Other Fun Academic Things!

Although my academic journey at the UW started off quite discouraging and disappointing, with the help of my support systems and greater focus, I was able to bounce back and see myself not only performing better but also enjoying more of the work I was doing. These will be mostly highlights, moments of growth, appreciation posts with minor annotations.

Freshman Year

Through my involvement with Grey Matters I was able to help plan and work our annual Evening with Neuroscience event. I distinctly remember being mesmerized by Dr. Golden's ability to differentiate what to me looked like non-differentiable grey and white tissue. Little did I know that I would end up working in the Golden Lab and taking his neuroanatomy course, a course that would become one of my favorites. EWN was a great introduction to neuroscience.

I spent too many hours in the chemistry study center during freshman year and much of it was unproductive, I didn't know how to study. These folks at the table mean the most though, they've stuck with me throughout our four years at UW. It has been a pleasure getting to see each of them grow up from little freshman in general chemistry into confident and brilliant almost-graduates. That said though, I lost sleep over nightmares abouts this place - bitter sweetness!

Sophomore Year

I cannot begin to express the gratitude I have for the Instructional Center, their staff, and the students. I was briefly familiar with the IC during freshman year, had I known more about it I think it would've saved me hours of aimless studying. The IC felt like a family, it was a judgement free zone where I was encouraged to make mistakes and work through the content. Scott Clary, Scott Fung, EJ, and Elijah were so deeply knowledgeable and understood how to teach.

One of my biggest regrets from undergrad is not returning to the IC as a tutor, this community gave me so much and I wish I returned the favor. Especially during a year where I didn't like my roommates, it was a saving grace to stay at the IC until 9PM - sometimes studying and other times goofing off. All of my first year I felt alone during my science courses, it was refreshing and encouraging to meet all the OM&D students pursuing science and healthcare at the IC.

Thanks to the community at the IC, I was able to perform very well in Organic Chemistry which was unexpected due to my distaste of General Chemistry. I won't lie though, this academic year was incredibly stressful and I still found myself using most of my free time to study which combined with my long and often isolated hours in the lab led to some feelings of meaninglessness. Here I was, improving in my academics while participating in the research I had sought for so long. It really took me having to take a step back and conversations with my family to recognize the privilege I had in getting to receive this education. Luckily with more experience, I would find ways to lose myself outside the textbooks and I became much more intentional and present when I was in the library or laboratory.

Following my experience with SHPEP, I sought out more opportunities to learn about different fields in medicine. This year's American Society for Colon and Rectal Surgeons Conference was being held in Seattle, I went with my friend from SHPEP, Emily. Surgery was never something I really considered, especially since I was more passionate about behavioral health and primary care. However, learning about the disparities in regard to this niche surgical specialty peaked my interest and the technical aspects along with the technology spoke to my mechanical capabilities and desire to practice something. I thought I would find clarity from these exploratory opportunities, instead I learned that I love many fields of medicine. Honestly, I don't mind that, I believe it's a sign that I chose the right career if I would be happy regardless of specialty.

Junior Year

I honestly couldn't tell you what is under this microscope, I was awful at histology. I took BIOL 310 (anatomy) alongside physics and biochemistry and it was certainly the most difficult academic quarter during my time here. Yet, I loved every moment of it (aside from physics). The opportunity to use the anatomy lab that medical students use and the privilege to work with the donors' bodies allowed me to envision myself as a medical student. I wish I could've gave more of myself to this class, I wish I took more risks, I wish I performed better. But all that said and done, I am grateful for the experience to practice anatomy as a junior.

I mean just look at me in this photo, taken after a lab shift following my physics final (which I did awful on), it's clear I stacked too much on my plate. Regardless, I made the most of every moment in anatomy and biochemistry and although difficult, I grew to love the subjects. I am particularly grateful for Dr. Self, I was initially intimidated by her but as I got to learn about her desire to support first-gen and underrepresented students as myself due to her experiences as a first-gen student, I instantly felt safer taking more risks in this difficult class. Looking back on it, I wish I had leaned more into that when I had the chance or that I took this class as a more mature senior. Still though, I am grateful to have Dr. Self's support and I look forward to helping Anatomy for Change plan an anatomy workshop this upcoming Spring.

I had always heard that the neuroscience major was very selective, when I heard that some folks were already hearing back about their acceptance I felt disappointed that despite my research, upward grade trend, and story, I still wasn't enough for the program. But no! I received my email later that day at 10PM, I remember feeling so relieved that I would have the opportunity to study what I had intended to. NEUSCI 301 was intellectually stimulating and the lab reports were a grind. The hours I poured into learning how to create figures and write in proper scientific would pay off after submitting a 12 page lab report that I was proud to have written. In all, this report and its experiment took a month and foreshadowed a larger project.

My success in this class and neuroscience in general couldn't have been possible without the support of the faculty's support. David, Kyobi, and Marti were a fresh air when it came to science professors, much like Dr. Self and Theobald, they were unafraid to discuss their lives outside academia which fostered an inviting environment. Their willingness to speak to students until they understood the material really resonated with my own learning and teaching style. There have been moments where I've felt like an imposter in neuroscience and I am lucky to be supported by a faculty that actively combats such a phenomena.

More neuroscience! In this case, it was neuroanatomy which I absolutely fell in love with. Combining my experience from Dr Self's anatomy course and the shadowing during NSSSP, I was able to make many connections to what I had learned previously. This quarter, I also observed a deep brain stimulation procedure after learning about the relevant neuroanatomy in class, it was so rewarding to be able to understand and communicate with the surgeon.

