring back to our schools f...

Clark Reflection Series - Prompt:  What happens when “Time Stands Still”? Take some time to reflect upon moments in your life when time has stopped. What or who caused/causes time to stand still for you? How did you feel in that moment, and what have you learned or realized from that experience? Response:  The first boy I fell in love with had the bluest of eyes, curly curly hair, & mini pecas all over his face. Yeah, I know. Dreamy. He took me on this date to Gruene once. We ate at the Gristmill, got some ice cream from the corner store, walked around boutiques. Y ou know, all that cheesy stuff. At one of these massively expensive boutiques, Johnny Cash came on.   And we stopped.   He pulled me in close and we danced. Even though he never danced. We slow danced without fear or all the "You break it, you buy it" signs. Slow danced while I stared into his  beautiful and he into my quite ordinary eyes.   And time stopped. So ...

Written for my Humans of UIWSOM blog post. A couple of months ago, I watched an amazingly strong woman tell her story to the entire Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents. She stood in front of a large room, full of the leaders from each osteopathic medical school across the nation and showed an immense amount of strength by choosing to be vulnerable – to be vulnerable in order to empower others. Over the next few weeks, I watched e v e r y  s i n g l e testimony in the case against the monster called by Larry Nassar. I watched each young woman tell their story. And tell it loudly. Recently, a friend of mine told me her story. And although her story was told behind closed doors, it was told with the same amount of strength and power as exemplified by all of the women who I watched share their stories with the nation. And so finally, here I am. I am not nearly as brave, not nearly as strong, as I sit here behind my screen. But here I am, to finally (and very v...

So quick blurb: While in my masters program at TCOM, I joined this organization called MIND (Mentality Initiative to Nurture DOctors). This organization focuses on advocating for the emotional, mental, physical, holistic health of medical students, and the faculty and staff at SOM. With their permission, I was able to bring this organization to UIWSOM and start it at my own medical school. One thing I was particularly excited to do was to help plan events that would facilitate a deeper connection between the students and the faculty/staff on campus. Yesterday, we had our introductory meeting (open to all) and ended with our very first Clark Reflection Series. Much like one of the reflections I've posted on my blog before, we were given a prompt and an opportunity to write. After writing, we sat in small groups and read our work aloud (the hardest part for me), followed by positive feedback from our partners listening. The reflection topic was Crises and Epiphanies , and we were...