I was also very honored to be awarded the Husky 100 this year! I was reluctant about applying but I received a nomination from my good friend and CCM peer, Wendy. To me, Wendy is an exceptional leader and person and her encouragement was enough to convince me. I was also reluctant due to having to receive the award from AMC during a time where I did not agree with her statements about those protesting in solidarity with Palestine. To be honest, I still struggle to reconcile my own personal views with receiving an award from an institution that does not share my values. Regardless, I hope that in my Husky 100 status, I was able to inspire other Latino pre-health students to see that they too can make it and be be recognized for their valuable work in their community.

Summer 2024: UCLA & Tackling the MCAT

I would like to preface this section by acknowledging how privileged I am to have been able to study for the MCAT practically full time for three months, I know many of my peers do not have that luxury. That said, balancing my UCLA program and working part time as a janitor during these hot summer days still proved to be taxing. I spent hours at my UCLA dorm or my home library studying for this test, I'm pretty sure I may develop sciatica in the future. I've talked about how I also balanced this with my Levinson' Scholar application, which ultimately did not go in my favor (at least in some ways). I trudged through the UWorld questions, seemingly making no progress but I continued to trust in my abilities and consistency and in the end it paid off with something I'll share at the end!

I had the opportunity to participate in the UCLA Pre-medical Enrichment Program, where I met some of the most hardworking and inspiring people. Unfortunately though, while many of my peers explored Los Angeles, I had to stay disciplined and prioritize my MCAT during this experience - that's not to say I didn't make meaningful connections which I will touch on soon. The physician that inspired me to pursue this path went to UCLA DGSOM, the opportunity to further my career while studying for what is essentially the medical school entrance exam at his alma mater is something that still makes me emotional thinking about it. UCLA for some weird reason was my "dream school" in high school. Although I never applied, I still somehow ended up there in some fashion which to me highlighted the weird ways life works out sometimes.

UCLA PREP allowed me a one in a life time experience to expand my knowledge about the medical system through several workshops. Like SHPEP though, what made the program what it was was the amazing people that I got to meet, both the participants and the staff. Hector in particular, the guy with the long hair practicing his intubation, has become like a third brother to me and someone that I will forever be grateful for and I look forward to becoming colleagues.

To be honest, the Westwood area was not my favorite but I fell in love with UCLA Medicine, their values, and the curriculum - I would love to attend their medical school someday. This physician here particular, truly exemplified to me what it means to advocate for your patients unapologetically while using humor and grace to meet the patient where they are. Despite going to UW, I don't think I've ever fully gotten a grasp of the medical school's culture like I have with UCLA's. I would be grateful to attend either but PREP taught me what to look for in a school.

Getting to hear the obstacles my peers have overcome and their resilience as their pursue their goals continues to inspire me and I know that as we move into graduate school I will be reunited with many of them. I have plans to attend the Latino Medical Student Association Conference in Chicago this upcoming October where I hope to meet up with Hector. My love and support for these friends I've made is unconditional and I know we'll make it far.

I've mentioned that a difficulty while studying for the MCAT was writing a research proposal at the same, a proposal that would be rejected. Despite this research disappointment, I was very proud and grateful to be included on one of my mentor's research papers. Working with Jovana has been nothing but a profound privilege. She has been so instrumental in ensuring that I feel represented in science. Having someone of my identity to speak to about my academic journey has contributed strongly to my sense of belonging, something that I hope to have emulated in my own peer-mentor relationships. I am currently assisting Jovana on another publication and extension of her project, I am beyond proud of her work!

Senior Year

This night of this football game was absolutely insane and somewhat encapsulated the wild quarter I had working 10+ hours in the lab while juggling extracurricular activities, family responsibilities, and a course load that was much harder than I anticipated. Although I loved UCLA, it was still nice to watch a mediocre UW football team show them why we are the best setting in college football. I was able to reconnect with some of my high school friends during this game but I left soon after to help my neuroscience lab partners house two lobsters that they had purchased from Uwajimaya. For NEUSCI 302, we were permitted to do our experiments on any reasonable model system and we chose lobsters to understand how their grip strength correlated with the neurologic activity in their claw.

This same night, we broke into Hitchcock and stayed there until 1AM preparing the necessities to experiment on these lobsters. Easily the most out-of-the-box animal, we worried about how we would keep them alive, how we would drill holes through collect electrical activity readings from their claw, and how we would handle them. Although our experimental design was relatively was thought out, in hindsight this experiment would've been impossible with the materials we had at our disposal. Come to find out, the lobsters did not make it to Monday and they likely were actively dying as we prepared their tanks due to the inadequate salt concentration we had used. Devastated with the loss of our animal having to quickly pivot our project, we were very scared of what would happen.

However, we were able to work on crawfish which presented us with unique challenges. We spent many hours in the lab. Ultimately, we collected pretty trash and "convenient" data that we made the best of which impressed our TA. Our final presentation combined both the humor of it all and genuine academic interrogation that got us a perfect score!

Finally, this January I learned that I was selected to participate in the Worrall Scholars Program, a program that invites the top MCAT scorers to visit the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine entirely free of charge. Coming from my background, where science was never accessible, I would have never expected this privilege. I learned that the Mayo Clinic is well known in Mexico where my mom and grandma would hear about their discoveries on the radio, seeing their pride in my invitation meant the world to me, showing that their sacrifices are paying off.